Old blog post:

Posted on July 21st, 2007

Excerpted from Indian Country Today (June 23):

Leaders of an older generation always counseled their people to become perfectly calm before sitting down for an important meeting. Big decisions required a clear mind and emotional self-control. This advice is just as important today, when Indian country faces serious if more subtle and sophisticated threats.

Protests and polemics can serve very useful purposes, but it is no insult to the bravery and skill of the people who conduct them to say that emotion is no substitute for strategic thinking. Their purpose should be the ultimate good of the Indian people, and it should never be overwhelmed by the excitement of the moment.

These thoughts came up during the recent drama at the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, but they apply whenever and wherever emotion clouds foresight and clear perception. The occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates construction site has a rational purpose: to reclaim territory that was wrongfully taken from the reserve and, at longer range, to force a more just and timely handling of the many Native land suits. These goals in recent weeks have seemed overwhelmed by violent eruptions that have done no one any good.

Of course, the violence in the first place came from the Ontario provincial government. The early-morning raid on the occupation site April 20 by the Ontario Provincial Police can only be called botched. It swelled the ranks of the protesters, who forced the police to retreat within hours. It escalated the confrontation and sent it spinning dangerously close to chaos.

No one can excuse the surge of raw racism at the neighboring town of Caledonia, whether homegrown or whipped up by outsiders. But some of the Haudenosaunee warriors at the site fell into the trap and responded in kind.

The periodic outbreaks of fighting and property destruction are eroding the moral high ground that the Six Nations ought to hold. More tactically, the incidents seem to be catching Native negotiators by surprise, disrupting meetings and undercutting their position. The traditional chiefs and clan mothers have struggled heroically to keep things under control, but they face even more severe trials as police begin to arrest protesters on warrants from the earlier incidents. Further disruptions would have the character of tragic irony, since there are signs the occupation might win its original point. On June 21 it emerged that the Ontario government is negotiating to buy the construction site from its developers, a move that portends a settlement with Six Nations.

This prospect should summon all the protesters to control their emotions, even in the face of repeated racist provocations. Let the townspeople bear the shame of showing the world an ugly, hate-twisted face. Supporters from outside should look to the Six Nations leaders for direction and restraint…

We in no way mean to disparage the honorable and courageous recent history of Indian activism. Our models … are men … who have put themselves on the line time and again, yet have the magnanimity and balance to conciliate and negotiate. These are the people who achieve lasting good for the people, and they do it by subordinating action to strategic foresight and emotion to calm thinking.