OKA - The majestic pine trees are much taller, the road has been reshaped by the freezing and thawing of 20 winters, and several modern-looking homes have sprung up along the sides of Route 344 -but the scene that played out in the middle of that now-infamous stretch of roadway yesterday was eerily familiar.

More than 100 Mohawks from the small community of Kanesatake -some in full camouflage, others with bandanas covering their faces -gathered on the highway near the site known as the Pines to stop a developer from approaching land they claim is rightfully theirs.

Men, women and children stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting and keeping a wary eye on the police cars parked on the road's gravel shoulder.

The tension peaked as Normand Ducharme of Norfolk Financial stepped out of his vehicle to survey the nearby property where he wishes to build luxury homes. Threats were exchanged and tempers flared, but in the end Ducharme relented. Accompanied by a Surete du Quebec escort, he left without stepping foot on the land.

It has been two decades since that same section of highway was transformed into a veritable war zone for 78 days as the Mohawks protested a plan to expand a municipal golf course onto their territory. Yesterday's confrontation was brief and peaceful by comparison, but Mohawk leaders said the anger and frustration that bubbled so quickly to the surface was a sign that some old wounds have never healed.

"This is a situation that pushes people's buttons emotionally," said Kanesatake Grand Chief Sohenrise Paul Nicholas. "We're 20 years after the (Oka) crisis, and people still have issues with policing and land in the area. (Ducharme) coming in is just a tactic to increase the value of that land. It was just a big publicity stunt."

At one point, Nicholas approached Ducharme as he stood near his vehicle, advising him to leave the area. Once Ducharme did, the crowd broke up almost immediately, but shouts of "He should be charged!" and "This is our land!" could still be heard as the protesters vanished back into the trees. Nicholas accused Ducharme of intentionally provoking his community, and the band council is considering pressing charges against the developer for "inciting a riot."

Sonya Gagnier, a Kanesatake band council member, said she supports that idea wholeheartedly.

"Our community has been through so much," Gagnier told The Gazette. "If it was any one of us going out there on other land and doing what he did today, you can bet there would be charges. Thank God cooler heads prevailed."

Asked why so many Mohawks, from preteens to elders, had turned up at the site starting at 6 a.m. yesterday, she said: "Our grandparents teach us that from the moment you're born and you take your first breath, you must fight as a Mohawk and you will fight until your last breath. It's about fighting for your rights, keeping hold of who you are."

Another lifelong member of the community, who spoke on condition that his name not be used, said the news of Ducharme's visit spread quickly through Kanesatake on Thursday and that he had trouble sleeping because he was worried about what could happen.

Still, he added, he didn't think the developer was ever in real danger.

"No one really wanted to hurt him. He just wanted a show ... and he got it," said the man, gazing into the thick forest. "I'm sure he'll cry a bit about it ... but why did he want this land anyway? ... He won't be back."

Speaking to the media after the crowd had dissipated, Nicholas said he was confident that the long-simmering dispute over the 130,000-square-foot property would soon be resolved.

"Norfolk lands will be expropriated and returned to the Mohawks of Kanesatake. What (Norfolk is) trying to do is add more money to the pot at our expense."

Pressed to explain how the land would be returned, Nicholas said "expropriated" might be too strong a word.

"There's a plan right now to revert the land back to the Mohawks," he clarified.

"It involves the Mohawk council, the municipality and the provincial government. There is a freeze on that property, but we'll be getting our land back soon enough."

Oka's mayor, Richard Lalonde, was unavailable for comment on the status of the land yesterday.