Staring Down the State
Episode 7: Staring Down the State
What does real decolonization look like?
In this episode, we return to the summer of 1990—to the barricades at Kanehsatà:ke and the standoff that came to be known as the Oka Crisis. Through archival reflections and critical scholarship, we unpack what that moment revealed about Canada’s colonial foundations—and how its lessons still resonate.
We hear from historian Sean Carleton , who reflects on Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s response to the crisis and the lasting legacy of military intervention against Indigenous land defenders. We explore the meaning of Land Back , the resistance at 1492 Land Back Lane , and the way settlers have co-opted and diluted the language of decolonization.
And we listen to Ellen Gabriel , a Mohawk activist who stood at the front lines in 1990, describe what that moment stirred in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.
This episode challenges symbolic reconciliation and asks:
What are settlers actually willing to give up?
Resources & Further Reading:
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Tuck, Eve, and K. Wayne Yang. Decolonization is not a metaphor . (2012)
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Yellowhead Institute. Red Paper: Land Back (2019)
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Carleton, Sean. “Brian Mulroney’s complicated legacy on Indigenous rights.” Global News (2024)
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Gabriel, Katsi’tsakwas Ellen, and Sean Carleton. When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2024.
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CBC Archives. Oka Crisis: 78 Days of Resistance
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APTN News. 2024. “Ellen Gabriel and the ‘Watershed Moment’ That Was the Siege of Kanehsatà:ke.” YouTube video, March 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCMGYTvnB8E
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1492 Land Back Lane: The Walrus: Standoff at 1492 Land Back Lane
Content Note:
This episode contains references to police violence, state surveillance, and the deployment of military force against Indigenous land defenders. Listener discretion is advised.
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.
Visit www.sessions.blue to learn more.
Reconsidering Canada is written and produced by Chris Bolster.
