Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance

Summary

The NFB's documentary "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance" dives deep into the historical and cultural roots of the Oka Crisis, a pivotal moment in Canadian history. Set near Montreal, in the Mohawk village of Kanehsatake, it unveils the struggle against the expansion of a private golf course onto indigenous lands, igniting a 78-day standoff with local authorities and the army. The film documents the relentless resolve of the Mohawk people to protect their ancestral land, highlighting the deep-seated issues of land rights, sovereignty, and cultural preservation. Through powerful testimonies and historical insights, the documentary sheds light on a story of resistance and resilience against centuries of dispossession.

Highlights

• The film documents the expansion of a golf course into Mohawk burial grounds, sparking the Oka Crisis. ⛳️
• It captures the Mohawk people's steadfast commitment to defending their land, despite facing overwhelming odds. 🛡️
• The documentary is a testament to the strength and spirit of the Mohawk women, who played crucial roles in the resistance. 👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏾
• Through various interviews, the film provides a heartfelt insight into the experiences and struggles of the Mohawk community. 🎤
• The story is not just about conflict but also showcases the cultural resilience and sovereignty of indigenous peoples. 🌿

Key Takeaways

• The documentary reveals the long-standing tension over land rights between the Mohawk community and Canadian authorities. 🌲
• The Oka Crisis became a significant symbol of indigenous resistance, showcasing the Mohawk people's determination to protect their lands and rights. ✊
• Throughout the 78-day siege, the film captures the unity and resolve of the Mohawk people, as they faced intimidation and violence from the authorities. 🔥
• Despite the strife, the resistance at Kanehsatake shone a light on issues affecting indigenous communities globally. 🌏
• The legacy of the Oka Crisis continues to influence discussions on indigenous sovereignty and self-determination in Canada. 📜

Overview

In the early 1990s, tensions over land rights in the Mohawk village of Kanehsatake boiled over, leading to what is now known as the Oka Crisis. The documentary "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance" explores this period in detail, revealing the historical grievances that led to the standoff. The Mohawk community's resistance against the expansion of a golf course onto their sacred lands ignited a fierce confrontation with Canadian authorities.

Spanning 78 intense days, the film depicts the resilience of the Kanehsatake Mohawks. It captures the brave actions of the community, led by their elders, women, and warriors, who stood firm in their commitment to protecting their land and heritage. Despite facing a heavily armed military presence, the documentary highlights the solidarity and strength that defined the Mohawk resistance.

Beyond the immediate conflict, "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance" provides a broader commentary on the ongoing fight for indigenous sovereignty and justice. The film serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the Mohawk people and the continued relevance of their struggle in the fight for indigenous rights globally. Through powerful imagery and narrative, it calls for recognition and respect of indigenous lands and their intrinsic cultural values.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Protest Against Housing Development and Golf Course Expansion This chapter discusses the tensions arising in Kanesatake, a Mohawk village near Oka, Montreal, and in Kahnawake, a Mohawk reserve south of the city. The issues center around opposition to proposed housing developments and the expansion of a golf course, highlighting the community's concerns and the cultural significance of the land.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Confrontation with SWAT Team The chapter titled 'Confrontation with SWAT Team' discusses the events surrounding a protest by the people of Kanasataki against a luxury housing development and the expansion of a golf course into the lands of the Mohawk Nation. The protest began on a dirt road leading to the golf course on the morning of March 10, 1990. The mayor of Oka had provided a deadline of Monday, July 9 to comply with a court order.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Blocking Highways in Support The chapter discusses a historical event involving the Mohawks in the town of Oka, where tensions arose surrounding the use of common land. In the 1930s, local residents began using the land for recreational activities, such as golf, which disturbed the Mohawks' cattle grazing. By 1947, the situation escalated as the municipality expropriated the commons, even impacting Mohawk burial grounds. The chapter highlights the conflict between native rights and municipal decisions.
• 07:00 - 09:00: Negotiations and Media Restrictions This chapter covers the historical event where the ground became the property of Oka by 1961. It also touches on the environmental impact due to deforestation as many trees were cut down to complete a private golf course.
• 28:00 - 30:00: Historical Context and Mohawk Displacement The chapter discusses the historical context of the Mohawk displacement. It begins with a dialogue where an individual encounters a roadblock, expecting something more substantial like a highway, but instead finds a simple dirt road that has been blocked for three months. This setting serves as a metaphor for the larger, pervasive issues of displacement experienced by the Mohawk people. The seemingly small and overlooked details of the roadblock align with the often underrepresented history and struggles of the Mohawk community.
• 48:00 - 51:00: Arrest and Treatment of Mohawk Negotiators The chapter titled 'Arrest and Treatment of Mohawk Negotiators' begins with the spiritual act of burning tobacco led by John Cree, a spiritual leader. While expressing gratitude, they were suddenly disrupted at around 5:15 by the arrival of Tilden trucks accompanied by a SWAT team. This unexpected incident caused immediate alarm and instinctive reactions among those present, highlighting the tension and urgency of the situation.
• 58:00 - 68:00: Raids and Violence The chapter 'Raids and Violence' explores the theme of obligation and protection as individuals face a confrontational situation. Amidst the tension, characters reflect on the fear evident in the SWAT team's demeanor, describing them as inexperienced and unprepared for the strong spirit and resistance they encounter. This narrative emphasizes the emotional and psychological elements of facing formidable opposition.
• 82:00 - 83:00: Media Restrictions and Public Response A group of people, initially lacking enthusiasm, were working mechanically much like robots. As they tried to cut down a tree using a chainsaw, the wind intensified, producing noises suggesting the tree might fall. This caused panic among them, leading to screams and a chaotic retreat, with individuals tripping in their rush to escape.
• 99:40 - 100:00: Siege and Resistance The chapter 'Siege and Resistance' captures a tense and defiant standoff between protestors and police, where despite persistent attempts to displace the demonstrators, including the use of tear gas and percussion bombs, the protestors remain steadfast in their resolve. A significant moment occurs when the wind shifts the tear gas back towards the police, symbolizing nature's unexpected support for the kanesataki people.
• 117:00 - 118:00: Conclusion and Reflecting on the Struggle In this chapter, the focus is on the actions of the warriors of Ganaway, who took a significant stand by blocking all highways into their reserve by 7 a.m.

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] the story you will see takes place near montreal in kanesataki a mohawk village near the town of oka and in ganawagi a mohawk reserve south of the city at the mercy bridge
• 00:30 - 01:00 70 kilometers west of montreal the municipality of oka has approved a luxury housing development and the expansion of a private nine-hole golf course to 18 holes into the pines which is part of the mohawk nation's land in the early morning of march 10 1990 the people of kanasataki begun a protest on a dirt road leading to the golf course they were given until monday july 9 by the mayor of oka to obey a court
• 01:00 - 01:30 injunction granted to his municipality before calling for police action are you ready in the early 1930s some people in oaka began playing golf on the commons the mohawks complained that their cattle were being chased away with golf sticks and that there was nothing for the animals to eat in 1947 the municipality expropriated the commons even the mohawk's burial
• 01:30 - 02:00 ground became the property of oka by 1961 after many trees were cut the private golf course was completed [Music] [Music]
• 02:00 - 02:30 [Music] hey [Music] i came up here and i said so where's the roadblock they said it's right here i said this is the road we're blocking this is the road he's been blocking for three months it's a dirt road i thought it was maybe a highway you
• 02:30 - 03:00 know jeez john cree our spiritual leader had just started burning tobacco and he was giving thanks and uh about 5 15 that's when the tilden tilden trucks rolled in and these the swat team came out and those three of us that just looked at each other and uh one of the one of the women that said holy [ __ ] they're here our instincts kicked in and the women
• 03:00 - 03:30 have to go to the front because uh it's our obligation to do that to protect the land to protect our our mother and i can remember looking at the faces of uh the swat team and they were all scared they were like they were like young babies who had never met something so strong who had never met a spirit because we were fighting something
• 03:30 - 04:00 without a spirit there was no thought to it they were like robots now when they kept advancing we asked for a chainsaw we notched the first notch and we started the second notch here the wind picked up and made the upper part of the tree sound like it was falling a cracking sound like the tree's coming down they started and they started screaming and taking off and they started tripping and everything else running back to the road but as
• 04:00 - 04:30 they were running they tear-gassed us and percussion bombed us for sure we weren't moving now they can try whatever they want to get us out but we weren't leaving the pines are still when the police throw tear gas at the people standing there suddenly the wind comes and the smoke turns towards the police and onto highway 344. in support of the kanesataki people
• 04:30 - 05:00 the warriors of ganaway blocked all highways leading into their reserve by 7 a.m they closed the mercier bridge which handles over 65 000 vehicles a day get down everybody get down so we they start running i says hit the ground you gotta lay down cause they're shots huh i didn't know where they were firing
• 05:00 - 05:30 but once that first shot first bullets then our men start shooting back [Music] [Applause] the people in the pines are very sad
• 05:30 - 06:00 when they hear that corporal lamey has been shot and died and they know that they will be blamed no matter where the bullet came from after lemay was hit they come in with a ambulance remove propylene and they all retreated immediately i believe when the firing started was when they started jumping them shrubs and any hitting of a tree
• 06:00 - 06:30 any hitting of a shrub or falling would fire it it could have been by accident on their part whoever had the car keys must have took off and he left them in their their own men they couldn't run away i mean they couldn't drive away they couldn't drive away because it was all locked the warriors react immediately they use a front-end loader abandoned by
• 06:30 - 07:00 the certain quebec to make several barricades this time on the main highway the 344 [Music] [Applause] [Music] the first stand is made in the pines by the longhouse people the mohawks now present a united front
• 07:00 - 07:30 in spite of tensions among different factions in kanasatagi warriors from other communities come to support their brothers and sisters in the pines i think we all conducted ourselves in a very honorable way because we did try to avoid violence and we knew what they came there for and we knew that uh
• 07:30 - 08:00 as it progressed something really bad could happen we just felt it it was something that you could taste almost in the air a very tense atmosphere prevails more than one thousand police officers arrive in oka a village of eighteen hundred people heavily armed police set up roadblocks about five kilometers outside the
• 08:00 - 08:30 village i had already had enough trouble this morning as soon as they found out i was a mohawk they told me no mohawks today out all non-residents and all first nation residents of oaka are turned back the way they treat the media reminds me in some ways more of a police state than the democracy
• 08:30 - 09:00 [Music] foreign residents of chateaugee are furious because the mercia bridge is still
• 09:00 - 09:30 blocked the crowd vents its anger on the effigy of a mohawk warrior yelling savages [Applause] [Music]
• 09:30 - 10:00 seven mayors from surrounding municipalities expressed support for mayor wallet's decision to call in the certificate of
• 10:00 - 10:30 me mr john chiaccia minister of indian affairs for the quebec government comes to kana sataki for the fourth time in an attempt to negotiate with the mohawk people in his letter of july 9 to mayor wallet he wrote this people has seen its land disappear without any consultation or compensation which i consider unfair and unjust and all for a golf course once again i request that you postpone
• 10:30 - 11:00 the golf course project indefinitely uh we have an agreement to reopen mercy bridge shortly subject to the working out of some practical details
• 11:00 - 11:30 i also believe that we have the beginnings of a proposal uh which would settle the entire situation with the people of the mohawk nation the people in in guanawa did that in support of us and as long as our demands aren't being met the bridge will remain closed i mean we're talking about human lives we're talking about our rights this is our territory
• 11:30 - 12:00 and the government has to acknowledge that development
• 12:00 - 12:30 respect
• 12:30 - 13:00 many residents of oca and ganasataki have left fearing another attack after eight days in hiding mayor willett reappears in okay [Music]
• 13:00 - 13:30 because he started the whole message
• 13:30 - 14:00 they know very well what they're
• 14:00 - 14:30 fighting for and it's probably worth much than just nine holes in the ground a peace camp is established in oca on this first weekend more than 2500 people come from across the continent to show their support for the mohawk nation for over 100 years they have tried to look after us but they have failed miserably
• 14:30 - 15:00 it is us who can determine what is best for us we will determine our own future the greatest threat to unity and democracy in this country is not the aboriginal people nor the quebec but rather the lack of leadership of the government of canada
• 15:00 - 15:30 [Applause] you should wake up and learn that history can teach you many things but you've got to listen this is an opportunity for canada to express whether it can live up to its almighty mandate for human rights that is so well it's so well known for throughout the world why is it that we live in a country
• 15:30 - 16:00 where the police never come to the aid of the aboriginal people and yet we see them across this country being utilized by provincial governments to suppress the rights of the aboriginal people of this country [Applause]
• 16:00 - 16:30 the purpose of today's statements by myself in the presence of father savage in the presence of my colleague mr sam elkas and claude ryan is to clarify once and for all and i will repeat there is free circulation food on both sides to bring food and medication into the community is a constant problem volunteers with donations from montreal
• 16:30 - 17:00 always had to argue their way past police roadblocks people think the red cross is healthy and they're not healthy so far they've come in with only food to feed 110 people they told us on friday when we started this operation that they would bring our food in for us then they told us no they weren't going to come in because we might be bringing in guns and ammunition six kilometers away they are stopped at an sq roadblock where every item is checked they wait for seven hours and then they're turned
• 17:00 - 17:30 back there will be no restrictions in terms of the delivery of food it has never been the policy of this government to do that and we want to clarify this once and for all the truckload is taken to this farm where mr martin agrees to store the food
• 17:30 - 18:00 all of a sudden the government has
• 18:00 - 18:30 decided to get involved in all this where have they been for the last 14 15 days we've been out food for a while this is about maybe the third official truckload that has come through we've got very little to give to many in the federal school at kanasatagi a food bank is
• 18:30 - 19:00 established for those who are afraid to leave the community the people are determined to protect the pines george allen gold is appointed as mediator by prime minister mulroney it is also announced that the army will replace the sq [Applause] the warriors reinforce their barricades
• 19:00 - 19:30 [Applause] [Music] i'm willing to be here right until the end something does go down where we get shot up fine you know but as far as being afraid i mean i think fear is a very big part of what keeps people alive and hopefully i'll come out of this alive [Applause] a group of oka residents demonstrates against the mohawks while in chateauguay people march in
• 19:30 - 20:00 support [Applause] across the country aboriginal people blockade roads and railway tracks in solidarity with kanasadagi after four days of intense negotiations judge allen gold succeeds in bringing everyone together there is a feeling of hope and reverence as john cree leads mohawk negotiators
• 20:00 - 20:30 and representatives of both governments across the original barricade these barricades will come down upon mutual agreement of the terms of disengagement
• 20:30 - 21:00 these barricades are just a physical manifestation of the barricades that have existed between our nations since contact occurred in the western hemisphere almost 500 years ago you got that one right here the three preconditions to negotiations being signed are 1. the international federation of human rights will choose 24 representatives to observe the negotiations 2. spiritual leaders clan mothers advisers
• 21:00 - 21:30 and attorneys will be free to come and go three kana sataki and ganaway will have unimpeded access to the basic necessities of life i am proud to say that i am a mohawk
• 21:30 - 22:00 within the mohawk nation of the six nations iroquois confederacy when we started this blockade something had to come out of it that would progress our cause and unite our people this agreement
• 22:00 - 22:30 is something that our nation has been searching for for many years recognition of who we are as a people not just as mohawk people but as the first people of this continent the struggle is not over as we say in mohawk skana which means peace [Applause]
• 22:30 - 23:00 i think there's something especially significant in being here in this pine forest this afternoon to witness a step which we hope will ensure as ellen gabriel put it that there will never ever again be another july 11th this is a place of tranquility and great historical and spiritual significance to the people of the mohawk
• 23:00 - 23:30 nation and we respect that we must live side by side with the native people with the mohawk nation and i'm very hopeful that we will be able to arrive at a peaceful negotiated settlement in the mutual respect of all the peoples that are involved
• 23:30 - 24:00 as far back as i can remember there has always been a struggle i hope that the creator will give you the integrity to fulfill these things my great-grandfather my grandfather and my father been fighting over this and i never thought i'm going to see it myself to come up like this on the same day protesters occupied the
• 24:00 - 24:30 saint louis chateaugee they demonstrate against the continuing blockade of the mercy bridge [Music] in chateauguey the rioting escalates anti-mohawk protesters take over a semi-trailer delivering vegetables [Music] it is estimated that on one night more
• 24:30 - 25:00 than seven thousand people took part in the writing [Music] [Applause] [Music] three days after the signing the army makes its move 2600 troops of the royal 22nd regiment are deployed in positions near oka and ganawage and await further orders i myself am a traditional
• 25:00 - 25:30 native jose and i follow our constitution which was given to us by the creator and in there it states that rooney's gotta get in our language berlin he's gotta get as close as i can bring it that to me in english would be the men it's our responsibility to
• 25:30 - 26:00 protect the people within there is a place in our constitution and when our services are needed our help is our is needed we have to go despite the presence of the army talks begin between mohawk negotiators and provincial and federal representatives at the trappist monastery in oka the mohawk people have always had good relations with the trappist and this place is considered to be a
• 26:00 - 26:30 neutral zone [Music] back in kanasataki behind the barricades the warriors get ready as the army takes over the town [Music]
• 26:30 - 27:00 at the bottom of the hill general erwa meets with three warriors flown in from ganawagi two warriors from kanasatagi and three from aqua sesney they are given an ultimatum they have three days to open the mercie bridge before the army moves in after the meeting the three warriors are flown back to kanawa gay by army helicopter
• 27:00 - 27:30 now they asked me to move out and go to a hotel somewhere just in case something happens what's the use to run away if god's willing to die here i'll die here the irony is that the army helicopters are landing behind a sufficient church
• 27:30 - 28:00 where the trouble all began 270 years ago for thousands of years all this land was aboriginal land long before the white man came the ghanaian haga people of the flint known as mohawks had governed themselves within a confederacy of five nations they called udenoshoni the mohawks were the keepers of the eastern door of the five nations territory in 1535 on his second voyage to canada
• 28:00 - 28:30 cartier reached the main iroquoian village oshalaga now montreal at the foot of the mountain he saw about 50 long houses in the middle of cornfields in 1663 the gentlemen of the seminary of central peace in paris were named the seniors of the island of montreal and so began the dispossession of the aboriginal people of this country in 1676 one of their missionaries began
• 28:30 - 29:00 visiting the mohawk village located where downtown montreal is today the mohawks were displaced from their homeland and moved several times by the suspicions finally they were told to move to a settlement under hunting grounds at the mouth of the ottawa river or lake of two mountains the settlement was called kanasatagi in 1716 in the name of the king of france louis
• 29:00 - 29:30 xvi who was then six years old a written promise was made to the mohawk nation of land nine miles square on condition that should the mohawks leave this land would revert to the king the king also accorded the suspicions one and a half miles by nine miles next to the mohawks land but the sufficient were not happy with this decision they wanted all the land because it was a well-established meeting place for
• 29:30 - 30:00 trading a year later they succeeded with the help of the governor of montreal and the intended to have the entire tract of land granted to themselves they did not inform the mohawks of this action the deed was sent to france for approval it was pointed out that this move would help in the conversion of these savages and that in time of war they would offer protection against incursions by other iroquois
• 30:00 - 30:30 and so the sufficient became the singers of lake of two mountains on land that had been the hunting grounds of the mohawks from time immemorial [Music] not knowing of this treachery the mohawks remained faithful to the catholic church and the king of france and fought on the side of the french against the english by 1721 the last mohawk families were persuaded to leave the island of
• 30:30 - 31:00 montreal and move to kanasataki understanding that they would not be asked to move or be molested again they made a one-pound belt as a record of their rights to the land just to the west the algonquians and the nipissing people had hunting grounds on both banks of the ottawa river and they were also on lake of two mountains by 1760 the british had taken control of new france
• 31:00 - 31:30 a notice was sent to kanasitagi that unless they pledge allegiance to the king of england their village would be destroyed the chiefs met in full council with sir william johnson they were told that title to their lands and freedom of religion were guaranteed in the king's name all those who did not wish to be subjects of the british crown had 18 months to sell their land the sufficient were in trouble
• 31:30 - 32:00 they couldn't sell the land because the mohawks were still living there so four months before the deadline the head of the seminary in paris transferred title to the land to the seminary in montreal the superior of the order then swore allegiance to king george iii on february 8 1787 after years of being told by the suspicions that they did not own any land not even a shrub the mohawks use the
• 32:00 - 32:30 wampum belt to convey concern to superintendent general of indian affairs sir john johnson said chief agneta you see this white line which shows the length of our land the figures holding hands who rejoin the cross represent the loyalty which we owe to the faith that we hold the body represents the council fire of our village
• 32:30 - 33:00 the two dogs on the outside are supposed to guard the boundaries of our land and if anyone attempted to interrupt our possession it is their duty to warn us by barking for the iroquois the wampum belt was a record of loss governing a five-nation confederacy ruled by a council of fifty chiefs this system of government would influence the future establishment of a democratic charter in north america
• 33:00 - 33:30 as the years went by every chief took up the struggle to have their rights to the land recognized notable among these was joseph una sanganarat a young mohawk the sufficient noticed in joseph a man of more than ordinary intelligence and influence with his tribe they immediately began to patronize him they sent him to the college demorial in order to prepare him for the priesthood
• 33:30 - 34:00 in 1868 at the age of 23 joseph was made head chief of kanasatagi there was a nobility in his character that scorned anything that was false for the first time the mohawks had a chief who could read and write the white man's way as secretary to the sufficients he soon discovered the extent of their false dealings with his nation chief joseph accompanied by algonquin
• 34:00 - 34:30 and nipissing chiefs and a group of his people marched to the episode's house he confronted the fathers we have come to inform you that you have not dealt justly with us and that we want you to leave our land as we do not want to be robbed of our heritage this land was given to you in trust for the tribe to whom it belongs and how have you betrayed that trust by selling the timber and filling your
• 34:30 - 35:00 treasury with the proceeds of stolen property this land is ours ours as a heritage given to us as a sacred legacy it is a place where our fathers lie beneath those trees our mothers sang our lullaby and you would tear it from us and leave us wanderers at the mercy of fate [Music] the brother of the bishop of montreal came to oka and threatened the chiefs
• 35:00 - 35:30 that he would shut them up in kingston penitentiary for life if they did not obey the priest he also informed chief joseph that the government has bought land for them in ontario chief joseph replied we will never go there we will die on the soil of our fathers and our bleaching skeletons shall be a witness to nations yet unborn of rome's injustice and greed in response
• 35:30 - 36:00 the priest asked quebec to send police who imprisoned chief joseph and many of the people of kanasatagi in july 1990 this sad legacy continues on saint germain road the bus carrying mohawk negotiators is intercepted by armed personnel carriers the army informs them that death threats have been received the negotiators do not believe them
• 36:00 - 36:30 their suspicions are confirmed when they see the army advancing [Music] [Music] [Music] does your canadian politicians have any
• 36:30 - 37:00 [Music] i'm asking you a question where are you going from here then
• 37:00 - 37:30 [Music] is in charge of this maneuver come out why aren't our liaisons contacted about
• 37:30 - 38:00 every move that's being made because that was one of the agreements this is seen as an offensive action there are tanks up there on those hills that's our land that they're encroaching upon right now with their tanks and we want them out of here something happens while we're out there this is an intimidating factor that's
• 38:00 - 38:30 this move that you're making will be the last one because from from here on in i guess we're going to be burying each other because we won't move no no more but my mandate as a soldier as a military people called here by our government is to make sure that we take a position on the ground so we can ensure the security and the
• 38:30 - 39:00 safety of everybody around here so we know we can do that safely without using a weapon no canadian military soldier will fire one shot first a group of spiritual leaders from mexico have come to support the mohawks [Music]
• 39:00 - 39:30 [Music] one of these religious leaders told these people the truth as they were stealing land killing people breaking agreements the religious leaders with them every sunday baptizing them communion confirmation
• 39:30 - 40:00 all their sacraments at the trappist monastery negotiations are in danger of breaking down you're ready to go back to the table even if the army doesn't pull back from that checkpoint we're going to go back to the table and we're going to do what we have to do to come to a peaceful resolve we're not going to be the ones that's going to walk away from the table we're not going to be the ones that's going to pull the trigger it seems that the government wants these talks to fail so that they can have a legitimate excuse to put the army on the indian people and kill us there's every indication that they
• 40:00 - 40:30 feel that somehow they've been misled and that we had known all along about these maneuvers i can say to you that we didn't the negotiators representing canadian and uh quebec government pleaded innocent but then when questioned later they said well we we knew that something was going on this morning but we weren't too sure what somebody had asked me how far are you willing to go
• 40:30 - 41:00 is it six feet under and i think that's what's going to happen not gonna see you're gonna see a death feast you're not gonna see land claims and uh they're proving it but that's what they wanna shut up the indian keep the indian nation down where they had them for so many years
• 41:00 - 41:30 i go to jail i'm gonna walk through those doors in honor i'm not going in as a junkie nothing to be ashamed of and when i come out i'll teach my children and my grandchildren to fight no more compassion i've had it i was raised as a pacifist i was raised that if you don't want to be have prejudice on you don't put it out
• 41:30 - 42:00 and we went through a lot but this has changed me i've never been violent i've never thought to hit out to strike out but now don't look at me sideways because i know i'll never bow down to them because you just they just step on your hands if this is civilized i'd rather stay on the side of the barricade are you gonna let us look in the truck to see if there's food in there let's wait
• 42:00 - 42:30 let some [Music] oh state
• 42:30 - 43:00 satisfied yeah okay now just to make sure that we are okay on the same length of weight okay there's three meals a day that has to be served okay and we've got okay to give the meals to our men to understand now you agree with me today right now here in front of aldo's camera you will not object anymore no as long as they could okay can i have your name please i don't want
• 43:00 - 43:30 your real name just give me a name that you use 361. 361. okay so we have agreed with 361 that from now on okay every day at every meal time there will be a truck two's and half ton like that that will be passing through to go okay to our people on top of the hill no problem as long as it's a truck of food not the apc is like this morning but don't everybody stay tense we need one man and one man whatever
• 43:30 - 44:00 they got a man over there we're short of man over there we got a man next fine but nobody else be tense get your arrest period it's like an obstacle course that they've set up it's harder to go through day before yesterday wasn't that bad with the army but now it is this is really bad
• 44:00 - 44:30 after seven days of negotiations
• 44:30 - 45:00 the talks are broken off the negotiators on the government's side have reached the limit of their their mandates and are ill-equipped to carry on the discussions at this time and we are equally an impasse on the proposition made by the provincial government in relation to the depositing of arms which they categorically do not wish to do and they did not come back with a counter proposal of how to deal with that issue
• 45:00 - 45:30 the mohawks called their own press conference for seven o'clock that evening behind the barricade 13 out of 15 issues had been agreed upon there remained a question of sovereignty and potential arrests for the warriors after a disengagement a feeling of discouragement had to be overcome amnesty implies that we did something wrong and we we are to be
• 45:30 - 46:00 forgiven for it our position is that we were defending our nation and our land and and we are not to be blamed for that we are native people to this land we're not trying to take your land or anybody else's property you ask if there's an imminent assault here yes there is within a few hundred feet from here you'll find the armed forces yes they're ready for an assault
• 46:00 - 46:30 we were here to protect our burial grounds and the pines from a nine-hole golf course you must keep that in mind have you forgotten army flares are frequent on saint germain road the army sets up a checkpoint only a string of razor wire separates
• 46:30 - 47:00 the warriors from the military is it possible to get out yeah no problem to get up okay no problem to come in too problem to come in what problem who's going to feed that animal why what why because it's an orders by whom [Music] [Applause] a mohawk negotiator is arrested by the sq and detained for five hours they came
• 47:00 - 47:30 to me and they said um you're under arrest mrs and i said for what and they said for being behind the barricades and um for intimidation and all kind of stuff like that not obeying the injunction they'd have to arrest sidden and they'd have to arrest judge gold they'd have to arrest um chiacha because they have all been on the other side of the barricade
• 47:30 - 48:00 defender barrage just when i told them i'm entitled to a phone call to my lawyer the passenger the officer sitting in a
• 48:00 - 48:30 passenger seat laughed turned around he punched me in the face gun did you have when you killed lemmy i'm there what do you mean i didn't kill nobody then just because i said that another slap or a kick in the testicles
• 48:30 - 49:00 [Music]
• 49:00 - 49:30 they put the cuffs on my back they asked me to stand up
• 49:30 - 50:00 and one of the officers asked me if i smoked i said almost too i was more than happy to have a cigarette he likes himself a cigarette loves his smoke in my face this one is cigarette just about about an inch long he puts it on my belly he puts his he actually put his cigarette out on my stomach and then he pulls on my pants and he puts it on my pants and they call us savages i think finally i had enough two or three hours
• 50:00 - 50:30 getting being on i signed it an mtc toughest challenge for any government in the western world in our world is to defend democracy against people who do not believe in democracy will rooney praise boras's government for the way it's been handling the situation in ocarina we are not going to exceed uh to requests from a group of warriors some of whom are not even canadian citizens and whose actions have been to
• 50:30 - 51:00 understate the case illegal for some considerable period of time our troops will confront warriors that have a sizable and effective asset coverage of the warriors has shown that they have a large number of modern weapons now tony ross in ghana there was some question about how what kind of armaments the warriors had in there the army suggested maybe a mortar maybe some really tough machine guns what what are the mohawk said about that the mohawks won't confirm or deny what they have what they have i mean i can tell you the people standing around hit me here i
• 51:00 - 51:30 guess i can see some kind of rifles i've seen something that looks like semi-automatic weapons i'm not a weapons expert but uh mostly rifles and shotguns around here now but you know nobody will confirm or deny some of the heavy armor the army's talking about the mohawks here are saying maybe the army's saying they've got all this equipment to justify some sort of show of greater force maybe this is the decade that roadblocks are going to be throughout canada because people are fed up
• 51:30 - 52:00 and the only thing that the governments understand is right here fish is lying the air is dying the plants are dying the animals are dying we're not too far behind them as the mohawk nation a mob attacks a convoy of 75 cars with old people children and women from ganaway as they leave the reserve fearing an army assault [Applause]
• 52:00 - 52:30 one passenger an elderly man later suffered a heart attack and died [Applause] is what they threw at my father this is what hit him in the chest her 77 year old father was badly injured and i'm gonna remember those faces
• 52:30 - 53:00 a number of houses in the area are vandalized by various people in one case two warriors are suspected needless to say the community feels this is very bad an agreement to open the messiah bridge is reached between the army and the warriors of ganawagi the barricades are dismantled [Music]
• 53:00 - 53:30 the people of kansaki are shocked when they hear the news they feel abandoned we have tanks now at our heads army helicopters going by have machine guns we have a thousand sq officers waiting to come in but we will not surrender we've done nothing wrong we're not criminals they try to intimidate us and break our spirit create the vision amongst our people once that bridge was open
• 53:30 - 54:00 it's fairly evident they could do what they like now and they're doing it this is what they call peaceful resolution you want me to help me oh i can't i gotta go the warriors move out of their bunkers
• 54:00 - 54:30 as the army invades the pines [Applause] meanwhile on the 344 bolts pin an unarmed warrior in a golf cart defies the army while mad jab hears from sector
• 54:30 - 55:00 feet behind five i'm unarmed you don't have to be armed you want me to [Laughter] hold down [Applause]
• 55:00 - 55:30 so everything was blocking around here i ordered to push it with the dozer you saw behind me that's basically the cyan file you have over here and the three police car former police car come on shoot you see we have complications on and the prior sector off of the golf course right now your troops are advancing very heavily
• 55:30 - 56:00 over there right now and advancing on them and they don't want to delay a bit as we mentioned that uh we are waiting for a call and the troops are still advancing could you hold them troops and stop them halting that is my bus let's go i will go over there and talk to that company commander evidently you have a field uh phone to contact him and i will go over there personally
• 56:00 - 56:30 because the negotiation talks are still on as of yet just hold your position right now they're going to hold theirs when it gets dark they want to come out just basically to the clearing here and they will not advance any further than that they're not weak man these are strong suckers
• 56:30 - 57:00 the warriors withdraw to the treatment center to make their last stand uh michael we've got something here journalists are requested to leave the area through the gate over there please move now the army has the media separated some of us are on one side of
• 57:00 - 57:30 their newest barricade and 50 feet away i see my fellow reporter tony ross on his side of the barricade and what i think they're doing and i'm only guessing at this point [Music] what remains is what they are going to do with the warriors who are in the treatment center why don't we just do it direct i mean is this a rehearsal
• 57:30 - 58:00 at 5 30 pm soldiers check the barricade for booby traps nothing is found [Music] as the barricades come down orders are given to watch out for runaway warriors three traditional leaders arrive to join the people in the treatment center
• 58:00 - 58:30 everything right now is there any way for a negotiated settlement now or i believe there [Music] the warriors prepare for another advance by the army while some people of the village take shelter in the federal school the army officers came over and told us that promised us how many people were in the shelter and we told them
• 58:30 - 59:00 about a hundred and they said that all the men women and children had to go out on the road and line up and get their identification ready because they were going to check them all and they said after they checked everybody's identification the women and children only could go home so we've asked for all human rights organizations to come and at least have cars ready at the barricade so when people are arrested and and taken that their somebody will follow them so they'll know where they've taken them
• 59:00 - 59:30 i'm too [Music] linda that night some of the journalists sleep out on highway 344 in front of the treatment center
• 59:30 - 60:00 the next morning the army surrounds the warriors encampment with razor warrior and takes position in the pines the warriors put up a large curtain to block the view of the soldiers this maneuver proved to be very annoying
• 60:00 - 60:30 to the army [Music] [Applause] tension is at the breaking point [Music] by nightfall the army harasses the
• 60:30 - 61:00 warriors with searchlights shadows on the wall is this the end some of your guys throw something ass rocks woods some of your guys use their 4x4 to tear the barbed wire listen calm your guys because i'm not gonna [ __ ] around here understood
• 61:00 - 61:30 understood that's all if you have any problem go on the outline i have a military job to do here i'm gonna do it up there my men will back up as soon as your men are backing up they're backed up already oh yeah prove it to me i'm trying to hit the fence with rocks [Applause] on this side here with big bayonets and they said that roxanne was thrown back at them they took their van that's trying to cut this screen down because they can't see that's the only reason
• 61:30 - 62:00 the only reason that they're doing this is because they cannot see get that light off me a minute [Music] [Applause] get that [ __ ] light off [Applause] me okay [Applause] the men are backing up they're backing up yes right now cannot see it well that's the thing we cannot see you
• 62:00 - 62:30 either and you'll come forward right here and you'll see you should be real proud they're going to have your pictures on the papers as cowards when you're right home to mommy you better tell them you're in germany you don't want to tell them here
• 62:30 - 63:00 she'll kick your ass when you get home the army uses a crane to see over the curtains but
• 63:00 - 63:30 h a i n s e h a r h yes yeah okay maybe i can s e yes e that's right not not e s s e h a h exactly okay whenever a flare would go off it was at first everybody would kind of run to that area and see and when that would happen it would leave other areas unguarded yes they're
• 63:30 - 64:00 not doctors you didn't talk to anybody i was putting it out ordered it until they come the camera went down then you moved there was always that kind of thought at the back of your head what maybe it's a diversionary tactic or something right that's all right have to go and investigate make sure it didn't burn the pines come on let's go get out of here hey hey come on we lodged a few complaints that uh these flares are only heightening the chances of people shooting because it would produce a lot of fear a lot of uh
• 64:00 - 64:30 agitation well what's that thing i know it's obama yeah it's some kind of what happens if you touch it don't go it's poison i guess what poison makes us sick we don't know what it is first of all the floor went up and this thing landed next to me we were sitting here look bruce is laying there relaxing
• 64:30 - 65:00 and here and this thing made a big noise in the ground like a big [Music] either one of us i mean i know everybody in there would be dead [Music] oh
• 65:00 - 65:30 [Music] [Music] [Music]
• 65:30 - 66:00 hey this is uh country buddy you have your orders uh constitutional right you keep your hands waiting for the camera we're gonna talk about champions these you just saw that i don't know where they're allowed in there because they say nothing in ganaway the army raids the long house even though it had promised to stay out of the reserve once the mercy bridge was opened why not well it's their house sir it's from order from higher please welcome
• 66:00 - 66:30 they're welcome in search of waterfalls [Music] out there we were fighting them they were punching believe me they pulled my daughter's shirt right off he says we're welcome no sir the court has been established sir though photographer those media crews passed away sir i don't ask questions here i just take orders sir the six guys jump me
• 66:30 - 67:00 when i try to stop them from going in the wrong house they smash my face with a butt in the back of the head on my eye back my neck my hand it's all cut up at the treatment center when the warriors learn of the raid they react
• 67:00 - 67:30 immediately lasagna is from ganawagi and he is having a hard time controlling himself lorraine montour who was almost hit by a falling flare the night before is enraged [Music]
• 67:30 - 68:00 [Applause] you guys better go home and re-educate myself on canada's using you piss on kids too and gonna walk it look who's rifle butt unarmed women innocent women children is that what you do making kids screaming and crying your kids are going to pay for this man let me tell you don't you [ __ ] try me
• 68:00 - 68:30 awesome i do hey hey no thank you come on come on guys let us resolve these things okay [Applause] the youngest of the mohawk warriors adora is calm by bob anton a traditional chiefs [Music]
• 68:30 - 69:00 lorraine thompson takes the time to pass on the stories and the language to the children [Music] foreign [Music]
• 69:00 - 69:30 now that sq boats are patrolling the chance of bringing food across the lake is much reduced there's no big rush no way you're not going anywhere after four hours of waiting every item of food is inspected at two different army checkpoints margaret gabrielle is allowed in tc to
• 69:30 - 70:00 deliver food for the last time [Applause] [Music] [Applause]
• 70:00 - 70:30 we're concerned the sun is going down the warrior silence speaks of death some of them have made their wills another night in tc it is 4 00 a.m alone in his bunker after days of god duty and new sleep spa drenched doses off he is jumped by an army patrol and
• 70:30 - 71:00 severely beaten when i first saw spud wrench i had a terrific anger weld up inside of me he was beaten beyond almost all recognition his head was about one and a half times the size of an ordinary head one eye was fully closed he had lacerations all over his head my initial impression was anger how could they do this to a person i start yelling and they start
• 71:00 - 71:30 beating with something on my head about 25 times there was three guys holding me down the warriors condition is reported to major tremblay by a military paramedic your guys need to be sent to a trauma center i'm gonna promise you that he's gonna be
• 71:30 - 72:00 brought back as soon as he's okay okay it's not to be interrogated by no one or anything no not at all can i have that right in writing you cannot do that and you know that you're gonna have to take my work his life is his life is most important to me that's right right it is the most important thing to me right now is the same thing for us um evidently not but that's neither here nor there on that right now
• 72:00 - 72:30 it takes several hours of negotiations before the army allows dr gorman inside tc to treat sputterings and a civilian ambulance to take him to a hospital
• 72:30 - 73:00 the first thing i found everybody's searching i saw something laying in the sand it was about this long it was wrapped in leather it was a blackjack that was the thing that they used on them and i held it by my fingers and somebody says let me see i said don't even touch it and he told us he says they're not fooling he says be careful finally the army who didn't want him to fall in the hands of the sq and they
• 73:00 - 73:30 knew if he died in a jail that ultimately they'd be responsible for murder they had a big verbal fight with the ambulance driver the army mps and their hands were on their pistols and they were trying to see that we got safe passage to the hospital though i had seen him and i'd treated him and i'd sewn up all his wounds when i saw his picture on the front page of the montreal newspaper i wept when i saw it a few days later
• 73:30 - 74:00 yes i gave him my word that uh if due to the seriousness of the injuries that was assessed at that time uh it could that that the option of coming back could be a conservative major trembling said yesterday before our cameras quote i'm going to promise you that he's going to be brought back here as soon as he's okay did the army break that promise or not no major trombley's company company c has changed places with company a company a is now down in that direction company c back
• 74:00 - 74:30 here standard procedure it's just a matter that uh major trombley's troops uh have been uh in the thick of things for a number of days now and it's a matter of allowing fresh troops to get in there and uh major trombley's troops to perhaps step back a bit and relax [Music] but just the idea of putting razor wire in the water come on guys get real
• 74:30 - 75:00 i don't think they've really clued into the idea that we're not going anywhere it's probably a concept that they just can't understand [Music]
• 75:00 - 75:30 [Music] bob anton returns to replace terry doc stator who has gone to the peace camp where the people are upset and angry after hearing about spud wrench we also we're all here in southwest it's a war i'd zone die than have those people inside you're not they've talked one and how many more they're going to take already they have aqueousness around it
• 75:30 - 76:00 they got orcas around them what other reservations are they gonna surround they try to beat up women and children got no money hey they pushed us far enough all i'm asking is don't let your anger guide you that's what those men have been fighting for days they could talk to you to tell you to wait and plan yourself properly i talked to my brother he said he didn't think he was coming out alive that's what we got to do go home and take care of our kids we want them i've been beaten so many times by the state police
• 76:00 - 76:30 the sq i know how it feels i know how those people feel not afraid to die i'm not afraid to die i'm not afraid to spend the rest of my life in prison you're talking about the lives of a lot of people who've been patient for a long time patients for a long time yeah well they're getting beaten and beaten and beating who's going to be next it's time for them to die no i'm saying it's time for us to do something well let's come here are we gonna let another one beat him how many times have they kept one one promise
• 76:30 - 77:00 i kept one promise one promise they kept they promised to take all of our land and they're doing it [Music]
• 77:00 - 77:30 oh [Music] [Applause] ah [Music]
• 77:30 - 78:00 myself and robert galbraith we um when we heard there was no tv cameras here and that people were concerned that a massacre might happen because it wouldn't be televised um we took a small video camera this one and we put in a box and we uh crawled through the forest uh mostly on our bellies got covered with insects and we went past the army in broad daylight
• 78:00 - 78:30 there's all this psychological stuff about how you can't get through barbed wire well we put a tarpaulin underneath the wire instead of going over it and we crawled underneath and came through about 7 30 this is last sunday because
• 78:30 - 79:00 and they're trying to blind us by getting the press out of here and i'm not going to leave i'm not going to be blinded i want you to see i want the people to see what's going to happen i can't understand why the politicians don't realize this that there's going to be complete anarchy throughout canada if anybody's hurt here if anybody's shot if a gun goes off that's going to break up the country that's what it's going to do it's going to break our country up and i love canada and i love canadians it's beautiful up
• 79:00 - 79:30 here it's really nice okay let me let me um the people are really great and i recommend it to anyone even if we're not recognized as as a nation it's brought all indian nations together this fight so in a way our battle is won major trombley had it put there by one of his men i questioned him about it he says he had his men put it there just to intimidate me it makes me mad
• 79:30 - 80:00 doesn't bother me at all they are soldiers of the mohawk nation and uh and they've conducted themselves well as soldiers and as warriors and they have been disciplined they've been real good men out there to to hold back and to restrain themselves as much as they have even though they've been fired upon in this siege they've maintained a real strong integrity bruce elijah never seems to rest he
• 80:00 - 80:30 helps take away the anger from the hearts and the minds of the warriors day by day you can see the change in their spirit a lot of the guys too have changed they're not really trying to keep up that heart exterior anymore i mean they're gentle in their own way you're seeing more than just the warrior you're seeing somebody who's
• 80:30 - 81:00 a human being it's important that we uh keep our traditions alive and it's really important to hold on to our language this is what makes us strong our beliefs our customs and our prayers and songs the drum
• 81:00 - 81:30 this is what keeps us going
• 81:30 - 82:00 free at last [Music]
• 82:00 - 82:30 a photographer for canadian press has decided to leave he is escorted out of tc to be questioned by the sq at their temporary headquarters in the clubhouse at the golf course most of the print journalists have cell phones so they can file their stores over the phone the tv and still guys it's going to be more difficult but i think at this point the only reason people are staying is to see what happens at the end and to be
• 82:30 - 83:00 there for the final assault or the surrender whatever ends up happening hello phil hi how are you good good i guess you've heard the army's cut off the telephone inside here right yes so who knows what's going to happen next
• 83:00 - 83:30 so hopefully it's not our last call for a while how's the kids good good yes i can hi honey how are you did you have a fun day at your school really i got your paintings and the big smiley face the happy face and it was beautiful and i got it hanging up at my work right now i yes i showed all my friends at work and they thought it was very beautiful
• 83:30 - 84:00 i was my other little girl how's little iona is she being a good girl did you feed the fish today oh i'm happy oh daddy maybe see you soon okay i don't know when i'm gonna come home honey
• 84:00 - 84:30 [Music] you're not going to give me any medicine unless i leave here and you take it away are you commander sir yes i am can you explain to me how we can be taken into custody when we're not accused of a crime [Music]
• 84:30 - 85:00 can you explain it policy is journalists are confined to stay over there or to leave this is a confined area well i realize that yeah now it's at the point right now where the condition i have which is a chronic asthmatic bronchial condition if it worsens it can be life-threatening
• 85:00 - 85:30 and if you don't believe me call up the royal edward chest hospital and ask him for my file my name is cash i'm sure you got to file on me that thick by now you call up the hospital and ask him if i've ever come close to death and they'll tell you it's your decision mister it's your decision yeah my decision is this if i want medical treatment i have to go into custody no am i accused of any crime right now by being here because we don't know because we're not allowed to speak to lawyers either
• 85:30 - 86:00 excuse me we have the doctor's name excuse me sir is it possible to have the name of the doctor i was speaking with no no i mean is there any law in operation here i haven't seen it the hotline says they're not authorized to deal with journalists what the [ __ ] is going on
• 86:00 - 86:30 [Music] so we don't [ __ ] exist 24 hours later ted cash finally receives his medication [Music] a group of oka residents protest against the peace camp we come a long ways and clear across from vancouver before that from south dakota to here so
• 86:30 - 87:00 we feel that uh we have a right to go there and pray with our brothers and our sisters we come very much at peace and we have a pipe with us and this pipe is also was in negotiation a wounded knee we are the ones that are blend with this earth cops just came here a few minutes ago and warned us if we're smuggling in people they're gonna come i'm gonna house all the people at the camp and
• 87:00 - 87:30 people tries to get in that's not right they treat us like we're garbage more and more people are coming to the peace camp but the sq turns them back [Music] we're going in there to pray with our brothers i know i understand you but the order from now because it's an emergency zone so you're not allowed to go in you must control everything that's going
• 87:30 - 88:00 in well you need a hard dress inside there's thousands of people coming what are you going to do with everybody like tomorrow's supposed to have an area especially for you people well place for camp and uh you mean to detain us no no [Music] this is my country don't don't don't don't make that mistake you know you cannot be treatments this way we don't treat you i mean talking to people come from out of the country here
• 88:00 - 88:30 they don't have a place well the country's anybody's out of the country but this is our country our home and native land it says [Music] but not our putting up barriers for my people we can't go as we do as we like we've got to be careful how we talk or who we talk to in this country [Music] even in regards to our spirituality
• 88:30 - 89:00 i'm guaranteed freedom of movement anywhere within canada and they say i can't go in there be with my people that's ridiculous this is not this is not russia this is not nazi germany this is canada you allow your leaders of your country to just call people names rather than go and talk with them and you're never going to resolve anything and all you're going to cause is death and misery and destruction destruction of communities
• 89:00 - 89:30 like oak destruction of communities like all the rest of them i mean i just can't say it enough how idiotic they're acting on the world stage whoever we are what's wrong with talking to one another if you're going to act like children then they should watch children a little longer because right after they get in a fight five minutes later they're best
• 89:30 - 90:00 buddies again [Applause] the army finally allows journalists to approach the front of the treatment center here we got the first [ __ ] caliber under your head welcome to south america
• 90:00 - 90:30 freedom being difficult to do our job is unacceptable there are dozen people in there who are working hard trying to tell the story to the whole world of what's going on from that side okay the journalists trying to throw their film across the barbed wire to other journalists outside and the armed forces interfering with that those films are now in the hands of the police well that's a pretty horrible thing they're not allowed to interfere with human rights here
• 90:30 - 91:00 but they're doing it anyway how many eggs did they throw at you let's say that they did throw more than one eggs at us a dozen two dozen six i don't really know but you know they threw eggs they threw eggs at us your people are throwing eggs at us so apparently you have too much food no i don't understand that that's not true that is true that vehicle over there you see the one with an a a red a on it take the next pico two eggs landed right next to that
• 91:00 - 91:30 vehicle and they were thrown from the inside of the perimeter you want to show that to me you won't be able to see it because that's on the other side of the egg you want to take me over there i can bring you the shells of the eggs you won't be able to use the shells because i don't think you take the camera crew over there are you here to pick this up guys we don't waste no food they well they did i'm sorry but they didn't pick this up
• 91:30 - 92:00 show no we're gonna take them over they want you're sure where they hit we'll take the camera through so they can see where they get no you can't see it because that's on the other side of the room give me the camera i'll i'll tape it for you no food left here unless it's your own man unless it's your own men
• 92:00 - 92:30 trying to pull some [ __ ] we've got a new colonel please call for free [Applause] we also have a bunker picked on for you are engaged to be married
• 92:30 - 93:00 [Music] in the journalists bunker in orca they watch as the sq protected by the army raids te kakuita island in ganoway [Applause]
• 93:00 - 93:30 the police say they found firearms there
• 93:30 - 94:00 tell me why you need uh guys in riot gear and chinook helicopters to cart away dozens of cases of beer no
• 94:00 - 94:30 are you confused and perplexed by it no why are they doing it the chinooks and the helicopters were not here for the beer i'm sure you know that thank you people are leaving the peace camp under pressure from the rescue no sooner do their buses leave the camp then they are stopped and everyone is questioned [Music]
• 94:30 - 95:00 [Music]
• 95:00 - 95:30 [Music] i live here you block the traffic and you block the traffic i [ __ ] live here move your car please get off the [ __ ] road you work for us you work for canadians or do you not could you who your car is i [ __ ] live here that's the last time i tell you move your car i live here
• 95:30 - 96:00 if you don't move your car i have you in it okay you're gonna arrest me because i live here with my life in danger to go to my home who do you work for canada or somebody else i don't speak french i don't have to speak okay
• 96:00 - 96:30 i'm a citizen of this country i'm a property owner in oakland i know i can do i ask you wait a moment in your car for the security at all people yeah but why can't we just leave then wait a few minutes okay a few minutes how long i don't know maybe 15 minutes you just said a little while ago that as
• 96:30 - 97:00 soon as she got down here to say that she was taking her to her all right too fast for me i'm sorry we could go did you speak slowly no i don't speak english very well if you don't speak too fast if you speak too fast i don't understand i'm sorry i have leased my property to these people we check that madame uh if you lose your popularity is not we don't uh application by applying that we refuse because we
• 97:00 - 97:30 respect for security [Music] foreign
• 97:30 - 98:00 you couldn't even answer us and then you gonna arrest my husband you stand back and you laugh at us like we're a bunch of goddamn idiots we're standing up for our rights i got a daughter
• 98:00 - 98:30 okay leave me alone okay
• 98:30 - 99:00 i'm not going to be quiet we have to go there you lied to us we couldn't go there now we can't stay here now we can't go there where can we go that is canada canada a free country for everyone
• 99:00 - 99:30 yeah we're just trying to get uh food and clothing and first time we tried with clothing and apparently they don't want clothing and the guys that are in there still wearing the same clothes since july 11 and fall is coming there's women [Music] children in there and you know we brought warm clothing like uh socks and jogging
• 99:30 - 100:00 pants and jogging sweater things like that at the present time there were about 20 women and eight children there and certainly these women and children are not terrorists and they don't deserve the treatment they are getting they don't allow me to see my daughter they won't allow us to take warm clothing and they are now threatening to cut off the food supply
• 100:00 - 100:30 you guys should just leave it open getting food into the treatment center
• 100:30 - 101:00 is becoming more and more difficult look they've been stabbed each one of the bags the flower the bayonet cereal anything that has that jenna bag has been banned how do we know they didn't put nothing in there
• 101:00 - 101:30 [Music] and uh our bananas are very bright even squished this is just solid too soft in my hand look at this this oil is empty basically it has been pierced by uh something and leaked out all over created a mess bacon they're going to
• 101:30 - 102:00 of us to death [Applause] hey jeffrey jeffrey york of the globe and mail leaves the treatment center there's only two reporters left for mainstream newspapers there's no cbc reporters left there's no no broadcast reporters at all well i think the thing
• 102:00 - 102:30 that's the most unbelievable is that in a country like canada we're allowing the army to tell us what uh what can be published in our newspapers and what can be put on our nightly news at a press conference terry doug stator describes the negotiator's final proposal for this engagement do you censor there might be a risk involved here because you're willing to lay down your gun before they the government has just announced that the army will be replaced by the sq the greatest risk right now is that should the army pull out sq will move in
• 102:30 - 103:00 and not be interested in seeking peace and having peace they'd be more interested in seeing these men did back in tc behind the razor wire the army uses high-pressure water hoses against the warriors [Applause] [Music]
• 103:00 - 103:30 [Music] fatal condoms full of water at the soldiers [Music] on september 26
• 103:30 - 104:00 after 78 days under siege the people reach a consensus they will walk out of tc for the moment we have to endure persecution we have to endure our people being mistreated in courts in the jails being beaten being bayoneted for now but in the long course of history the face of canada will be politically socially economically and spiritually
• 104:00 - 104:30 changed in back in favor of our people and who knows how our our great-grandchildren are going to rewrite that and that's totally up to them but we will at least be able to leave the earth knowing that while we were here we did all that we could to set in motion for them a better future and so for me that's what kanasadagi is about
• 104:30 - 105:00 [Music] once the anger goes it seems like the only thing that's left is the sadness and just being tired so i think i would like to just get away and not remember not think about it for a while just to rest heal i'm with good people
• 105:00 - 105:30 through all this time the people took strength from ancient spiritual ceremonies now they prepare themselves to face whatever awaits them outside having these ceremonies you know started realizing who i am huh i didn't come here to kill people you know i just came here to protect the land government is going too far
• 105:30 - 106:00 we only could take so much you know [Music] there were never more than 30 warriors here in tc and one spiritual leader one traditional chief 19 women
• 106:00 - 106:30 and seven children [Music]
• 106:30 - 107:00 we have to think about the future generation grandchildren great grandchildren constantly talk to them about our ancestors you know how hard they fought for this land they sacrificed their lives there's a long trail of broken promises uh
• 107:00 - 107:30 [Music] they were prepared for anything if the people from tc came out they weren't surrendering they didn't have their hands held above their heads they were
• 107:30 - 108:00 going home but the spirit was there we never surrendered it was an exit it was like being in a twilight zone we never did the expected thing it was always the unexpected and they they weren't ready
• 108:00 - 108:30 foreign back off a bit back off back off back off please
• 108:30 - 109:00 [Applause] it was bad enough for us the women i mean the men knew they were going to be beat up on we all took care of each other as best we could one twisted my arms i was trying to break my wrists another guy
• 109:00 - 109:30 came over he banged my head on her own and they put the cuffs on me but i would laugh and i'd say things to them and they said oh give up your loss and i said we didn't know this even made more or start struggling more sort of put more guys on jump on top and they see the women and kids laying all over the ditches and all that i saw one man being dragged on the ground on his back and he was holding on to one of the masks and another one he was standing up
• 109:30 - 110:00 and he wasn't doing anything to provoke the soldiers or anything and they were poking the bayonets at him and they were pushing him around and they were hitting him and he was just protecting the mask a little boy couldn't get over the wire and i grabbed him by the collar and into confusion he just got lost with his mom and that's when i had him she was laying face down on the ground and they had handcuffed her with the metal handcuffs and then she had a pack on her back and
• 110:00 - 110:30 she was hurting so they couldn't get the satchel off her back so they says cut it off with a knife well the boy had seen this and now he was crying the 14 year old girl was bayonetted in the chest uh she was protecting her four-year-old sister it was really awful what saved her from that band and going straight in instead of sideways [Applause] must have been the spirits on our side
• 110:30 - 111:00 [Applause] right [Applause] hey
• 111:00 - 111:30 [Applause] some people reach the village in oakland but no jaeger is arrested by the rescue okay
• 111:30 - 112:00 [Applause]
• 112:00 - 112:30 catch when is it gonna end when are we gonna have our [ __ ] rights when are we gonna be treated like humans look at that when is it gonna end when barasa has all the headstones lined up that's not when it's gonna end their circle's not finished it's not finished [Music]
• 112:30 - 113:00 [Music] they got us leaning against the bus and they started putting the plastic handcuffs on and then we got inside and somebody had a fingernail clipper and as they came in we were snipping them off so we had a whole bunch of uh these plastic bands and uh
• 113:00 - 113:30 i finally then i threw them out the window a little while later also the mp passed by he sees him on the ground i don't know if he knew where it came from but but everybody was had no handcuffs except the ones that had the metal handcuffs then we started rocking the bus like crazy he's saying some traditional songs and just just to comfort every everybody and we just knew we had to stay strong and not to be afraid the mp says if anyone makes a move shoot him
• 113:30 - 114:00 just shoot him now if he'd have known nobody had hands on we could have jumped them but it was over it was finished when they found out that we were family people they thought we were going to have records as long as our arm there was families husbands wives children who's going to leave their family behind how it's going to be written in history
• 114:00 - 114:30 um if i was a soldier i'd be ashamed to say i was an okra organisation the people are brought to the courthouse for arraignment we were here first and we sure the hell ain't gonna leave be a day in hell this is just the beginning it's not the end we got children i hope you guys put your children through this stuff you put us through these guys jumped on my mother my mother didn't do nothing
• 114:30 - 115:00 because there are any moves you ought to stick you on a reservation and take away your land we don't ask for anything that's not ours you came and you talked you took hey guys [Applause] [Music] did we save any children if we did it was worth it
• 115:00 - 115:30 stay strong you take one arrow and break it but when you get a whole bunch you can't break it and that's the people sticking together [Applause]
• 115:30 - 116:00 [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Applause]
• 116:00 - 116:30 [Music] this land is ours ours is a heritage given to us as a sacred legacy it is a place where our fathers lie beneath those trees our mother sang our lullaby and he would tear it from us and leave
• 116:30 - 117:00 us wanderers at the mercy of faith july 1992 all but three of the defendants in the oka trial are acquitted by a jury the cost to the federal and provincial governments was over 155 million dollars mayor wallet was re-elected and the land issue is still not resolved
• 117:00 - 117:30 the general known as tom pong amiga mao from escosoni died february 1992. he was 49 years old he had taken part in the resistance at wounded knee kanyaki resti gush aquacessni and kanasitagi go back to the learning spiritual ways you know that way everybody will be strong
• 117:30 - 118:00 [Music] where i am [Applause] [Music]
• 118:00 - 118:30 well [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music]
• 118:30 - 119:00 oh [Music] that's a part of us that's a part of me these trees are the biggest ones i've
• 119:00 - 119:30 seen in our territory before the europeans came we had trees like this all over the place we were a small number of people but the quality of the people that were there was was just outstanding [Music]