“The Ongoing Land Struggle of Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawks) of Kanehsatà:ke”
Public talk
by Kanien’kehá:ka human rights and environmental rights activist
ELLEN GABRIEL
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
1pm - 2:20pm
The University Club, George Teves Room (168 Stuart St, Kingston, ON K7L 2V8)
ALL WELCOME
In their August 2019 press release, nearly three decades after the 1990 “Oka” Crisis or occupation of Kanehsatà:ke, “the Rotinonhseshá:ka - People of the Longhouse, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawks) of Kanehsatà:ke, Keepers of the Eastern Door of the Iroquois Confederacy” called upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “to demand that Canada act for the cessation of further fraudulent sales of our Kanien’kehá:ka Homelands”. In her lecture, Ellen Gabriel will discuss the ongoing struggle of her people to protect their land against further encroachment. Drawing on her long-standing advocacy work for the revitalization of Indigenous languages, culture, traditional knowledge, gender equity, and Indigenous governing structures, Ms. Gabriel will situate the struggle in relation to the Kaianera’kó:wa – the Great Law of Peace and connect it to various issues, whether they concern Kanehsatà:ke directly or Indigenous peoples and settler colonialism more largely. She will engage with the audience to further reflect on the role of women, the impact of arts, and the commitment for language revitalization in mobilizations for First Peoples Human Rights.
Speaker’s bio:
Kanien’keha:ka human rights and environmental rights activist and artist of the Turtle Clan from Kanehsatà:ke Kanien’keha:ka Territory, Ellen Gabriel became well-known to the public when she was chosen by the People of the Longhouse and her community of Kanehsatà:ke to be their spokesperson during the 1990 “Oka” Crisis. Since 1990, she has been a human rights advocate for the collective and individual rights ofIndigenous peoples, and she has worked diligently to sensitize the public, academics, policing authorities and politicians on the history, culture and identity of Indigenous Peoples. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University and she has received numerous awards and distinctions for her advocacy work. She currently works at the Kanehsatà:ke Tsi Ionkwarihote ne Kanien'kehá:ka-Language and Cultural Center.
This talk takes place as part of the courses
LLCU 270: Contemporary Event and Indigenous Cultural Politics & LLCU 302: Unsettling: Indigenous Peoples & Settler Colonialism.
It is co-hosted by the Department of Gender Studies, with the help of Samantha King.
With support from the Indigenous Initiatives Visitorship Fund,
the Queen’s Research Leaders Fund,
the LLCU’s Elizabeth McKenzie Shemilt Fund,
and the Department of French Studies.
Public talk
by Kanien’kehá:ka human rights and environmental rights activist
ELLEN GABRIEL
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
1pm - 2:20pm
The University Club, George Teves Room (168 Stuart St, Kingston, ON K7L 2V8)
ALL WELCOME
In their August 2019 press release, nearly three decades after the 1990 “Oka” Crisis or occupation of Kanehsatà:ke, “the Rotinonhseshá:ka - People of the Longhouse, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawks) of Kanehsatà:ke, Keepers of the Eastern Door of the Iroquois Confederacy” called upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “to demand that Canada act for the cessation of further fraudulent sales of our Kanien’kehá:ka Homelands”. In her lecture, Ellen Gabriel will discuss the ongoing struggle of her people to protect their land against further encroachment. Drawing on her long-standing advocacy work for the revitalization of Indigenous languages, culture, traditional knowledge, gender equity, and Indigenous governing structures, Ms. Gabriel will situate the struggle in relation to the Kaianera’kó:wa – the Great Law of Peace and connect it to various issues, whether they concern Kanehsatà:ke directly or Indigenous peoples and settler colonialism more largely. She will engage with the audience to further reflect on the role of women, the impact of arts, and the commitment for language revitalization in mobilizations for First Peoples Human Rights.
Speaker’s bio:
Kanien’keha:ka human rights and environmental rights activist and artist of the Turtle Clan from Kanehsatà:ke Kanien’keha:ka Territory, Ellen Gabriel became well-known to the public when she was chosen by the People of the Longhouse and her community of Kanehsatà:ke to be their spokesperson during the 1990 “Oka” Crisis. Since 1990, she has been a human rights advocate for the collective and individual rights ofIndigenous peoples, and she has worked diligently to sensitize the public, academics, policing authorities and politicians on the history, culture and identity of Indigenous Peoples. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University and she has received numerous awards and distinctions for her advocacy work. She currently works at the Kanehsatà:ke Tsi Ionkwarihote ne Kanien'kehá:ka-Language and Cultural Center.
This talk takes place as part of the courses
LLCU 270: Contemporary Event and Indigenous Cultural Politics & LLCU 302: Unsettling: Indigenous Peoples & Settler Colonialism.
It is co-hosted by the Department of Gender Studies, with the help of Samantha King.
With support from the Indigenous Initiatives Visitorship Fund,
the Queen’s Research Leaders Fund,
the LLCU’s Elizabeth McKenzie Shemilt Fund,
and the Department of French Studies.