Mohawk Warrior Society

"Mohawk Warrior Flag" designed by Karoniaktajeh Louis Hall, used between 1974 and 2016[1]

The Rotisken’rakéhte,[2] also known as the Mohawk Warrior Society (Mohawk: Rotisken’rakéhte) and the Kahnawake Warrior Society, is a Mohawk group that seeks to assert Mohawk authority over their traditional lands, including the use of tactics such as roadblocks, evictions, and occupations.[3]

The society was founded in 1971 in Kahnawake, Québec, Canada.[4] It first gained notoriety in 1973 when they, along with American Indian Movement activists, held a standoff with the Quebec Provincial Police at Kahnawake, and another in Oka, Québec in 1990.[3] The members of this society are known as Warriors.

Flag

The Mohawk Warrior Flag was designed by Karoniaktajeh Louis Hall in 1974. Hall was an artist, writer, and activist from Kahnawake.[5] It was initially called the "unity flag" or "Indian flag", depicting an Indigenous man with long hair over top a yellow sunburst and red banner. This was changed in the 1980's with the man being replaced with a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) warrior.[5] The flag was highlighted in the media during the Oka Crisis and became a symbol of resistance for Kanien’kehá:ka people.[5]

References

  1. ^ "HAUDENOSAUNEE - MOHAWK - ONEIDA - ONONDAGA - CAYUGA - SENECA - TUSCARORA- Kahnawake Branch Of The Mohawk Nation Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy". www.kahnawakelonghouse.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  2. ^ Cohen, Stanley L. (September 19, 2016). "The Road from Standing Rock to Gaza is a Straight Line". Caged but undaunted. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b UTA Edco. Upping the Anti #2. UTA Publications. pp. 90–. ISBN 978-0-9682704-7-9.
  4. ^ Bruce Elliott Johansen; Barbara Alice Mann (January 1, 2000). Encyclopedia of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 330–. ISBN 978-0-313-30880-2.
  5. ^ a b c Deer, Jessica (July 11, 2020). "Oka Crisis: The legacy of the warrior flag". CBC News Network. Retrieved June 12, 2022.