CAN ANYONE BECOME KILLERS UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES?
MNN. Sep.22, 2023. Does killing one group have to do with the relationship between the individual and the state? The state says this is the group for you to hate and this is how we deal with them. The citizens are the instruments of the state. When the state no longer has power or loses an election, how do they continue to undermine these targets. Who carries on the violence that was designed by the state for them? It is important to think about what the state is allowing its citizens to do with impunity when they vote them into office.
The ruthless hatred of the indigenous becomes state doctrine. We were driven off our land and not accepted in their society. Many anti-indigenous laws were passed. We were systematically excluded, stigmatized, humiliated and killed.
Mass murder was one of the first steps. It was between us and them. We were studied and analyzed to find our “weaknesses”. It was a public policy process. Then it became a secret while the genocide was being carried out. They are “them” and we are the ‘others’. We are defined as different and treated different. This makes them willing to treat us different while the rest look away. That’s the basis of carrying out mass murders.
In the beginning the whites were given permits to attack us, kill us, take our property and hide our bodies. They gathered us up and murdered us. It became routine. Then they built their houses, towns and cities on top of us.
HOW DO THEY JUSTIFY THE KILLING?
Mass murders were committed by thinking people. Not machines. They understand what they are doing. The perpetrators plan it for the rest of their society. For example, some would only kill the children who would die if they did not have their parents. So it was not blind obedience. It was by choice. They saw themselves as morally righteous. They reasoned that if the children grew up and learned what was done to the indigenous people, we would become enemies of their state. So there had to be no memories. To them killing a human being was reasonable. We were considered non-human and expendable and were hunted down.
What will happen to Canadians when they lose their power? They did not think it was wrong to kill us.
There were those who easily learned to kill human beings and hide their crime, which they did not think was a crime. Some enjoyed torturing the victims which they still do today. [Joyce Echequan, St. Jovite]. There were the passive ones who did what they were told to do. And the objectors who tried to object, but could not find fault with not killing the indigenous people and so they helped carry out the murders.
THERE WAS NO NEED TO KILL OUT OF CONVICTION TO BE MOTIVATED BY STATE IDEOLOGY.
The killers did not have to be brainwashed by indoctrination, or fascism to become prolific killers. They would shoot their own mother or sister if they were ordered to. We think they should not be allowed to walk free, but Canadian society gives them a free pass.
Today Canadians and Americans want to forget and walk away with an “I’m sorry”. How many invaders were involved and benefitted from these mass murders? Who was and is still behind it? In the US there are 340 million foreign citizens and in Canada 40 million more who all benefit from this genocide. The false concept of private property originated from the “Doctrine of Discovery”, which is legal fiction. There is lack of will to punish them. They keep on doing the dirty work for the state. The state passed laws to allow genocide, which are still on the books. Genocide is not illegal. Millions killed us and don’t realize how it was carefully planned and carried out.
If you were ordered to kill, can you refrain? Such crimes against humanity must be stopped and cannot be repeated.
Canada and US are cowards and frauds. They did not conquer us. They came here to run away from tyranny in Europe to come here and run their own tyranny. They killed our children without any empathy or due process to get rid of us all. There is no reason in the universe to kill children. There is no statute of limitations on murder. Somebody paid to carry it out and somebody benefitted. It was the government and its people. The same government that wants to “whitenize” us. They did it without any qualms whatsoever. They wanted to live on our land without us!
We were murdered. It was government planned, lead and endorsed. And Canadians vote for them to continue it. Canadians have never been asked if they agree with their governing structure.
It was quite the plan. Rez schools were in remote areas. They were concentration camps burying little children in their midst away from prying eyes. Most Canadians didn’t know what was going on by design. The children were abused and then disappeared. But their spirits will remain and direct the karma.
As slide master, Ry Cooder, suggests: “Now the prodigal was a forward child. His mind was not to obey. But after he left his father’s house, he thought he had gone astray. I believe, I believe, I believe that I will go back home. . . ”
[Now, the prodigal son was a forward child, his mind was not to obey But after he left his father’s house he thought he had gone astray
That’s why I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And I believe that, I believe that I will go back home Well, I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And be a servant of the Lord
Now, his father saw him coming he met him with a smile He threw his arms around him, saying, “This is my darling child”
Now, I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And I believe that, I believe that I will go back home Well, I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And be a servant of the Lord
The father asked the prodigal “Son, why you been gone so long? Well, did you so love the world and forget your happy home”
The prodigal said, “I searched for true religion But no faith and no peace could I find Until I came to a little place called Bakersfield, that eased my troublin’ mind”
That’s why I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And I believe that, I believe that I will go back home Well, I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And be a servant of the Lord (well I)
I wandered into a tavern where a music band was playin’ Now, the steel guitar rang out so sweet, I feel that I was prayin’ And I asked a comely waitress, is this a new teaching Yeah, she said there is no God but God, and Ralph Mooney is his name I said, let me empty your ashtray, Mr. Mooney And if the drunks interfere I’ll be sad But just as long as you sit there on the bandstand And play your guitar like Buddha, I’ll be glad The father asked the prodigal, Did you smell the sweet perfume and hear the angel band? He said, dim lights, thick smoke, and loud, loud music Is the only kind of truth I’ll ever understand
I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And I believe that, I believe that I will go back home Well, I believe that, I believe that I will go back home And be a servant of the Lord
I believe this, I believe that I will, yes I believe . . .]
MNN. Sep. 15/23. September 14, 2023. Quebec Superior Court, District of Montreal. Oral submissions by Kahnistensera vs SQI, McGill et al. Judge will make a decision next Monday: REGARDING 20 T0 70 FALSE POSITIVES FLAGGED BY THREE DOGS & GPR [ground penetrating radar]. Mohawk Mothers. face ‘denialism’, ‘disbanding’ of Expert Panel, and other questionable actions.
Kwetiio, Bear. Clan: “A grave matter brings me here which. is about to get disastrous. The last time we were here was to discuss the findings, by Historic Human Remains Detection Dogs (HHRDD), of the scent of decaying human remains in front of the wall of the Hersey Pavilion, the Nurses’ Residence of the Royal Victoria Hospital. Since then, in several public releases – and again in Pierre Major’s affidavit filed yesterday – McGill University quotes a study underscoring between 20 and 70 percent of false positives for HHRDD. What McGill doesn’t mention is that this number is exponentially reduced when other dogs alert. At the Hersey pavilion, three dogs flagged. McGill’s communications also didn’t mention was a 12-year-old study, which specifies that dogs become more efficient with further training – and HHRDD have gotten much better since 12 years. They don’t mention either that the study’s sample was only three dog teams, that it was only based on teeth, and that it defined false positives,: “based on alert distance from target, it is important to recognize that these false positives do not necessarily translate to the equivalent of a dog alerting in a blank area”.. They don’t mention either that the dogs in this study were not HHRDD but HRD, which smell recent human remains instead of historic, older ones, and which have an entirely different training. Another study, this one from 2021, that was cited by the Panel of archaeologists but not by McGill, states that “the probability that two dogs would have a false positive at the same box is less than 0.06%”. This is from “Applying Canine Detection in Support of Collaborative Archaeology”, by Grebenkemper et al.
We sent the full exhibit this morning and we brought copies of the relevant pages for all parties. Right in front of the wall of the Hersey Pavilion of the Royal Vic, not two but three dogs alerted. Calling this an absence of evidence is outright denialism and rejection of science. Last time we were here, Mister Justice, the Defendants denied that there was any evidence of remains. Now they are stating the same notion publicly, that no evidence has been found, that the investigation is over. They don’t mention the woman’s dress – that was handled without any forensic care when it was taken out of the ground and that was admittedly almost put in the garbage. They don’t mention the old children’s shoes, all the allegedly “animal” bones, the ball of hair or the very concerning so-called slag, this purple/maroonish substance poured all over a layer of soil, which was apparently used to “sanitize” it, and as we recently learned, perhaps also to decompose organic matter. That we don’t quite know, because the Defendants and their contractors did not deem advisable to study it further.
We were told that HHRDD dogs can detect human DNA even after bodies are decomposed. This has to be looked into. But it wasn’t done, in the absence of the Panel to recommend it. For the same reason we were not able to investigate the horrid fetid smell coming from a layer of soil, that slowly dissipated when it dried in a pile under the sun, nor the smell that came from the pipe protruding out of the Hersey building, exactly where the three dogs alerted.
Denialism is what we are facing. It is sad, sorry, and for us, retraumatizing. Constant gaslighting. The Panel and dog handlers all suggested searching a 10 meter radius around the spot. Ethnoscop asked about entering the building. The SQI refused. End of the story! They claim the investigation is over, there are no remains! In addition to the 9 potential graves detected, of which we ended up having a (rather botched) report yesterday – not as a report shared with us, but as an exhibit shared by Mrs. Mayes from SQI after the 4pm deadline.
The GPR survey by GeoScan detected a great number of unknown anomalies in the Priority Zone which have never received any attention, even though GeoScan’s report deemed that they could be graves of children or graves without coffins, like our ancestors did. Those anomalies have been entirely pushed to the wayside by the Defendants, and silenced in all their communications. A cluster of potential graves and unknown anomalies is situated immediately next to where the Defendants started heavy excavation work on Tuesday, in defiance of the upcoming court hearing. on Sep. 14/23. Mrs. Mayes’ affidavit also includes another piece of information which we were never made aware of, even though we were the very instigators of this whole process. In Exhibit SMC-15, Mr Whiting, from GeoScan, responds to the SQI complaining that their report suggested the numerous unknown anomalies could be unmarked graves, by saying: “What I usually recommend in these cases is to absolutely approach the “potential” graves as if they are in fact graves, and investigate with full archaeological protocols. In the case of the “unknown” features, these are normally approached with a sampling strategy. In particular I usually suggest archaeological excavation/testing of the closest Unknown features to the features we ID as “potential”, say within a 10 m radius of each potential. If any of the unknowns turn out in fact to be burials, then expand the radius another 5 m and continue testing unknowns until all are negative. There may also be some unknowns or clusters of unknowns some distance away from any potentials that should be tested. Especially if they look rectangular in map view”.
Mr Whiting of GeoScan then suggests drafting a sampling strategy. The SQI do not respond to this professional advice, nor will it ever, as it is now to be assumed, because SQI executives are not experts in searching for unmarked graves, and are not qualified to manage this investigation. In fact all their actions indicate they do not wish it ever happened at all. They refused to share the data with the Panel who asked and who. were jointly selected with them through painstaking negotiations. The settlement agreement specifies that all parties must be guided by the Panel’s recommendations as to who should analyze the data. A clear breach of the agreement. They refused to share it with the Canadian Archaeological Association’s Working Group on Unmarked Graves, the top experts in Canada, for a peer review, as asked for by the Panel too. This is McGill, a world class institution and the SQI, a public body from the Quebec government, doing this. Refusing expertise. Disbanding the Panel, to simply take over the whole process.
It is unexplainable that any credible investigation would operate without project managers who know what they are doing and have expertise. Agreeing on three experts to provide recommendations was the bottom line of the agreement. To stop arguing, and let the experts decide what is the best to way to find, protect and respect human burials on the site of this hospital. This is where some of worst medical experiments in human history took place. We repeat again it: we are here to find our children, to find the truth of what happened, and who is accountable.
Cherry picking which of the Panel’s recommendations they would implement came to define the defendants’ methodology. The Panel asked to carefully excavate GPR targets and sift the soil? The Defendants rather used mechanical excavators rushing through 8 holes in a single day and immediately refilled them back, unsifted. The Panel asked to use S4 Probes in the Soil. It wasn’t done. On July 25th we were literally attacked by the SQI’s security, who grabbed our camera to erase images of their racially charged insults of Indigenous elders on the site. McGill and SQI gave us their best assurances that they would not be there anymore. Last Sunday, who do we see on the site where GPR was being done? The same security guards! After the assault we couldn’t return there for three weeks and the piles of soil excavated around the dog’s target were just left to the rain, unattended. The Panel wrote to say they should be covered.
That’s the value of having a Panel overview an investigation. The Panel also said at that time that it would be necessary to involve a forensic specialist with the Panel to protect the chain of custody of evidence. The Defendants simply dismissed their recommendation, refusing to treat the search for unmarked graves in any credible and professional way. Many other Panel recommendations that were rejected by the Defendants emphasized that it was necessary for the Panel to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations, to adapt to the reality of what is happening on the ground. The Panel reported that it needs “to be informed of the outcome of any related work – Archival research, HHRDD investigations, GPR survey, S4 probe and monitoring. The Panel will review these reports and provide updated recommendations (if warranted) within 1 month of receipt of each report”. A Panel member explained that it was a professional and ethical obligation to follow up on their recommendations.
SQI and McGill decided to manage everything themselves, through contracts and non-disclosure agreements, to be judge and jury, and to manage and argue that somehow it’s a good thing that experts are not involved and have no say. McGill University submits that the agreement has not been breached, that only monitoring was required in the zone where they excavated last Tuesday, and that there is nothing to see. “Just trust McGill”, they said in this Court last October. The Defendants do not dispute, apparently, that the spirit of the agreement was breached many times by them as well as their letters. McGill and SQI suggest that the agreement limited the mandate of the Panel to selecting archaeological techniques, and that they had no say in how they would be applied. Mcgill and SQI would entirely take over the investigation. We strongly disagree with such a distorted interpretation of the agreement. However, the Defendants state that the only way the Panel could come back would be under Section 17 of the agreement, which provides that “if following the execution of the Techniques, there are no graves identified in a given area, the excavation work can begin on a rolling basis, in a sensitive manner with appropriate monitoring that will allow a prompt reaction in the event there is some unexpected discovery, at which point McGill, SQI and the Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera will seek the advice of the Panel as to how to move forward.”
The last time we were in this Court after the dog’s finding, McGill and SQI argued that since this was an unexpected discovery Section 17 would apply, and they deferred to the panel asking to excavate a 10 meter radius around the target. A 10 meter radius from which the Defendants somehow managed to exclude inside the building, even though the target is just next to the wall. Now they entirely changed their interpretation, and they say that Section 17 does not apply and that there is no use bringing in the Panel. We could think that they’d rather rely on the expertise of the service providers, like GPR technicians, but that’s not even the case since they dismissed GeoScan’s recommendation to investigate unknown anomalies that are the closest to potential grave anomalies.
The Defendants now suggest that the only “unexpected discovery” that could bring back any sort of expert in the picture would be after a body is found, after a backhoe or an excavator hits human bones. Yet the SQI admitted, in an email by Sophie Mayes shared on August 1st (Exhibit MM-8), that there is no way that the Panel could be involved if a body was found: “If Ethnoscop’s professionals identify human bones on site, the latter will be legally obligated to immediately inform the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Montreal Police Department (including the Coroner). Consequently, in the event of such discovery, neither Ethnoscop, the SQI, the Panel, McGill nor the Kahnistensera will have control over the following steps.” Therefore, the SQI ruled out the possibility that the “unexpected discovery” bringing back the Panel as per Section 17 of the agreement applies to human burials. The only other possible interpretation of Paragraph 17 is that an “unexpected discovery” actually means something three HHRDD alerting on human remains, or Ground Penetrating Radar yielding concerning unanalyzed data like what was unexpectedly found in the zone immediately adjacent to where the Defendants have started excavating Tuesday.
Article 13 has also explicitly been breached. It provides that “SQI, McGill, and the Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera agree to be (…) guided by the recommendations of the Panel as to the specialists to carry out the techniques and analyze the relevant data”. The Panel recommended the Canadian Archaeological Association CAA and themselves to analyze the data. The Defendants have simply refused. Article 1 states “that archival and testimonial work will begin immediately and the results of such work will be communicated to the Panel (defined below) on an ongoing basis to inform their work.” Given the termination of the Panel’s mandate, they won’t have time to do this, so the Defendants have breached this article. As they breached articles 2, 3 and 4, where McGill, the McGill University Health Center and the Attorney General of Canada promise expedited access to their archives, “including restricted files.”
Canada is still slowly processing an ATIP request we made more than a year ago, while McGill’s most important files on their psychiatrists’ potential involvement with Indigenous people need approval from the Canadian Army- still now, 70 years from the fact. The McGill University Health Center has provided no record at all, not even finding aids. As Kahentinetha will explain later, article 9, that allow us to appoint Cultural Monitors to oversee the respect of Onkwehonweh protocol on site, has been breached by threats to our security. And finally, by disbanding the Panel, the Defendants breached Article 11, which states that the “The mandate of the Panel is to assess and identify the appropriate archeological techniques to be used on different areas of the site to detect whether there are unmarked graves.”If its mandate is terminated, it is impossible for the Panel to assess and identify the appropriate archaeological techniques, except if we define “to identify techniques” as simply selecting them.
This is what we call a sharp dealing, breaching the spirit of reconciliation. We submit that these breaches to the agreement are prejudicial to all searches for unmarked graves throughout Turtle Island. It will affect all indigenous people for generations to come in setting precedents that will have implications for the overall relationships between us. We have a protocol called the One Dish and One Spoon. It unites all Indigenous peoples and played a huge role in the Great Peace of Montreal in 1701. The story is in the Kaianerehkowa, the Great Path that we follow as the Rotinonshonni confederacy. The Peacemaker Dekanawida showed a big dish, saying that all people share it. It’s our shared territory, our mother, that provides our subsistence. Dekanawida said that when sharing the great dish with one spoon, nobody should use sharp objects, so as to not hurt each other.
Canada has admitted genocide. At the National Gathering on Unmarked Burial in Montreal last week, the Attorney General of Canada said that “we cannot deny and we should not deny what happened in residential schools or their effect on many generations”. Our relationship has to change. Everyone wants it to change. We asked this Honorable Court to help the Defendants, all the institutions that verbally commit to reconciliation, to make that step in the 21st century to truly change the way we live alongside one another. Our duty as Kahnistensera (life-givers) is to caretake the land and the children of past, present and future generations. We are following our own law, the Kaianerehkowa. It is the way we have conducted ourselves since time immemorial to keep peace on this land and to help creation continue and grow. This place, Tiotiake, is our land, where our culture originated. Tekanontak (Mount Royal) and what is now the campus of McGill University contains the remains of one our biggest villages in all the land of the flint, Kanienkeh, our territory. Our people and children were murdered in order to get the land, to cut the connection between us, Kahnistensera, and the land. It is the greatest power: the power of the relationship between a mother and her children. We have the right to accomplish our traditional duties as Kahnistensera. It is not only the appearance of a right, it is our responsibility. The irreparable harm is not only certain to happen in the short term, it was already partially started when the Defendants started excavating, even refusing to wait until the court date. Once they disrupt those pipes which are, as McGill and SQI admitted, PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL AT THIS TIME, they will necessarily have to excavate the whole Priority Zone area, including where the dogs detected remains. We hope that the damage already done is not too great, but it is certainly not something that anything else than a halt to the work and a reassessment of the situation can buy.
Nothing can compensate the loss of the trust of our people, of all Onkwehonwe, in the responsibility of McGill, Quebec and Canada to protect the basis of our human rights. To halt excavation until the origin of the scent of human remains is found, and until the GPR findings are studied in a serious way is the only honorable thing to do. For these reasons, I ask the court to grant the declaratory relief and safeguard order which will allow us to search for our children in a peaceful, professional, fruitful and therefore timely manner. NIAWEN:KOWA O:NEN
The late Willie Dunn put together words, ideas and laments to remind us to keep going: O Canada: Our home and native land One hundred thousand years We’ve walked upon your sands With saddened hearts We’ve seen you robbed and stripped Of everything you prized While they cut down the trees We were shunted aside To the jails and the penitentiaries
O Canada Once glorious and free O Canada We sympathize with thee O Canada
Our brother the eagle landed on the highest point of the McGill Women’s Pavilion on September 3, 2023., with a message! A crew is digging the place in front of this building where three dogs found human remains. The kahnistensera and cultural monitors are staying on the path that leads to the great peace and finding our children, who were the victims of the MKULTRA and other experiments. No one will take us off that path.
McGill is on the land of the kanienkehaka since time imemmorial. No land can be sold, transferred or in any way taken from the original people who have been placed on onowarekeh by creation. Our mother, turtle island, belongs to the unborn children. All life is dedicated to caretaking the land for the forthcoming happiness and dignity of our children. Intruders who do not live by the way of natural life as created by the kasatenserakowa saoiera have no place on turtle island.
One of our belated Mohawk brothers, Robbie Robertson, said it perfectly: “In circles we gather. Moonlight fires are healing. Taking us back, make us go back. Beating hearts as one, this is indian county. You’re in indian country. [Robbie Robertson and the “Red Road Emsemble “Stomp Dance”].
“I am honoured to have been entrusted with being the Special Interlocutor… to support the work of Survivors and Indigenous communities to protect, locate, identify, repatriate, and commemorate the children who died while being forced to attend Indian Residential Schools”.
She was appointed for two years as Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. She is a member of the Kahnesatake Mohawk Nation.
THIS IS THE PODCAST of Ms. Murray presenting the Interim Report, “Sacred Responsibiility: Searching for the Missing Children & Unmarked Burials”.
THIS IS THE REPORT:
Part 6 of the report begins to lay the foundation for a new Reparations Framework to address the gaps and barriers within Canada’s current legal system, which is ill-equipped to provide accountability and justice for Indigenous Peoples in the face of genocide, colonial violence, and mass human rights violations. It defines an Indigenous-led process and explains why such a process is essential to the search and recovery of the missing children and unmarked burials. It concludes by outlining ten elements of reparations that will form the basis of the Final Report. Summaries are included throughout to illustrate the barriers communities are facing, as well as emerging Indigenous-led practices that have been applied to advance search and recovery work in accordance with Indigenous law and protocols.
Helen Reddy knows the energy of someone like Kimberly Murray:
I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an’ pretend ‘Cause I’ve heard it all before And I’ve been down there on the floor And no one’s ever gonna keep me down again
Yes, I am wise But it’s wisdom born of pain Yes, I’ve paid the price But look how much I’ve gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman
Indigenous guardians of the ancestral territories of the Innu, Atikamekw and Mohawk are demanding a moratorium on logging in Quebec.
This coalition is made up of the Innu collective Mashk Assi, which defends the unceded territory of Nitassinan; the Ekoni Aci movement, which brings together defenders of the Atikamekw territory of Manawan and Wemotaci; and the Kanien’kehà:ka Kahnistensera, better known as the Mohawk Mothers.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MASHK ASSI COLLECTIVE
Due to the “ecological disaster caused by the forest fires”, a coalition of traditionalist Innu, Atikamekw and Mohawk indigenous peoples demands a moratorium on logging and mining activities north of the St. Lawrence River by the end of 2023.
Innu and Atikamekw activists block logging roads to oppose logging on their unceded ancestral territory.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MASHK ASSI COLLECTIVE
These First Nations activists recall that the millions of hectares burned affect not only the habitat of wildlife that is crucial to their culture, but also the health of many Aboriginal communities.
With what is happening concerning the quality of the air which is unbreathable in several places, we think that it is really important to put a brake at the moment , specified Michael Paul of the Mashk Assi collective.
In addition to the moratorium, the Aboriginal people who present themselves as holders of ancestral title to their respective territories are asking for an inquiry into the causes of the forest fires.
“ The government, through its mismanagement of the forest, has created this situation of extreme danger for which it is responsible. By prioritizing profitability, the government has created monoculture coniferous forests that turn into veritable powder kegs in dry and hot weather, at the risk of public health. »
This forest management is based on cutting potential, industrial development and immediate profit. The priority place of the forest industry in forest management is too great and has created a situation of unprecedented danger. We must act immediately to break this impasse , continue the Aboriginal traditionalists.
The Chibougamau forest fire (File photo)
PHOTO: COURTESY
The coalition also calls for an independent environmental impact study to be carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Special Rapporteur and that it be chaired by the indigenous guardians of the territory. We are the custodians of ancestral knowledge that has allowed the boreal forest to survive until today. We know every corner of our territory and the families of animals with whom we share it. As recognized by a UN report, Indigenous peoples are by far the best guardians of the natural territory and the environment, everywhere on the planet , supports the coalition.
The blockage maintained in the Laurentides wildlife reserve
Three weeks ago, before the forest fires broke out and restrictions came into effect, Indigenous people from the Mashk Assi collective forced the closure of several logging sites located in the Laurentides wildlife reserve. They denounce the destruction of the forests south of Lake Kénogami.
This blockage is still in effect on Nitassinan. In particular, a permanent camp has been set up at kilometer 216 of Route 175 to monitor the comings and goings in the forest.
Since May 29, indigenous activists have been regularly patrolling Nitassinan to ensure that there are no loggings.
We are ready to go to court if it is not respected , mentioned the committed artist Michael Paul.
Innus have set up a permanent camp along the logging road located at kilometer 216 of the Laurentides wildlife reserve.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MASHK ASSI COLLECTIVE
The Lignarex Group, which qualifies this file as delicate , is one of the manufacturers who complied by withdrawing their forestry machinery from certain construction sites. From the outset, the leaders of Lignarex said they were ready to negotiate with the Innus .
The collective has also authorized the logging company to recover the trees already felled to avoid wasting wood.
Innu artist Michael Paul Kuekuarsheu sings of the resistance of his people:
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.
We are due in quebec superior court at 9.00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 for our attempt to get an injunction to stop the excavation of McGill’s Allen Memorial Institute and other areas of tionni tiotialkon and tekanontak, now called Mount Royal, where there are serious suspicions of unmarked graves of our indigenous children.
This is a book about Louis Karonhiaktajeh Hall of Kahnawake and other areas of kanienkehaka’onwe. Niawen’kowa.
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!”
MNN. SEP. 22, 2021.The election computers won again! Using up money. Stopping parliament. Parliament closed for a year during covid. Candidates are not to be trusted. They all want to keep things going the way they are, another 4 years of resource extortion from turtle island. During the campaign none dared to mention the biggest secret of the Queen, the horrific unmarked graves of the murdered native children. Their true allegiance is to maintain their power. How do the natives that voted feel now? They gave up the fight and joined the oppressors against us.
INVADERS CAME, DESTROYED & HAVE TO LEAVE.
Not coincidental is appointing Inuit Mary Simon as Governor General to stand for the Crown. None talked about the orange shirts. She was the cleaning lady sweeping it under the carpet forever. The Canadian public has already forgotten about that. The settlers did all the murdering and benefitted.
The rulers want us to continue suffering. By 2024 they hope we won’t exist as onkwehonweh, the original people of turtle island, that we will all be assimilated into the body politic of the colony of Canada by the stroke of Mary’s pen. They will never become a country because we will always be here as creation intended. They all campaigned for ‘canadiens’. We are not shareholders of the corporation of the government of Canada. We original onkwehonwe were never mentioned. They represent only the incorporated Metis, Inuit land first nations.
The house Indians who work for the government are not mentally rotinoshonni’onwe. They work to extinguish us according to the Indian Lands Act of Oct. 25, 1924. Their mind has been genocided. Some even sit in parliament to exterminate us. They love their white masters and being their pet dog. They have huge salaries, better houses, cars and vacations than their families. They might get a pat in the head and a bone if they obey. Like Jody. who got kicked down the basement stairs by Trudeau, where are they going to stay if they don’t bark and cower? Bad dog! When the master gets sick, they hold the master’s hand until he gets better, like a good dog should. A few favorites on the rez have all the businesses and jobs. They look like cardboard cut-outs of their masters, wearing ties, three piece suits, ribbon shirts with bolo ties and a metis sash for the good government Indian photos. The master even puts on a headdress and poses with them.
“100 YEAR BUSINESS PLAN” OF GENOCIDE : INDIAN LANDS ACT OF OCT. 25 1925
None can get a ’real’ job where they do nothing The only jobs are smoke and pot shops or the band council. Their mind is always on the next fixed election where the corporation is allowed another 4 years of unimpeded resource extraction of our wealth. 99% of the true indigenous refuse to take part in this exercise.
They want a $40 to $50 an hour job with all the benefits, which works out to $65 an hour. 2% of the people vote. When the master’s country is on fire, the house Indians run out and try to put it out. Back on the rez people in the trenches are stabbed in the back and blacklisted. kaianerekowa must be reasserted over all of turtle island. In the meantime we burn tobacco and wear that ‘original homeland security fighting terrorism since 1492’ T-shirt. to reinstate our true onkwehonweh jurisdiction on our homeland.
The field warriors are the real sovereigns. We are given dirty water to drink, toxic waste dumped up to our front door, and get leftovers so we can get sick and die. We have survived through the harshest economic sanctions of any people on earth. Everytime we try to make money in their fake economy we are arrested. We can’t work for ourselves. The government wants taxes and have numerous penalties for not having a GST or some other number or colonial id. We get pretend invoices and threats. They have the most stringent economic sanctions since 1924 when the put us on the reserves. They beat and threatened us from morning to night. We despise the master. The puppets love their master.
The ‘uncle tomahawks’ are well paid and trained to keep us in line, passive, peaceful, non-violent. It is like being sent to an Indian Affairs dentist, getting our teeth pulled with no pain killer. They want us to feel the pain so we suffer and say nothing because Indian Affairs pays for it from our Indian Trust Fund.
The great peace tells us not to fight until you die, but to fight until you win. The kaianerekowa, great peace philosophy teaches us to never suffer the enemies. We learn to be intelligent, courteous and respectful of others. When someone puts his hand on us, we defend ourselves. The white monster tried to kill the kaianerekowa, great peace, to make us into sheep. The band and tribal puppets are traitors. The uncle toms mimic the white monster. An Indian and inuit women are made prominent. celebrities with fake prestige and influence, appointed by the government to speak for us without our consent. The field warriors have no voice on mainstream media. Those who criticize them are unknown unheard of idols.
The sell out local band tribal leaders falsely speak for the grass roots at every turn. They help keep us in the rez mentality of hopelessnes and helplessness. Any onkwehonweh, true native, rising up must be approved by the rulers, otherwise they are punished and blacklisted for opposing the white monsters.
When the unmarked graves of our children were found, they jumped up and took over the agenda to help Canadien squatters forget about it.
A ‘revolution is coming’, making the corporate power structure of systemic injustice, racism and hatred concerned. The brown steamroller of peace is on its way. The field warriors have no leaders to buy off and control. The state’s Indian puppets are ordered to cool us down. Historically, 1% of the people can wake up the 99%.
The puppets are ordered to not fight each other but make it look like they are cooperating with us. They get the top position in the movement and get the grassroots to fight each other using 51% majority rules. The appointed ‘leaders’ raise funds in our name, which we never see. The chairman is a prominent House Indian and the backroom co-chair we never see communicates with the government and gets the money. Top public relations experts put the mainstream media at their disposal. Corporate civil rights organizations join the movement. Invited to join the “revolution” are priests, rabbis, old white preachers, labor, catholics, jews, liberals and protestants who march at the front pretending to be with the people, but they steer the revolution.
When you have strong hot brown coffee, you put cream in it to weaken it. It becomes a white drink and cools down. It woke you up one time and now it puts you to sleep. It’s called infiltration. We grassroots are hot and uncompromising.
The white monsters act like they love natives and fool a lot of us. The public don’t see what’s genuinely going on. They use the ancient Roman tactic of bread and circus to pacify the people. They hope we field natives are controlled so tight that we are told where to come, how to stop, what sign to carry, what to say. The Indian leaders get the award for best supporting cast. Then they are told to get out of town by sundown and lay low until their master calls them back.
Just like a dog listening to his master, the band councils love this song about dogs: “Woke up this morning, my dog was dead. Someone disliked him and shot him through the head. Woke up this morning, my cat had died. I know I’ll miss her, sat down and cried. Came home this evening, my hog was gone. People here don’t like me, I think I’ll soon move on. Now somethings happened, that would make a saint frown. I turned my back and my house burned down”.
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