[IPSM] MNN: Wake Up and Smell the Ota

[Jaggi Singh]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 18:53:07 -0500
From: Kahntineta Horn <kahntineta at paulcomm.ca>

You may reprint or send out this article provided you give credit as:
"Originally printed by Akwesasne Phoenix Sundays, Dec. 5, 2004, Issue 4
info at akwesasnephoenix.com"

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE OTA

INDIAN AFFAIR'S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Kanehsatakero:non' security and peace threatened

MNN. Dec. 4, 2004. Kanehsatake's peace and security have been threatened
again.  James Gabriel is back on the territory to "force through a biased
election", as Arihwakehte (Clifton Nicholas) observed.

The election is scheduled for February 19, 2005.  James Gabriel promises
that six weeks before that all his police will be patrolling Kanehsatake
to ensure his safety. Quebec and Ottawa have cut off James Gabriel's funds
and so he had to leave his suite at the Hilton hotel.  He had been there
since January 2004 after he tried to invade the community with his 67 man
militia and was rebuffed by the people.  Since January 2004 Ottawa and
Quebec have spent $10 million on this ill-fated and underhanded scheme.
As a result, social programs have been cut.  Language programs have been
cut. The school is going to be torn down.  The high school and elementary
school are going to be merged into the same building.  This is all due to
"lack of funds", though there was certainly no shortage of funds as far as
policing was concerned.

At least James Gabriel no longer has his high priced Montreal public
relations firm.  You can tell because his newsletters suddenly sound very
amateurish.  Yet Price Waterhouse Cooper continues to control Kanesatake's
money.

In a letter to the community under the pseudonym 'Iotare', which means
"he's got excrement on him", someone has blamed all the troubles befalling
the community on those opposing the rule of James Gabriel and his
supporters.

In response, Arihwakehte says, "Don't be blind to the fact that James
Gabriel et all created the situation that we are all trapped in with the
help of Indian Affairs funds, while the rest of Kanehsatake is left with
nothing but a welfare cheque".  The people are not against holding an
election.  They are against having the militia coming in once again to
stir up a hornet's nest like they did in January, April and May of this
year.

Arihwakehte believes that Kanehsatake ought to break away from the Indian
Act Band Council system and return to a system that allows the grass roots
to participate in the decision making concerning distribution of funds and
policing.  "We should get away from the hierarchical system that the
Indian act band system supports which allows so-called leaders to be
bought and manipulated to the detriment of Kanehsatake".

Says, Arihwakehte, "Wake up and smell the ota that is piling up around
your eyes and ears and realize that we all have to abandon band councils,
their police forces and their money.  We must begin to take charge of our
lives and future.  We must take off the blinders, clean out our ears and
work together to bring down this corrupt system of governance.  We must
return the power to the people."

Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
orakwa at paulcomm.ca