A Tsalagi's Dream

To all my good friends

I am happy to report that calm has come to Caledonia for the time being.  Native barricades came down for a few hours on Monday but when the resdients (and outside agitators) established a human barricade violence erupted and the Native barricade went back up.  The rest of this email is my account of Monday's events.  

Today, Wednesday May 24th, I am happy to report that the Native barricade on the main road in front of the land being reclaimed by Six Nations is down, the electric power that was out in a large region is now back on.

Hopefully negotiations will resume with the traditional Confederacy chiefs leading the way for our people.  The Federal government need to rise to its reponsibilities and deal with this land issue.  So far there is a lot of blameshifting on the part of the Canadian government.

Monday was supposed to be a happy day to recognize our Nationhood in Independence Day celebrations and commeoration of our relationship with the Queen as her allies.  It was not to be that way.  I went to the Bread and Cheese Day festivities at the fairgrounds in Ohsweken at the Six Nations Reserve (my home community) with my two youngest children in the late morning.  I met many friends and relatives there and was enjoying the day.  I went to my parents place and after hearing of trouble in Caledonia lef t my children with their grandparents and headed to Caledonia at about 1 PM.  Many of my relatives, neighbours, friends, and some church members were in the crowd of hundreds of Native people.  It seemed that an equal number of non-Native Caledonia protesters were being held back by many police.

I saw one skirmish when people from the Caledonia protest came around the police into a field on the east side of the highway.  Many young Native men rose to the threat and met the taunters and fists flew, pepper spray sprayed, and after a few minutes the sides were separated.  A tense standoff seemed to not be getting any worse at about 5 PM so I left to take my children home and make sure they were fed and then I returned to Caledonia.  I got back about 7:30 PM, and shortly after, one of the Native leaders said "they are coming" (I understood that he meant the Ontario Provincial Police) in about two hours.  

Men were called to the front line and I joined my brother-in-law and two nephews on the front line.  I stood for five hours in the cold weather that night.  Riot police came in and re-inforced the police cordon around the Caledonia non-Native protest group.  After Native people set up a flood light pointed at the Caledonia crowd the people on the Caledonia side cheered when the OPP brought in two more flood lights.  They were dismayed that the lights were turned on them and would not let the rental company trucks leave back through their human barricade.  I watched the news reports of Monday night's confrontation and they made it sound like the police were brought in to hold back the Native people when, in reality all the police there, including the riot police, were in place to keep the non-Native Caledonia crowd from getting out of hand.

I was very heartened when a cousin of mine came forward to stand on the front line.  H e is a Christian and a member of a an evangelical church at Six Nations where other of my cousins attend.  He is a very strong man with a vice like handshake.  He is a high steel iron worker who has battled cancer and endured chemo-therapy.  I told him I was glad he was on our side.

My brother-in-law asked me earlier in the evening, "What are you going to do if it turns violent?"  I told him, "I will defend whoever I need to defend."  One other time when I headed to Caledonia a friend of my daughter asked if I was going to bust heads.  I told her, "No.  But if anyone tries to hurt a woman, a child or an old man I will do what I need to do."  It was an anxious evening for me and others there as we never knew when something bad would happen.  I told my teenage sons, "There are some battles worth fighting and this is one of them."  I have prayed through to a note of victory and am ready to do whatever else I need to do.  

I believe that the essence of the Kingdom of God is advocacy for the vulnerable.  I would not be doing what I am doing unless I was sure God is with me.  Actually I am more concerned with being on God's side than I am with pleasing people and doing what they expect of me, Christians included.

One cousin asked me what I was doing way down there (on the front line).  I told him "It is where I belong."  My children's dignity and future are worth standing up for.  I have no weapon but prayer, the name of Jesus, and the strength God has given me.  I will use everything I have for our people.  People have wondered if I am afraid of dying and I can't but think of a line from a movie, "All men die. Few men really live."

Your prayers are so important.  Thank you for standing with me and the Six Nations people.  Our greatest streng th is our story.  Thank you for sharing it with others who will pray.

Adrian Jacobs

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this