Chronology of American Indian History

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