P
The forest, however, lies in lands, including an In-
dian graveyard, that were traditionally claimed by
the Mohawk. To prevent the local government from
taking control of the area, Mohawk activists arm
themselves and block the entrance into the forest.
On July 11, the Quebec police force storms
the blockade. One officer is killed in the gunfire
exchanged between the Mohawk and police. In a
desperate attempt to end the conflict, the Canadian
government sends 3,700 troops to Oka to surround
the protesters. The tense standoff finally ends on
September 26 without further bloodshed. The in-
cident at Oka is reported internationally during the
summer of 1990, thus bringing worldwide atten-
tion to the land claims of Canadian Natives.
“Everyone thinks that July 11, it
just started. It didn’t.... You think
this came out of nowhere? What
that one day we said we are
going to put up barricades? This
wasn’t something new. It went
back hundreds of years. It wasn’t
a new struggle, it was part of an
old one, a continuous one. Look
at the history, it’s there.”
—Mohawk protester Debra
Etienne on the Oka occupation
July
The United States admits the Yakama have
been exposed to radioactive waste.
A federal government spokesperson acknowledges
that since the 1950s radioactive waste from a nu-
clear facility at Hanford, Washington, on the border
of the Yakima (Yakama) Reservation has contami-
nated local ground water sources. Residents in the
area have been exposed to about 2,000 times the
amount of nuclear waste deemed safe—a greater ex-
posure than that experienced by Soviets living near
Chernobyl after the 1986 nuclear accident there.
August
The first North American Indigenous Games
are held.
In Edmonton, Alberta, thousands of Native ath-
letes gather to compete in the North American
Indigenous Games. The competition, which will
become a biannual event by the end of the decade,
is intended to promote pride in Canadian Native
youths by showcasing their athletic talents in eight
sports, including baseball, soccer, and lacrosse—a
game first played by Native peoples.
October
Peter MacDonald is convicted of bribery.
Navajo Tribal Chairman Peter MacDonald and his
son are found guilty of taking bribes in the Navajo
(Dineh) tribal court. In addition to being barred
from holding political office for four years, Mac-
Donald is sentenced to a six-year prison sentence
and fined $11,000. His son is sent to prison for
18 months and fined $2,500. (See also entry for
JULY 22, 1989.)
October 30
The Native American Languages Act
encourages the use and study of Indian
languages.
The warnings of Native American language schol-
ars that many Indian languages are in danger of
becoming extinct moves Congress to pass the Na-
tive American Languages Act. The law recognizes
Indian languages as an important part of American
culture and makes their preservation a goal of U.S.
policy. More specifically, the act states that Indian
languages should be taught and used in govern-
ment-run Native American educational programs.
This provision reverses the century-old policy of
forbidding Indian students from speaking their own