Blog Archives
How the Oka Crisis has shaped 4 generations in Kanesatake and Kahnawake
Warrior raises rifle from atop an overturned police cruiser at Oka roadblock in Quebec on July 1990. Photo by Tom Hanson / The Canadian Press.
‘You could say, it woke us up,’ says 72-year-old John Cree
by , CBC News,
Every year on July 11, Bryan Deer spends the morning at the foot of the Mercier Bridge connecting Montreal with Kahnawake as a reminder to his community and the thousands of commuters that pass through it of an important day in Canadian history. Read the rest of this entry
Poster: Ts’Peten 1995
Graphic History Collective Poster Series
Poster and introduction by Gord Hill
The siege at Ts’Peten (Gustafsen Lake) occurred in Secwepemc territory (in the south-central interior of “British Columbia”) in the summer of 1995, after a white American rancher began harassing an elder and his family at a Secwepemc Sundance camp. Warriors responded to the elder’s call for help, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began a large paramilitary operation to clear out the defenders, deploying some 450 officers, mostly heavily armed Emergency Response Teams. They also received assistance from the Canadian military, including nine Bison armoured personnel carriers (APCs). Read the rest of this entry
Secwepemc gather for 20 year anniversary gathering of RCMP siege of Ts’Peten
Secwepemc gather at Ts’Peten for 20 year anniversary gathering of 1995 siege, near 100 Mile House, ‘BC’.
by Yuct Ne Senxiymetkwe Camp, Sept 15, 2015
We are back in range. On the 20 year commemoration of the Ts’peten Standoff, the protectors, the defenders return to remind and remember. These are our war heroes, these are our war stories, we must hear them, we must listen to them, we must pass on these things to our next generations.
Never forget.
Behind the lines: Invisible scars left by Oka Crisis 25 years later
Mohawks from Kanesatake, Que., march to mark the 25th anniversary of the Oka Crisis, in Oka, Que., on Saturday, July 11, 2015. The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz
Mohawk journalist Dan David reflects on his time during Oka Summer
By Dan David, CBC News, July 11, 2015
At 5 a.m. on the morning of July 11, I’ll be with traditional people and a few guests in The Pines on Kanehsatà:ke Mohawk Territory. There won’t be any government people, politicians, or members of the band council.
No long speeches, preening egos, or empty promises allowed. Just a few people who wish to reflect on the meanings of events that began on a day exactly 25 years before. Read the rest of this entry
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
On a July 11, 1990, a confrontation propelled Native issues in Kanehsatake and the village of Oka, Quebec, into the international spotlight. Director Alanis Obomsawin spent 78 nerve-wracking days and nights filming the armed stand-off between the Mohawks, the Quebec police and the Canadian army. This powerful documentary takes you right into the action of an age-old Aboriginal struggle. The result is a portrait of the people behind the barricades.
The Oka Crisis in five minutes
by Submedia TV
The so called “Oka Crisis” is one of the most legendary battles between indigenous land defenders and settles in the last century. This uprising against colonization set the tone for native resistance in Turtle Island to this day. We as subMedia.tv like to big up the Mohawks of Kanehsatà:ke whenever possible, and in honor of the 25th anniversary of this rupture, we bring you two videos from our vault. Read the rest of this entry
Revisiting the Pines: Oka’s legacy
Warriors at Oka, 1990; the 78-day armed standoff at Kanesatake, Mohawk territory, continues to haunt government and corporations in their dealings with Indigenous peoples.
by Marian Scott, Montreal Gazette, July 10, 2015
KANESATAKE — Behind the barricade at the entrance to the Pines, Denise David tossed and turned, dreaming of a deadly melée between unknown foes.
Her nightmare was about to come true.
It was the morning of July 11, 1990, a day that would rudely awaken Canadians to the anger simmering in First Nations communities. Read the rest of this entry
