MNN. Mar. 28, 2013. On March 26, 2013, the MNN
editor was invited to be the opening speaker at Champlain College in
Sherbrooke Quebec. The topic was, “A Native Perspective on Canada’s
Exploitation of Resources”. Two Mohawks, as is our custom, accompanied
the speaker. They sat at a table facing the crowd.
Happy Champlain College students!
She did a traditional opening; explained the Seigneury of Sault
Louis land,dispute which is returning vast areas to the Mohawk Nation;
that Canada is not a state according to the Montevideo Convention of
1933; the genocide committed by the Jesuits, the storm troopers of the
Catholic Church; the Great Peace of Montreal 1701 that created the
official two row wampum relationship between the Indigenous and the
visitors to Great Turtle Island; and Section 109 of the BNA Act 1867
that established the ever growing $50.3 trillion Indian Trust Fund. The
presentation was legalistic and cautious.
Cartoons were inserted in the power point presentation to help
them understand the basics. They were carefully taken step by step
through the legal maze of their settlement history here on our land and
their legal position today.
Champlain College debater.
The speaker received an ovation. Then the questions and comments
began. Some in tears, said, “What happens to us?” “I came here because I
love the Indians. After listening to you, now I hate them and I hate
you!” “I didn’t do anything. My ancestors did.” “Why? Why are you
telling us this?” “You have no feelings for us!” I instructed them to
study the Great Law of Peace to help them understand our position.
The speaker, a 73-year old elder of the Mohawk Nation, tried to
make light of the provocative jibes to calm them down. This made them
madder. The discussion became more and more heated. Some students
stomped out. Others heckled and smirked. The air became static with
anger and threats. The speaker remarked, “The truth hurts”. Almost the
entire student body jeered in astonishment. The three Mohawks could feel
intense anger and were ready to deal with it. And they did.
Julian Assange: “Happens to me all the time”.
For a moment the crowd calmed down. Then the insults started
again. The speaker was accused of “having no feelings”. The speaker
answered, “Yes, the we have strong feelings about the genocide of 100
million people and the murder of half our children placed in your church
run residential schools. No one has been charged or punished for this.”
More angry words flew. None addressed the legitimate issues. The sound
arguments backed them into a corner. It was like they were standing on
their hind legs and were ready to jump the Mohawks.
Suddenly a teacher rose up. She reminded them that, “We wanted to
hear the Indigenous side. You have to listen even if she turns it inside
out”. The confrontation ended. They formed groups and began talking,
some giving the Mohawks dirty looks.
“I don’t agree with your point of view”.
A native speaker should take at least three people security when
they go into a potential hostile situation. Because of the rampant
spread of the Owistah disease throughout the settler population, an
adverse side affect is, when they don’t like the message, they might
kill the messenger. As the Guess Who sang:Guns Guns Guns “You be the Red King and I’ll be the Yellow Pawn. Guns, guns, guns! Eagle all gone and no more caribou. God speed mother nature. Never really wanted to say good-bye”.
MNN Mohawk Nation News kahentinetha2@yahoo.com For more news, books, workshops, to donate and sign up for MNN newsletters, go to www.mohawknationnews.com More stories at MNN Archives. Address: Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0
1 comment:
"What happens to us?"
Wow, the truth does often hurt. And I imagine that for many of these young people, the hurt and anger is born in part from a realization that in this unstable age of globalization and neo-colonial corporate agendas, the law of the land as they thought it held sway in their democratic country is not all that it was cracked up to be in the way of fairness and justice. You can almost hear the earth move under their feet. But let us hope that "meetings" such as the one reported here can in the end help enhance reality in the way of greater mutual understanding, compassion, and the ability for future generations to foster a healthier life and planet. Peace and good power to all.
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