 There's been many wrongs done in the past And today we don't even trust a white man coming under this reservation. You cannot blame us for that We don't want to be a Canadian citizen We don't want to be American citizen They told us a long time ago that we were North American Indians and today we feel this way too We have been this way because we think that this reservation is ours And it does not belong to the white man That's the only part we still have left The people of Aquasasne, which the white man calls the St. Regis reservation Lived on this land long before the two countries decided to draw a line between themselves That line was not meant for Indians and our right to cross it with our belongings paying no duty was confirmed in a J Treaty of 1794 The Canadian government never got around to making this treaty into law and Now they say we must pay duty on our groceries as we carry them to our houses if we happen to cross their line Many of us have to pay a dollar to cross the bridge they built on our land and they even built a custom house there, too Without our consent We went to Ottawa and talked with officials and Got no answer So we took action ourselves Notice this is an Indian reserve Any person who trespasses on Indian reserve is guilty of an offense and is liable on a summary conviction to a fine non-exceeding $50 Or to an imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both fine and imprisonment That's what it says and that's what we're going to use their own medicine on December 18 1968 the usual heavy traffic between the two countries ground to a stop We decided to block the bridge I Put it on all the cars Give it to some of the other kids passing around But yeah, we can leave it up front Hey, let's find out we can get a Scotch tape too, huh? It was eight above with a cold wind Mike Mitchell had forgotten his gloves and no one had thought about bringing Scotch tape We are here some Scotch tape All right, here's a fresh road block Then the police arrived To be part of this immediate Indian reserve Therefore and therefore the people who are coming people here who are trespassers Well, I can't allow the road to be blocked. I understand. This is contrary to your law Well, you understand also that this is part of the reserve These are our lands we're just standing on it. We're having a meeting now and We're Indians on our own land and if anybody comes on causes trouble charge them with trespass Well, that's all right, but now I'm asking you's fellas to Get off the road You're blocking the road between two countries And you won't listen to all reason well, I listened to your reason, but what can I do? This is the lock You can't block the road the last states Now you're on Indian land under the section 31 in the Indian act specifically to a peace officer What about the code of her blocking the road? Well, I don't understand Until they can prove it different tell us we're not on Indian land then you can come in and arrest who you are Anybody interfering with us This is my story There's gotta be more bring them get everybody to bring their cars over here That's a nigga know what they're gonna. That's what the rest of the girl. I could go on the right in here I John boots remarked to Mike that the police weren't wearing their badges my number. Yeah, number 40 number 40 Oh When people asked Ernie Benedict who sent the police he told them the government sent them I suppose but they came from the city of Cornwall In Cornwall, they got no right here in the reservation Cornwall claims to have annexed our island though according to the law only the federal government has authority over the little land that we have left Oh What's the time Mike 920 935 who is your Cheryl? We're not gonna have no police brutality or anything. Well, there won't be any you don't have Wow It has been said that a number of white people from Cornwall turned out to join us But the only white people we saw except for policemen were reporters and photographers I People shouted in Mohawk don't get mad don't fight back I You guys can put on a show Burn You've made your point move your cards Now there are two things that were to be decided here That we own this land On which we stand the other Customs officers have been Enforcing laws which are in violation of an international treaty These are the two issues the country of Canada has The responsibility of keeping its good name Among other nations And not only with just the Indians So We are faced with a demonstration here in which We have shown that we can act peaceably The officers have asked us now to call off the demonstration We want to leave it to you to decide now Each of us is very excited and Even though we have not used Any forts that I could see Against the police Still there may be some anger in our in our minds now how Do you feel about this? Shall this continue longer It has to The point is the point is you cannot make a bargain You cannot make a bargain with the with the police you cannot make a bargain with the with the With the government you can't make a bargain at all with them We know we we're doing the right thing because this is Indian lands and these people here are trespassers We know that they know that and they they have no right to come here and to throw the Indians off their own land We have to stay here. We cannot leave. We've got to stay here till they take the last Indian Until there's no one other Indian left But we don't stare easily Canada is Now trying to break laws. They are not following the laws. They are lawless And you know that anybody who doesn't follow the laws is going to die by lawlessness There's going to be bloodshed in this country because I don't follow the laws Remember They're saying we're breaking the law we are not the breaking the law. We are not breaking the law We are doing what is right. The world is looking at our the whole world is looking at us right here and now Are we gonna give up? Fight until there's not one Indian left here Yeah, send out a call to our brothers and sisters all over North America to come and help us We've had your your meeting and you've made your point please move We're not moving I Cannot order anyone But I have not been delegated any authority over them anybody here with authority. I don't know the Player As far as as far as I can see among these people they are all free people and They each have Their own Conscious deal with they must act according to to their own Initiative their own They must judge for themselves what they will do. No, this is my own Of personal opinion, I have no authority over anyone. I cannot order anyone to do anything Well as far as I can see now the Indians have made their point I see no reason why you should Block this road any longer. I'm gonna ask you once more to move these Cars out of here these people who own these cars better remove them Otherwise we're gonna have to use force to do so The officer Tell tell us just to what extent we have made our point so far Oh, they are going to be in all the news medias. You've got recognition Yes, I don't you think mr. Benedict the point has been well made there now and Not going to get anything further here. I have told them that they have made their point I think what you should do now is go back to the negotiating table with the Whether there will be a negotiating table immediately. Well, I haven't heard anything. I don't know what your Superintendent has heard. I haven't heard a thing. I was talking to mr. White being this morning, but He wasn't too clear as to what was taking place The band council chief didn't know what was going on either They made their point why don't have to Clear the road up. I want to get home. I'm a sick man. That's all I just come out of the hospital. I want to get through and I want to get back in bed They won't listen to you They might jump on him. He's our chief. They won't they won't jump on I'll go there. Who who is the chief of police? Mr. Clark's there. He's here. He's here I want him to give me a permit to Sidearm and then I'll get off. Oh, you won't need them if you want to come we'll guarantee your safety I don't have a permit. I'll get up. I'll go over there. Will you talk to them? Yeah Well, you come with me then You give me a you'll you'll give me a permit to carry my arms. No, no I can't give you a permit to carry arms if you want to come over and talk to them. I'll take you over Get this damn thing out of here I'll get my damn car jack Jack right and I'll smash that thing on your face Okay, boy In Ottawa They say the band council chief is a nice old guy that doesn't make trouble They consider him our representative Many of us do not as most of us do not vote in elections for the band council It is our way of protesting against an elective system imposed on us by the Canadian government We had fine men on the band council who resigned because they felt it does not carry our wishes to Ottawa But brings Ottawa's wishes to us The chiefs in St. Regis are like puppets. Whatever Ottawa says pulls the strings and they do it And now Ottawa lesson So we had our grievances to the chiefs in St. Regis by the Indian Act We put a petition and They don't listen to us. They just toss it aside So we go to Ottawa Send some delegations to Ottawa While they say we have nothing to do you have to go back to the chiefs in St. Regis So we're pushed around So now That that has come to this and unless Ottawa agrees and helps us Our determination is we'll have to go on and keep blocking this road until Ottawa agrees That's the will of the people that's what they want They don't want to be hushed up anymore. They want to talk. They want to have their own Ways their own laws in which to get by. They don't want to be hushed up by the chiefs Or by Ottawa. They have to make an expression We we contacted the prime minister of Canada We told him that we want an audience with him. We were a delegation from the people of St. Regis We wanted an audience to discuss Problems of excise tax on Carnival Island. He refused to see us So our argument is with the prime minister He refuses to recognize us. You wouldn't expect to go right up there and then see him without Well, unless unless he's a busy man So are we working for the people so we have waited all these years 101 years You made your point you got nothing further to gain here today by leaving your cars where they are Move them open up the bridge. Oh, yes, we are making our point in Ottawa this way. That's what you've made it We're gaining Are you're made it strong? Well, it's gonna it's gonna remain stronger because the residents of Carnival and the residents of Messina Are going to be getting out of work soon and they're going to want to get home No, well, it can't be us. They're not going to keep the bridge closed much longer. Well, we've told you We are If you want to arrest us if you want to arrest me No, we don't say so we'll go after reason. We'll go with you peacefully to your jail. No, no, it's warm It's warm there. We don't have to stay on the call Esther Thompson was the only member of the band council who was with us that day Others later said they were behind us. We asked what are you doing behind us? You should have been out there with us As soon as a car had been towed away it was pushed back into the blockade again That's the deputy if he wants to break Are you taking her? I'm taking her home. Okay, you're under arrest This is the last thing i want to do. You're doing a good job Tell him what you're doing I didn't get that hurt Yeah I want to tell this story to you. When I was in my eighties, I was very young at that time. But I was very young at that time. I was very young at that time. When I was in my eighties, I was very young at that time. I am very much worried that there may be mistakes made and that afterwards the things that we are arguing about, that we have grievances about, will not be the ones to be judged. I am worried that as tempers become short there may be bodily harm to somebody, somebody may get hurt, and I do not want any of my people to be hurt. So I am asking that this group will meet together at the recreation hall, the community hall on Cornwall Island to decide what more should be done. Legal advice needs to be gotten and we need to think about the ones who have been taken away and that the trial of the grievances in which we have an interest will be fair and will be heard. I think that it is enough. Now those who are of that opinion will come down to the community hall. We were acquitted when we were finally called to court. We were encouraged by the support we received from across the continent and from far away as Peru and Europe. But our questions remain unanswered. We were to have many meetings with representatives of the five federal, state, and provincial governments which claim jurisdiction in Acquisasna. We want to make it very clear that our feelings are very strong, even Mr. Cretien said, I understand how you feel. That Indian Act is there for you because you are a minority. He says, you feel really bad about it. He says, I'm a minority group, I block the minority group myself. He says, I understand how you feel. Why doesn't he have a French Act? Because he's a minority. We have an Indian Act. What a minority. That was a wrong team for him to say. But if it's going to have to be that way, I think you should have an Indian for a minister for French affairs. In a system which you got now on this reservation, one half of this reservation legislates and on this side the other. Even though we are cousins, we are brothers and sisters, we have to live like this. We don't like it. We don't want to live by it anymore. An Indian man here will marry an Indian woman from across the river or vice versa. She has to sign off this reservation and she has to sign a paper that says that she married a non-Indian. She gets a little checked and she sells her Indian. It's not an Indian anymore. But she married another Indian. Now what kind of a system is that? I think that's white man's system. Mr. McGill. Would you, going back to Ottawa or to Toronto, would you do anything personally to study the question of the border separating a nation or dividing a nation into parts? I would report the kind of comments and questions and the feelings that have come out here. That's all I would do. We don't get any direct answers from the authorities. Why was the bridge built according to a deal made between the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Indian affairs before consulting with us? Why was more land expropriated than was needed? Why have we not yet been paid for damage to our farmlands and beaches? The agreement with the Seaway specified that the customs house should not be built on our land. Yet there it now stands, along with an office building, garage, gas lines, custom shed, and a toll station. Other Indian nations across the continent share the same problems. Our neighbors pollute our land. The little that we have left is nibbled away by lease, appropriation, annexation. Our treaty rights are forgotten. Other people's borders divide us. Our councils are still supervised by white civil servants whose duty it is to guide us to civilization. I think a lot of times we were more civilized than the white man at point of history. We didn't trick anybody. We never broke a treaty. But that J treaty, that treaty again which we affirmed it, stated in there that the Indians were obliged to cease making wars on the white man. You see, Mr. Michael, when that treaty was broken, that meant that we must again have been at war with the white man. Because when you break a treaty, this is what it signifies. And it's supposed to show that we are still at peace. We didn't break our sight. We didn't go to war yet.