The Canadian has probably committed “a mistake” by recognizing the Mohawks of rights on the territory of Montreal in a statement released for the first time last Saturday at the Bell Center, observes the Minister responsible for Native Affairs, Ian Lafrenière.
This decision by the Montreal hockey club sparked controversy over the real rights held by this Indigenous community.
During a brief press briefing in a corridor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mr. Lafrenière stressed that opinions diverge on this subject, in particular because artefacts from several indigenous communities have been found in Montreal. “We are embarking on a debate of historians who do not get along,” he said before going to the Council of Ministers. So maybe it was a mistake. “
Mr. Lafrenière leaves it up to the hockey club to decide whether or not to modify this message, which must now precede each of the games played in Montreal. “It’s important to recognize that the First Nations were here before us, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. […] for Montreal, we don’t agree on the historical level who was there first, that’s where it gets complicated. “
This situation where it is difficult to decide is not unique to Montreal, underlined the Minister. “The majority of places in Quebec are claimed by more than a community, so here’s why it’s complicated when you want to make a claim like this,” he said. […] In the debate with the Canadian, who decided to take a position that is more historic with Montreal, it leads to this kind of debate where people do not get along. “
Territorial recognition
In a statement released on Saturday, the Montreal hockey club announced that “starting with the home opener on October 16, the Montreal Canadiens will present a message of territorial recognition before each home game, in honor of the past, present and future contributions of indigenous peoples ”.
This initiative was part of a broader strategy aimed at recognizing Indigenous communities and provided for a declaration on the territory of Montreal.
“The Montreal Canadiens wish to recognize the Kanien’keha: ka, also known as the Mohawk Nation, for their hospitality in the traditional and unceded territory where we are gathered today,” it is planned to repeat before each game.
Paul Wilson, senior vice president of public affairs at Groupe CH, explained on Wednesday that corrections could be made to this wording. “We are examining the statement with experts to see if there is a need to clarify certain things in the statement,” he said in an interview. We work with experts in the field. “
It was not possible to know exactly what sources Groupe CH, owner of the Montreal team, relied on for its initial statement. Mr. Wilson stated that Groupe CH has contacts with various aboriginal communities as well as with the Val-d’Or Native Friendship Center.
“People are trying to find out who we consulted,” he said. We have consulted and we continue to consult experts in the field. “
Presence in Montreal
Two historians have claimed in To have to that the Canadian is mistaken in asserting that the Mohawks occupied the territory of Montreal before the beginning of French colonization in the 17th centurye century.
“There is a mistake, but it is a common mistake,” said Denys Delage, professor emeritus at Laval University and specialist in Aboriginal history. Montreal is unceded territory. He did not belong to the Mohawks, who lived in the State of New York, but to the Algonquins. “We often start rituals and openings by reminding us that we are on unceded Mohawk territory, which is not true,” said Mr. Delage.
Alain Beaulieu, professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, explains that there were no Mohawks in Montreal when the French colonists settled in 1642. “The declaration of the Canadian contains an important historical error” , argues this specialist in Aboriginal history. Mohawks and other nations of the Iroquois League gradually arrived in the region from 1667. “Fairly quickly, there will be a Mohawk majority that will settle,” said Mr. Beaulieu.
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake did not respond to our interview requests.