Chronology Of Events During The Oka Crisis

The Oka Crisis Name Institutional Affiliation Date The Oka Crisis Introduction The Oka Crisis originated as a result of a dispute over land between the Mohawk Nation and the town of Oka, which commenced on July 11 and persisted on until September 26th, 1990. The Mohawks were demanding what they claimed was their own land (the Pines), which was meant to be a ground for burial and also a sacred plantation of pine trees adjacent to Kanesatake (Conradi, 2009). Their ambition spurred a conflict with the town of Oka which had made prior plans to enlarge the size of a golf course that would definitely extend to “their” land. The provincial police force from Quebec was responsible for igniting the crisis, when they forcefully entered the Pines in the month of July 1990. This move was met with lots of resistance from the natives who form the Mohawks. According to Conradi (2009), the resistance by ‘Kanienkeha’/‘Rotihsken'rakéht’ or Mohawks, as they are commonly known, was justified for them to protect their land the same way the Westernised countries could have done. They were not supposed to be regarded as criminals or thugs since their actions were a true reflection of how their political system had worked for centuries, even before colonization. This paper seeks to identify the chronology of events as they unfolded during the Oka Crisis in relation to the acquisition and ownership of the land. The paper will categorically outline the major players in the crisis and also indicate what plans were put in place to resolve the stalemate between the Mohawk nation and the provincial administration of Quebec. The Oka dispute has a long history. By 1961, Club de golf d’Oka which is a nine-hole golf course was constructed on the land (Pines) hence igniting a legal battle between the Mohawk and the concerned authorities (Conradi, 2009). The legal battle dragged on and by the time it was over, so much construction work had been undertaken. An official land claim was launched by the band to the office of Native Claims concerning the land in question. The claim never went through nine years later after being filed (Lackenbauer, 2008). An announcement by Jean Oullette, who was the mayor for Oka, stating that the remainder of the pines were slated for clearing to allow a further expansion of the golf course to eighteen holes, was not received well. There were even more...