Concert raises funds for Mohawk Mothers
Despite facing continued setbacks in court, the Mohawk Mothers have been successful in continuing to rally support from activist communities, particularly in Montreal where a benefit concert was organized at a local music venue to support the search for unmarked graves at the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital.
The group, also known as the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera, have been fighting entities including McGill University and the Societe Quebecoise des infrastructures (SQI) in court since 2022, saying they have reason to believe that there could be unmarked graves at the site. The area formerly housed the Alan Memorial Institute, where infamous MK Ultra experiments were undertaken illegally on patients.
That site is currently being redeveloped into a new teaching and learning hospital, which is slated to be up and running by 2028.
Most recently, the Mothers have faced hurdles, with the Supreme Court of Canada denying the group leave to appeal, as they sought to overturn a lower court’s decision to lift a previously granted safeguard order. The federal point person for missing children and unmarked graves, Kimberly Murray, will also no longer be able to support the group as an intervenor in the case, now that her mandate has come to an end. The group chooses to represent themselves in court, instead of using lawyers.
“We went to the Supreme Court and we were denied, so we’ve got to move on,” said Kahentinetha, a member of the group.
All proceeds from Wednesday night’s event went towards the Mohawk Mothers, with attendees making donations at a merch table and via a sliding scale ticket system.
The donations totalled $1,875, and La Sotterenea, where the concert was held, donated the event space free of charge for the event.
The money will go towards efforts to gather archival materials, Kahentinetha said.
“If we get some money together, we can search for that, we can get it, we can maintain it for ourselves, and maybe set it up so that other Native people can use it too,” Kahentinetha said.
“We’ve had to use our own funds, like myself, I’m on a pension so I’ve had to use that. But we need to get some work done on getting those archives from everywhere, they’re everywhere. We need to find them and put them in one place, and that’s going to cost some money.”
Montreal-based organizer Stefan Christoff was one of the minds behind the benefit concert, performing an electronic set with Zoë Thomas on violin.
He said events like this keep momentum alive in political movements.
“I think the space that occurs both socially and creatively when you create a positive environment through a cultural event to support a very specific social struggle is quite meaningful,” Christoff said. “I think often in activism we’re in contexts where we’re challenging injustices, and that could be in conferences or actions or protests, and that’s essential. But we also need spaces to come together socially and creatively and express what we believe outside of that context of direct challenge to injustice.”
A crowd of around 100 packed into the basement venue for a genre-bending night of music, with a performance from Innu folk singer Mike Paul Kuekuatsheu, a Moroccan guitar set from Anas Hejam, a psych-rock set from Seelonce and a lively closing performance from Akwesasne-based hip-hop artist Jayohcee.
Philippe Blouin, who has supported the Mothers in court throughout the years, often helping with French interpretation, performed songs from his band, Seelonce. He said the turnout was amazing.
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“We never expected to be over the capacity of the room almost, like we are right now,” Blouin said.
“It just shows that the youth in Montreal are really following what’s going on with the Mohawk Mothers and wanting to support any way they can.”
Kahentinetha was also joined by Ahkwesahsró:non Loran Kanahsaraken Thompson at the event.
“It’s so awesome to see so many young minds that are seeing what the truth actually is and standing behind it, standing up for the truth,” Thompson said. “We thank you for taking the time in your lives to come forward and make right what is important to not just Onkwehón:we or Indian people, but to all.”
