Call for Support: Please help our sister Suzanne Patles, Mi’kmaq Warrior and Lnu Mother <3 Suzanne is facing wrongful discriminatory eviction by her landlord and is forced to move her family immediately or face further harassment and abuse. If settler colonialism wasn’t bad enough, can you imagine being evicted on your own reservation? Originally from Eskasoni First Nation, Suzanne has been active on the frontlines of land defense combating environmental violence as part of the anti-fracking movement in so-called New Brunswick, in her beautiful Uni’maki Mi’kmaq homelands supporting her neighbouring community of #Elsipogtog fight off Texas based fracking company SWN. The Mi’kmaq anti-fracking movement on 2013 deeply inspired and revitalized Indigenous resistance on so-called North Amerikkka with the power of their community unified against the police state whose interests has always been to protect the colonizers and their corporate gain!! We have all learned so much from this struggle and continue to see the power of diversity of tactics long after the Mi’kmaq people have kicked SWN out of their territory!!

PLEASE HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF $2500 TO HELP SUZANNE AND HER FAMILY FIND A NEW HOME. EMAIL MONEY TRANSFER OR PAYPAL TO: SUZANNEPATLES@GMAIL.COM

 

20 years ago hundreds of NYS police attacked babies, children, women, elders, Clan Mothers, and men during an opening ceremony to a Haudenosaunee Confederacy meeting on Interstate 81

SYRACUSE, Tuesday, September 20, 2016–– after an unprecedented 20 year delay, 16 members of the Onondaga Nation –known as the #Onondaga16– will see their first day in court for a historic trial demanding justice from NYS police after a mass police brutality incident which occurred on Onondaga-owned private property alongside Interstate 81 in 1997.

On May 18, 1997, three hundred militarized NY state troopers in riot gear –operating as a specially formed unit, “I-81 INDIAN Detail”– brutally assaulted dozens of Onondaga Nation members and supporters. They were gathered to celebrate a court-won victory against an agreement between NY State and tribal authorities to install a tax on tobacco and gas prices on the reservation, which would negatively impact an important source of revenue for the tribal economy. A focal point of the gathering also included protesting the Bureau of Indian Affairs and New York state for forcing Haudenosaunee people to recognize non-traditional leaders.

During an opening ceremony and prayer, baton wielding police –operating under the instructions to “talk to no one and take anyone you can”– began throwing babies out of their carriages causing one baby to require a double legged cast for their injuries. Children assaulted and arrested included an 11 year old and 14 year old girl who was manhandled and slammed to the ground in addition to attacks and threats on elders, medicine people, and Clan Mothers. In addition, an 85 year old Onondaga Nation Clan Mother was beaten and hospitalized. Many who sustained injuries that day continue to experience lasting health impacts and psychological trauma.

Charges are being pressed against Major Parmley, the officer who gave the “go-ahead” order for the attack, thirty five seconds after state troopers formed a skirmish line on Jones’ property. The officers intentionally removed their badges and some covered their faces in an illegal effort to protect their identities and avoid accountability for their vicious actions.

Documented evidence that demonstrates how NYSP made a concerted effort to confiscate and suppress photos and videos of the attacks. Some people arrested that day were released only under the condition that they not return to their homes or traditional lands effectively continuing the state’s agenda of forced displacement and relocations of Indigenous people.

Quotes:

“We are the victims of the horrific beating by the New York State Troopers “I-81 INDIAN Detail” special death squad on May 18, 1997. The court is trying to sidetrack us into procedural traps to get the case thrown out. The police video says it all. We weren’t on the road. The super armed cops invaded private property and beat us with wooden clubs. We want our day in court on the merits, not the procedures that are being set up to sideline us.”
–Kahentinetha Bear, Mohawk Nation, curator at Mohawk Nation News, and victim of the NYS I-81 Indian Detail Attacks of 1997

“It’s not just the tax. We’re protesting the Bureau of Indian Affairs and New York state telling us who we should recognize as our leaders.”
–Nikki Sun, Onondaga Nation, brother and sister were brutalized and arrested during the I-81 Indian Detail Attacks of 1997

“They came in swinging beating elders, kids, and knocked baby carriages over with the babies in them. This happened just as an Onondaga clan mother was about to burn tobacco as part of a prayer to open the meeting”
–a 1997 report back from Seneca Nation

The #Onondaga16 and their supporters request the support of people who reside within their traditional territories to attend the opening trial date which begins at 10 AM EST at 100 South Clinton St. Syracuse, NY. We demand an end to the ongoing invisibilization of this struggle and invite all local, state, national, and international media to attend and cover this trial and/or publish news media about the trial and the 1997 attacks. The trial is expected to unfold over the course of the month and take place 4 days a week. Lawyers willing to work this case pro-bono or provide legal support for the Onondaga 16 should contact Khantineta Bear immediately, info below.

###
Contacts
Press & Media
Kahentinetha Bear, Mohawk Nation News
518.317.8179
kahentinetha2@yahoo.com

If you would like to participate in ongoing court support…
Indigenous people and media are encouraged to contact Wandeyu Estrada at 315.530.5890 or westrada@syr.edu
and if non-Native please contact Kat Yang-Stevens at 607.591.0607 or groundworkforpraxis@gmail.com

For ongoing Indigenous produced media and updates please visit MNN Mohawk Nation News (www.mohawknationnews.com) and Reclaim Turtle Island (www.reclaimturtleisland.com) follow @defendourlands on Twitter. #NoIndianDetail #Onondaga16 #NativeJusticeNow

Dakota Access (Enbridge) has given notice to Standing Rock that they plan to start construction on the Missouri River on the morning of Friday August 5th 2016.
The Camp of the Sacred Stones is calling for everyone who is available to come join the frontlines. Wednesday morning Dakota Access sent a 48 hour construction notice to the Standing Rock tribe. Now is the time to come stand with them. Calling all earth & water defenders! Protect sacred water!

Four tribes are suing but the State will not force the company to stop. In the meantime, while the lawsuits are being addressed, people must stop them to buy time. This is as clear of a purpose for Direct Action as you will ever see. Donate online if you can’t come to the camp but what is really what is needed is bodies to hold the line. This is no different from the Keystone XL which 125,000 people pledged to resist. Where is everyone? Do we need multi-million dollar marketing campaigns to feel the urgency? Contact the camp if you can support in anyway possible.

Stand strong No Dakota Access in Treaty Territory – Camp of the Sacred Stones! Rising up in protection of Unci Maka and the sacred!!

If you are not able to go to the Camp consider organizing an action at a local Enbridge Office or pipeline near you!! We must come together against the Dakota
Access Pipeline !

How to help? Donate. Get your boots on the ground! Get to the CAMP or organize a SOLIDARITY event. Flood their phones with the Call-In Campaign.

DONATE: https://www.gofundme.com/sacredstonecamp

CALL IN CAMPAIGN:
Flood their phone lines to let them know where we stand! Once you call please comment on the event and describe any comments you received.
Call the Army Corps of Engineers
Col. John Henderson 402-995-2229
Eileen Williamsion 402-995-2417
Flood their phones & tell them to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline! Share this and spread it far and wide!

Original colour photo courtesy of Dayna Danger

TERRA – Earth, NULLIUS – Empty
Empty Earth; the notion that our lands were “uninhabited” and “unused” before European colonist invaders arrived. A foundational colonial logic used to justify the DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY.

Rape culture is a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality

Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include: victim blaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by some forms of sexual violence, or some combination of these

TERRA NULLIUS IS RAPE CULTURE invokes our power (#LandBodyDefense) through the naming of violence that has been so deeply normalized and consequently invisibilized by over 500 years of settlement. To acknowledge it as rape culture is to acknowledge the connectivity between our bodies and our lands, that what happens to our Mother will happen to us, and an awareness that rape is a tool of conquest. 

In this piece we speak back against settler colonial power and cisheteropatriarchy, out-ing this culture of rape as colonial violence which deems these cityscapes as natural, these settler colonies as “Free Worlds” and our bodies as threats – of bloodlines and Nations to be disposed of; dispossessed; violated; taken without consent.

As we tear down the mask of invisibilized, deeply normalized colonial violence on our lands and bodies, we heal ourselves through the power of witnessing our own sexual, emotional, physical, spiritual and land-based traumas. This poster was designed and illustrated by Iako’tsi:rareh Amanda Lickers and the embroidering was done by both Amanda and nîmis Lindsay Nixon (Nehiyaw / Anishinaabe). It is through our kinship that we heal ourselves and our ancestors alike as we embody the wampum agreements which link our peoples on our shared lands. Our kinship is bound by ancient agreements of friendship as Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee peoples, connected by our histories of mutual aid, respect and caretaking.
As we pass the burning-red threaded needle back and forth, calling in our bloodlines with each stitch, our relatives and relations, our message pokes through to the spirit world. We beckon to the sky world, to those un-seen worlds, whispering, “We are still here, and we have not forgotten our original instructions.” It is through the power of collaboration, community, and kinship that we are able to transcend the isolation of trauma and begin to connect to one another as well as the landscapes whose stories, pain, and sustenance weave through our veins as her children, caretakers, and kin. The skydome is a reminder of the unseen worlds whose fates affect us, of the potential of the unknown, the power of curiosity, and of Sky Woman herself. Sky Woman who fell into this watery-world, whose gratitude and friendship with the four-legged, the winged, the swimmers, and the crawlers birthed the clay and earth from which us two-legged were eventually made. By employing embroidery along the horizon, we are using traditional techniques (sewing) to heal the intense truth of the black and white poster. The skydomes show us that even though we are broken, violated, and experiencing harm, we are still connected to those unseen worlds. The spirits of our territories are always with us. Despite being shattered and separated we are still somehow connected to something much older than this pain, trauma, and suffering. But most importantly, these stitches are a reminder that the Sky World is still there, as we are still here. Despite all that has been taken from us the colonizers have not won. 

If we seek to protect our greatest mother against the violations of colonial capitalism and resource extraction, we must understand all the threats that sharpen themselves against her: Perhaps most importantly this culture of rape that was brought here over 500 years ago and has made its twisted marks on our lineages, our family structures, and on our individual and inter-generational bodies of trauma. If we do not centre the experiences of survivors of sexual and intimate violence, if we refuse to interrupt rape culture and revitalize cultures of consent, both over our bodies and our lands, then we will not be able to heal ourselves, our Nations, or our relatives – past and future.

nia:wen’kowa Courtney for photo editing support

Please help us start a Turtle Garden for rural off-res youth living in the “Quinte” region of Lake Ontario. This garden initiative is a critical, life-saving solution to traditional food accessibility in a rural food desert. The primary garden-keeper is a Haudenosaunee youth with severe Type 1 diabetes. Due to rural living and generational poverty, traditional organic food stuffs are not accessible to these youth and due to environmental contamination in the “Quinte” region, some forms of fishing, hunting or gathering are also high-risk.

We will be building a raised-bed Turtle Garden and need to get the necessary items including framing, quality soil, fencing and gardening tools. We allocated some money for travel/gas support and all funds will go to infrastructure or project related-items.

This is an amazing opportunity to support youth building connections with the land, their culture and traditional food systems while fighting Diabetes and other health-related costs of generational poverty and settler colonialism.

We will be documenting our building process and producing a short zine on “how to” build your own raised-bed Turtle garden, as well as include some recipes for Diabetes-fighting teas and nutritional supports. This initiative is crucial for making a tangible difference in Type 1 Diabetic youths every day lives, whose chronic suffering and hospitalization are very much related to diet and accessibility of traditional and whole foods.

You can donate via paypal or e-transfer to reclaimturtleisland@gmail.com – please add TURTLE GARDEN in the comments.

We look forward to cultivating resistance together.

In the spirit of total liberation,
Reclaim Turtle Island Collective

Online fundraiser: https://www.youcaring.com/turtle-garden

occupied and unceded kanien’ke, tionni’tiohtiak:ke – The Mayor of the CITY OF MONTREAL plans to dump 8 billion litres of raw, untreated sewage, including medical & industrial waste straight into the st. lawrence river, kaniatarowanon:onwe, the river of the original people.

TOMORROW: All invited to this demonstration in Kahnawake. Everyone is welcome at the continuous fire vigil at the southern end of the Mercier Bridge that spans kaniatarowanon:onwe. Needed: wood, water, fruits, coffee.

Watch Mohawk Nation News, Protectors of the St Lawrence, subMedia.tv and Reclaim Turtle Island for updates from the ground

Timeline of Events
Sept 29, 2015.
Montreal publicly announces plan to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into Kanaiatarowanen:onwe (the St. Lawrence River). Opposition Projet Montréal urges city to find alternatives to 7-day purge of untreated waste water. [1]

Oct 1, 2015.
St Lawrence raw sewage dump on hold after public outcry, the city reconsiders the plan after news of the sewage release becomes public. Mayor Denis Coderre had
been asked that the work  be stopped and re-evaluated before proceeding.

“Dr. Grant Brown, a Concordia University biologist specializing in aquatic behavioural and chemical ecology, said the untreated effluent could cause harm to a number of aquatic species. Brown said fish rely on chemical cues to help them perform tasks such as finding food, finding shelter and detecting and avoiding predators — tasks that are necessary for survival. The wastewater going into the river could throw them off. ”You’re depriving an entire ecological community of a source of information. It would be akin to [us deciding] to put a dome over the city and completely paint it black, so nobody could see,” Brown said.

Civil engineer Isabelle Jallifier-Verne said any human waste carried by the current could have negative consequences for communities downstream from Montreal. She said the effluent could also pollute the river banks, potentially posing a threat to the plant and animal life that live along the water’s edge. Water-treatment specialist Abdelaziz Gherrou said there’s no telling how extensive the environmental toll of untreated wastewater would be. “Why have we put in place water-filtration plants if the water can dilute everything?” Gherrou asked.” [2]

Oct 2, 2015.
-Mayor announces he is going ahead with it’s controversial plan to jump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence. [3]

-Environment Canada says it cannot authorize Montreal sewage dump but won’t say wether it has the power to stop the plan from going forward.[4]

Oct 7, 2015.
Notice of objection is sent via registered mail from the Kahtihon’tia:kwenio of the Rotinoshonni:onwe deriving authority from the Kaia’nere:kowa, the law of the land to remind M. Denis Coderre (Mayor of Montreal) and M. David Heurtel (Quebec Environment Minister) of their responsibility to uphold Teiohateh (Two-row wampum Treaty), to immediately cease plans to dump raw sewage
into the river. The letter is published on Mohawk Nation News (MNN). [5]

Oct 9, 2015.
A rally is organized by ‘Protectors of the St. Lawrence River’ outside Montreal City Hall and is attended by Kahnawake Survival students and Kahnawake community members.[6]

Oct 11, 2015.
About 40 people in kayaks and on paddleboards took to the Lachine Canal to protest Montreal’s plan to dump sewage into the St. Lawrence River. [7]

Oct 12, 2015.
Protectors of the St. Lawrence River and Kahnawake Marina send out boats to demonstrate their disapproval of the plan to dump raw waste into the river by the city of Montreal,  they are joined by protectors of the river in Lasalle who hold a simultaneous rally by the river.[8]

Oct 13, 2015.
Petition started by Montrealer Xavier Nonnenmacher is presented to M. Denis Coderre with 90,000-signatures against the planned dumping of raw sewage at a council meeting in Ville Marie borough, Coderre than responds “as much as people dislike the plan, the city has no choice but to continue” [9]

Oct 14, 2015.
-The Kahtihon’tia:kwenio after waiting an entire week without a reply from M. Denis Coderre or M. David Heurtel issues a statement ‘Notice of Impeding Obstruction’ via Mohawk Nation News. Media spokespersons are chosen to conduct interviews with various media outlets (one of which included the Montreal Gazette) a day prior to the planned action of Thursday Oct 15, 2015 as outlined in the notice. The Mayor, the Quebec Environment Minister and Environment Canada is given the deadline of Friday Oct 16, 2015 to respond reasonably to the ‘Notice of Objection’ mailed on Oct 7, 2015 or that further actions would be taken. [10]

-Federal Government orders halt to Montreal plan to dump raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River slated to begin on Oct 18, 2015. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Denis Lebel states that Environment Canada wants to conduct an independent review of Montreal’s plan, at his news conference, Lebel said he was invoking Article 37 of the Fisheries Act — which serves to protect aquatic life — to suspend the sewage discharge.[11]

Oct 15, 2015.
-Coderre says Montreal will comply with federal order to hold off on sewage dump.

-Kahtihon’tia:kwenio media spokesperson issues this statement in an interview with the Montreal Gazette the previous day but published on Oct 15 “In our law, we’re supposed to protect the Earth, and we’re carrying out our responsibilities, whether the project is on or off doesn’t matter, it’s just another stalling tactic by the federal government” alluding to the impeding obstruction planned.

-The Mohawk Band Council states that “it was not authorized by them”
(as reported by the Montreal Gazette) referring to the actions planned by the Kahtihon’tia:kwenio to prevent the dumping of the 8 billion litres of raw sewage into Kanaiatarowanen:onwe (St. Lawrence River).

-A press conference was held at Adirondack Junction in
Kahnawake to read the statement of ‘Notice of Obstruction’
[Note: The deadline of Friday Oct 16, 2015 was omitted from the press statement when read because the Federal Government had in fact responded the day before
(not long after the Notice of Temporary Obstruction went public) by intervening in the Mayor’s planned date.] [13]

-A show of good faith was shown from the Kahtihon’tia:kwenio by not carrying out plans of obstruction.

Oct 16, 2015.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre called the proposed Federal delay “unreasonable” and pushed for a solution to be taken before Oct 23. Coderre declares that he does not believe that an external study is needed.[14]

Oct 18, 2015.
Federal Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announces a trio of independent scientists to study Montreal’s sewage dump plan, Viviane Yargeau of McGill University, Daniel G. Cyr of the Université du Québec and Robert Hausler of the École de technologie supérieure (ETS) will examine the risks involved in the plan and explore whether alternate solutions can be found.

The project ban will continue until Nov. 3, while waiting for the results of the study.

—-

[1] http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/montreal/st-lawrence-river-sewage-bonaventure-mill-interceptor-1.3248937

[2] http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/montreal/st-lawrence-raw-sewage-dump-1.3250282

[3]  http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/montreal/montreal-sewage-decision-river-pollution-1.3253800

[4] http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/montreal-will-dump-sewage-into-river-after-all-1.2592050

[5] http://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2015/10/07/montreal-to-dump-otah-into-river/

[6] http://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/montreal-takes-a-dump

[7] http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/paddlers-take-to-lachine-canal-in-protest-of-montreal-sewage-dump-1.2605273

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_0EY5URUA

[9] http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/coderre-presented-with-90-000-signature-petition-against-sewage-dump-1.2608504

[10] http://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2015/10/14/notice-of-impending-obstruction/

[11] http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/environment-canada-orders-halt-to-montreal-s-sewage-dump-1.2609615 and http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/federal-government-to-respond-to-montreal-sewage-dump-wednesday

[12] http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/federal-government-to-respond-to-montreal-sewage-dump-wednesday

[13]  http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/montreal/mohawks-protest-sewage-dump-1.3272477

[14] http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/montreal/topstories/environment-minister-leona-aglukkaq-names-panel-to-analyse-sewage-dump-1.3277033

TUES OCT 13th – FRI OCT 16th

Contact:
Suzanne Fortier,
Principal Vice­Chancellor,
514­849­4179

Stephen Strople.
Secretary General
514­398­6007

Principal Office:
514­398­4180

The kahtihon’tia:kwenio [women caretakers of the land] request a meeting with McGillAcademic Senate and Board of Governors to discuss the building of the university on rotinoshonni:onwe land without our permission, their use of Six Nations Trust Funds in 1850 to build McGill without repaying the loan and the illegal research and development of military weapons at McGill which violates the Great Peace, the kaia’nere:kowa. The rotino’shonni:onwe wish to protect their investment. tewa’tateh:wennio, we are free to exercise our birthright

McGILL UNIVERSITY MUST MEET WITH KAHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO – THE WOMEN ARE THE CARETAKERS AND TITLE HOLDERS OF THE LAND

RE: Seizure Notice, illegal occupation and misuse of (stolen) resources for military and resource extraction: these are direct violations of kaniere’kowa ­ the Great Law of Peace which is the Haudenosaunee Constitution and Law of the Land

CALL­IN CAMPAIGN OCT 13TH, 14TH, 15TH, 16TH

We will not be ignored. We call on supporters to help pressure the McGill Administration to respond to the Seizure Notice (issued on Sept 12 2015) and to force a meeting between the Administration and the women titleholders of this land

More information:

http://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2015/09/12/mohawk-seizure-notice-to-mcgill/

http://www.mcgill.ca/boardofgovernors/contact

http://demilitarizemcgill.com/en/

Send copies or inquiries contact amandalickers@gmail.com & kahentinetha2@mohawknationnews.com

Sample statement:

I am calling in regards to the seizure notice that has been issued by the kanienkeha’ka people. I am urging you to respond to this seizure and to schedule a meeting with them immediately. It has come to my attention that McGill University has been built on kanienkeha’ka land without the permission of their people. Not only this but McGill University was built using the Six Nations Trust Funds in 1850 and has failed to repay this loan. The illegal research and development of military weapons at McGill violates the Great Peace, which is the true law of the land. This is unacceptable, shameful and requires immediate response from McGill University.