Subj: Mohawks Fire on Military Aircraft over Kanesatake
GE Electronic Mail
Jan 22, 1994
Montreal, Canada
MOHAWKS FIRE ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT OVER KANESATAKE
The Montreal Gazette reported in an article by Aaron Derfel yesterday that a
group of Mohawks fired at military aircraft flying low over Kanesatake,
which was the site of a violent confrontation between the Mohawks and the
Canadian army in 1990. An army spokesman, capt. Rita Lepage said that the
low-flying Hercules transport and a Labrador helicopter flew over Kanesatake
in search of a signal from an emergency locator beacon from what was thought
to be a downed aircraft. While the planes were over the community, a group
of Mohawks fired at them, reported Kanesatake band councillor Robert Gabriel.
When the helicopter landed in a field, Gabriel told the captain to leave in
order to avoid an armed confrontation. The pilot told Gabriel that they were
part of a search and rescue mission, but no one had informed the community
that the aircraft would be flying low over the community or what their
purpose was.
Gabriel said he didn't know who had fired at the aircraft, but he
condemned their actions. He said, "In Mohawk society, we would never approve
of such actions." Angela gabriel, a teacher at the local school, said many
people were frightened by the low-flying aircraft, and many parents called
the school reporting the gunfire and requested that their children be kept
inside during the noon hour.
According to the Armed Forces, they received a distress signal from an
emergency locator beacon near Oka, Quebec. They dispatched a Hercules to
locate the beacon, but the signal could not be pinpointed. They sent the
helicopter about an hour later. They pinpointed the source of the beacon on
the ground but saw no crash site, so the helicopter landed to investigate
further. Jerry Peltier , the Grand Chief of Kanesatake, said he didn't
accept the Defence department's explanation. He said the community was so
small that they would know immediately if a plane head crash-landed. But no
one had seen evidence of a downed aircraft. Peltier said he's often told
Defence and police officials not to show up unexpectedly, or they may expect
trouble. "Kanesatake is a very sensitive society. We can't control everybody
in our territory." he concluded.
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Please include this post script to my article about Kahnesatake.
Chief Jerry Peltier met with Canadian Armed Forces officials today to
discuss the incident which occurred recently. They have agreed verbally that
any flights over the territory will first be cleared with the band council.
The Armed forces said that the case is closed. Neither the Armed Forces nor
the Government could explain what the planes were doing there in the first
place.