The Grassy Narrows road blockade is an ongoing roadblock in Canada that started in 2002 to prevent clearcutting of timber on

Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation (also known as Grassy Narrows First Nation or the ''Asabiinyashkosiwagong Nitam-Anishinaabeg'' in the Ojibwe language) is an Ojibwe First Nations band government who inhabit northern Kenora in Ontario, Canada. ...

territory.

History

The Grassy Narrows road blockade began on December 2, 2002 and prevents logging trucks from entering

territory (also known as Grassy Narrows First Nation). Grassy Narrows is located in northwestern Ontario near the town of

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (french: Portage-aux-Rats), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The his ...

. The blockade is on Ontario Provincial Highway 671 near Slant Lake. BC forestry (6998035791)

Since the 1990s logging near the community had accelerated which caused community members to act. Working with non-Indigenous environmentalists and human rights advocates, they began media campaigns to draw attention to their protest. Many people think the clearcutting is a clear violation of treaty rights and the sovereignty of the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...

nation. The Grassy Narrow’s chief and council wanted to stop the logging efforts by working within the federal system and use the

Indian act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

. In 2008, the

Ontario government The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor— ...

began negotiating a resolution to the conflict, which ended the license for logging companies. In 2014, the provincial government stated they would monitor logging companies to make sure they adhered to the new proposed rules. However, many in the community remain skeptical.

Background

In 1873, the Anishinaabe people participated and negotiated in

Treaty 3 ''Treaty 3'' was an agreement entered into on October 3, 1873, by Chief Mikiseesis (Little Eagle) on behalf of the Ojibwe First Nations and Queen Victoria. The treaty involved a vast tract of Ojibwe territory, including large parts of what is ...

with the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

. The terms of this treaty are extremely contested by the Anishinaabe people and the Government of Canada as both groups disagree on its interpretation and assumptions. The Government of Canada at the time, wanted to expand farther into the West for more agricultural settlements. This treaty was seen as a way to secure and create a route through northwestern Ontario and further Canadian nation building. Anishinaabe leaders saw the treaty as a peace-and-friendship agreement. The Anishinaabe people wanted to share the land to ensure its survival but not surrender it according to oral histories and the unofficial versions of Treaty 3. The Government of Canada contests this stating the Anishinaabe right to land was surrendered once the treaty was signed.

References

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External links

The Star News Dec 2022
* Rick Wallace, Grassy Narrows Blockade: Reworking Relationships between Anishnabe and Non-Indigenous Activists at the Grassroots ''International Journal of Canadian Studies'' * Luby, Brittany
Book review
of Anna J. Willow, ''Strong Hearts, Native Lands'' in ''Left History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Historical Inquiry and Debate'' 17.1 (2013).
Burke, Nora Butler. "Building a ‘Canadian’Decolonization Movement: Fighting the Occupation at ‘Home.’." ''Anarchist Library Online'' (2004).
Environmental justice Nonviolent occupation

History

Background

See also

Further reading

References

External links