Onkwatsienha - Our Fire - We Carry it With Us There have been several threats against us since we have been here. There are the recent threats by the Council to sue us. There is the existence of a list which randomly targets 35 people and initially proposes to deny them access to community programs and services. There have been threats on social media to burn us out. Most recently we were made aware of a comment which referenced the state of the insurance on the Administration building. In addition, we have a recording from two weeks ago of a senior official looking around the Administration building, presumably estimating its value at $4 million and stating “We have deep pockets.” We have seen the current Council remove the daycare facilities despite a modest baby boom in the community. We have seen the Council cut our Mohawk language program without consulting the students. We know that the Council has made no long term commitment to our nursing station or other community programs. There are at least two wrongful dismissals and one non-fulfillment of contract which indicate a Council acting without rules or boundaries. We have no reason to believe that they care about the state of our Administration building. We have come to the conclusion that the best way to secure the Administration building is to ensure staff return to their offices. As a consequence, we have made the choice to remove our encampment and enable the staff to return to the as soon as possible. We have removed all our supplies, taken down the longhouse, and left only the skeleton of the teepee to tower over the site as a reminder of our presence. Before leaving on Sunday night, we asked the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct an inspection of the premises. This action began 140 days ago as a means to pressure the Council to adhere to our community laws, and to make a clear separation between politics and administration. We kindled a sacred fire, using the language of our people and the rituals we have been given, and we kept it burning for the duration of our stay. Although it was not an easy decision to leave, we believe this will enable us to broaden and intensify our activities to hold the Wahta Council accountable to community laws, and the basic principles of accountability, transparency, and community empowerment. The power and control mechanisms that were imposed to undermine our cultures, social structures, and to take away our lands are now being exercised once again to subdue our people. It is a good day when the people take a stand for justice and fairness. It has been an amazing 140 days with remarkable commitment from our people in the face of adversity. Despite the fact that the physical encampment has ended, we carry our Fire with us – Onkwatsienha. We will not relent. Please continue to follow our website, our Facebook site and our twitter feed for more updates.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 05:19:48 +0000
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