August 6, 2010
By The Canadian Press
OKA, Que. - A brief showdown near the site of the 1990 Oka crisis momentarily rekindled memories Friday of that historic standoff between local Mohawks and real-estate developers.
Friday's spat was caused by a land dispute similar to the one that triggered the 78-day conflict, which ranks as a particularly dark chapter in Canada's history with its aboriginal peoples.
Both cases involve a development company seeking to make commercial use of land Mohawks claim as their own.
On Friday, when developers from the Norfolk company arrived they were blocked by a hostile crowd. People shouted at them to leave — and at least one veiled threat was overheard.
Company employees finally left, but they promised to return. They hope to build a real-estate project on the site, near Montreal.
The grounds are located across the road from the contested land that prompted the 1990 standoff during which a provincial police officer was killed.
The Mohawk grand chief notes one big difference, so far, between the current dispute and the one 20 years ago.
"Right now I think everybody has remained somewhat calm," said chief Sohenrise Paul Nicholas.
"I know things were maybe a little bit tense but the good thing nobody was hurt. I think that's the major point — that nobody was hurt and no violence was done."
He said people simply made a statement that they won't allow the company to develop that property.