Danielle Wong
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 22, 2009)
A last-minute detour in the Olympic flame's passage through Six Nations yesterday appeased protesters, but left participants with mixed feelings.
The initial plan to have the 25 torchbearers run through the heart of the reserve had upset some Six Nations people.
They argued the torch represented Ottawa's mistreatment of natives and the environmental destruction caused by Olympic preparations near Vancouver.
Torchbearers and spectators learned yesterday morning the relay would instead be held at the Six Nations bingo hall at Highway 54 and Chiefswood Road, on the reserve's outskirts.
Protesters had positioned themselves to block the torch from coming on to Six Nations land on Highway 54, but backed off when they saw the Olympic caravan take a different route to the hall.
"All the demands were met in not bringing the caravan through (Six Nations) and that's why there was no big demonstration," said protester Skye Williams, 26.
Torchbearer Robert Henry said he would have liked to have carried the torch through Ohsweken, but the event was still positive.
"It's unfortunate we can't go that way, but I think this will still ... be part of history," said the 36-year-old.
The relay began shortly after 5 p.m. outside the bingo hall. More than 200 people gathered outside to watch smoke dances and the First Nations youth choir before cheering on the torchbearers.
Torchbearer Jason Johnson said last night's event was an opportunity to encourage young people and he was shocked when he got the call that he would be running.
"Big events like these don't often make their way this far," he said.
There was a different atmosphere earlier when a small group of protesters showed up at the Six Nations Community Centre on Fourth Line after a press conference.
They held signs saying "No Olympics on stolen native land" and "No torch means no trespassing."
There was no consensus among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to bring the Olympic torch to their land, said the demonstration's spokesperson Melissa Elliott, 19.
The change in venue was a "small victory" for those protesting the Olympics, she said.
But Lana Isaacs, who came out to support the torchbearers, said she would have liked to see the torch go through the reserve.
"We have elders at the Iroquoia lodge who could see (the relay) out the window," she said, adding there were others who could not get to the bingo hall.
"They're missing it and it is sad. And it is too bad."
Band council chief Bill Montour said they switched routes because the bingo hall was more "central" and the initial plan was "becoming a logistic nightmare."
"This event is not a political event.
"It's for this community."