Oka Crisis, 1990

A detailed Summary of Oka Crisis, 1990

Frequently in Canada, Aboriginal people's rights and title to land have been disregarded as the government forces compliance from them. They are dealt with unfairly by the administration that directs this country as several of their claims to land and resources go unnoticed or are retracted when the government chooses. It is treatment like this that harvests frustration in a person, which in turn, leads to fanatical behaviour and violent outbursts similar to the one that transpired in the Municipality of Oka in 1990. When various levels of government failed to come to terms with the issue of land claims with the Mohawk people of Kanesatake and a golf course expansion was planned to go on their land, they decided to take action. It seemed unlikely that these residents of Oka would be able to achieve any results by using conventional methods of participation, so they decided to take a more radical approach. Many feel that this manifestation of anger "was a logical and inevitable outcome of five hundred years of inequality", but what did it accomplish? The events of the Oka crisis can be viewed as a success on some levels, but also as a failure on others. Several Aboriginals believe that the standoff was "successful in drawin

The Mohawks realized that they were right to be defending their land because the

On the other hand, many people disregard the negative aspects and looked forward at the positive ones. Debbie Etienne, a resident of Oka, said that despite the fact that "we didn't get our land... I think on the inside we gained a lot, because our kids saw the truth" about what an Aboriginal nation can accomplish and they also saw the "truth" about the government. Another woman favourably commented on the crisis after it was over saying that "I think aboriginal people really strongly identify with what was happening here." More positives arrived as "changes

The goals of the Kanesatake community were obvious: to protest against the engagement of the government and make an example of them. They wanted their actions to allow them to regain their property and to bring respect to the government for all Aboriginal people. To attain this intention the Mohawks had to have proper organization and had to be prepared. The type of organization that the Mohawks had was an issue-oriented group. Issue-oriented groups rise very quickly and their focus is on one specific event, equivalent to the Mohawks. Also, issue-oriented

participation available, they might not have implemented it because the relationships that we generate with authority figures when we are younger, shape the people that we become. An Aboriginal woman, who is a part of the Kanesatake community, said in an interview after the crisis that "[The crisis] proved what my grandparents [told me] and their grandparents told them... We are not a violent people; [the government] created the violence."

Negotiations began between the two sides with the government agreeing "to buy 22 hectares of disputed land and give it to the Mohawks, to negotiate a larger land claim and to

The Aboriginals felt distant from the political system as any efforts they made to be acknowledged went without notice. As Marx's concept suggests, this frustration built within them and erupted in an act of civil disobedience and a revolt against the government as "dissatisfaction with society

People have managed to move on after the events that fateful summer; however, the worst part of the Oka crisis was the lasting impact that it had on the residents of the Kanesatake community. As one man put it, "scars were left on both sides of the barricades", but no one was marred more than the Mohawks. One of the most damaging aspects was that of racism. One woman recounts that her company's owner "was married to an SQ officer. Before [the Oka crisis], she had always been friendly, but now she made me pay for it... It brought me back 25 years, the hate and racism." Hate and racism was also evident immediately after the Mohawks

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3709
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History