Rocks at Whiskey Trench (Clip 5)

On August 28, 1990, a convoy of 75 cars left the Mohawk community of Kahnawake and crossed Montreal's Mercier Bridge straight into an angry mob that pelted the vehicles with rocks. The targets of this violence were Mohawk women, children and elders leaving the reserve, in fear of a possible advance by the Canadian Army. This film is the fourth in Alanis Obomsawin's landmark series on the Oka Crisis, delving into the history of Kahnawake and the consequences of the appropriation of land that have shrunk its territory by more than two-thirds over the last 300 years.
This was my last film on the Oka Crisis. Everyone was talking about the rock throwing that was going on, and it always bothered me that we never heard from the people in the cars. They had no voice. So I decided to give them a voice. It was only after this film was done that I felt free, that I could walk away from this subject matter.


From the playlist : Alanis Obomsawin Retrospective