The Mohawks, the Canadian Forces, and the Oka Crisis
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Winter 2008, Vol. 10, Issue 2. CARRYING THE BURDEN OF PEACE: THE MOHAWKS, THE CANADIAN FORCES, AND THE OKA CRISIS P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Ph.D.1, DND photo 90-506 Contrary to the militaristic and soldierly associations of the term in European languages – and in common usage – the words translated from indigenous languages as “warrior” generally have deep and spiritual meaning. This deeper sense is exemplified, to use one example, in the English-Kanienkeha translation, rotiskenhrakete, which literally means, “carrying the burden of peace.” -- Taiaiake Alfred and Lana Lowe, Warrior Societies (2005) 1 This study was funded by the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute. Thanks to Jennifer Arthur-Lackenbauer, Yale Belanger, and Scott Sheffield for critical feedback on earlier drafts, as well as Brooke Montgomery for research assistance. ©Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, 2008. Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Winter 2008, Vol. 10, Issue 2. The “Indian Summer” of 1990 profoundly changed the perception of Aboriginal- government relations in Canada. Elijah Harper defeated the Meech Lake Accord in the Manitoba Legislature, his eagle feather becoming a symbol for peaceful Native resistance and the unwillingness of Aboriginal people to tolerate their concerns being relegated to the political margins. The complex and prolonged confrontation at Oka, Quebec, proved even more destabilizing, suggesting that Aboriginal communities were volatile powder kegs that could erupt into open violence. The Mohawks had long asserted title over a parcel of land known as “the Pines,” but their failure to secure a favourable resolution through the official land claims process during the 1970s and 1980s made a bad situation worse.
[Show full text]