Eastern Door Volume 7 Number 8

Volume 7 Number 8

March 20, 1998

Protest critical of Project O/K
By: Kenneth Deer

Carrying a symbolic coffin and signs that read "No free trade with murderous states" and "Help the people don't kill them", demonstrators marched to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake to protest the Oaxaca/Kahnawake trade agreement and condemn the Mexican government.

About 100 protesters walked from the Knights of Columbus parking lot east on the Old Malone Highway, down to the River Road and turned up at the Catholic Church to the MCK offices. Along the route, the Big Stone drum group from Ottawa sang songs from the back of a pick-up truck.

Once at the MCK speeches were made denouncing the impending deal with the Indigenous Peoples of Oaxaca and the government of Mexico. Selma Delisle, one of the speakers said that Kahnawake should not be dealing with the murderous government of Mexico. If they have blood on their hands than we will have blood on our hands too.

Other speakers from Kahnawake were John Stacey Jr., Audrey Kahenthinetha Horn and Stuart Myiow Jr. Each expressed support for the Indigenous People of Mexico. Myiow said that he is not against trade with the Indigenous People in Oxaca but is against the policies such as the North American Free Trade Agreement that takes away land from Indigenous Peoples.

There were other speakers from Mexico who said that the Human Rights situation in Mexico is bad in every state and not just in Chiapas. They report that the Mexican government is supporting the paramilitary groups like the one who carried out the massacre in Acteal. They were happy to see the solidarity shown in Kahnawake with the Indigenous People of Mexico.

Another speaker expressed support for the Chilean refugees on a hunger strike in a church basement in Montreal to protest their deportation back to Chile. There are 19 people who have not eaten for 27 days and they would rather starve to death then return to Chile where they are oppressed.

The majority of the demonstrators were from outside Kahnawake mostly from Indigenous support groups.

After the speeches were over, Grand Chief Joe Norton emerged from the MCK offices and read a prepared statement. As the media and crowd pressed around him to hear what he had to say, he said that they MCK and the representatives of the Indian Nations of Oaxaca are not signing the Oaxaca/Kahnawake Trade agreement until a complete investigation is conducted and completed regarding the situation in Chiapas, Mexico.

The MCK wanted to make it perfectly clear that they have demanded and will continue to demand that the prosecution of those guilty of the Acteal massacre be swift and justice to prevail. The MCK is in support of any peaceful protest by this community that brings awareness to the plight and conditions of our brothers and sisters in North and South America.

The statement went on to say that the trade agreement with the people of Oaxaca is driven and supported by the crafts and business people of Oaxaca.

In response to the protest petition, the MCK states that it is the only political body that represents the community of Kahnawake at this time and is committed to aiding the people of Kahnawake in their economic goals and political objectives.

The protest was touted as being a peaceful and respectful demonstration and it was until after Norton's statement. In the ensuing media scrum, Norton could not be heard answering questions and shouts and accusations began coming from the crowd.

John Goodleaf, one of the organizers of the protest, felt the whole demonstration went well. All the guests from outside Kahnawake were invited to the Four Corners Restaurant for corn soup and fry bread.

"I think we demonstrated our human rights concerns in Mexico and the trade agreement. I think more will come from the event in the future. I hope the MCK listened," said Goodleaf.

"The MCK should be using the Indigenous support groups in Montreal who know who is who in Mexico as consultants to help them," said Goodleaf. "The people in Mexico need economic help, I just don't think we have to go through the Mexican government."

"I thought the protest went well. I was disappointed that there were more people from outside Kahnawake than from inside," said Davis Rice of the MCK. "I hope that the people understand that we care just as much as anyone else about the Indigenous people in Mexico."

"I can assure everybody that if it can be proven that we are being used or undermined by the Mexican government we will withdraw from the project," added Rice. "If we feel comfortable with the people we are dealing with, we will go forward."

RETURN

Freestyle Fighting to come to Sports Complex
Extreme Fighting is coming back in a different form
By: Kenneth Deer

Two years after Extreme Fighting put Kahnawake on the martial arts map, Freestyle Fighting will have its first show in Kahnawake sometime in May.

Michael Thomas, President of International Fighting Championships (IFC), said that all the contracts are in place and that permission has been granted by the Kahnawake Athletic Commission to hold this event.

Freestyle Fighting has more rules than the other events like Extreme Fighting, Extreme Combat or Ultimate Fighting. The Extreme and Ultimate series of fights have described themselves as no-holds-barred - two men enter the ring, but only one leaves - event that has given this kind of fight a bad reputation.

The recent death of a fighter in an Ultimate Fighting match in Kiev in the Ukraine has launched more criticism against these kinds of fights which are barred almost everywhere in North America. But Thomas said that this unfortunate death could not happen in Freestyle Fighting.

"Freestyle has more rules to prevent serious injury than Ultimate Fighting," said Thomas.

For instance, Thomas said that gloves that cover the knuckles and the first joint on the hand are mandatory; not small joint manipulation such as the toes and fingers; no raking the eyes or eye gouging; no pulling on the mouth or ears; no scratching; no point hits with the elbow; no direct strikes to the throat or groin.

The fight will also have a referee in the ring and a doctor at ringside.

Freestyle Fighting is legal in many states in the U.S. For instance, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Dakota, New York and Georgia have regulations allowing this type of fighting.

"We, the International Fighting Championships, are the ones that got these states to accept Freestyle Fighting. We are getting more respect than the no-holds-barred type of rights," said Thomas.

Thomas hopes that this event will draw as many people as Extreme Fighting. The event could bring in thousands of dollars into the local economy. Up to 50 temporary jobs will be created and the Sports Complex could make substantial money from the concessions.

The fighters will be coming from New York, Minnesota, Russia, Florida, Las Vegas and possibly Ecuador.

There will be two weight classes: Lightweight which is 165 lbs. or less and middleweight, 195 lbs. Or less. There will be a women's lightweight category as well.

The finale will feature one Superfight by two fighters whose names are not being released at this time.

As an added attraction, the ring girls will be from a modeling agency in Montreal.

The Extreme Fighting event had considerable political pressure to stop. The Quebec government stopped the satellite transmission and another satellite truck had to be brought in. Later, the Peacekeepers arrested the fighters at their hotel in Montreal. What will happen this time?

Thomas thinks that there will be little interference. The MCK support of the event through the Kahnawake Sports Commission and the Quebec government cannot stop the satellite transmission because there will be none. The fight will be videotaped for later release.

The video of the Extreme Fighting event in Kahnawake has been the hottest martial arts video in Canada.

International Fighting Championships is a majority Native owned fight promotion company. Its headquarters are in Kahnawake and its operations office is in Atlanta, Georgia, Michael Thomas is the President.

Thomas added that all their fighters are screened and are legitimate martial arts fighters. They must be checked out by a doctor and pass a physical examination. If they have been knocked out in the previous 90 days, they cannot enter a fight.

The objective in the fight is to subdue their opponent, not kill them. Once a fighter has dominated his opponent, the referee stops the fight. The doctor can stop the fight at any time and so could the fighter's corner.

RETURN

Editorial

But what about our constitution?
This editorial ran in The Eastern Door on September 11, 1992. Its message is still relevant considering recent developments in other communities in the Confederacy.
By: Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

If we had a perfect Confederacy we would have:

Individuals who know their duties and responsibilities and act accordingly
strong extended families, taking care of one another. From our grand parents down to the youngest child, there would be a place for them, teaching, nurturing, learning.
each Clan, organizing the people to deal with issues, settle disputes, select the Clanmothers and Chiefs, make decisions by consensus and enforce discipline.
Each community, united by the Clans, with Councils, responsible to the people, dealing with issues that affect the entire community and directing the administration of services to benefit all the people
all seven Mohawk communities being represented on the Mohawk Nation Council made up of nine Condoled Chiefs, dealing in issues of national importance that affect all Mohawks.
a Grand Council made up of all fifty Chiefs of all the Nations in the Confederacy meeting to discuss issues of interest to us all.
add to this, the role of the Pine Tree Chiefs to assist the Nations and the Confederacy in specific areas of expertise.

It is this structure that gave the Confederacy strength in the past. The structure continues to some extent today, and will grow in the future.

Is our Confederacy functioning?

Obviously there are problems preventing its intended functions caused by 500 years of contact and interference by the colonists. In no particular order some of the problems are:

the entrenchment of the elected system and the adversarial nature of its institution as opposed to consensus.
the question of our own spirituality and other religions and their place in traditional society.
The intolerance of followers of the Handsome Lake Code against those who do not and vice-versa.
The factionalism and personality conflicts of the traditional society today.
people who have lost their clans and are concerned about their place in the traditional system.

These problems are solvable, some more easily than others. And solved they must be. The proponents of Traditional Government are many and the arguments strong. Besides our own elders, there are lawyers, historians, anthropologists and others who admit that the Confederacy has the best argument for sovereignty. It is the Confederacy that made the agreements, treaties and alliances with the Europeans and this Confederacy must again maintain these relationships.

While Canada navel gazes over its constitution, we should be studying ours and applying it. Don't wait for any magic formula, special words, a savior or the return of the Peacemaker.

The answer is in each one of us. Each understanding their duties and responsibilities and carrying them out and applying them to the family, the Clan, the community and the Nation.

If the Peacemaker were here, what would he want us to do?

RETURN

Comics

RETURN