Follow canadian armed forces recruits over 12 intense weeks of training in an environment where. The town had decided to build condominiums and expand a golf course into a forest and burial land that the mohawk considered sacred. Alanis obomsawin, cc goq born august 31, 1932 is an american canadian abenaki filmmaker, singer, artist and activist primarily known for her documentary films. The film focuses on the mohawk territory of kahnawake, in quebec, but also reflects on the relationship between canada and indigenous peoples at a particular time in history. Oka crisis documentary screened in kanienkeha the eastern door. Jul 12, 2015 the oka crisis exploded in a hail of gunfire on july 11th 1990. The crisis developed from a local dispute between the town of. The national film board of canada nfb is a federal cultural agency within the portfolio of the canadian heritage department. We produce documentaries, animations, alternative dramas and more. I first came across rocks at whiskey trench as supplemental course material during my undergrad. Documentary film, national film board of canada, 1992. Whatever one thinks of the oka crisis and how it was handled on all sides, much has been produced to document this event.
Oct 29, 2019 the legacy of the oka conflict is mixed. The oka crisis opened a wound that could no longer be ignored, a wound that stretched between indigenous and nonindigenous, a wound that festered as the fears of people were ignited by the discourse from mainstream media and the canadian government. The mohawk warrior society is portrayed either as a collection of righteous. And news footage of the oka crisis reminds the viewer of the tough and difficult choice these people made in barricading and resisting the government. Kahnawake man is the third film in alanis obomsawins series on the events of 1990. My name is kahentiiosta national film board of canada. Alanis obomsawins four nfb films about the 1990 oka crisis stand as a definitive, dramatic and disturbing documentation of an essential chapter in canadian history. Alanis obomsawin, provided by the national film board of canada. These compelling characters recount their own personal oka crisis stories, reflecting on what oka s legacy isand what it should be. Peace camps in quebec and manitoba to support the mohawks in. Now 82, alanis obomsawin is a celebrated filmmaker from the abenaki nation. The national film board nfb is canadas public film producer and distributor.
The significance of the american indian religious freedom act of 1978. This is a film that should be widely shown to increase national knowledge of the event and tell the. In 1991, ouellette was reelected mayor of oka by acclamation. National film board of canada, 1993, accessed 29 jan 2010. The film has been shown across the globe, winning dozens of international awards. Jun 15, 2018 the 1993 national film board documentary kanehsetake. I chose this film here because the celebrated abenaki filmmaker told me recently. Tracey deer makes a movie about the oka crisis youtube. The film is the seminal work documenting the oka crisis of 1990, with obomsawin getting incredible access to those involved in the standoffs in kahnawake and kanesatake against the quebec and canadian governments. Crise d oka was a land dispute between a group of mohawk people and the town of oka, quebec, canada, which began on july 11, 1990, and lasted 78 days until september 26, 1990 with one fatality. She discusses her work and the experience of documenting the oka crisis as well as her relationship with the national. Mar 03, 2010 obomsawin, as a filmmaker working for the national film board of canada, was allowed to cross the barricades and document the standoff from the perspective of the mohawks involved in this historic land dispute.
The oka crisis gils gift gil cardinal fearless filmmaker and bighearted mentor to generations of indigenous artists has left us. The golf course expansion which had originally triggered the crisis was cancelled by the mayor of oka. Produced by the national film board of canada, the film won 18 canadian and international awards, including the distinguished documentary achievement award from the international documentary association and. Produced by the national film board of canada, the film won 18 canadian and.
Jun 30, 2015 horne was the mohawk warrior beaten by soldiers at the oka siege. The original project idea and goals come from the community partner. Follow canadian armed forces recruits over 12 intense weeks of training in an environment where discipline reigns supreme. For more than 40 years, as a director with the national film board, she has told the stories of indigenous people in canada. Canadas public film producer and distributor, the national film board of canada nfb creates socialissue documentaries, auteur animation, and digital content, providing the world with a unique canadian perspective. The 1990 oka crisis was not only representative of the modern conflicts between the mohawks of kanehsatake and the canadian government, but also of their historical relationship. Historian jim miller notes that a fixation on specific, immediate factors leading to the oka crisis provides limited explanation of this complex affair.
Arrested after the 78day armed standoff during the 1990 oka crisis, kahentiiosta, a young kahnawake mohawk woman proud of her centuriesold heritage. The oka crisis lasted 78 days, and gunfire early in the crisis killed sq corporal marcel lemay. Alanis obomsawin is seen in her office at the national fim board of canada, july 2, 2015 in montreal. Dec 12, 2018 initially, i was interested in the film because it spotlighted an element of the oka crisis of 1990, an event that had a profound impact on indigenous people throughout turtle island, including my community. Events mark 25th anniversary of oka crisis montreal gazette. The oka crisis motivated the development of a national first nations policing policy to try to prevent future incidents, and brought native issues into the forefront in canada. These compelling characters recount their own personal oka crisis stories and reflect on what its legacy is and what it should be. Initially, i was interested in the film because it spotlighted an element of the oka crisis of 1990. The oka crisis galvanized, throughout canada, a subsequent process of developing an first nations policing policy to try to prevent future such events. Peace camps in quebec and manitoba to support the mohawks in the oka crisis, canada, 1990. The crisis was rooted in over 290 years of struggle with the colonial state over sacred land near the francophone town of oka. After gauging this selection criteria, we decided upon the oka crisis, which was a standoff between mohawk protestors, the quebec police force and the canadian army.
Peace camps in quebec and manitoba to support the mohawks in the oka crisis, canada, 1990 mainly or initiated by indigenous participants. Remembering the oka crisis with rocks at whiskey trench i first came across rocks at whiskey trench as supplemental course material during my undergrad. She filmed the 1990 armed standoff between the mohawk, the quebec police and the. Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the wikipedia article. The dispute was the first wellpublicized violent conflict between first nations and the canadian government in the late 20th century. Although the event only lasted three months, its impacts, both negative. The oka crisis was a watershed moment in canadian history and for canadian indigenous people standing up for their rights. The oka crisis will remain one of canadas most hideous events in history. The oka crisis was a land dispute between a group of mohawk people and the town of oka, quebec, canada which began on july 11, 1990 and lasted until september 26, 1990. The legacy of oka in an era of supposed reconciliation. This search will return films available for online viewing. Next, we go back to 1990 and play some ckut archival footage from the oka crisis. Jun 29, 2018 the film is the seminal work documenting the oka crisis of 1990, with obomsawin getting incredible access to those involved in the standoffs in kahnawake and kanesatake against the quebec and canadian governments. Jul 12, 2015 indigenous militant gord hill, breaks down just what went down during the stand off in kanesatake during the so called oka crisis.
The film also benefits from commentary from mohawk elders and explains the quebec bridge disaster, which took the lives of large numbers of mohawk ironworkers in 1907. Indeed, commentary during and immediately following the crisis was largely superficial. It lasted 78 and turned into a major political event that would forever alter the relationship between the indigenous peoples and the nonindigenous canadians. The film, the fourth and final in her series about the 1990 oka crisis, focuses on one specific incident in that nasty period in the history of government and. Remembering the oka crisis with rocks at whiskey trench. Hornmiller first received national media attention during the oka crisis in 1990. May 14, 2018 this is a combination of video clips, photos and words about the oka crisis a. The dispute was the first wellpublicized violent conflict between first nations and the canadian government in the late 20th century the crisis developed from a local dispute between the town of. This short documentary by alanis obomsawin tells the story of kahentiiosta, a young kahnawake mohawk woman arrested after the oka crisis 78day armed standoff in 1990. The crisis erupted when the municipal government of the oka permitted the expansion of a golf course and luxury.
The crisis embodies the difficult and tumultuous dynamic indigenous individuals have endured with the nonindigenous populations throughout time. Initially known as the national film commission, it was created by an act of parliament in 1939. Indigenous militant gord hill, breaks down just what went down during the stand off in kanesatake during the so called oka crisis. Clips from cbc televisions the national 1990 on july 11 and beyond, take a moment to remember the oka crisis that began on july 11, 1990 from a land dispute between the town of oka, quebec and the aboriginal mohawk community of kanesatake over the expansion of a. National chief reflects on oka mennonite involvement in the oka crisis. On 11 july 1990, mohawk protesters clashed with quebec provincial police over disputed land in oka, quebec. As laid out in the following post, the oka crisis, which occurred in oka quebec on july 11 th, 1990, is a critical moment to examine as it highlighted relationships between aboriginals and government, brought awareness to indigenous rights and their claims for land, and set forth future activist movements on both a local and international scale. An excellent feature of the national film board of canada. Obomsawins use of archive footage and personal accounts made this a truly touching and sad film to see. In july 1990, a dispute over a proposed golf course to be built on kanienkehaka mohawk lands in oka, quebec, set the stage for a historic confrontation that. The uprising was triggered by the town of okas plans for a golf course expansion and condominium development on lands considered by the kanienkeha. Peace camps in quebec and manitoba to support the mohawks. Obomsawin has made four documentaries dedicated to telling the story of the mohawks of kanawake involved in the 1990 crisis.
This short documentary by alanis obomsawin tells the story of kahentiiosta, a young kahnawake mohawk woman. The oka crisis frequently brings to mind the frequently published. The oka crisis was a land dispute between a group of mohawk people and the town of oka, quebec. She arrived with a small team, thinking the siege would last only a few days. These and two additional documentaries on the crisis were all produced by the national film board of canada. Jul 10, 2015 events mark 25th anniversary of oka crisis. Kanehsatake 270 years of resistance is arguably alanis obomsawins most important film, documenting the military 1990 siege of a mohawk reserve near oka, quebec, and its causes. New do you have what it takes to join the canadian armed forces. Jul 27, 2017 the oka crisis frequently brings to mind the frequently published.
Produced by the national film board of canada, the film won 18 canadian and international awards, including the distinguished documentary achievement award from the international documentary association and the city tv award for best canadian feature film from the toronto festival of festivals. Includes archival footage of the oka crisis of 1990. The oka crisis was a critical moment in contemporary canadian history and a turning point for indigenous affairs. Christine welsh directed keepers of the fire 1994, which documented the role of mohawk women during the crisis, and alec macleod created acts of defiance 1993. This featurelength documentary recounts the events that surrounded and led to the oka crisis of the summer of 1990. Produced by the national film board of canada, the film won 18 canadian and international awards, including the distinguished documentary achievement award from the international documentary association and the city tv award for best canadian feature film. Initially, i was interested in the film because it spotlighted an element of the oka crisis of 1990, an event that had a profound impact on indigenous people throughout turtle island, including my community. The film also features indigenous community activists such as melissa mollendupuis, who were inspired to do great things in other parts of the country after the events of 1990. Despite the nfbs and the mainstream cultural presss attempts to minimize the political significance of mohawk dissent, the. The film has been shown across the globe, winning dozens of. Macleod national film board of canada 1992 104 minutes acts of defiance is just one of a small number of nfb documentaries that recorded the events of the 1990 oka crisis that took place in the western quebec communities of oka and kanetesake. For me a real documentary is when you are really listening to somebody. Sep 23, 2017 these compelling characters recount their own personal oka crisis stories and reflect on what its legacy is and what it should be. Watch these films campaign, and we thought an amazing historical follow up to nadia myres.