Kahnawake Mohawk reservation to non-natives : GET OUT

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http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/natives+being+evicted/2515118/story.html

Non-natives being evicted

Given 10 days to leave Kahnawake; Mohawks concerned about 'protecting identity': 'This is part of revitalizing the community'

By KATHERINE WILTON, The GazetteFebruary 3, 2010Comments (107)



Saying there are too many non-natives living in Kahnawake, the local band council has issued eviction notices to 25 residents, giving them 10 days to leave the Indian reserve on Montreal's South Shore.

About 25 non-natives - mostly white people involved in relationships with Mohawks - are being asked to leave the reserve because Mohawk law does not allow them to live there, said Joe Delaronde, press attaché for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake.

"They are people with no native ancestry at all," Delaronde said in an interview yesterday.

According to Mohawk law, non-aboriginals have no residency rights. About 7,500 Mohawks live on the reserve.

Band council chiefs began hand-delivering the strongly worded letter on Monday and continued yesterday.

"There have been numerous complaints regarding individuals contravening Mohawk law by residing in the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake without a right to do so. You were identified in these complaints," the letter says.

The eviction letter tells non-natives they have 10 days to leave the reserve.

"We trust that you understand the seriousness of this letter and that you will govern yourselves accordingly."

If the non-natives can't move by the deadline, they must contact the band council to make other arrangements, Delaronde said.

"We are not heartless," he added. "We know that not everyone has a brother or a parent in Châteauguay they can stay with."

In a press release on the band council's website, Grand Chief Michael Delisle said: "Every single Kahnawake Mohawk knows the law. It is unfortunate that some people have chosen to disregard the community's wishes."

In 1981, the community announced a moratorium on mixed marriages, which meant that non-natives who married Mohawks after that year would no longer have the right to live on the reserve. Any non-native who had married a Mohawk before the moratorium is still permitted to live on the reserve.

In the 1980s, some Mohawks contested the policy before the human rights tribunal, but lost. The courts have ruled that Mohawks can make any membership policy they deem necessary for their survival as a people.

"We're very concerned about protecting our identity because at a certain point, the Canadian government will look at us and say: 'You are not even Indians,' " Delaronde said.

"We are very proud of our heritage and protective about it. We don't have a whole hell of a lot of it left. This is part of revitalizing the community."

The band council decided to act after receiving complaints from Indians who feel that too many non-natives are living on the reserve.

"We are responding to what the community wants," Delaronde said.

Although Mohawk law says that non-natives can't live on the reserve, they are allowed to visit and stay overnight, he explained.

"Sleeping over or staying for a week is a whole different situation," he said.

Delaronde said he hopes the non-natives accept the wishes of the community and leave peacefully.

If they refuse to move, their names will be "published locally," he said.

"I know that's not a nice thing, but if people refuse, names will be published and then it becomes a peer pressure thing."

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Well, nominally, it *is* their land, and under their rule. Treaties et al enables them to do this.

On the other hand, using government powers to drive people from their homes on ground of not belonging to an ethnic group...that's dangerously close to textbook ethnic cleansing, and very close to textbook crime against humanity as well (per the Nuremberg trials, per the founding documents of the International Criminal Court as well - "Deportation" is a Crime against Humanity. And while this is not strictly deportation, it falls pretty close).

On the other other hand...given the situation, it's sort of hard to tell the natives they're not entitled to trying to preserve their culture after how badly we screwed them over.

 

[Barb]

What happens if the non-natives refuse to move after the list of names is published?

 

[Fig]

Not sure at all. But given that the Mohawks have their own police, their own government, and generally, the will to kick out the non-natives...

I wouldn't want to be the non-native who chose to stay.

 

[Kuji]

On the other other hand...given the situation, it's sort of hard to tell the natives they're not entitled to trying to preserve their culture after how badly we screwed them over.

Yeah, that's why I am kind of leaning in favor of the Mohawks.:cheers:

 

[Fig]

Yeah, but then you wind up supporting ethnic cleansing.

We'Re not talking about random white invaders, here. We're talking about people married to Mohawks, including members of other tribes. It's just...Mohawks only.

 

[Lysandre]

I hate to say it but forcing family members away is just idiotic. I could understand if a bunch of random white businessman set up shop inside and ended up taking up all the space that's one thing, to kick out family members and loved ones of the Mohawks who happen to be white is different. I hope they work this all out for the better...

 

[Fig]

Not just "who happens to be white". Who happens to be of any non-Mohawk tribe, too.

 

[Kahnawake Lady]

Only those that 100% not native with no family ties are being asked to leave. Male or female. If they are not native they are not allowed to reside on a Native Reservation. These laws were made in the Indian Act from YOUR governments, not ours. Traditionally we would have adopted them. Indian Agents came into our reservation, killing our chiefs. Those that weren't killed were asked to resign. We tried over and over again to go back to our traditional way of governing our people. The Canadian government refused our requests. They made the Indian Act to assimilate the Indians. "Kill the indian, save the man". So then your government took our children against our will at the age of six to Residential School, not to return home until 14 years old. Many died of diseases and abuse while in Residential schools. They were beaten for speaking their language. Religion was forced upon them. Taken away: ceremonies, language, songs, traditional clothing, long hair, family ties and tribal crafts.

Kahnawake means "by the rapids", did you know that? Well once again. Your government came in, threw Mohawk people out of their homes, destroyed the homes. Then made a seaway right across all of our lands to cut us off from the St. Lawrence Rapids. We use to canoe, fish, and swim in those rapids. Now we are cut off from it. Then they built a Bridge right over our other end. Then came the Trains and Hydro lines. It never stops.

We had a huge meeting in 1980's about all the non-natives residing here. They decided to allow all those people to stay. Any new people coming in would have to be asked to leave. Well it's happening again. Now there is a division amongst us. Those with non-natives, with mixed children are now arguing with the Mohawks that have lineage to allow ALL NON-NATIVES to stay. As it is many of us have to rent apartments and houses off the reserve because we are running out of land. Is that fair?
The native people have to find somewhere else to live off the reservation because now the non-natives are taking up homes. The Native spouse passes away and the non-native partner stays.

We can lose our rights in two generations. Meaning 100% Mohawk marries non-native, child is 50% (USA and Canada still sees them as Native). 50% person marries non-native, child is 25% (no longer eligible as Native). Then the government can say "we will take your reservation and industrialize it because your people are now assimilated and are no longer Mohawk".

I only have one homeland in the entire world. I seek my Mohawk elders for advice. I go to my longhouse to learn our ceremonies. My children learn Mohawk at school. If they keep allowing non-natives to reside here. I'll have no more elders to seek. I'll have no more Mohawk language to learn.

Don't the non-natives have enough land in the rest of the world to live and prosper. They have to take what little I have? I have to give it to them freely or be called racist?

 

[Fig]

An interesting argument; I can certainly understand the fear of losing your homeland, or of no longer being at home in it. And the frustrations of being called racist over it.

Regarding the 50% argument, I was under the impression that if someone was recognized as a Native, it did not matter who his parents where, his children would still be admissible as Native? I'll be the first to admit, however, that this isn't an area of law I'm well versed in, so I could easily be wrong.

If I am wrong above, then that's something that definitely should change.

In any events, thanks for coming in and giving the other point of view on this story! It's always nice to have all the sides of a story. (Note to other moderators: that means no thread necro infraction)

 

[~Near]

I wouldn't want non-natives living there considering what we've done to them, and anyone who say's "that was ages ago." The Oka Crisis happened 20 years ago, and that's pretty recent'

I'm not saying it's right for them to do this, or that they should do something like this. I'm just saying they have good reason to do something as drastic as this, even if it is morally wrong.

Also, depending on who wrote the article, it'll be biased in some way. So you can't be sure it's 100% accurate, and there's not other things going on.

 

[Fig]

Ket - although in this case if the law really does work the way Kahnawake lady described it (ie, you don't get native status if one of your parent and one of you other parent's grandparent) are not natives, then it may be understandable to a degree.

 

[I Started A Cult]

Retribution, sweet retribution...
...gone horribly, horribly awry...

 

[TTEchidna]

Ket - although in this case if the law really does work the way Kahnawake lady described it (ie, you don't get native status if one of your parent and one of you other parent's grandparent) are not natives, then it may be understandable to a degree.

I'm kinda wary of those "if your parent and one of your other grandparents are X, then you're X, if not, we can kill you/kick you out/whatever" laws. They don't serve well to do anything but separate.

 

[Fig]

At the same time, in the situation, there are extremely good reason to give Native people a special status with regard to our governments, and that imply you have to define who is a Native.