One year ago today, the OPP raided a site occupied by Six Nations People, in a failed attempt to end the protest that began at the end of February 2006, to compel Canada and Ontario to uphold The Two Row Wampum — and Respect the Haldimand Proclamation by ceasing a development project and vacating the region, now known as Kanonhstaton.
The past year has been a consistently tense, empowering, and educational experience for people both in support of, and in opposition to the Reclamation Project, and Indigenous Peoples struggles everywhere.
From the Tekha: That day has been repeatedly portrayed as symbolic of Native unrest in Canada by much of the outside non-Native media. Mainstream media has shown footage of the burning tires and barricades ad nauseam to give viewers the inaccurate perception that is what goes on daily at the reclamation. However, many Haudenosaunee people view April 20th as the day that Canada declared war on the people.
Jamieson feels that day was one of unity for Onkwehonwe, and believes the anniversary should also be viewed as a day of Unity for Six Nations people and their supporters. ”
Also from the Tekha - Final touches are being made for the commemoration of the first anniversary of the April 20th OPP raid on Kanonhstaton.
The events of the day are being described as “œa day of peace and unity.”
All activities will take place at Kanonhstaton.
The tentative schedule, as of press time, begins at 4:20am with a Sunrise Ceremony at Kanonhstaton. The time marks the moment of the predawn raid on unarmed and unsuspecting Native and non-Native supporters at the reclamation site on April 20, 2006.
Between 8 am and 9 am there will be a potluck breakfast followed by a welcome and sharing circle.
A Corn Soup and Scone Cook-off will take place between 11 am and 12 pm followed by a potluck lunch served until 2 pm.
A White Pine Planting Ceremony will take place between 2 pm and 5 pm with a potluck supper and Iroquois social to follow with a closing ceremony set for around 8 pm.
Throughout the day, weather permitting, there will be volleyball games, horseshoe tossing, Ding-ball and lacrosse games.
A speaker’s corner will be set up where people can share their personal stories, pictures and videos taken chronicling the past “Year of Reclamation.”
“It’s going to be very emotional,’ said Janie Jamieson who, along with a small group of women supported by a few men, strung a hand painted banner across the entrance of Douglas Creek Estates early in the morning of February 28, which has evolved into the biggest Aboriginal rights story of the year. “I tried to look at some pictures taken last April 20, and I had to stop. It was just too painful to look at.”
There have been many changes at the site since then but one thing that has remained is the general resolve of the people of Six Nations to finally get the answers to 200 year old questions which have been ignored by the Crown and successive federal governments for generation.
An Anniversary Blockade
I don’t think this directly related to the Anniversary - that is, it’s “part of the ongoing rotational economic disruption campaign we promised” (source) as stated by Shawn Brant. But I thought It be appropriate to include it here…
A protest over disputed land is preventing CN freight and Via Rail passenger trains from travelling through eastern Ontario. The protest, by members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, began at about midnight as is part of a land claims dispute in the region. (source)
“The track was one of the targets on a list because the quarry issues have not been resolved,” said protest leader Shawn Brant. The plan was to “close the tracks for 48 hours,” he said. (source)
See http://ocap.ca/firstnations/tyendinaga/culberston for recent news and background
Indigenous Land: Canada’s Toxic Storehouse
Underreported Struggles for May 2008
Campaigner Guide to Mine-Related Finance
Grants for Indigenous communities effected by mining
We feat. Arundhati Roy
The people of Nigeria versus Shell
Penusah Tana: The Forgotten Struggle
30 Days: Life on an Indian Reservation
Indigenous Bolivians Declare Emergency Over Brazil Dams
The Century of the Self: Happiness Machines
Well, the blockade ended a little earlier than planned (this morning) - out of a concern that things could get violent.
But depending on how lax Canada, etc. is in resolving this matter, Brant said (in another article) that more demonstrations are planned, which may become more aggressive depending on the Provinces action/inaction.
Kia Ora Ahni
found this article sis in the corporate kkkanadian press:
This is pure KKKanda propaganda, and sounds if they are going to steamroll their process through irregardless of the wishes of First Nations.Calling broad based social movements militant when the truth is that are led by Elder women & men, just gives them justification to use all of the states resources to repress these communities standing up for their ancestral rights for their grand children’s, grandchildren.
Native flash points simmering as backlog of stalled land claims grows
at 17:37 on April 23, 2007, EST.
OTTAWA (CP) - Anger over decades of federal stalling on native land claims is set to erupt in flashpoints across Canada, says former Ontario premier David Peterson.
After mediating several cases, he warns of “a new militancy” among First Nations who’ve felt ignored for too long. Ottawa must move faster on legitimate claims before growing frustration turns deadly, he said in an interview.
“There’s a lot of potentially explosive situations out there.”
Peterson says more confrontations are on the way.
“There is hardly a rail line, a road, a pipeline, a hydro line that doesn’t somewhere go across disputed property.
“But one of the great frustrations for the aboriginal community is no one has sat down and seriously engaged in discussion about this.”
A stack of dusty studies, including a recent Senate report, has slammed the slow pace of settlements.
Native leaders complain that Ottawa acts as both judge and jury - when it acts at all.
Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice himself says the system is broken. The number of backlogged claims has soared to about 800 from 250 since 1993.
Prentice said he will soon ask cabinet to approve an action plan. The question is whether he can sway the Conservative government to make potentially costly changes.
The price of not acting may be much higher, observers say.
A new generation of native activists - increasingly youthful, restless and often unemployed - has lost patience, says Peter Russell, a constitutional expert at University of Toronto.
“We’re going to have more and more of these flashpoint events. It’s an urgent, urgent matter.
“It divides us all. It’s very costly and it’s unnecessary.
“We have to scream: Government, move! Please!”
Growing tensions flared over the weekend as a splinter group of Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte paralyzed freight and passenger rail traffic with a blockade on a busy Toronto-Montreal line near Deseronto, Ont.
Protest leader Shawn Brant blamed the slow pace of talks around use by developers of a quarry on disputed land. He also said the protest that ended early Saturday is just one in a planned campaign of economic disruption.
On Monday, affiliated demonstrators dumped what they called “toxic waste” from that site on the steps of the Ontario legislature in Toronto.
People inconvenienced by the weekend chaos were understandably angry, Russell says.
“But we’re the culprits as much as the First Nations people. We, and our governments, have not been willing to get a process in place that’s fair and expeditious. Until we do so, we’re going to have more of this - and it’ll be miserable.”
It’s not unusual for legitimate claims to be stalled for decades, as small armies of lawyers and negotiators get rich with little incentive to speed things up, Peterson said.
“I’ve seen trivial things take 10 years to do. There are professional negotiators who go on forever doing this because there’s a lot of people making a lot of money off it.”
Peterson has intervened in many cases, including a series of ugly scuffles between native demonstrators and town residents last year over a housing development in Caledonia, Ont.
“It was the worst mass riot going on. People were confronting each other. And the worry was that somebody would be shot.”
Good negotiators who understand the sometimes “intense frustration” of dealing with native consensus methods are crucial, he says.
Tensions will only grow between native and non-native communities until Ottawa “rolls up its sleeves” and revamps its policies.
Police who respond to the often super-charged Catch-22 of a native blockade must weigh law enforcement against the potential for all-out mayhem.
Some critics say police and the courts must crack down.
“We know these situations have to be dealt with very carefully,” says Sgt. Kristine Rae of the Ontario Provincial Police. “And it has to be done in association with all of the involved parties.
“The main goal for each and every one that does occur is a peaceful resolution.”
Power rests with Ottawa to settle the land claims that fuel most incidents, she said.
“‘If things are sped up and it helps prevent the demonstrations, I think that’s only a good thing for not just the police, but all the communities as well as demonstrators.”
In the spirit of Respect,and Indigenous Solidarity
Ana
Hi Ana. Yeah, we’ve been seeing alot of this talk lately.
There are alot of possible so-called flashpoints, but it’s not because of stalled land claims or Canada’s fascistic approach to negotiations.
It’s because the people are suffering and all Canada can do is implement more schemes and work to characterize all indigenous people as terrorists because it’s easier than working with us as the People we are…
Who right now live in third world conditions, suffer from heavy metal poisoning, have contaminated drinking water, and often live on resource-rich land that Canada and businesses alike will do anything to extract…
People who are not allowed to speak or defend themselves, who are not allowed access to Justice, who are not allowed to live unindentured lives, and who’s only option is to morally, socially, and spiritually compromise themselves because America’s inbred cousin’s just gotta get its way. No ifs, ands, or legal frameworks about it.
Personally though, I am concerned about the potential for violence - not because of some “new militancy,” but since Canada has purposely, for instance, made blockades our only viable option — and now that we’ve pretty much all come to terms with that, Canada’s intent on using it against us to implement more schemes and advance their long-term agenda of full-spectrum assimilation.
We’ve all heard of the American Dream… Well that’s the Canadian Dream.
Well, whatever may come — as far as our needs are concerned, it does not matter what Canada does or wants. They may engage violence whether or not we do it first.. and the recent Draft CAF manual made it abundantly clear that Collateral Damage is acceptable. In other words, they can kill as many women and children as they want.
As repugnant as that is, it does not mean we enable it to happen. It just means we have to continue moving forward as we have been…
In a few short years, we’ve gone from tolerant to reluctant to unwilling. And now it is time to apply this excellent growth to the way we work - from being subordinate to taking a primary role in our on lives, respectful of our own customs and traditions, to walk without violence, and to do so regardless of Canada because our needs come before their wants.
Respectfully,
A.
Kia Ora Anhi
I’ve posted this on our Maori Independence list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tino-rangatiratanga/message/22425
Your brothers and sisters in the pacific will not let this treatment go un noticed, nor unchallenged.
In the spirit of Indigenous Solidarity
Much respect
Ana