Kahnawake has an area of 4,805 hectares. With a population of 7,162, it is the largest Native American village in Quebec. Mohawk ironworkers from Kahnawake are considered experts in the construction of skyscrapers.
It has not known the political turmoil that has affected the nearby Kanesatake Mohawk reserve; however, people from Kahnawake blocked the Honoré Mercier Bridge to Montreal during the Oka Crisis in 1990, to manifest their solidarity with the Mohawks of Kanesatake.
If French Quebecers can be considered the founders of a homeland with an alleged occupation of 400 years (although they were resoundingly conquered by the British in 1760); then First Nations who have lived in what is know known as Quebec since the Ice Age, have a stronger claim to the homeland.
If French Quebecers can claim to be a "distinct people" entitled to self-determination as distinct from citizens of other Canadian provinces then First Nations in Quebec, with their distinct political, cultural, social organizations, religious beliefs and languages, should be considered "distinct people", and entitled to self-determination.
Diane Sokolyk is a lawyer for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Kahnawake, Quebec.
Feeds |
Contact