In Minnesota, as in Quebec, we often talk about the Amerindians and the injustices they experienced – paving the way to lumping all “white people” together into one group and talking about how awful they are. Nowadays, we are spoon fed this false dialectic of "white" against "non-white". Quebecers are not "whites" and it is wrong to put all nations of European origin in the same basket under the deceptive label of "white". Yes, some Amerindian nations in North America were subjected to horrific crimes and genocide. However, I would like to rectify the history of Amerindians in Québec and their interactions with francophones, ever since the French first set foot on this continent.
The Amerindian is often
presented in terms of Rousseau's "nobel savage" –
peaceful and in harmony with his environment until Europeans came. Nowadays, I
find that Amerindians in Quebec – especially anglicized nations like the
Mohawks or the Crees – are mere pawns for anti-Quebec rhetoric. We all know the
narrative that gets touted around: whites committed genocide against the
Amerindians and stole their land.
Yet people who repeat this have no historical knowledge of the different approaches between the English, French and Spanish regarding Amerindians. The French could not have tried to exterminate them, simply because they did not have the means nor the population to do so. Moreover, they conducted business with them (the fur trade), so why would they kill their business partners? Influenza or smallpox were benign diseases for Europeans, but deadly diseases for Amerindians, who did not have the antibodies to resist the disease. Indeed, it was a genocide, though caused by epidemics. History is full of them, such as the Black Death of 1348, which killed a third of Europeans and more than half of Italians.
***
Before the small group that was Option nationale was gobbled up by the far-left political party, Québec solidaire, they had published a small booklet: Le livre qui fait dire oui, or The Yes Book – presenting short chapters on several subjects regarding Québec independence – economy, education, the French language, anglophones, the environment, etc. In the very short chapter on Amerindians, author Josianne Grenier writes:
“Quebec's independence would represent an unprecedented opportunity to replace the Indian Act (a federal government (meaning English) law, aimed at assimilating Amerindian peoples) with a legal and cooperative framework, better addressing the realities and aspirations of Canadians and indigenous people today.” (free translation, p. 75)
Yes, I agree that the independence of Quebec would be a great opportunity to re-evaluate our relationship with the 11 Amerindian nations of Quebec. How? The author does not say much except that independence will encourage dialogue. She also said that “the history and culture of Québec are inseparable from that of the Aboriginal nations” and that “maple syrup is a fundamental contribution of Aboriginal people.”
I am reminded of that urban legend that almost all Quebecers have "native" blood. However, mixed marriages with Englishmen, Irish or Amerindians after the Conquest were few. The family trees of Quebecers today are for the most part, French. The idea that the French-Canadian or Québec nation is the result of race mixing is erroneous. Although supporters of mass immigration and globalism usually repeat this little bit of folklore.
Ms. Grenier recognizes that territorial distribution will undoubtedly be the most complex issue and will be the subject of lengthy negotiations. According to her, the Québec government must negotiate with Ottawa so that the Amerindians, while conducting their traditional activities (hunting, fishing, trapping), are able to freely cross international borders to benefit from their entire ancestral territory. (free translation, p.77)
But what about the Quebecers? Are fishing, hunting and trapping not as much French-Canadian as Amerindian traditions? Why are we not all subject to the same laws? More troubling is that Ms. Grenier suggests having a dialogue, so that we can settle territorial disputes as soon as possible. A simple “dialogue” to settle something so complex?
And what about this false affirmation (that even current Montréal mayor Valérie Plante repeats) that Montréal is an unceded Mohawk territory? She must surely know that this is false, as Professsor Luc-Normand Tellier explained in Le Devoir. It is farfetched to pretend that the Canadiens of the 17th century stole the land from the Indians. In those days, about 25,000 nomadic peoples inhabited Quebec. In other words, it was unoccupied land. They did not have the notion of land ownership. Thanks to the lucrative fur trade, there was no serious resistance to French settlement in the St. Lawrence Valley.
If the Iroquois/Mohawks fought against the French, it was not to defend Mohawk territory – which is actually located in the present state of New York and not in Quebec – but to divert the fur trade for the benefit of the Dutch and English (Le siècle de Mgr Bourget, p. 386). The time has come for Mohawks to recognize the scientific consensus that their ancestors arrived on the south shore of Montréal, in search of refuge and protection from the long-time (French) Canadian residents who lived there.
Lastly, Ms. Grenier says that “allowing aboriginal people decide which institutions they would like would be a first step towards preserving their culture, because the best way to preserve it is to institutionalize it.” Institutionalize their cultures? But… is she suggesting that we impose a “white” idea of an institution to the Amerindians? Isn’t that colonialism?! She mentions teaching Amerindian languages and other elements of aboriginal culture (traditional or contemporary) to Québec’s population. Okay. But does she really believe that immigrants will be interested in these languages? It is already hard enough promoting French. Why would neo-Quebecers learn Amerindian languages when so many of them are barely interested in French?
In the book “Le peuple brisé”, investigative journalists, Alex Caine and François Perreault explain that:
“Mohawks claim the aboriginal right to cross the Canada-US border freely in Akwesasne. In addition, following the confiscation of several Iroquois passports by border officers, the Mohawks accused Ottawa of wanting to “destroy” their identity. (free translation, p. 86)
But why do they claim the
right to cross the border so freely? To continue their beautiful “traditions”
of hunting, fishing and trapping? According to Caine and Perreault, it is
mainly for a more easy pursuit of criminal activities.
The book explains the reality of Amerindian criminality about which we hear so little. Mafia criminal networks like Indian Posse and Es-Pak are as bad as any other ethnic Mafia – trafficking in people, drugs, smuggled cigarettes, weapons, etc. Moreover, the book convincingly argues that one of the main causes of missing Amerindian women, heard about more and more, can be found within their own communities.
“Before integrating into Es-Pak, Indian Posse's predatory nature and rampaging violence allowed this group to quickly establish itself in drug, prostitution, gambling and organ trafficking. In the 1990s, organ trafficking became one of the most lucrative among criminal activities ... It may seem incredible that these criminal organizations are attacking their own. However, we see that aboriginal gangs are no different from other ethnic gangs.” (free translation, p. 67-68)
Often referred to as a
turning point for improved Québec-Amerindian relations, the 1990 Oka crisis, in
Québec’s collective memory, goes something like this: brave Amerindians (the
English-speaking Mohawks, by the way) opposed Oka's plan to add nine holes to
an existing golf course as well as the construction of luxury homes. A barrier
was erected across the dirt road leading to the golf course. The city obtained
an injunction against the barricade, but the Mohawks ignored it completely: “I
do not recognize the authority of this Province on this land,” said Curtis
Nelson, a Kanesatake Mohawk and participant during the Oka Crisis. (People of
the Pines, p. 438).
However, Alex Caine and François Perreault say that in reality, the thing being defended during the Oka crisis was having free reign to continue illegal activities.
“Kanesatake is a landlocked reservation in the municipality of Oka at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Lac des Deux-Montagnes. Its geography represents a considerable asset for all kinds of trafficking. The waterways offer the safest connections for those who can navigate them, by day or by night. This 670 square kilometer territory has become a transit site for smugglers. No wonder the Mohawks claim sovereignty over it. » (free translation, p. 88)
Let's go back to Josianne
Grenier’s well-meaning words from The Yes Book. She states “the Government of
Quebec must negotiate with Ottawa so that the Amerindians are able to freely
cross international borders to benefit from their entire ancestral territory.”
Reading that, after the revelations made by Caine and Perreault, makes her
words seem like silly naïveté. Ms. Grenier proposes the free movement of
Amerindians (beyond the concept of borders) to allow them to indulge freely in
their traditional undertakings, but she remains silent on the issue of criminal
activities.
This is a serious problem that cannot be ignored. How can we ensure that traditional Amerindian activities do not serve as a pretext for different kinds of trafficking? And most importantly, how can we protect Amerindian women who might suffer themselves, should it be allowed to continue without scrutiny? The “solution” proposed by Ms. Grenier is mere youthful optimism.
In an investigation published in the Montréal Gazette, journalist William Marsden collected numerous testimonies from police officers, recounting that regular arrests of smugglers have little impact on the tobacco black market. Mohawk criminals rarely go to jail and do not pay the fines imposed on them. As for the white police, they almost never enter the Amerindian territories without the authorization of the band council. (free translation, p. 90)
***
I came across a New Hampshire podcast (Outside/In) about the "NorthernPass" controversy – the power line project between Québec and the northeastern United States. They wanted to show that Hydro-Québec's hydroelectricity, a renewable and clean source of energy, had upset the traditions of the “ancestral lands” of some Amerindian nations in Québec and are therefore not to be thought so highly of. The subject’s treatment was rather superficial, over produced and decidedly theatrical, presenting a distorted view of Québec's history, which is typical of anglophones.
The two podcasters wanted so much to show that they were not white villains. Their “kumbaya” attitude got them the chief’s cooperation, until they ran into a problem. While they were preparing to enter a Hydro-Québec facility on Québec’s Côte-Nord they were refused access. They then learned that it was due to the negligence of chief Jean-Charles Piétacho, who did not follow the rules and ask permission for entry 48 hours in advance – as everyone must do.
Piétacho was furious – not because of the wasted car trip or a particular desire to show the site to these two Americans – he was upset because he felt “humiliated” by a common white guard who prevented him, the chief, from gaining access to his “traditional territory”. He said that, for him, this illustrated the discrimination suffered by his people, not only from Hydro-Québec, but from all whites in Québec.
Despite the podcaster’s groveling towards the chief, Piétacho ended up turning on them too, dismissing them as vulgar whites who themselves are part of the problem. It does not matter that Hydro-Québec pays millions of dollars each year to the Cree Nation as compensation for the use of their so-called ancestral lands. It does not matter if these two podcasters were more than ready to take the chief’s side. The chief saw himself as a victim of the course of history. No matter what the podcasters could have said, they are both still despised as “whites”. During the podcast, the chief even told them that he would not have talked to them at all, had he known they had also previously spoken to Hydro-Québec during their investigation. He wanted them to have only his version of the story. He then said:
“We know what whites are doing to us. We know our people, it is a great discrimination in Quebec against the First Nations, and we know it. We live here; we feel it, just by the way they look at us. It's deep.” (17:30)
Why do Native Americans think
they can have carte blanche to go anywhere at anytime? Do they only need to
evoke colonialism and say that all whites are bad to get what they want?
I stand by my words above: the French empire did not oppress the Amerindians. The Amerindian peoples freely made an alliance with the King of France to resist Iroquois imperialism, which threatened the entire northeast of the continent. Unfortunately, the Amerindian population has decreased by 90% because of “microbial shock” of European diseases to which Amerindians were not immune.
What about that small pox blanket story? According to this Radio-Canada text, the directive seems to have come from the General Amherst (English), following the conquest of 1759, rather than from the French Empire. One unfortunate thing on the part of the French was the trading of alcohol during the fur trade, which regrettably spread alcoholism among Amerindians (even though the bishops of Quebec City condemned the eau-de-vie trade).
What about the 80 or so residential schools in Canada? Of that number, 11 were in Quebec and only three were Catholic (meaning French-Canadian institutions). The subject is too big to adequately deal with here, but it is worth noting that testimonies vary greatly about what happened in the French Canadian residential schools, depending on if the source was anglophone or francophone.
As for the vitality of Amerindian nations today, Québec is, not surprisingly, the place where Amerindian languages are doing the best in Canada. Just north of Trois-Rivières, we find this excellent example recently given by TVA.
In conclusion, Amerindians tend to attack the Québec nation by reducing it to a “white nation”. Not only is this ostracizing people because of the color of their skin, but it is also neglecting the fact that the Québec nation is today is composed of the descendants from all continents. Why don’t Amerindians recognize the contribution of these neo-Quebecers – who are involved in the political and economic decisions of contemporary Quebec – instead of just reducing Québec as a “white nation”?
Moreover, the fact that Quebecers are majority white does not make them guilty of the injustices committed historically by the British Empire and we are not to be blamed for crimes committed in the name of Her Majesty the Queen of England.
However, we have unfortunately forgotten much of our history.
