Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993) *****

Kanehsatake is Mohawk reservation land located in southwest Quebec, Canada. The events in the film are set into motion when the city decides to build a golf course on that land. Despite outcries from natives, whites, and even a sensible course of action suggested by an environmental specialist, the mayor ignores all of them and gives the project the green light. Of course, the Mohawk peoples were having none of it and blocked off any access to their lands. And so the military siege of 1990 began.

And Alanis Obomsawin, an Abenaki filmmaker noted for documenting contemporary Canadian natives and their struggles, has captured in the details what has been duly seen in the big picture since the periods of contact in North America. There are many moments of the military covering up truths, breaking negotiated promises, and inflicting harm upon the natives. To be fair, some of the natives (the warriors in particular) retaliate in similar fashion but it's just that - retaliation. In effect, as the subtitle of the film suggests, nothing has changed.

Simply put, it is a stunning document of the total native reality expressed in mere months. Modernization may have enriched the physical that surrounds us but our collective spirit, the manner in which we treat one another, is bankrupt. It was the way of things way back when, and sadly, it remains the way of things now. And unless a man or woman of native descent is able to head either of these nations, it is highly doubtful the state of things will change anytime soon. Yet, at the very least, one must appreciate a work like this for keeping a record of the great ongoing struggle. I truly believe a time will come to pass when the struggle will be no more. And documents such as these will remind future generations how far their peoples have come.

Note: The entire film is available to view online.
http://www.archive.org/details/kanehsatake