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The Oka Crisis began July 11th 1990 when the sacred Mohawk territory, known as The Pines was threatened by the Quebec provincial government. They were planning to expand a golf course on to the Mohawk land that was also a burial ground for their ancestors. The Mohawk people planned to defend their land and protest against the expansion of the golf course by putting up barricades to block law enforcement and bulldozers from being able to disrupt their rightful land. The mayor of the town was informed of what was happening and sent Quebec provincial police to remove the blockades so construction could begin. This is where the fight started.

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The town of Oka is located just outside of Montreal, Quebec. The Sulpicians, which are a group of priests, were granted the land in 1717 by the French as they were trusted to hold the land for the Mohawk people. Eventually they began to sell the land to settlers but that didn't stop the Mohawk people from claiming and defending their rightful land. This is important to understanding the root of the cause because it shows how the Mohawk people have never had genuine rights to their rightful land. They have continuously had to fight for or defend their land whether its to settlers or the provincial government of Quebec.

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The town of Oka was granted two court orders stating the protests must stop and they must take down the blockades they built even though the Mohawk people were doing what they could to protect their rights to their land. The Mohawk people did not take this lightly and strengthen their blockades as well as their army gaining more support and help from other communities. The Mohawk people demanded to gain complete authority over the land as they were promised in 1717 in return for the protest to end. They sent out what they called warriors to patrol the woods and surrounding area of their territory to defend it from anyone who might be trying to get around their blockades. The police came with assault riffles and other less lethal weapons like small grenades and tear gas that they threw at the Mohawk protesters who were defending their land. This action is quite aggressive and when news spread of the unlawful acts police were using against protesters, more people from more communities around the country came to join the protest in support of the Mohawk people. Eventually, it became too much for the municipal and provincial police to handle which lead them to call the Canadian armed forces as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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By the end of this intense, 78 day stand off between the Mohawk people and law enforcement, there was one police fatality and 75 Mohawk people were injured by gunfire during the fight to protect their sacred land. When the protest ended, the expansion of the golf course was cancelled but the land was purchased by the federal government. They never officially established the land as a reserve even though it has been home to the Mohawk people for many years and has even become a burial ground for their fallen ancestors over those years. Today, the Mohawk people in Oka are still fighting to gain ownership of their rightful land that was granted to them in 1717.

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On August 20th when the Canadian armed forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrived, they had ore than 4,000 soldiers positioned around the Mohawk territory ready to take what was not rightfully theirs. They had support from the military while the Mohawk people only had support from other Indigenous peoples and citizens. On September 1st, the police stormed the Mohawk blockades and took over what had been the Mohawk peoples land and home for over 300 years. The Mohawk people were forced out of their land and planned to seek refuge at a rehabilitation centre near their homes until there could be another Parliament meeting about their demands of gaining control over their land.

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The Mohawks fight for their territory and home for over 300 years officially ended on September 26th when they learned that the plans to expand the golf course had been cancelled. This protest was over but they had much more fight in them as they are still fighting for their land today. The Mohawk people returned to their home and continued to think of ways that they could legally become the rightful owners of their land and territory. They succeeded in protecting their sacred land and ancestors but the fight was not over yet.

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The Oka Crisis is important for understanding the ongoing issues with Indigenous land claims and the problems that come with that. The Mohawk people are still fighting to rightfully own their home and land as many other Indigenous communities have been.

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LibGuides: Indigenous Peoples in Canada: Kanesatake Resistance (Oka Crisis) (1990). (2020). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from Libguides.com

Oka Crisis | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. (2020). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from EBSCO

The Oka Crisis | VALOUR CANADA. (2019, July 22). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from VALOUR CANADA

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