Photo: Debra White Plume, Oglala Lakota, in the film, “We Love Being Lakota,” which evolved into the film, “Spaces of Exception.”
Spaces of Exception Film Exposes Atrocities and Genocide of Native People and Palestinians
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, November 17, 2023
MONTREAL — The film Spaces of Exception revealing the atrocities and genocide of Native people — Lakota, Navajo, and Mohawk — and of Palestinians — was shown in Montreal at McGill University. It is here at McGill that Mohawk Mothers have an ongoing court battle to search for graves of Native children at the hospital where the CIA conducted MK-Ultra torture experiments.
Among those who were involved in the series of films in the project were Debra White Plume and Olowan Sara Martinez, our Oglala Lakota friends of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, now in the Spirit World. Their bold stance as defenders of the water and people was manifest at the Red Warrior Camp at Standing Rock, during the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.
At McGill University, the event included the co-editors of the book, The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival, with Philippe Blouin and Kahentinehta Rotiskarewake. The film showing was given a small room by the university in an obvious attempt to limit the number attending.
‘Spaces of Exception’ is the latest in a series of films, which began with ‘We Love Being Lakota.’
Alex White Plume says that the ancient people, the Palestinians, and Native people have been oppressed in the same way. “They are committing genocide after genocide over there.”
Debra White Plume says the connection goes beyond solidarity.
“It is a spiritual connection.”
Debra said that the genocide is rooted in the quest of the oppressors to separate the people, for occupation, and to take the minerals and the land — both in Palestine and on this continent.
The filmmakers said, “Profiling the American Indian reservation alongside the Palestinian refugee camp, Spaces of Exception was filmed from 2014 to 2017 in Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and South Dakota as well as Lebanon and the West Bank. It is an attempt to understand the significance of the land—its memory and divisions—and the conditions for life, community, and sovereignty.”
‘Spaces of Exception’ Standing Rock, Oceti Sakowin Camp, water protectors resisting Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.
Filmmaker Matt Peterson said ‘Spaces of Exception’ includes the Dine’ battling relocation because of Peabody Coal at Black Mesa, the Mohawk Warrior Society and the people of Palestine.
“The film investigates and juxtaposes the struggles, communities, and spaces of the American Indian reservation and the Palestinian refugee camp. It was shot over the course of three years in the West Bank and Lebanon, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico, New York, and South Dakota,” Peterson said.
Spaces of Exception film trailer
“Spaces of Exception features interviews with members of the American Indian Movement, the Mohawk Warrior Society, and Diné families resisting displacement on Black Mesa, as well as members of Fatah, Palestinian environmental and media activists, autonomous youth committees, and the families of political prisoners and martyrs.”
“The film is an attempt to understand the significance of the land – its memory and divisions – and the conditions for life, community, and sovereignty.
Akwesasne Mohawk ‘Spaces of Exception’
The first Native land that the filmmakers visited was Pine Ridge in South Dakota, and through activists, were able to reach Olowan Sara Martinez, whose mother had visited Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon in 1979 as part of a delegation with the American Indian Movement.
“Once she heard about our project she was excited to meet and talk with us, and from that first trip we made the short video We Love Being Lakota with Ojibway artist Adam Khalil,” the filmmakers said.
“The video became something of a calling card to introduce and explain our project and approach. As we continued traveling, meeting people, making and showing short films, it became easier and easier.”
We Love Being Lakota is the first in a series of videos and texts from our documentary project The Native and the Refugee, connecting the struggles taking place on Indian reservations in the United States with those in Palestinian refugee camps in the. Middle East.
Olowan Sara Martinez, Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge
Olowan says in the film, “For us, as young Tokalas, we don’t wanna be stuck in the waiting process, waiting for a handout, waiting for something to go our way. Waiting, waiting, that’s what Fat Taker did was he trained us to wait, trained us to stand in line.”
“Watch out. Join or get the hell out of the way.”
The filmmakers said, “RIP Olowan Sara Martinez (1974-2022), who was instrumental in inviting us to film at both Pine Ridge and Standing Rock, and who appeared in our films We Love Being Lakota (2015), Indian Winter (2017), and Spaces of Exception (2019). She was a brilliant, eloquent, inspiring, courageous, and incredibly strong woman who will be greatly missed.”
‘Spaces of Exception’
In Montreal, Spaces of Exception held its Canadian premiere at McGill University.
We Love Being Lakota Adam Khalil, Matt Peterson, Malek Rasamny, 2015, 12 min This video was taken during our December visit to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Home of the Oglala Lakota, “the fiercest warrior tribe on the continent”, the film takes a meditative look at Lakota identity in the face of US colonialism, and their relationship to the sacred land they have been pushed out of after two centuries of warfare and theft.Men’s Council of the People of the Way of the Longhouse
Adam Khalil, Matt Peterson, Malek Rasamny, 2015, 12 min
Taking place on the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne–on the borders of New York, Ontario and Quebec–this video juxtaposes footage of a special January gathering at their longhouse, featuring elder Paul Delaronde; archival footage of the Mohawk Warrior Society; and shots of the polluted, decaying industrialized remains surrounding their territory.INAATE/SE/ (excerpt)
Adam and Zack Khalil, 2015, 10 min
“Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil (both Ojibwe) provide a raw take on their ancestral community within the Sault Ste. Marie area — documenting the harmony and debauchery of the Indigenous experience today. This experimental film, now in the works, juxtaposes the voice of the romanticizing settler with contemporary Ojibwe perspectives.” — Gloria Bell, First American Art Magazine.
Censored News
Ry Cooder reminds us everybody has a natural home provided by creation:
MNN. July 8, 2023. Ayonwaehs – War Chief of the Mohawks, Ateronhiatakon – Francis Boots, Snipe Clan, 73, peacefully passed away on July 5th, 2023. He will be presented at the Kanienkehaka Kaianerehkowa Kanonsesne [longhouse] located at 570 Route 37 in Akweswasne, starting on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 2pm, until the funeral service on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 10:00 am. Burial will take place at the Jocks Cemetery on 136B Jock Road in Akwesasne [NYS]. Funeral arrangements are with Donaldson’s Funeral Home. Donations can be made to the Kanienkehaka Kaianerehkowa Kanonsesne.
He was born October 27, 1948 at the home of his maternal grandparents Katie and Paul Caldwell. He grew up on Cornwall Island of Akwesasne. He married Lisa Thomas, and was later in a relationship with Margie Marquis. He is survived by his children, Kawenniiosta (Joe), Teioronhiate (Crystal), Mandaque, Sohahiio, Karatohon (Cheryl), Konwanietawi (Zane), his grandchildren, Kai, Nora, Reese, Lita Jane, Odessa, Mskwaa-desiinh, Cala and Kanerahtine. He is survived by his siblings, John, Diane, Harvey, Anna, Yvonne, Jake, Emily and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his siblings, Peter, James (Julia), Joseph (Barbara), Catherine-Lena (Ray), Margaret (Peter), Elizabeth-Betty (Carl), Fredrick, Richard, Angus (Harriet) and Stephen (Beverly) and in-laws, Harriet, Patricia and Beverly.
Ateronhiatakon, attended Cornwall Island Day School, East Front Public School, St. Lawrence High School and Mater Dei College. In the 1960’s he travelled with the “White Roots of Peace”. He was always prepared at a momen’t notice to help the people. He shared his vast knowledge and experience, teaching our language, and officiating ceremonies. He was a true gift to the people. His kindness and his way of communicating made everyone comfortable, even in uneasy situations.
Francis honored all his teachers, people of the Confederacy, elders and community members with whom he shared his deep knowledge of our traditional ways.
Aterionhiatakon was always optimistic, “I’m confident that we will survive. In the future I believe that we will not allow our way of life to be tampered with by the colonial powers. The settler peoples have got to understand they too have these instructions to be kind to Mother Earth, to be kind to the rivers, to be kind to the trees and all life. They seem to have forgotten that, and that’s where the conflict is. They too have to come home now. From”The Mohawk Warrior Society – A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival, Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall”.
Aterionhiatakon was a great aserakowa whose role at all times is to maintain the peace. Another great Mohawk, Robbie Robertson has something to say about Francis:
The general rode for sixteen days The horses were thirsty and tired On the trail of a renegade chief One he’d come to admire The soldiers hid behind the hills That surrounded the village And he rode down to warn the chief They’d come to conquer and pillage
Lay down your arms Lay down your spear The chief’s eyes were sad But showed no sign of fear
It is a good dayto die (It is a good day to die) Oh my children dry your eyes It is a good day to die
And he spoke of the days before the white man came With his guns and whisky He told of a time long ago Before what you call history The general couldn’t believe his words Nor the look on his face But he knew these people would rather die Then have to live in this disgrace
What law have I broken What wrong have I done That makes you want to bury me Upon this trail of blood
It is a good day to die (It is a good day to die) Oh my children don’t you cry It is a good day to die
We cared for the land and the land cared for us And that’s the way it’s always been Never asked for more never asked too much And now you tell me this is the end
I laid down my weapon I laid down my bow Now you want to drive me out With no place left to go
It is a good day to die (It is a good day to die) Oh my children don’t you cry It is a good day to die (It is a good day to die)
And he turned to his people and said dry your eyes We’ve been blessed and we are thankful Raise your voices to the sky It is a good day to die
Oh my children don’t you cry (don’t you cry) Dry your eyes Raise your voice up to the sky It is a good day to die
MNN. Wed. July 5, 2023. This is a discussion with the men’s fire about standing up to the HCCC [Haudenosaunee Council of Chiefs] and HDI [Haudenosaunee Development Insttute] which are private incorporated companies. This is the intervention by the men’s fire against HDI and HCCC to settle all the Ontario and Canada land claims by Canada. They did not ask the people if they could do this because they know all the land is not for sale. The onkwehonweh [natural people of creation] have been given all the land of Turtle Island. The people discussed the responsibilities under the kaiaerekowa of each and every one of us.
Here’s how it goes. A band council entity is set up. They offer to help their people. Somebody or a community group get some monies to “benefit the community”, but the band council or its nominee own all the assets from it and can tell us what we can or cannot do. The band council and its entities use our funds to ingratiate, enrich themselves, get into conflict of interest situations and possible fraud.
Remember, the band councils are corporate agents of Canada that were set up on Oct. 25, 1924 to help Canada take and control our land and resources.
Said the onkwehonweh to the canadien!
For example, an incorporated community association [the band council] invites a so called non-profit society in to build a community hall for the people. In the end it benefits mostly them and Canada, not the people.
The meeting is held at a band council building. The main host is a guy who works for the band council, who is directly involved with the process. Canada and the provinces have millions of dollars in program funds they offer to support projects they deem will ‘benefit’ the community!
As a part of the band council corporate apparatus, thenominee employee helps push the grant application forward. He gets their documents together and registers them to be a not-for-profit society in order to receive the funds.
The host suggests they build a structure that would cost $500,000. There will be taxes for each household because this incorporated association is no longer indigenous.
The mentor asks for $300,000 for the logs; $800,000 for the lock up; then another $200,000 for the construction of the building, then transportation and putting it together on the site, plus expenses to hook up the water, electricity, and sewage. If they do not get the initial grant, then the costs for the project somehow rise to $1.5. to $2 million which has to be borrowed by the villagers. In most cases most of these enterprises are not needed.
When the mentor, on behalf of the association gets the grant, he owns and leases it to the society for $1 a year. The purpose is not to benefit the community as mostly they never see the money.
Public funds are being used to enrich the corporate non-native band council entity. Out of the $1.5 million or more granted or loaned, the building costs $500,000 and who knows where the rest goes.
The band council cannot be part of any community since they are a foreign for-profit crown corporation.The employee/mentor dupes the people.
The conflict of interest is because the band council employee cannot have anything from this grant application process for himself.It was his idea and he has been working with his ‘band council superiors’ to push this projectthrough.
The Supreme Court [Beverly McLachlan] unanimously ruled that the tsilhqot’in does have a claim of 750 sq. Km [680 sq. mi.] of land. This decision is a precedent for all turtle island.
The colonial Supreme Court held that aboriginal title constitutes a beneficial interest in the land, the underlying control of which is retained by the Crown. Why? We are caretakers of turtle island. Indigenous people are sovereign and have all duties and responsibilities to decide everything. Also,to proactively use and manage the land, including its natural resources. But the foreign entity, the Crown, gave themselves the right to override aboriginal title in the so called “public interest”!!
This scam is practiced on every native until all our land is completely taken from us. Everything the intruders do is void as no land can be conveyed. A foreign for-profit private crown corporation does not have any right to deal with the “general public”, including band councils. A private company can only deal with their own employees, property and dependants. “Public” funds are used to enrich themselves by requisitioning this legitimate native property without using their own assets to do it. In fact, the funds could be coming from our “Indian Trust Funds”.
The band councils work dilligently for Canada.
Sections 35/52 of the Constitution Act of Canada 1982 and its band councils do not exist according to our way. Original people are caretakers and sovereigns of all turtle island for all future generations. The Crown has no claim on anything.
This is a new way to genocide us by “reconciliation ” with Canada through forced citizenship without physical slaughter as they did in the past.
Rumormillnews 224893 CGI’S empyyreal:CRD in Sook BC, Canada engaged in money laundering, unjust enrichment and fraud with proof. Sat. 24-Jun2023H
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs had an insight into the goings on of Indian reservations in Canada in the “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”:
Come and listen to a story ’bout a man named Jed Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed Then one day he was shooting for some food, And up through the ground come a bubbling crude (Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea)
Well the first thing you know old Jed’s a millionaire Kin folk said Jed move away from there Said California is the place you oughta be So they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly (Hills that is, swimming pools, movie stars). . . .
MNN. June 20, 2023. The Kahnistensera, Mohawk Mothers of kahnawake, kanesatake, and akwesasne knew Louis karonhiaktajeh Hall, and were greatly influenced by his stories, philosophy and farsightedness. This podcast reveals many of his past, current and future insights into what lay ahead for the Mohawks.
The Mohawk Warrior Society is one of the most successful militant organizations in North America. Their predecessors were key to the defeat of the French in Quebec and the United States in the War of 1812. Today, the Warriors are best known for their role in the 1990 Oka standoff against the Canadian army. In the new book, The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival, the movement for the first time tells its own history.
We are joined by the editors of this unique anthology of resistance, Philippe Blouin, Matt Peterson, Malek Rasamny and Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake and also by Kwetiio and Karennatha who, along with Kahentinetha, are members of the group Kanien’kehà:ka Kanistansera, the Mohawk Mothers.
Louis will always be honored by the people. The world will never forget the warrior flag he designed. Even the Kingsmen back in the 60’s honoured Louis: Ah Louie Louie. Oh no, Said we gotta go. Yeah yeah yeah. Yeah yeah. Baby. Louie Louie. Oh baby. Said we gotta go. A fine little girl. She waitin for me. Catch a ship, across the sea. Sail that ship out all alone. Me never think how. I’ll make it home. I’ll make it home. Ah Louis Louie. No no no no. Make it home. . . .
L Lots is happening and we need basic information.
Please post & distribute.
MNN. March 31, 2023. OCTOBER 25TH, 2024, IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PLANNED EXTINCTION OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. INSTEAD IT WILL BE THE CELEBRATION OF THE FAILURE OF THE PLAN TO “SOLVE THE INDIAN PROBLEM”.
The Pope announced that the Doctrine of Discovery has been recinded. He acknowledges and affirms the genocide happened in Canada. Canada supports the Pope’s comments through Sections 35 and 52 of the Constitution Act of Canada 1982 that the kaianerekowa is the law of the land and and that all Canadian laws are “null and void”. This is at odds with the enforcement of the “Indian Lands Act” and the “Indian ACT. The illegitimate government of Canada has plead guilty to all the genocide, i.e. residential schools, land theft, destruction and rape of our mother, ad nauseum.
We were always a natural part of turtle island. We have been blocked from taking care of our mother. The Doctrine underlies all the land transactions throughout Canada. It lead to the increased wealth and power of Europe which was the foundation for the industrial revolution, increased globalization, capitalism and neo capitalism. The colonial power Canada is Corporation # ISO CA 3166-1 registered in the Vatican, as are all corporations, based on the fraudulent Doctrine of Discovery. Indian Affairs is a department of the army and the war will never end until the military government of Canada is neutralized. Canada is a corporation owned by a few banking families that claim to own every municipality throughout turtle island and through the birth certificates of every child born in Canada.
The greatest form of slavery is when the slaves believe they are free. 500 plus reserves were created as prisoner of war camps on October 25, 1924 [Indian Lands Acts]. The end of the 100 year plan of our demise is now over! We will be free and Canada will be dissolved. Canada is a corporate operation masquerading as a country. The Montevideo Convention of 1932 sets out the criteria for a true country, which must have its own language, culture and land. Canada has none of these. They’ve here to exploit all our natural resources.
All these criminals and their families who take oaths to the King of England must be immediately arrested and excommunicated from our land. We never invited them here. All immigrants must ask us for our permission to come here and live amongst us under the law of the land, as caretakers of all of turtle island for future generations through nature, truth and justice. The multi generational invaders can never become indigenous to this land they call Canada. They must adhere to the indigenous law of peace.
The kaianerekowa is the law of the land. The usurpers rely on the law of the water, Admiralty laws. All courts in Canada are private corporations under Admiralty law.of the seas.
KAIANEREKOWA WILL NEVER RECOGNIZE CANADA. This law has been applied in Canada militarily to hold indigenous people in place and forcefully assert their admiralty jurisdiction on us so the Crown can plunder our resources.
THEY NEED TO HALT THEIR ECOCIDAL ASSAULT ON OUR MOTHER EARTH NOW! Canada is going to be accountable for the crime of genocide. In other words, Canada is an illegal entity that is based on genocide and theft and the penalty must be dissolution of Canada. Our planned celebration of the end of Canada will be October 25, 2024, exactly 100 years after the Minister of Indian Affairs proclaimed the “100 Year Plan to be Rid of the Indian Problem”. Germany and the world did not reconcile with the Nazis. Kaianerekowa can never reconcile with genocide.
These are truths. Canada must account for these truths.
Donavan sings about the first land out of the water, onowarekeh, turtle island. and the first humans to come on the earth, us.
The continent of Atlantis was an island Which lay before the great flood In the area we now call the Atlantic Ocean. So great an area of land, That from her western shores Those beautiful sailors journeyed To the South and the North Americas with ease, In their ships with painted sails. To the East Africa was a neighbour, Across a short strait of sea miles. The great Egyptian age is But a remnant of The Atlantian culture. …..The antediluvian kings colonised the world All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas In all legends from all lands were from far Atlantis. Knowing her fate, Atlantis sent out ships to all corners of the Earth. On board were the Twelve:The poet, the physician, The farmer, the scientist, The magician and the other so-called Gods of our legends. Though Gods they were – And as the elders of our time choose to remain blind Let us rejoice And let us sing And dance and ring in the new Hail Atlantis! . . .
Recently the Kahnistenseras of Kahnawake were invited to Hart House of University of Toronto to speak about current indigenous issues.
Globe & Mail 1964 republication of Feb. 11, 1965. ProQuest Historical Newspapers : “Self-Support Indian Goal“
Kahentinetha Horn, a lissum Indian, forecast an Indian in the future of every University of Toronto student who jammed Hart House art gallery yesterday to hear her talk on the arts and culture of contemporary Indians. Miss Horn prophesied that in 35 years, Canada’s Indian population would be 1,800,000 – or roughly one out of every 25 persons. would be an Indian, she said. “You are the privileged of the privileged”, she told the students. “You are the 82 per cent of the future leaders of Canada” – I represent the despairing 1 per cent who are multiplying rapidly in Canada. Now is the time you must learn about Indians to help us achieve our main goal.” The first goal of Indians is to be able to support themselves, she said. On each Wall of Hart House gallery hung paintings by Norval Morrisseau, Ojibway Indian from Beardmore, Ont. “They conveyed a message of the past”, Miss Horn said. “Such art flows through the blood of my brothers and sisters – but most of the benefits reaches the white man’s salons?” While Indian culture certainly encompasses significant art form, the arts of Indians have leaned more to warfare and politics, Miss Horn said. “For 20,000 years, the Indians have had a struggle to survive the forces of nature. The cultural arts come only with leisure – after survival.” The greats of her ancestors, the Iroquois, were related to politics and warfare. The United Nations concepts are modelled on the Iroquois Confederacy, for example. Their arts of warfare are the reasons the students speak English today instead of French, she said. That’s why you have Prime Minister Pearson as leader instead of President de Gaulle”. Most Indians, Miss Horn said, are unemployable. “I’m afraid technical sciences will keep Indians unemployable. We haven’t time to think about our arts. We have to keep our people alive. How to keep our women alive, for example, past the age of 45. Why does one out of 10 of our babies die before the age of 4? Don’t ask me why; nobody has ever researched the reason. It’s just a statistic. We need housing, medical care, community planning, training and education. We need an interest in welfare – there’ll be one of us in thec future for every one of you.
Note to readers: The population of indigenous people in Canada today is 1.800,000.
The Mohawk Warrior Society Book Launch and Screenings on Indigenous Sovereignty and Survival Tuesday, October 18, 2022 – Wednesday, October 19, 2022 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 4TH SPACE J.W. McConnell Building, Concordia University 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal The Mohawk Warrior Society: Book Launch and Screenings on Indigenous Sovereignty and Survival
Join us for the launch of an unprecedented book, a public roundtable with members of the Kanien’keha:ka Rotiskenrakete of the Men’s Fire and Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera, an activist group of Mohawk women from Kahnawake, and film screenings in celebration of Indigenous culture and resilience.
THE MOHAWK WARRIOR SOCIETY: A HANDBOOK ON SOVEREIGNTY AND SURVIVAL, is the centrepiece of our events. Containing new oral history by key figures of the Rotisken’rhakéhte revival in the 1970s, this compilation tells the story of the Warriors’ famous flag and other art, their armed occupation of Ganienkeh in 1974, and the role of their constitution, the Great Peace. This book launch is part of a two-day series of events and film screenings that foreground Kanien’kehá:ka activism, culture, and current issues within the broader rubric of Indigenous sovereignty.
See below for the full schedule:
October 18 11:00am – 4:00pm Round Table and Book Launch
October 19 1:00pm – 1:15pm
Welcome and Introduction 1:15pm – 2:00pm Film Screening: “Mohawk Nation” (1978) 2:00pm – 2:15pm
Short Break 2:15pm – 2:40pm Film Screening: “Rose” (2022) 2:45pm – 4:00pm
Open Discussion How can you participate? Join us in person or online by registering for the Zoom Meeting or watching live on YouTube.
MNN. FEB. 1, 2022. This amazing book contains new oral history by key figures of the Rotisken’rhakéhte’s revival in the 1970s, and tells the story of the Warriors’ famous flag, their armed occupation of Ganienkeh in 1974, and the role of their kaianerekowa constitution, the Great Peace, in guiding their commitment to freedom and independence.
The first collection of its kind, The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival uncovers a hidden history and paints a bold portrait of the spectacular experience of Kanien’kehá:ka survival and self-defense. In this anthology, Mohawk Warriors tell their own story with their own voices and serve as an example and inspiration for future generations struggling against the environmental, cultural, and social devastation cast upon the modern world. This 320-page book also has a stunning collection of over 40 full-color pages of paintings, artwork, and flyers by Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall. Learn more about the book and contributors below. Preorder your copy, check out all the rewards, and please consider choosing a “donation” option or add-on so we can send free copies to the kanien’keha:ka kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) who are based in Kahnawake to get them out into the world. Thanks in advance for your help getting this important book into the world!
The first collection of its kind, this anthology by members of the Mohawk Warrior Society uncovers a hidden history and paints a bold portrait of the spectacular experience of Kanien’kehá:ka survival and self-defense. Providing extensive documentation, context, and analysis, the book features foundational writings by prolific visual artist and polemicist Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall (1918–1993)—such as his landmark 1979 pamphlet, The Warrior’s Handbook, as well as selections of his pioneering artwork. This book contains new oral history by key figures of the Rotisken’rhakéhte’s revival in the 1970s, and tells the story of the Warriors’ famous flag, their armed occupation of Ganienkeh in 1974, and the role of their constitution, the Great Peace, in guiding their commitment to freedom and independence. We hear directly the story of how the Kanien’kehá:ka Longhouse became one the most militant resistance groups in North America, gaining international attention with the Oka Crisis of 1990. This auto-history of the Rotisken’rhakéhte is complemented by a Mohawk history timeline from colonization to the present, a glossary of Mohawk political philosophy, and a new map in the Kanien’kéha language. At last, the Mohawk Warriors can tell their own story with their own voices, and to serve as an example and inspiration for future generations struggling against the environmental, cultural, and social devastation cast upon the modern world.
The book is by Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall, Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake, Philippe Blouin, Matt Peterson, and Malek Rasamny.
Praise
“While many have heard of AIM & the Red Power movement of the ’60s and ’70s, most probably do not know the story of the Mohawk warriors and their influence on Indigenous struggles for land and self-determination, then and now. These include the 1974 Ganienkeh land reclamation (which still exists today as sovereign Mohawk territory), the 1990 Oka Crisis (an armed standoff that revived the fighting spirit & warrior culture of Indigenous peoples across North America), and the Warrior/Warrior Unity flag, a powerful symbol of Indigenous resistance today commonly seen at blockades & rallies. The Mohawk Warrior Society tells this history in the words of the Mohawks themselves. Comprised of interviews with some of the key participants, as well as The Warrior’s Handbook and Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy (both written by Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall, who also designed the Warrior/Unity flag), this book documents the important contributions Mohawk warriors have made to modern Indigenous resistance in North America.” —Gord Hill, Kwakwaka’wakw, author of 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance and The Antifa Comic Book
“This clear and stimulating book had me on edge from beginning to end. No matter who we are we can learn from these histories of the Iroquois Confederacy as related by its present-day members, lessons pertaining to non-hierarchical political organization and the care of the land. In the age of Black Lives Matter this work makes the case for autonomous life-spaces free of US or Canadian state control.” —Michael Taussig, Class of 1933 Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, City of New York
“This book is a window into a world seldom glimpsed by Europeans and their settler descendants. Revealed to us is the inner vision of First Nation liberation movements that emerged from forms of government within which group autonomy and individual freedom have been cherished for thousands of years. Despite inspiring the US Constitution, these confederacies were heavily repressed and forced underground. At the end of the 1960s, the Warrior Society was rekindled by seven original members who vowed to defend their people against state violence depriving them of their rights. Overnight, they were joined by hundreds throughout Mohawk lands, then thousands all over the Iroquois Confederacy, with supporters from the East Coast to the West Coast in North and South America. The Warrior Society emerged within a broader cultural renaissance that imbued traditional matrilineal cultures with new vitality. As part of the global awakening of the 1960s, they were more popularly rooted than AIM or the Black Panthers. Their Great Law provides an ecological and democratic framework for peaceful coexistence of all peoples.” —George Katsiaficas, author of The Subversion of Politics: European Autonomous Social Movements and the Decolonization of Everyday Life and The Global Imagination of 1968: Revolution and Counterrevolution
“This book takes the reader behind the masks of the Mohawk Warrior Society, exploring the deep roots of the controversial Indigenous movement that precipitated the 78-day standoff at Oka in 1990. Offering unprecedented oral histories, concept glossaries, and transcripts of internal documents, this auto-history presents the perspective of the Rotisken’rhakéte in their own words. All readers interested in contemporary Indigenous resistance to colonialism will find much of value in this unique compendium that goes beyond the well-known symbols to explain their origins and meaning.” —Jon Parmenter, Associate Professor of History at Cornell University, and author of The Edge of the Woods: Iroquoia, 1534–1701
“The Mohawk Warrior Society is an excellent collection of stories about colonialism and resistance in Turtle Island—a must read for settler allies seeking to learn and unlearn the histories of colonial violence that structure our contemporary relations. In providing vital histories of state repression and Indigenous resilience, the teachings in this volume can inform all contemporary efforts working towards decolonialization.” —Jeffrey Monaghan, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Carleton University, co-author of Policing Indigenous Movements: Dissent and the Security State
“I’ve been blessed because I came to know the Unity Flag by seeing Oka on TV when I was young. When I got married they wrapped us with the flag, it has been a part of all the spiritual ceremonies that I went to, it has been present at every blockade. Along with the Women’s Warrior Flag, it’s a symbol that’s embedded in our spirit, and it’s always been an inspiration. Louis Hall, Ganienkeh, and The Warrior’s Handbook were way ahead of their time, back when people were just starting to fight back, fighting to get their land back. The intention of The Warrior’s Handbook and Unity Flag was for all Indigenous nations throughout the hemisphere and really the whole world to unite, and first and foremost to fight. That’s why this book is so important, it’s something that Louis Hall has gifted to all red nations.” —Kanahus Freedom Manuel, Indigenous land defender, Secwepemc Women Warrior Society, Tiny House Warriors
“This is a compelling account of the political struggle for the return of indigenous thought through the words of those Kaianerehkó:wa Mohawks affiliated with the original 1970s Warrior Society. It offers a trenchant and witty critique of settler colonialism together with a body of teachings aimed at re-establishing balance and harmony. It is for the Kanien’kehá:ka, the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island, and all people troubled by the state of our relations to each other and to the beings of the land that make us as well as those who care for it.” —Eduardo Kohn, Associate Professor of Anthropology at McGill University, and author of How Forests Think
About the Contributors
Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall (1918–1993) was a prolific Kanien’kehá:a painter and writer from Kahnawake, whose work continues to inspire generations of indigenous people today. A man of all trades, Karoniaktajeh worked as a butcher, a carpenter, and a mason. Initially groomed for a life in the priesthood, Karoniaktajeh (on the edge of the sky) began his life as a devout Christian before later turning against what he saw as the fallacies of European religion, and deciding to reintegrate himself into the traditional Longhouse and help revive “the old ways.” Appointed as the Secretary of the Ganienkeh Council Fire, he became a prominent defender of indigenous sovereignty, and was instrumental in the reconstitution of the Rotisken’rhakéhte (Mohawk Warrior Society). His distinctive artwork includes the iconic Unity Flag, which still symbolizes indigenous pride across Turtle Island (North America). His legacy as a revivor and innovator of traditional Mohawk culture includes his works The Warrior’s Handbook (1979) and Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy (1980). Both these texts, which served during their time as a political and cultural call to arms for indigenous communities across Turtle Island, were initially printed by hand and distributed in secret.
Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake is a Kanien’kehá:ka from the Bear Clan in Kahnawà:ke. Initially working in the fashion industry, Kahentinetha went on to play a key role as speaker and writer in the indigenous resistance, a role which she has fulfilled consistently for the last six decades. During this time she witnessed and took part in numerous struggles, including the blockade of the Akwesasne border crossing in 1968. She has published several books including Mohawk Warrior Three, and has been in charge of running the Mohawk Nation News service since the Oka Crisis in 1990. She now cares for her twenty children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Kahentinetha means “she who is always at the forefront.”
Philippe Blouin writes, translates, and studies political anthropology and philosophy in Tionni’tio’tià:kon (Montreal). His current PhD research at McGill University seeks to understand and share the teachings of the Tehiohate (Two Row Wampum) to build decolonial alliances. He has published essays in Liaisons, Stasis, and an afterword to George Sorel’s Reflections on Violence.
Matt Peterson is an organizer at Woodbine, an experimental space in New York City. He is the co-director of The Native and the Refugee, a multi-media documentary project on American Indian reservations and Palestinian refugee camps.
Malek Rasamny co-directed the research project The Native and the Refugee and the feature film Spaces of Exception. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the department of Social Anthropology and Ethnology at the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris.
Details
The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival Editors: Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall • Edited by Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake, Philippe Blouin, Matt Peterson, and Malek Rasamny Series: PM Press ISBN: 9781629639413 Published: 05/24/2022 Format: Paperback Size: 6×9 Pages: 320 Subjects: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Native American Studies • HISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the Americas • POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism
Table of Contents
Part I. 1. An Introduction to Sovereignty and Survival Part II. An Oral History of the Warrior Society 1. Tekarontakeh 2. Kakwirakeron 3. Kanasaraken 4. Ateronhiatakon Part III. Rekindling Resistance 1. Basic Principles of the Kaianerekó:wa, by Kahentinetha (1997) 2. The Iroquoian Use of Wampum, by Ateronhiatakon (1988) 3. I Am A Warrior, by Karhiio Part IV. On Karoniaktajeh 1. Who was Karoniaktajeh?, by Kahentinetha 2. Karonhiaktajeh Remembered Part V. Karoniaktajeh’s Writings 1. Ganienkeh Manifesto (1974) 2. Warrior’s Handbook (1979) 3. Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy (1985) Part VI. Appendices 1. Mohawk Warrior History Timeline 2. Skakwatakwen Concept Glossary 3. Place and Peoples Names 4. Pronunciation Guide
Detail of the reversible benefit bandana
All proceeds go to Resist Line 3–Camp Migizi. The bandanas are union made and printed with the text:
Water is Life / Resist all pipelines
Land Back / Burn down settler colonialism
Designed by Mantis, a Diné Two-Spirit Tattoo Artist living and fighting alongside Migizi on the frontlines of Line 3. Working towards decolonization and land back baybeeee.
We think karonhiaktajeh Louie Hall would love the words in this song: “Louie, Louie, we gotta go. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!”
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We are joined by the editors of this unique anthology of resistance, Philippe Blouin, Matt Peterson, Malek Rasamny and Kahentinetha Rotiskarewake and also by Kwetiio and Karennatha who, along with Kahentinetha, are members of the group Kanien’kehà:ka Kanistansera, the Mohawk Mothers.
Image by Kanien’kehá:a artist, author, and activist, Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall, 1918-1993
