Reconciliation Reading Group

Join us for the third meeting of the Reconciliation Reading Group, our ongoing project to promote informed action toward Reconciliation.

We will discuss When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance by Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel with Sean Carlton: a chronicle by Gabriel, the Haudenosaunee spokesperson “and one of the most important Land Defenders of our time,” of the so-called Oka Crisis, Canada’s violent seige of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in the summer of 1990.

From the publisher’s website: There have been many things written about Canada’s violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in the summer of 1990, but When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege. When the Pine Needles Fall, written in a conversational style by Gabriel with historian Sean Carleton, offers an intimate look at Gabriel’s life leading up to the 1990 siege, her experiences as spokesperson for her community, and her work since then as an Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader. More than just the memoir of an extraordinary individual, When the Pine Needles Fall offers insight into Indigenous language, history, and philosophy, reflections on our relationship with the land, and calls to action against both colonialism and capitalism as we face the climate crisis. Gabriel’s hopes for a decolonial future make clear why protecting Indigenous homelands is vital not only for the survival of Indigenous peoples, but for all who live on this planet.

For any questions please contact jchase@pecounty.on.ca OR janemacdonald@duck.com.