MCA Nation Building concludes discussion series

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s Nation Building Program invited Facilitators Dr. Carlos Fraenkel of McGill University Department of Philosophy and Dr. Adam Etinson of Universite de Montreal to host a discussion series within the territory. The topic was Philosophy in Akwesasne: An Educational Lecture and Discussion Series. The focus was to talk about how you can apply philosophy to everyday decisions to form your own opinions. This entire series falls in line with the mission of Entewatatha:wi (“We Will Govern”), which is to work together with cross-organizational groups to assist in developing policies, laws and codes.

The discussions were held at Iohahi:io in Tsi Snaihne and on average the series drew around 20-people each week to participate. The purpose was to start talking with community members to see what different perspectives were out there from the different organizations and community backgrounds. There was a diverse showing of attendees who participated in the series.

The first week of the series focused on Community and Culture with questions geared towards the community’s own origins, history, and propose what changes they would make if it were possible to turn back time. Participants generated ideas about co-existence, the importance of language, and what would have been the natural advancement of First Nations people without outside influences. Having a diverse audience allowed for an in-depth discussion of each of these areas.

Concepts of living well and success was the topic to be discussed the second week of the series. The facilitators first had the participants consider this on a small-scale individual basis of their own lives and slowly steered it to a broader way of thinking. In general having a ‘good life’ is a goal that is ever changing and based on others around you and what they have. The results of that and where they are serve as a gauge to determine where you stand in life.

“They came to the conclusion that if Akwesasne pursued self-governance to the end,” states a report in Nation Buildings’ fifth issue of Our Path To Entewatatha:wi, “We would get used to taking care of ourselves. And even though we would face difficulties initially, we could adapt as we always have.”

Questions on identity was an avenue to discuss a topic that was recently under intense discussion within the three districts of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s jurisdiction the past few months. This day focused on the meaning of being a Mohawk person, how intermarriage affects the people in Akwesasne, and what traditional beliefs are still being upheld today. This was a healthy debate between attendees with the participants having the freedom to discuss all sides of the topic.

Relationship to the land is a very important topic to be included in this series and participants examined the relationship. They discussed the importance of the Ohenton Kariwahtekwen among the people and they also debated the utopian idea of large additions to reserve. The hypothetical scenario of how things would be handled if a large city or large land base was obtained through land claims. The goal of this session was to get participants thinking about the relationship that Akwesasne has with Canada and how it affects the everyday lives of those who live here.

The final discussion that took place was to talk about who should be governing within the territory? Some argue that the Indian Act provides protection for First Nations people while others argue that it is a hindrance brought about by colonial powers.

“They discussed an alternative form of government that would unify both sides of the border while leaving the Mohawk Nation to continue to exist within the Confederacy,” said the summary from Nation Building. “All agreed that the best qualified leaders should be in the place of power for the good of the community.”

The facilitators of these sessions have taken note of the responses made in each session and will be working on developing a report summarizing the discussions that took place. That report will be used to help guide the Nation Building process in future talks of where things will go. It was used as a way to find out what people think about the many different complex topics that the community faces living in the multi-jurisdictional area of Akwesasne.

The organizers of this series included Dr. Fraenkel of McGill University, Dr. Etinson of Universite de Montreal, staff from the Aboriginal Rights & Research Office, and National Building staff including the Program Coordinator Wendy Adams, Policy Analyst Gil Terrance, Sr. Negotiator Angie Barnes and the Jr. Policy Analyst Sarah Herne. They hope to hold additional discussion series in the future and welcome any community members to visit them to talk more about both the discussion series and the Nation Building process. For more information contact them at 613-575-2250 or see them at the CIA #3 building in Kawehno:ke.