Beating the odds

Beyond the shadows of Montreal is a small, rural Mohawk community known as Kanesatake (Oka), which has a population of approximately 1500 Mohawks. Residents of Kanesatake have experienced a number of crises in recent years, with negative consequences for the entire community and especially children and youth. The present article provides an overview of the dynamics of two crises faced by the Kanesatake community, detailing the specific impacts on children and young people before moving on to describe health centre interventions that were designed to support community members in processing the trauma. In 1990, Kanesatake was at the heart of the ‘Oka Crisis’, in which Mohawk residents set up barriers to prevent the expansion of a golf course onto their sacred grounds – the cemetery. The Quebec Provincial Police (Sureté du Québec [SQ]) and the Canadian army were sent in to dismantle the Mohawk barricades. Unfortunately, violence broke out, resulting in the death of a police officer. Many people believe that the ensuing 78-day stand-off was the beginning of many difficulties for the community. These events have had a harmful impact on the community, its members and the surrounding communities. Although the Oka Crisis did protect and preserve our sacred lands, it had some unsettling effects on the community that continue to affect us to this day. On January 12, 2004, our most recent high-profile community crisis involved, yet again, damaging national publicity as a result of political warfare and an ‘invasion’ by over 100 policemen from other Native communities to assist our Native police force. At the time, the community was not told why these extra police were brought in. There were rumours that the police officers were there to raid contraband cigarette vendors. No one knew for sure what was happening and it was a very confusing and tense time. The situation escalated with the burning of the Grand Chief's home and the takeover of the police station by some community members. After a 24 h stand-off between the Native police force and some community members, the police were escorted out of the community. The community was left without security, which created more instability and affected the community and the surrounding areas. These two crises compounded the historical trauma brought on by colonialism, residential schools and dislocation. This prolonged and extreme trauma, and the resilience of the people who survived it, is rarely acknowledged in Canadian society. Suffering is not unique to First Nations peoples, nor is resilience, but perhaps what sets First Nations apart is the fact that most Canadians do not even acknowledge the depth of the trauma or the strength that was needed to survive. Too often, their views of Native people are formed by flashes on the television screen instead of through respectful relationships – and so it was with our community. We entered into the national consciousness at a time of crisis, and for most Canadians, we became defined by that moment, but we were here before and our children will be here after. The present article is as much about calling attention to the need for community post-traumatic interventions as it is about affirming our entire humanity as a proud people working for a better future for our children – not just an event. Kanesatake went through quick and dramatic changes during both crises. During the Oka Crisis, families were separated from their loved ones, as some people had to flee to safety because they were fearful of the army; at one point, the army and the SQ did not allow the community members to return to their homes. Other families were feuding and separated due to their differences and understanding regarding both crises. Families who stayed behind the barricades felt captive because they were too afraid to leave their homes in case of an invasion by the army or SQ, or the possibility of vandalism. Within our neighbouring communities, many people expressed resentment against our people and vice versa. The issue was no longer just about land rights but became an issue of race and racism. Even within our own population, people radically expressed their political differences and racism against one another. This affected every aspect of life, including economic life, as community members lost their jobs due to fear and the difficulty of passing through the barricades, and many were reluctant or too afraid of retaliation to shop locally. Due to low clientele and lack of tourism, local businesses closed. During the 2004 crisis, similar feelings were stirred up again as community members allied with the Grand Chief feared that their homes would be burned down. This lack of safety led many community members to consider moving out of Kanesatake, away from the lands that had been home to their ancestors for centuries. The aftermath of the Oka Crisis has had immeasurable psychological, behavioural, physical and emotional effects on all community members, including children. Some community members reported feeling anxious, fearful, angry and depressed, and those feelings were not addressed until three years later. Students travelling to school by bus were literally trapped within the community by both the barricades and the surrounding SQ and army forces and, thus, could not start their school year. These effects have been compounded by the most recent crisis leading to high rates of burnout. In 2004, primary students could not understand the tension surrounding the loss of a schoolmate's home, further increasing their level of stress. To this day, recreational sports activities are no longer available to the children and youth of Kanesatake. Children who are interested in sports must go at least 35 km outside of the community to participate in sports and recreational activities. Many families who cannot afford to send their children out of the community to play sports are left with children and youth with too much free time on their hands and no way to release excess energy and stress. Although we have no proof that the following effects are directly associated with the crisis, the professionals and paraprofessionals at the Kanesatake Health Center have seen an increase in children expressing their feelings in negative ways, such as acting out of violence, abusing alcohol and drugs, contemplating and attempting suicide, self-mutilation, racism, bullying, dropping out of school, post-traumatic stress disorder and teenage pregnancy. “There is no issue more important than the health of our peoples. It is a sacred truth in our life that we must acknowledge the spiritual, physical, mental and emotional aspects of daily living to protect long-term well-being. There is a direct and strong relationship between self-determination and health.” (1) The following is an account of how Oka shaped the life of one child and the lives of all who know him. Charles was 14 years old at the time of the 1990 Oka Crisis. Before the Oka Crisis, Charles was doing quite well in school and having fun with his new schoolmates from the high school off reserve. He seemed to be content and growing normally. However, all of that changed after the Oka Crisis. Apparently, Charles lied to his parents about his whereabouts during the crisis. Instead of sleeping at his friend's house as he had told his parents, Charles and his friends became nightly visitors of the barricades. Instead of sleeping, Charles took up arms and minded the barricades when the adults took a break. While minding the barricades, Charles stated that all night he heard bullets fly by near him and that he was afraid to come out of the bunkers and go home. He feared that his friends and the men minding the barricades would go against him for being a coward. During those nights, he also heard a lot of racist remarks toward non-Natives and people of mixed blood such as himself. He was confused about his Native identity as he was accepted by the people monitoring the barricades and was told not to take the racial slurs personally because they were not meant for him. He stated that many times he silently called his mother's name to get him out of that situation, but he realized that she would not be coming anytime soon because she was not aware that he was at the barricades. He feared death and did not want to die alone in the bunker hole. After the crisis, the world for Charles changed. He experienced nightmares and had to sleep with his light on. He turned to alcohol and cigarettes shortly thereafter. His school grades decreased rapidly, and he was suspended three times within the first three months of school for fighting and destroying property in the school. Charles also destroyed his personal property at home. He carved his name into his dressers and night tables. He broke things when he displayed his anger and rage. He would escape at night and go drinking with his friends and lied about his whereabouts to his parents. Later on, his parents found out that he owned a small car that he kept at a friend's house and would drive most nights without a license or permit. He hid beer and hard liquor in his room and blamed his friends when it was found. Charles frequently ran away from home because he could not deal with curfews and other limits being set. When he turned 16 years old, the idea of working seemed better than getting an education and he decided to quit school. As Charles got older, his drinking increased, and he would act out negatively by fighting and using racial slurs against his close friends – many of whom were non-Native. He became verbally (and one time physically) abusive toward his parents while intoxicated. His mother tried to get help for him, but not only did he refuse it, there were actually no resources available for any youth in the community. Charles continued to grow and so did the problems. Charles left home at 18 years of age and moved in with his girlfriend out of town. This seemed to help for a while because he reduced his drinking and did not cause trouble in the community. He changed his habits, his friends and his lifestyle, but this didn't last long. Charles and his girl-friend moved back to Oka, and parties, fighting, drinking and drugging increased. Charles then broke off his relationship with his girlfriend and returned to live at his parents' home. Charles continued to experience increased negative affects. He became depressed, had suicidal ideas and tried to kill himself. His mother caught him one time with a loaded gun in his coat pocket while intoxicated. She was successful in obtaining the gun and talked with Charles all night and brought him back to reality. However, often when Charles was drinking with his friends, he and his friends played Russian roulette and jumped in front of passing cars to see how fast they could get to the other side of the road. One time, one of Charles' friends, who also experienced similar effects as Charles, took the Russian roulette seriously and really wanted to kill himself. Luckily, the police and para-medics intervened and his friend was not able to hurt himself. This was a turnaround point for Charles, and the suicidal ideas and attempts stopped. Although Charles has done a lot of thinking about his past, he is still reluctant to get help. Since the crisis, especially when his environment becomes stressful, Charles experiences many physical symptoms, such as migraine headaches, heartburn, nausea and anxiety. While we can not say definitively that Charles' experiences are directly related to Oka, the onset of his challenges coupled with his reluctance to get help to process the trauma experienced at the barricades indicates that this was the most likely cause. Although his story is unique to his experience, many others in the community find familiar echoes of their own lives in Charles' story. Maybe that is because there is no story that is really only a personal story – we are connected to one another and to the world around us in such a way that each personal story is somehow our story, too. So it is with the people of Kanesatake. In 1994, the government funded a proposal called “Breaking All Barriers,” which was designed to deal with the psychological, behavioural, physical and emotional trauma suffered by the members of our community. The aims of this project were to support community members to rebuild their lives and assist in the healing process. One program that the project offered was an annual block party where all families gathered to join in fun and games and to come together once again as a community in a safe environment. Breaking All Barriers also sponsored retreats away from the community. One retreat provided youth with the opportunity to express unresolved feelings in a safe environment. Another retreat allowed couples to work through their differences and their feelings. Follow-up retreats were offered to the community to express their feelings about the Oka Crisis and how it affected them. After these retreats, support groups were formed. This project went on for about four years and has definitely served some of the community members well in their healing. A youth centre opened several years ago providing a safe place for youths aged 12 to 18 years to hang out. The youths are provided with safety and health information, and tools to grow and fulfill their goals and dreams. There are rules and policies to follow at the youth centre, with the foremost being “no drugs or alcohol permitted”. In September 1996, the Kanesatake Health Center was established with the commitment to promote wellness and harmony within the community. The Health Center has 19 trained and qualified personnel. Although we have experienced a lot of trauma within the community in the past 15 years, Kanesatake has certainly grown and developed. There are now programs and services to assist the community, such as debriefings and other means of reaching people so that they can have a safe environment to vent their feelings. Some of the services offered at the Health Center include a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program, a Brighter Futures Program, a mental health program, nurses, a community health representative, a family support worker, a medical liaison officer and, recently, a youth outreach worker. Based on the high prevalence of addictions among our youth, a decision was made to incorporate a youth outreach worker into our team at the Health Center. The workers provide workshops and information sessions on related topics, such as drug and alcohol abuse prevention, at the three schools in the community and to the youth at the youth centre. One-to-one counselling, treatment plans and referrals to treatment centres are also offered to youth who are experiencing addiction problems. Our mental health program offers one-to-one counselling sessions, group sessions, conflict resolution, suicide intervention, critical incident stress management and assistance in domestic violence, and provides information on topics relating to mental health. As well, referrals to other services, such as therapists or psychologists, are offered depending on the needs of the client. After our last community crisis in January 2004, a debriefing team was developed to provide assistance to the youth and children in the three schools. Over 150 students were debriefed, including teachers and school staff. Youth were debriefed at the youth centre. Community members who requested debriefing after the traumatic event of January 2004 also received services. The mental health workers have helped community members to move forward in dealing with normal reactions and feelings to a very abnormal situation. The Kanesatake Health Center has grown in the past years and has been providing many services to the community. These programs leverage the resiliency, wisdom and strength of Kanesatake community members to address trauma experienced at a personal, family and community level. It inspires hope as community members increasingly embrace a future that they are defining together. Although there is much more to be done to redress these traumatic events, the strength of the Health Center lies within its employees, many of whom also lived through the Oka Crisis and the burning of the Grand Chief's home. They do more than simply tell others why the trauma must be addressed –they do it themselves, finding ways to process the trauma many of them also experienced first hand. If a crisis happened today in our community, we would be more prepared to recognize and manage the trauma. Still, more research is needed on the experiences of First Nations children, youth and families when communities are in crisis. These contemporary crises are often set in a context of multigenerational trauma brought on by residential schools and other colonial actions. As such, the challenge is to address not only the crisis in front of us but the ones behind us, too, because our children and our young people ahead of us are depending on us to hand down our strength, love and wisdom, not our grief and trauma. No matter what is ahead of us, we must do what our ancestors have done and beat the odds.

Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.