Jeremy Ashley
March 23, 2007
Belleville intelligencer
Clad in camouflaged apparel and hauling camping gear, more than 125 members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte community seized control of a gravel quarry on a disputed tract of land located along the northeastern outskirts of this small town Thursday evening.
Shortly before 5 p.m., the winding access road leading to the Thurlow Aggregates gravel pit off of Deseronto Road was blocked off by Mohawk protesters in several vehicles, including three school buses and a number of all-terrain vehicles.
The move, said protesters and members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) band council - who called media to the site for a press conference shortly after 6 p.m. - is to reinforce an earlier request to have the quarry's operation stopped.
Flanked by members of his council, MBQ Chief R. Donald Maracle said the event was "to basically send a message to Canada that it is unacceptable to continue to develop land that is unsettled."
The demonstrators say they are reclaiming a small part of 925 acres known as the Culbertson Land Tract, a parcel of land which they claim was illegally taken from the MBQ in 1832.
While Maracle said the occupation wasn't formally supported by the MBQ band council, he took advantage of the publicity garnered to hold a press conference.
"The intervention that is occurring today is not officially sanctioned by the Mohawk council, but the Mohawk council certainly understands the frustration that young people have in achieving a resolution that's in the best interest of future generations.
"I'm here basically to point out that the government is not dealing fairly with our people and helping us settle these claims amicably." Shawn Brant, a well-known Mohawk activist, said the occupation of the quarry is expected to go on for quite some time.
"Let me put it to you this way - once we're dug in, it will take an air strike to get us out," the 42-year-old said.
"The quarry is something that strikes at the heart of the issue - it's very difficult to have negotiations at a time when they're taking out 10,000 truckloads of our land (per year). It's an affront to our process."
Establishing camps inside the quarry earlier in the evening, as many as 125 people acted as "a set up crew," Brant said.
"We are getting everything ready for our other community members to come out and show support."
Native communities throughout the province have "been put on notice" about the group's actions, and "all are waiting and it is our intention to draw up support as it's needed."