"Nia:Wen" Say Mohawks of Tyendinaga For Worldwide Support

eastern ontario | indigenous | news report Sunday April 27, 2008 09:43 by Kahentinetha Horn - MNN Mohawk Nation News

FOR THEIR RESISTANCE ON APRIL 20 AND 21 WHEN ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE ATTACKED – ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION STOPPED, HARASSMENT CONTINUES

MNN. April 24, 2008. Said one of the Rotiskenrekete, “We want to thank everyone all over the world for their support of our peaceful way of defending our land. We all condemn this kind of corporate corruption and white collar organized crime”.

Det. Weese of the OPP at Napanee Ontario was the commander in charge. He was mad that he could not charge or take anybody to jail. The OPP have informed us that, “ We have a zero tolerance rule. We are taking back jurisdiction of Tyendinaga and this starts now!” The Rotiskenrekete said, “We have a zero tolerance rule too. We want all the foreign cops out of our territory immediately”.

The real estate agents, Emile and Theodore Nibourg of Kingston, who wanted to build $35 million condominiums on the Bay of Quinte in Deseronto on Mohawk Territory , backed off. Their undated signed notice stated, “In light of recent events in the Town of Deseronto, Nibourg Developments wish to announce that they will refrain from the pursuit of a development of the Culbertson Tract…” We doubt if they’ll be back. Said a Rotiskenrekete, “We don’t want any development on our land!” There should be an investigation of the Nibourg’s trespassing, their actions that forced the Mohawks to respond and the paranoia they created which brought in the attack forces of the OPP.

On Sunday, April 20, the Mohawk had set up an encampment to resist the development that was to start on Monday morning. They did not come in. On Monday night rowdy non-natives roamed the streets of Deseronto carrying signs and shouting racist threats at the Mohawks. They looked pretty organized.

On Tuesday morning over 900 troops swarmed onto Mohawk Territory in a military style “shock and awe” tactic. Fully armed SWAT Teams, cops, choppers, police boats in the Bay and a lot of undercover swooped in at 9:45 am. They spared no expenses. They closed the perimeter on the encampment to start kicking heads, beating up people and arresting us. They arrived and were disappointed to find there wasn’t a Mohawk in sight. It was a traditional disappearing act. There was no evidence that any Mohawks had ever been there. Not one was touched or arrested. This failed attack cost over $1 million. All that “overkill” and not one arrest?

The OPP are now looking for “fall guys”. Last year we took over the illegal Thurlow Quarry. Since then the Rotiskenrekete have been cleansing the land of OPP. The OPP have now set up check points to all roads leading into our territory, to harass, question and delay our people’s comings and goings. “If they think this over, they’re wrong. If they keep this up, we will resist. They’re constantly throwing the first punch putting us in the position of having to defend ourselves”.

On May 29th 2008 the “Assembly of Colonial First Nations” wants another “handing out pamphlets day of action”. The Mohawks say: “If you can’t drink your water, stand on the road; if your band council is corrupt, stand on the road; if your kids are committing suicide or not coming home at night, stand on the road; if the cops are harassing you or putting your people in jail for protecting our land, stand on the road; if justice fails, block the rails”. They also suggested that if anyone gets into trouble, just tell them that the colonial government and their servant, Phil Fontaine, set it all up. Everyone knows Phil is a “bi-polar schizo” who plays both sides”. [Phil, don’t forget to take your meds.]

We are the Ongwehonweh [true people] who live according to the Kaianereh’ko:wa [Great Law of Peace] and we are here to protect Onowarekeh [Turtle Island]. The Kaianereh’ko:wa walks with us, is in our minds, under our feet, over our heads, on our land, every where on Turtle Land. That’s who we are.

Corrupt and tainted foreign corporate laws are meant to extort and exploit us and our lands. These foreign entities have no authority or jurisdiction over us. We stand on moral principles and our philosophies of living in peace with the environment.

We Kanion’ke:haka [Mohawks] stood on the Kaianereh’ko:wa, the Two Row Wampum and rejected the illegal jurisdiction of the foreign laws.

The law of the land is our law. It has been instilled into us for thousands of years. Canada’s constitution is an illegal permit issued from Europe on other people’s land, passed by the British Parliament and its people. Their corporate laws, statutes and regulations are illegal and do not apply here without our informed consent. We never gave it and we never will. It just doesn’t belong here.

These colonial visitors have to deal with us. Their “might makes right” position does not apply. The OPP have no right to touch us or talk to us. They are nothing more than “private security guards” for a corporation, something like Wal Mart. The true relationship is nation to nation. Canada, get real, colonialism is over.

There was a heavy armed police presence; non-natives did not want to understand that they are living illegally on Mohawk land. They refuse to make it right. They’ve been ‘took’ for over 100 years by opportunistic colonists who are working for big foreign banks.

OPP protocol provides that the “Aboriginal Response Team” ART is supposed to talk to us. They did not. They decided to browbeat us into submission, to force us to surrender our land and resources through their use of force and threats to kill us.

The Mohawks advise, in such situations, “Don’t negotiate. Just stand on the road”. When we learned that the cops were setting us up to cut our throats, we just didn’t go there. All they wanted to do was to apply their military force and practice using their new lethal toys and tactics on us. So, ignore them. Stand on the roads or disappear if you have to”.

Our argument was not with the OPP who are the security guards of the colonists. “Welcome to Wal Mart”, these greeters say. It was between us and our visitors. If they attack, we are willing to defend ourselves until we win. That’s what the Kaianereh’ko:wa says.

Our message to the colonist, OPP, Canada, Ontario governments and developers is “Stay away. Or we’ll go through this resistance again, again and again”.

We know that we have more than just hunting and fishing rights on our “reserves” through their colonial “band council” system. It’s all ours! We still have the Beaver Hunting Grounds, the “Bowl with one spoon” philosophy, the Nanfan Treaty and the Haudenosaunee Territory. We will never concede anything. We will help each other survive, take care of the land and animals and never stop defending our land. Every single business on our territory, Indigenous and non-native people everywhere supported us. They see that we strengthen our sovereignty by strengthening our ties with them.

The OPP came to hunt us down and caught nothing. They are now looking for people to charge, arrest and sue. They harass us on all the roads leading into our territory. They sit there and monitor our cars, take our pictures and write things down. We are going to protect our people. There will be no arrests and no harassment of us!

Instead of participating constructively in their own society, the OPP are spying on us, justifying their existence through small minded voyeurism. They are like those pitiful souls that don’t have healthy relationships in their own lives. They deal with their unsatisfied instincts in perverted ways by spying on others, going to strip clubs and “peep shows”, engaging in predatory activities and generally “jerking off”!

Anything to do with Indigenous is considered “national defense” because it is their theft of our lands and resources we are standing in the way of. And who’s in charge of national defense? None other than the “Haitian against the Nation”, Governor General Michaelle Jean. Instead of talking to us, she’d rather keep hitting the big "easy” button to try to get us out of the way.

We wear camo. Never mind that camo can be found in the children’s departments of Wal Marts and Zeller’s everywhere. It scares the cops. They pretend it’s a threat. We will continue to wear camo. We want to remind the colonists of nature and the colors of mother earth.

Kahentinetha Horn

MNN Mohawk Nation News

Rotiskenekete 613-849-1314 – 613-827-4991
email: davidrmaracle@aol.com

OPP Eastern Regional Headquarters 613-284-4500 fax 613-284-4597

L.G. Beechey chief supt. Commander, Eastern Region, Smiths Falls.

MBQ R. Don Maracle, 613-396-3089, CELL 613-391-9249 RDONM@MBQ-TMT.ORG 613-396-3424 ext. 106 info@mbq-tmt.org

Jan Hill 613-396-6742

Emile Nibourg 613-561-0984 fax 613-544-7868
enibourg@sutton.com