Eastern Door Volume 4 Number 29

Volume 4 Number 29

August 25, 1995

Zachary Appointed Tribal Court Judge
By: Alex Rice

Christine Katsitsenhawitha Zachary Deom of Kahnawake has been appointed a Tribal Court Judge by the St. Regis Tribal Council.

The position of Tribal Court Judge was created as a result of the recent July 1, 1995, ratification of Tribal Constitution by the Mohawks of St. Regis. Under this new Constitution the structure of the tribal government has been modified to include a Judicial branch as well as Executive and Legislative branches.

A Tribal Court Judge is an elected official according to the Tribal Constitution and Deom, who is the first judge so far appointed, will serve temporarily until July 1996, when the next election will be held. Deom;s mandate as Tribal Court Judge will be to design, implement and consequently operate the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Court. The new justice system will also consist of one Chief Executive judge and two associate judges all of whom are undetermined at this time.

Prior to this appointment Deom has been employed as a Lawyer in her own private practice, located on Cornwall Island in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, since 1993. She provides legal serviced for clients most of whom are Native, in matters dealing with Indian Estates, Criminal matters, Civil Litigation, Family Law and Excise Act charges. Deom will maintain her legal practice while serving as Tribal Court Judge.

Deom who was the only woman among the many very qualified applicants said that he selection was made after a long process of interviews and that she is honored to have been selected. Concerning the new Justice System which she will be implementing Deom said, "I expect it to turn out to be an excellent system."

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Bomb Scare a Dud
By: Alex Rice

Late Thursday afternoon, August 24, a mysterious briefcase was left sitting in the parking lot of the Mohawk Council Office. The briefcase was first noticed at about 4:30 p.m. by counselor Mike Sky, who then alerted Leroy Lazare, the Mohawk Council Office janitor who was working alone in the building at the time. Lazare called the Peacekeepers who responded immediately by blocking all access roads to the Council Office parking lot and keeping onlookers at bay.

Officer Steven Stacey who was on the scene attempted to approach the briefcase when with 3 feet he hear what he described as a "beeping sound." This prompted the PKs to assume a potential bomb scare.

Bud Morris of the Mohawk Council Office reported to the scene and proceeded to contact Mr. William Paquin, a management consultant for the Mohawk Council who had been working in the office that day and may have forgotten the briefcase while loading his van when he left. Paquin was described as having his hands full, carrying a great deal of material such as flip charts and files upon leaving for the day.

Paquin returned to the parking lot immediately after being contacted where he identified and claimed the briefcase. When the bas was opened it did not contain a bomb, just some tapes and Paquin's wallet. Paquin said of driving off without the briefcase, "I was carrying so many things at once, my mind was somewhere else at the time."

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Two Dead in Maniwaki
By: Kenneth Deer

Two people were found murdered yesterday morning on the Maniwaki reserve 90 miles east of Ottawa.

Marina Jerome and Samual Decoursay were found bludgeoned to death with an axe. The two were in their late fifties. They were both Algonquins originally from the Barrier Lake Reserve which is about sixty miles northwest of Maniwaki.

Arrested for the crime is Karl Jacobs, 48, an Onondaga from Onondaga New York. He is being charged with two counts of first degree murder. Kitigan Zibi Police Chief Gordon McGregor stated the motive may be a love triangle involving the victims and the accused.

The case is being investigated jointly with the Kitigan Zibi Police Force and the Surete du Quebec.

Police Chief McGregor commented on the large amount to press coverage that this incident has brought to his community and emphasized that the deaths were a tragic occurrence and should not be considered an indication of the social conditions of the community.

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Editorial

When did we become 'disinherited'?
By: Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

The Minster of Indian Affairs, Mr. Ron Irwin, misses the point when he says that his government recognizes the inherent rights of Canada's Aboriginal People, but does not recognize our sovereignty. We were sovereign before European contact and we never gave up that sovereignty. When did we become disinherited?

Irwin's assertion that the Canadian Charter of Rights must apply to all Aboriginal governments is a continuation of British imperial policy. Imperialism is described as the extension by one country of its authority over other lands by political, military or economic means. Imperialism is also described as imposing a 'superior' foreign system or values on another People who posses an 'inferior' system.

Canada's Charter of Rights may be a necessary instrument for Canadians to keep government and society on a course of equality and justice. Certainly, as victims of Canada's injustice and inequality, Aboriginal Peoples can understand that Canada needs such a document. However, to impose this Charter on other Nations is equally unjust and unfair. Canada may strut around claiming that its Charter is one of the best in the world and it may be true, but to force the Charter upon another People and demand that self-government must be subject to it, is highly immoral if not against the very philosophy behind a Charter of Rights.

Another remark Mr. Irwin made describes why Aboriginal sovereignty is unacceptable to Canadians. He says that having 650 independent states in Canada would cause chaos. This is the new "Big Scare' tactic. In the 60's and 70's the 'Big Scare' was the possibility of Soviet missiles being stationed on sovereign Native land. People were what might have happened if Native Peoples where allowed self-determination.

Today, the 'Big Scare' is 650 little Monte Carlos with their own monetary systems, casinos, justice systems, policing, international agreements and so on. This scenario is what Canada uses to try to discredit the right to self-determination which is implied in the inherent right clause of the Canadian Constitution. The concept of 'one band, on Nation' which was created by the Indian Act still permeates the thinking in the government.

A relationship illustrated by the Two-Row Wampum is possible if Canada could only accept that we are rational people not trying to destroy Canada but willing to co-exist with Canada. Our right to self-determination means that we will decide what kind of relationship we can develop with our neighbours. It does not necessarily mean that we will have our own monetary system as Irwin flippantly mentioned. It may not be in our best interest to print our own money but we will make that decision. This can be an area of give and take in any international relationship. The survival of the Mohawk People is based on how harmonious our relationship with Canada and the United States will be. We can be very practical or very obstinate. Our reaction will depend on Canada; right now Canada is being obstinate.

There is still one more card to be played in the policy game. What will the Royal Commission on Indigenous Peoples present next year? We can only hope that it will be much more supportive of true self-determination for Indigenous Peoples.

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