Peaceful protest: 20th anniversary of Oka

From the Canadian Press:

Oka, Quebec —A traditional chant meant to bring peace and new beginnings marked the start of the protest march Sunday on the 20th anniversary of the Oka Crisis.

“It clears the air and that’s what we’re starting with,” said singer Michael Doxtater.

Kanesatake Mohawks hosted the peaceful protest in Oka, some 70 kilometres west of Montreal.

It commemorated the day two decades ago when an ill-fated Quebec provincial police raid on a Mohawk barricade left Cpl. Marcel Lemay dead and sparked an armed standoff between natives, the law and the army.

At the time, Mohawks were protesting plans to expand a golf course onto land they claimed was an ancient burial ground.

On Sunday, some 300 marchers held placards saying “20 Years Later Nothing has Changed” and waved flags emblazoned with the warrior society symbol — the profile of an Aboriginal man surrounded by a blazing yellow sun on a bright red background.

They paused briefly in front of ‘The Pines,’ the site of the former Kanesatake Mohawk barricade where the gun battle killed Lemay. Nearby Kahnawake Mohawks had also blocked a key commuter bridge at the time.

A few of the stately trees are now decorated with Mohawk flags, while others carry signs proclaiming the area sovereign native land.

Diosa Hall stood in their shadow, resting with her daughter, Mercedes Terrance. The family had driven up from Syracuse, N.Y., to attend the day’s events.

“I feel we have to protect our rights and our sovereignty,” she said.

“I brought my children so they know how to stand up for their rights in a peaceful way at a peaceful demonstration.”

Mohawk activist Clifton Nicholas was 18 in 1990 and helped man the barricades.

“My whole world view changed at that time,” he said, explaining he was shocked by “how twisted and crooked and bad the world could be.”

The 78-day standoff later prompted him to continue to lobby for native rights in Canada.

Nicholas wants Ottawa to sign the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous people — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States voted against adopting the non-binding text — and to have land claims dealt with in “an equitable manner.”

Many of the Mohawks remain distrustful of the provincial and federal governments. They continue to call for the suspension of development on the area until their land claim is resolved.

Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl recently trumpeted the renewed talks on a visit to Quebec City earlier this month.

“Twenty years ago, the way that First Nations government relations were typically dealt with was in confrontation,” he said. “Typically today they are dealt with in negotiations.”

On Oka, he said: “We’re making progress.”

Nicholas brushed off Strahl’s remarks. “Is it the reality or just another political illusion?” he asked.

Ellen Gabriel, who acted as chief Mohawk negotiator in 1990 and now heads a native women’s association, echoed his comments.

“We’re here to tell people the government has lied,” she said.

Kanesatake Grand Chief Sohenrise Paul Nicholas took a more conciliatory tone.

“The recent improvement of our relations with both the governments of Quebec and Canada allow us to look at the future with optimism,” he said in a statement.

“This is good news for us, as well as for all Quebecers. A strong and prosperous Mohawk nation will benefit all Quebecers. “

Despite continued tensions and divisions within the Mohawk community and with the municipal, provincial and federal governments, some things have changed for the better.

A number of non-natives attended the march, busing in from Montreal, and some Oka residents are rallying behind Mohawks angry at the planned development of a niobium mine on the disputed land.

Francine Lemay, the sister of slain Cpl. Lemay, also attended Sunday’s events, giving a speech and presenting a book about the Kanesatake Mohawks she translated from English to French.

Nicholas admitted Sunday that ties between native communities across Canada created in 1990 have been strengthened in the years since the crisis.

And the Mohawk graveyard at the centre of the Oka crisis remains untouched.

“Our dead are still resting where we laid them and we can rest assured they will stay there,” he said.