FALL FEAST: An anti-colonial evening of food, film and resistance with Denise Jourdain, Kanahus Manuel & Clifton Arihwakehte Nicholas

FALL FEAST: An anti-colonial evening of food, film and resistance
with Denise Jourdain, Kanahus Manuel & Clifton Arihwakehte Nicholas

Thursday, November 6, 2014
Native Friendship Center of Montreal
2001 boulevard St-Laurent (métro St-Laurent)


- doors at 6pm
- meal & film start at 6:30pm (sharp)
- evening events to continue until 9pm

Free – Welcome to all! — Wheelchair accessible
Childcare on-site — Whisper translation (EN-FR)
Please get in touch about any accessibility needs.

This event takes place on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka. The Kanien’kehá:ka are the keepers of the Eastern Door of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The island called “Montreal” is known as Tiotia:ke in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka, and it has historically been a meeting place for other Indigenous nations, including the Algonquin peoples.


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Presentations & speakers:

* Denise Jourdain (Innu)

Denise is an elder of the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam on the “Côte Nord” in Nitassinan. She teaches the Innu language to children in her community and has been active in Idle No More, opposition to Hydro Quebec expansion plans, and raising awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Denise was jailed in 2012 as part of a blockade of highway 138 in defence of Innu land rights. She is also very active in raising awareness about, and opposition to, the proposed Plan Nord.

* Kanahus Manuel (Secwpemc)

Kanahus is a mother and warrior from the Secwpemc Nation in the Shuswap region of “British Columbia”. She has been active in fighting against development projects and corporations such as the Sun Peaks Ski Resort and Imperial Metals. Recently, she has been involved in organizing to raise awareness about the Mount Polley gold-copper mine tailings spill, possibly the worst mining pollution disaster in Canadian history. For her efforts, she has been named as a defendant by Imperial Metals in a court injunction to stop blockades of the mining company’s operations.

* Clifton Arihwakehte Nicholas (Kanien’kehá:ka)

Clifton is a member of the Kanien’kehá:ka community of Kanehsatake. He was part of the resistance at Kanehsatake in his role as a young warrior in 1990. He is active in resisting the proposed Niocan mine and the Energy East pipeline on his territory. As an activist-filmmaker, Clifton operates his own film production company called Devil Dog Productions. His films include Karistatsi Onienre: The Iron Snake, a feature about resistance to pipelines, which will be screened at this event.

Continuing an annual tradition, several Montreal-area social justice organizations committed to anti-colonial organizing and action, are presenting this evening of food, film and resistance. This year we have decided to cease using the term “Thanksgiving”. We are making this change as a way of distancing ourselves from colonial settler myths, and rather position our gathering in a tradition of anti-colonial education and resistance.

Organizing groups: Concordia Student Union (CSU), Frigo Vert, Kanata, Midnight Kitchen, People’s Potato, GRIP UQÀM, QPIRG Concordia & QPIRG McGill.