Tyendinaga Mohawk Struggle for the Land, part 5/8
Posted on April 25th, 2010 by admin
More than forty days after the Mohawks of Tyendinaga reclaimed a
portion of the Culbertson Tract, the community continues to hold
strong and the Ontario government continues its refusal to revoke the
license legitimizing the quarry operation located on the land.
Over the past month, the battle for the Culbertson has escalated on
all sides. In the face of government refusal to reverse an age-old act
of robbery and injustice, the Mohawks of Tyendinaga blockaded rail
lines running through stolen land for upwards of 30 hours. Dozens of
trains were stopped, business as usual in Ontario was ground to a
halt, and the Canadian public was forced to consider the hundreds of
years of ‘inconvenience’ lived by First Nations peoples. The
community removed the blockade once this message had been sent.
In response, CN Rail has served suit against three Tyendinaga
community members and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) Band
Council in an unprecedented move, for ‘damages arising from a First
Nations blockade of its tracks’ to the tune of $108 million. CN is
also seeking a ban on future blockades. Furthermore, criminal charges
have been laid against Mohawk spokesperson Shawn Brant. The decision
to press charges came directly from OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino.
Toronto lawyer Peter Rosenthal will be in court on Thursday, for an
initial appearance regarding the civil suit filed by CN Rail.
The Culbertson Tract, was stolen from the Mohawks in 1832. And while
the government and the Mohawks began in 2003 to negotiate a deal to
repatriate the land, and compensate the community for its losses, the
land in question continued to be exploited by non-native developers
while the negotiations dragged on.
While the government stalled, the land itself was literally being
trucked away by quarry operator Thurlow Aggregates at a rate of more
than 100,000 tonnes per year. Additonally, illegal dumping of waste
was allowed to continue at the quarry, undiscovered until the rightful
holders of the land reclaimed it in March.
Now this robbery has been stopped. Rock from the quarry is being used
on the Territory. But the Mohawks of Tyendinaga continue to demand an
expedient and just return of the land to their community. It has been
more than 170 years too long. Join us to hear more about the struggle
for the Culbertson Tract.
Public Meeting with speakers:
Peter Rosenthal: Lawyer with Roach, Schwartz, and Associates
Shawn Brant: Tyendinaga MT
Wednesday, May 16th
7pm
Parkdale Community and Recreation Centre
1499 Queen Street West
This event is hosted by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.
Duration : 0:9:38
[youtube UPIzq_XcvcI]
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
You name me a …
You name me a European that is full-blooded anything. Think about that!
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
thats my uncle …
thats my uncle shawn ur talking about u goof rape hound low life mother fucker
asshole no good for nothing u should go back to ur litt;e pethetic life and live like a rat that u are this man has 300 times more soul then ur hole family will ever have and now u have to understand that we fight for what is ours are land means alot to us and we barly have non go shawn go shawn he is the man of the land let the creator look over him.
peace out.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
hey who ever told …
hey who ever told shwn to off might want to shut their mouth man this guy has more to say then some hay im native and im proud of it so just go and get a life.zumapaintball
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Julian Fantino …
Julian Fantino should be fired for failing to arrest those involved in terrorist activities.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
After seeing some …
After seeing some of these comments…I am compelled to write one of my own. I want to say that regardless of what side of the fence you are on…or how one feels…a fact remains that we ARE sitting on a powderkeg right now…if Mr. Brant here is found guilty and sentenced to jail for 12 years as the prosecution is planning…we are ALL going to plunge headlong into sensless violence…if you look at the past (Oka, Caledonia etc.) and one can see that this is as true as the day is long…
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
apparently you do …
apparently you do since you took the time to watch the video and post. You do care, but not about right or wrong, only about yourself, until the government you over, then you your pants and cry for help, but it will be too late because you didn’t stand up when it counted. You’re a coward and not a leader.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
I see some of these …
I see some of these idiots postings and they don’t even know what they are talking about, then they think they make a remark that sounds smart, and if they only knew how stupid they look. So many do not know what is going on and show how STUPID they are. The law is the law. The land is lawfully property of the Native Canadians. Nobody cares until it happens to them. Nothing surprising about that attitude.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
I think that full …
I think that full blooded natives deserve there speacial rights but non full blooded natives like this dude talking should off and go to and i think there is like maybe and hand full of full blooded natives left and i am sick of half blooded natives thinking they derserve everything
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
we dont care what u …
we dont care what u have to say u have no say
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Get the government …
Get the government on there knees, are their specialty. it would be soooo coooooooool if you started a war, you guys would win, the wind and animals will help you, fire will make the bears grow fond, there is a place up north where the Tyendinaliban can hide. You can take ALL the land up there. No one will bother you.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
your not even ” …
your not even “native”, u look like (Joe dirt/kid Rock) plz your right this is 2007, bring ur poor culture up to date, ur a really really ugly man by the way.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
shawn brant is the …
shawn brant is the man first nations, one nation always
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
blah blah blah we …
blah blah blah we need more money for casinos…we need more land for casinos…we need more of everything and we wont stop untill we have everything because it will never be enough and we need more casinos…blah blah blah
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
i was pleased to …
i was pleased to watch your vids.i m proud that native people keep fighting and speak their voices.
i m ashamed of wath european did back then..but still i m white myself.i always wander wath do you native people think about white people.i live near kanesataké.when there were oka crisis in 1990,maybe before, i dunno, there was a not so good atmosphere around..but i cant tell wath was on their mind..so are their some places white folks should not go? (i m not making any judgment just cruious)
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
this white woman …
this white woman has more respect for Shawn Brant that the entire Federal Cabinet. He is honest, caring and gets things done.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
you won’t have to …
you won’t have to worry about weather or not white people like you, we don’t.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
After what happened …
After what happened today I have nothing but contempt for the actions of your Indian brothers but thanks for providing me this new insight. I wish you all the success in obtaiing justice for all First Nations and wish more people can hear you speak as it would change attitudes and educate as it has done me today.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
You’re an awesome …
You’re an awesome public speaker! We need more people like you amongst us!
April 25th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Corporations of …
Corporations of media have invaded most of the homes on this continent. they have done it with psychology, semiotics, manipulations of human instincts designed to make an insensitive, ignorant and easily manipulated population. People do care, they’ve been deceived and react inappropriately.
The ancient wisdom of nature will help these people to prevail. The structures of power that ignore natural right cannot continue.