Report Back From The Caledonia Standoff

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i have received permission to post this report from a comrade who visited the occupation/reclamation in Caledonia recently. Notes in square parentheses [like this] are mine, and bits i snipped out of her report are marked like this: […]

the [Henco] construction site is huge (nine acres i think they said) and is completely clearcut of any growth, just a large, flat and very clayish mucky area. the main blockade site is at the entrance on hwy 6, and there are several other sites set up also blocking entry. the reclamation is very well organized, coordinated, and they just finished building a cookhouse and are working on a meeting house next.

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all the food is cooked on a barbeque at the moment, so ongoing donations of propane are needed if others are heading out there. they used to have a generator, but it was only a loan and they had to give it back last week. if anybody has any connections for getting their hands on a generator, this would be incredibly useful.

the construction site is part of the six nations haldimand tract. what this looks like on the ground is an area of land that actually touches and encroaches upon the six nations "reservation". what has happened with development in the past is that there's the six nations reservation, and then a kind of buffer zone of land that has existed between the rez and the rest of development - housing, industrial and otherwise - that was left alone because of the legal uncertainty re: land ownership. so this is the first breach of buffer zone area and if these kinds of developements were allowed to happen as the ontario government is planning, even the six nations reservation (which is not large enough, and does not in any way come close to the parameters of their traditional/needed territories) would be completely surrounded and choked off from growth.

the development is one of those ugly plop-down whole suburban subdivisions with tightly knit home after home. since all the existing suburbs of toronto have all reached capacity, basically, the ontario government's plan is to "encourage" settlement of this region now. it is a one hour drive from "caledonia" to toronto, so it'd be perfect for those yuppies who don't mind an hour commute.

this is why is it is so important to stop this development. it is just the beginning of a new suburban boom in the region - all to take place on six nations land. the solidarity pouring in from other indigenous nations is as widespread as the venezuelan army and the zapatistas to coast-to-coast occupied kanada.  at the side of the highway, there is a sign encouraging people to honk if they support the struggle, and even though there is the occasional ignorant "go home" or other such idiotic comment, the majority of people passing by honk, wave or yell out their support. on saturday, there was a rally in the afternoon with supporters from local 1005 of the united steelworkers union of america who marched up to the site with their flags. also present were some students from kingston, local quakers, palestinians from toronto (don't know which org though, didn't meet them myself) and the communist party of canada.

the folks at the blockade are mostly from six nations and other kaneinke:ha'ka territories. […] whenever there is a threat - like the day the opp were threatening to move in, or when the anti-native rally happened - several hundred people from six nations show  up immediately. there is a lot of work in keeping the reclamation going, both on site - cooking, cleaning the site daily of litter, doing dishes, gathering and chopping wood, construction, picking up necessities from town, etc and off-site - fundraising, soliciting donations, awareness raising, and pressuring the government, etc.

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i will post a full list of what is needed for the site, but off the top of my head what i remember are things like: a generator, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, food, tools, building materials (wood), propane for the bbq, other cooking gear (not pots and pans, they have those) like hotplates, etc., lots of water, warm socks, working gloves and warm gloves, tarps, phone cards with minutes, communication radios, etc.

if anyone plans on going, they want people to arrive in the morning or early afternoon. do not come in at night. there are rules posted all around the site. the fire is a sacred fire so do not throw anything into it and don't add firewood to it. there's no drugs or alcohol allowed on site and they don't want people wandering around the construction site but just staying in the main blockade area on highway 6. there are two porta-potties on site but it's still good to bring toilet paper to replentish supplies. and bring your own food (to contribute to the shared camp meals).

it is very windy and this is a big risk for sunburn if your skin is so inclined... me and ------ burnt our faces off so bring sunscreen!

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and i think that's about it for now....

solid,
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Categories: canada, first-nations, mohawk-nation, protest