Kahnawa:ke: Factionalism, Traditionalism, and Nationalism in a Mohawk Community

4. “An Ill-Feeling Which Is Yet Burning”

[First Page] [75], (1) Lines: 0 to 3 ——— 7.396pt P ——— Normal Pag PgEnds: TEX [75], (1) 4. “An Ill-Feeling Which Is Yet Burning” Indian Act Opposition and the Roots of Kahnawà:ke Traditionalism and Nationalism Kahnawà:ke’s First Band Council Elections T he Department of Indian Affairs initiated preparations for applying the Indian Advancement Act to Kahnaw à:ke in early 1888 when it developed a plan to divide the reserve into election districts. A plan developed by the local Indian agent in consultation with the council of chiefs was eventually scrapped in favor of another recommended by William McLea Walbank, who had recently completed the land survey and subdivision of the reserve. Walbank’s plan called for dividing the reserve into six districts, with one councillor elected from each. Thus Kahnawà:ke’s band council was to consist of six councillors , one of whom would be elected by the council as its chief councillor. When the Indian agent, Alexander Brosseau, called a meeting of the community in early April 1888 to explain the plan, a number of protestors objected, many of whom had signed the petition to the superintendent general the previous January to elect new chiefs. According to Brosseau’s report, the protestors left the meeting when they saw that the majority of those attending did not support them.1 According to the Indian Advancement Act, election districts on a reserve were to contain equal proportions of the resident Indian population. In Kahnawà:ke’s case, however, this was not possible. The large majority of the population lived in the small, compact village along the St. Lawrence River. The rest of the land east and west of the village along the river and south away from the river consisted of farmland and forest that was only “An Ill-Feeling Which Is Yet Burning” 75 [76], (2) Lines: 38 ——— 0.0pt P ——— Normal P PgEnds: T [76], (2) sparsely occupied. According to the Department’s plan, the village area constituted one of the election districts, while the other five were spread across the rest of the reserve surrounding the village.2 Walbank and the Indian Department officials recognized this problem but expected that as a result of the recent subdivision, in time the population would become more evenly distributed as families moved to their selected allotments outside the village.3 For the time being, at Walbank’s suggestion, the Department intended for voters to select a councillor in the same election district as their unoccupied allotment.4 According to the Indian Advancement Act, only male members of the band twenty-one years of age and older had the right to vote in and stand for band council elections. In addition, candidates for band council seats were required to own and occupy a home on their reserve. In Kahnawà:ke’s case, it was also stipulated that a candidate must live on or own land in that district of the reserve that he sought to represent on the band council. Kahnawà:ke’s first band council election was held on 26 March 1889, and it involved considerable controversy. The five councillors elected from the outlying districts included Thomas Jocks (Atonwa Karatoton), Jacques Montour, Louis Delisle (Rowi Ronwarahare), Michel Daillebout, and Michel Bourdeau (Wishe Sotienton).5 Thomas Jocks was the only chief among the newly elected band councillors, and of course he was a prominent figure in the Reform faction and had frequently led the push for the establishment of the Indian Act system. The candidate receiving the most votes in the village district was Louis Jackson (Rowi Tawehiakenra), who defeated Louis Jocks (Rowi Oroniatakon) by a vote of 131 to 76. Louis Jocks was the son of Kahnawà:ke’s wealthiest landowner, Baptiste Jocks (Sawatis Karonhiaktatis). For understanding Kahnawà:ke politics at this time, the village district is key because it contained most of the community ’s voters. In this first band council election over two hundred votes were polled in the village district, while there were no 76 “An Ill-Feeling Which Is Yet Burning” [77], (3) Lines: 42 to ——— 0.0pt PgV ——— Normal Pag PgEnds: TEX [77], (3) more than twelve votes for any of the outlying districts. After the election, Louis Jackson’s victory was protested by Thomas Jocks, who claimed that Jackson was not a qualified candidate because he did not own land or occupy his own residence on the reserve. Jackson’s election was also protested by several other Kahnawakehró:non...