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

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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]

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References

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  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.