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34 Photos of the Oka Mohawk Crisis of 1990

Jacob Miller September 2, 2017 10 min
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance - Alanis Obomsawin
Patrick Cloutier, a 'Van Doo' perimeter sentry, and Anishinaabe Warrior Brad Larocque, a University of Saskatchewan economics student, facing off became one of Canada's most widely circulated images. Wikipedia
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Aug. 23, 1990, A Quebec Métis places a stick with an eagle feather tied to it into the barrel of a machine gun mounted on an army armored vehicle at Oka. Bill Grimshaw: Canadian Press
Aug. 1990 American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson arrives in Kahnawake to show his support for the Mohawks across the river. KORLCC
Aug. 28, 1990, After 58 days, the Mercier Bridge is reopened. KORLCC
Sept. 2, 1990, Town of Oka, Quebec. “Who Ya Gonna Call? Chug Busters” Racist graffiti made by members of the Canadian Army in chalk on the side of an APC parked in the town of Oka. These Gagetown, N.B. soldiers probably regretted that they had posed for pictures munching on apples after this appeared in the Montreal Gazette the following day. As soon as I had taken it, their commander was spotted and they quickly erased it. The army had been brought in to deal with the Mohawk warriors and ostensibly to keep the situation under control after the SQ had escalated the crisis in July. There had been rumors of racism towards Natives by members of the army but until this photo appeared there had been no direct proof. Photo © Linda Dawn Hammond
Soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment at Oka, 1990. Warrior Publications
Sept. 18, 1990, Soldiers arrive on Tekakwitha Island in Kahnawake, provoking a burst of violence. Dozens of Mohawks are injured, as are 10 soldiers. KORLCC
A Mohawk native winds up to punch a soldier during a fight that took place on the Kahnawake reserve on Montreal’s south shore, Tuesday, Sept.18, 1990. Tom Hanson: THE CANADIAN PRESS
A Mohawk native winds up to punch a soldier during a fight that took place on the Kahnawake reserve on Montreal’s south shore, Tuesday, Sept.18, 1990. Tom Hanson: THE CANADIAN PRESS
Sept. 26, 1990, Mohawk Warrior known as Noreiga clutches a Mohawk woman as he is taken into custody by Canadian soldiers during the surrender at the Kanasehtake Reserve at Oka. Bill Grimshaw: The Canadian Press
Waneek Horn-Miller holds on to her 4-year-old sister as chaos breaks out. The 78-day siege remembered as the Oka Crisis, ended with the army moving in to push the Mohawk out on Sept. 26, 1990. Ryan Remiorz: Canadian Press

 

Patrolling Kanesatake territory during the 1990 Oka crisis. The Gazette
Canadian soldiers on guard at Kanesatake during the Oka Crisis. The Gazette
Indian Affairs Minister John Ciaccia (second from left), Mohawks’ negotiator Ellen Gabriel (third from left) during 1990 Oka Crisis. The Gazette
One of the most photographed women in Canada during the summer of 1990, Ellen Gabriel, took out her own camera to photograph a journalist departing the blockade area during Oka Crisis. Photo dated June 23, 1990. The Gazette
Montreal May 6, 1993 – All smiles Ellen Gabriel, Mohawks’ negotiator (second from left) and lawyers enter court for the case regarding Oka Crisis. The Gazette
Mohawks and supporters head down the hill from Kanesatake to Oka in a march marking the 10th anniversary of the Oka Crisis. The Gazette
People walk towards the Mohawk community of Kanesatake during a symbolic march to commemorate the 20 years since the Oka Crisis, a land dispute between the town of Oka and the Mohawk Nation, in Oka, west of Montreal on Sunday, July 11, 2010. The Gazette

 

Sources For Further Reading:

Radio Canada International – Canada History: July 11, 1990, The Crisis and Death at Oka

CBC – The Oka Crisis Was Supposed to Be a Wake-Up Call. Little Has Changed in 27 Years

Global News – Kanesatake Land Claims Remain Unresolved 30 Years After Oka Crisis

The Conversation – The Legacy of Oka in An Era of Supposed Reconciliation

High Country News – Canada’s Oka Crisis Marked a Change in How Police Use Force

Written by
Jacob Miller
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