Kahnawake 'repulsed' by Quebec's response to Montreal Canadiens' land acknowledgement
An Indigenous land acknowledgement from the Montreal Canadiens last week sent shockwaves through Quebec, with bipartisan backlash from politicians who called the Habs' statement false.
On Thursday, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake wrote, in a scathing public statement, it was "repulsed by Quebec’s attempt to politicize a genuine reconciliatory action."
The story began last Saturday, when the Canadiens performed their first territorial acknowledgement before puck drop.
For those who don't know, a land acknowledgement is a statement, usually spoken or displayed before a public event, which identifies which Indigenous nation was present on the land before Europeans arrived.
As of last Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens will perform the acknowledgement before each home game, which states Quebec was founded on unceded territory. "Unceded" means the Indigenous people who were here before Europeans arrived never signed the land away.
"The Montreal Canadiens wish to acknowledge the Kanien'kehá:ka, also known as the Mohawk Nation, for their hospitality on this traditional and unceded territory where we are gathered today," reads the statement, first delivered by announcer Michel Lacroix last week.
Quebec's Indigenous Affaires Minister Ian Lafrenière called the acknowledgement a "mistake" during a press scrum on Wednesday, adding it's unclear which Indigenous community was first to live in the area now known as Montreal.
"It's important to recognize that the First Nations were here before us and that we live together, but now we're getting into a debate between historians who don't agree, so maybe it was a mistake."
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said "if it is historically wrong to say that this is unceded Mohawk territory, I am sorry, but the truth is important. Rigour, facts matter."
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) supported the acknowledgement, calling it "an example of true reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous Peoples" in a statement issued Thursday.
However, it said, "the media commentary from Quebec insist that it may be a mistake to refer to specific nations when acknowledging the people to which the unceded territory belongs."
The council invited politicians to speak with Kahnawake leaders to better understand their relationship to the land beneath Montreal.
“When we talk about land, it is an essential part of who we are as Kanien’kehá:ka,” said Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs (grand chief) Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer.
"Opinionated commentary that challenge and discredit our presence are not only insulting, they are taken as displaced attacks on our existence,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.