Oka, Quebec

Oka is historically connected to the first Amerindian mission established by the Sulpicians in Montreal. It was in 1718, moreover, that the Sulpicians obtained from the King of France the concession of the seigneury of Deux-Montagnes which corresponded to the present territories of the parishes of Oka, Saint-Placide, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Joseph The lake and the surrounding area.[4]

The mission of La Montagne was transferred in 1696 to Sault-au-Récollet in Montreal and from there to Lac des Deux-Montagnes in 1721. This last movement was facilitated by the fact that in 1717 the Seigneurie du Lac Of the Deux-Montagnes was conceded to the Sulpicians by the King of France on the express condition of transferring the Indian mission there. Final concession was given in 1718 after the transfer of the mission proper. In 1720 Catholic Iroquois who were previously at the Sault au Récollet mission were moved to the new location.[5] In 1721, under the direction of Quere de Tréguron, Sulpician, a group of Algonquins and Iroquois emigrated on the shores of Lake Deux-Montagnes.[4]

By 1722 the transfer was almost completed. The proposed site was advantageous for the conversion of the Indians and for their defense and that of the colony. To prepare their installation, another Sulpician, Mr. Gay (who was the superior), made some clearing and build various buildings including a chapel, the missionary's house, a school intended for the Sisters of the Congregation Notre-Dame as well as cabins for the Indians. The Indian population increased considerably around 1727 when the Nipissingues and the Algonquins of the Île-aux-Tourtes mission also came to the Lake with their missionary Pierre-Élie Déperet.[4]

It is impossible to speak of the Lordship of the Lake without recalling that between 1740 and 1742, there was the setting up of the seven oratories that constitute the famous Calvary of Oka, work of the Sulpicians. Francois dit Belleville (who arrived in Nouvelle-France in 1754) was the author of the bas-reliefs of the chapels of this pilgrimage site, which is the oldest in America. The missionary Louis-Urgel Lafontaine (1895-1930) was the last to preach in Iroquois [language] at the location. The Calvary was built by the Indians and only for them in order to evangelize them.[4]

In the 19th century, as a result of the conquest of 1760, there was unrest among the various communities. The Mohawks allied with the British and turned against the French while the Algonquins had taken the side of the French.

The church, the presbytery and the outbuildings of Oka were set on fire on 15 June 1877.[4][6]

The present church was built between 1878 and 1883 according to the plans of the architects Perrault and Mesnard.[4]

In 1990, the small community gained international attention in what became known as the Oka Crisis. It had approved development of a private golf course, to add nine holes and nearby luxury housing, which would have gone over the ancestral cemetary. The Mohawks of Kanesatake opposed this.

Several years before the crisis the Mohawks had initiated and lost a land claim court case in which they tried to gain control of what they termed "historic land". Land known from the early mission settlement as the "pine forest". The claim was rejected by the Provincial courts.

Much of the anger over this court loss and other non Oka related issues, as witnessed by the congregation of other tribes which had unresolved land claim issues resulting from the British conquests was unleashed during the crisis.

The Mohawks of Kanesatake barricaded a dirt road leading to the land, as well as the 344 which was the point of access to the reserve. During the 78-day confrontation, the Quebec Police Force (SQ) (and later Canadian Army units) confronted members of the Mohawk nation of the adjacent community of Kanesatake. The latter were joined by other Mohawk, First Nations, and Native American tribes. In addition, for several weeks, Mohawks at Kahnawake blockaded the approach to the Mercier Bridge, a route that ran through their land. Negotiations finally led to the Mohawks re-opening the road, after a few days. An SQ officer, Corporal Lemay, was shot and killed at a period of heightened tensions by his collegues, whom had openned fire on the Mohawks blocking the way to the cemetary, to prevent its destruction. The police shot to kill, while the Mohawks shot above everyone's heads, as proven by the bullets holes in the trees. The SQ said that the Mohawks had killed Corporal Lemay, but the trees are proof that it was not so. Numerous people were arrested. The disputed area was acquired by the Canadian Federal Government to appease the developers. Development was stopped.

A radio-conspirationnist reported on the situations daily, and only aggravated the tensions. As a result, many non-natives wished for the Natives to all be arrested and 'put back in their place'. Some more violent ones wished for them to be put down like dogs. Mohawks getting out of the reserve for work or grocery shopping were arrested, leaving the children to fend for themselves in the cars as their parents were taken away. All were humiliated, though it was mostly women, whom were often ordered and forced to disrobe themselves to their underwears for the sick appreciation of the police officers and to humiliate them thoroughly.

When the news of the Army coming reached the Mohawks, they immediately sent the eldery, the children, the ill, and the injuried away for their safety. Non-natives linning the roads shot everyhing they had, mostly rocks, at the cars, injuring the drivers, whom could not hide, as well as the passengers, whom had huddled themselves as low as possible to avoid injury. The cars were destroyed, the windows exploded, which still injured the occupants.

Some in the media reported the Mohawk's opposition to be based on the expansion of the golf course over what the Mohawks considered sacred land. This however was not the only premise of contention. Part of the dispute laid over persistent claims dating back to land right issues between the Sulpicians and Mohawks that related not to burial grounds or cemeteries, but to what was known as the "pine forest" and that commenced at the onset of the British conquests, the Mohawks allegiance to them and the definite change of attitude of the Mohawks towards the French.[6]

The Oka crisis garnered a great deal of media attention, and brought forth dozens of articles and books, never mentionning governemental actions that said governement found would 'ternish their image'. The death of Corporal Lemay remains 'unsolved' however, and the ongoing land claims to the pine forest have all, as of January 16, 2017, been dismissed in Federal courts. Despite promises to the contrary much of the disputed land obtained by the Federal Government remains unceded to traditional owners.