Peace and Environment News* September 1990
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Peace and Environment News * September 1990 |
by Tekastiaks
 Mohawks extend a trilingual thank you to the rally at Oka, July 29. Photo: Margaret Jensen |
Since July 11, when police stormed the Mohawk barricades at Oka and the blockade of the Mercier Bridge was set up, media attention has focused on armed confrontations, racist demonstrations, native activism and the prospect of violence. In the midst of the turmoil, it's easy to forget the land claims issues that are at the heart of the controversy.
The Mohawks at Kanehsatake claim the land around Oka as their own. What is important to realize is that this land is still legally Crown land held in trusteeship for the Oka Indians. It was never ceded by the Crown to the Sulpician Fathers, who have been primarily responsible for selling it to the white occupants of Oka. This is generally overlooked in coverage by the standard media. For example. "Commentary" in the Globe and Mail of July 20 (p. A17) claims that land at Oka presently occupied by the Mohawks was owned by the Sulpicians before 1947, and later taken over by the Federal government.
The original Indian inhabitants of the area never signed a treaty to give the land up or ceded it in any other way. There were Iroquois inhabiting Kanehsatake long before the arrival of the French missionaries. Archaeologists have found pottery remain in the area dating back to before the Europeans arrived which show that these settlements existed.
To understand the land ownership question, we must go back to 1763, when King George III of England took over trusteeship of the Indian lands around present Oka area from the Sulpician order. Before this time, the French king had entrusted these lands to the Sulpicians to administer as seigneuries. When the British took over the area from France, the land was designated as British crown land to be held in trusteeship for the Indians.
In 1788, the Oka Indians began meetings with the British to confirm their land ownership. The Indian inhabitants at that time included the Nipissing (Ojibwe), Loup (Mahican), and Mohawk peoples. Even then, the Indians were expressing concern about the Sulpicians, who were acting as if the land was legally theirs. The Sulpicians freely sold land and arrested Indians for trespassing, cutting wood, and grazing cattle. All of this caused a great deal of ill-will among the Indians, who resented being prosecuted for using land that they regarded as legitimately theirs, part of the trusteeship held for them by the British Crown. It is noteworthy that white occupants implicitly recognized Indian ownership since they used to pay the Indians $1 a head to graze cattle on Indian common land.
Rather than confront the white authorities, many of the Indian inhabitants of the area left Oka. The Algonquians (Ojibwe) went to territories that had been established for them at Maniwaki. Some of the Mohawks went to Gibson. Most of these latter left after the trial of Chief Joseph Onasakenrat, whom the Sulpicians had accused of being responsible for destroying the Catholic church at Oka, which burned down in 1877. The Chief, a Protestant convert, was tried for arson and acquitted in a sensational trial.
The Church has continued to sell Indian land in Oka to the present day. By now, most of the original Kanehsatake Mohawk territory has been sold by the church, with only a patchwork of land remaining.
The Kanehsatake Mohawks have been disputing land ownership since the 19th century. The present crisis has developed out of the frustration of seeing their land taken away bit by bit. For instance, as late as the middle of this century, the land that is now a private golf course was used by the Mohawks as their recreation area.
The Mohawks at Kanehsatake need your help. Please send letters of support to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, to Tom Siddon, Minister of Indian Affairs, to Dan Heap, MP Trinity-Spadina, to Bob Skelley, NDP Critic for Indian Affairs, to Audrey McLaughlin, Leader of the NDP, and to your local MP. Postage is free, and letters can be addressed to the House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6. Letters of support can also be sent to Premier Robert Bourassa, 885 E. grande Allée, "J" Building, Québec G1A 1A2. Even one or two letters will help, if you can't manage them all.
The Assembly of first Nations is accepting financial donations to cover legal costs. Cheques of any amount may be made out to the Assembly of First Nations—Oka Relief fund, and sent to the Assembly of First Nations, 47 Clarence St., suite 300, Ottawa, Ont. K1N 9K1.
Converted December 6, 2001 - Lg
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