DESERONTO — An aboriginal campaign to erect posters at the site of a land claim in eastern
Tyendinaga Mohawk residents posting signs on the contested land used several vans to block Hwy. 2 near Deseronto for nearly half an hour after five army vehicles approached.
"It was not a planned blockade, it was just posting of the land to let people know that it is Mohawk land," said aboriginal spokeswoman Jan Hill.
"Coincidentally, the army drove through Deseronto today," she said.
The 15-soldier convoy was travelling from CFB Borden near
"The sergeant had to call the OPP to help them, escort them through that particular part of Hwy. 2," said
"It's a planned route . . . they've been through there before and they've never had any previous incidents."
The appearance today of army vehicles during the postering campaign sparked a heated confrontation in which one Mohawk community member was "bumped" by a truck, said Hill.
"They were stopped and asked why they were there, what they were doing in the area," said Hill, who witnessed the dispute.
"They were detained for a while . . . maybe half and hour, then they were allowed to go through."
When the trucks began pulling away one man was bumped, said Hill.
"Tempers flared a bit, but nobody was hurt and the truck was allowed to continue passing through."
The eastern
The land claim is currently before the federal government, and Tyendinaga Territory Chief Don Maracle met last week with federal government officials to discuss the issue.
The claim is similar to one in