Remembering the Siege on Kanehsata:ke — July 11, 1990
The Siege on Kanehsata:ke (often referred to as the Oka Crisis) was a 78-day standoff in 1990, sparked by plans to expand a golf course onto sacred Mohawk land in Kanehsatà:ke. Mohawk land defenders stood to protect sacred pines and burial grounds, facing off against heavily armed police and the Canadian military. The crisis exposed Canada’s deep-rooted colonialism – particularly to non-Indigenous Canadians – and became a defining moment in the Indigenous land rights movement.
Today, July 11th, marks the 35th Anniversary of the siege. The standoff at Kanehsata:ke made headlines and forced many Canadians to confront the realities of Indigenous resistance – and the sad reality is that not much has changed.
Indigenous communities across Turtle Island still face land theft, environmental destruction, and the continuous impacts of colonialism on a daily basis. Governments continue to stall on land back efforts and treaty obligations, while development projects push ahead without consent.
This is a reminder that the fight for justice and sovereignty is far from over, which is why the Calls to Action are just as significant now as they were when they were first released.
Calls to Action for Canada — 35 Years After the 1990 Kanehsatake and Kahnawake Siege
To the Government of Canada:
Return the Land: Immediately engage in good faith negotiations with the Haudenosaunee people of Kanehsatà:ke to resolve the land grievance and return stolen Homelands.
End Colonial Land Dispossession Policies: Repeal the Kanesatake Interim Land Based Management ACT (S-24) as it violates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination.
Eliminate policies that violate and exclude Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and sovereignty, including the Indian Act which perpetuates colonial control over Indigenous homelands and that which are considered ‘Reserve lands’.
Canada and Quebec must:
Implement the process of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). UNDRIP to restore the protection of the land, biodiversity and the people of Kanehsatake.
Implement concrete legislative and financial measures to substantially uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, respect Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination; implement Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Remove loopholes within CANDRIP that deny Indigenous peoples’ authority over their Homelands.
Inclusion of Indigenous laws in land stewardship that respect Mother Earth and all our relations
Protect Sacred Sites: respect of traditional Kanien’kehá:ka laws in land stewardship through complementary legislation to protect Indigenous sacred places like the Pines from development, using Indigenous-led stewardship models. Canada and Quebec must relinquish their imposed, and assumed authority over traditional Haudenosaunee Homelands.
Fund Community-Directed Healing: Invest in trauma-informed initiatives led by and for Kanehsatà:ke to address the multi-generational impacts of militarization, surveillance, and displacement
To Provincial and Municipal Governments (Quebec, Oka, Montreal): Acknowledge Historic and Ongoing Harm by colonial laws and attitudes: Issue formal statements acknowledging the excessive use of force against Kanehsatake and Kahnawake, and apologize for their roles in escalating the 1990 conflict. Conduct Free Prior and Informed Consent before any development is approved.
Independent Commission of investigation of the on-going Land fraud, and all level of governments’ complicity in the deterioration of the quality of life of community members, and destruction of Kanien’kehá:ka lands.
Moratorium on Disputed Lands: Impose an immediate moratorium on all development projects in contested/disputed lands in Kanehsatà:ke until free prior and informed consent by the Haudenosaunee government and resolutions are achieved.
Support Indigenous Jurisdiction: Respect international human rights laws that support Indigenous traditional laws and traditional governance as valid and equal systems of authority in Kanehsatà:ke and beyond.
To Canadian Institutions and the Public:
Education - Learn the Colonial History: Educate yourself and others about the 1990 Kanehsatake & Kahnawake Siege, mistakenly known as the ‘Oka Crisis’, and the root causes of the land dispute history of Kanehsatà:ke.
Respect and include the traditional government of the Rotinonhseshá:ka – the Haudenosaunee in all land negotiations and allow access to legal remedies to resolve the land dispute.
Implement the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
Protect the human rights of those active in Indigenous land defense across Turtle Island.
Allyship is a verb.
Challenge Racism and Colonialism: Confront anti-Indigenous racism wherever it exists—in schools, workplaces, media, and government.
Advocate for Justice: Contact MPs, MPPs, and local leaders demanding land restitution, not symbolic reconciliation.
Centre Indigenous Voices: Listen to those directly affected. Amplify Indigenous media, Land Defenders’ voices, Indigenous organizers, and teach youth about the genocidal history of Canada.
