Kahnawake Council takes on rumour mill

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) drew the ire of community members this week with an ambiguous statement calling out unnamed rumours and urging Kahnawa’kehró:non to conduct themselves with respect and consideration.

While the statement does not confront any specifics, a Council spokesperson denied to THE EASTERN DOOR that a car was smashed or vandalized at the MCK last week, a common theme of circulating narratives.

“That is false,” said Lisa Lahache, Council’s political press attaché.

The Kahnawake Peacekeepers confirmed there are no mischief files stemming from February 1, the day rumours seem to have originated that a car had just been smashed at the Council building.

According to Lahache, the decision to avoid specifics in the statement was made to avoid perpetuating hurtful rumours pertaining to MCK personnel.

“It’s not founded in any kind of reality or truth, just vicious rumours about personal lives of employees,” she said.

While some in the community questioned the decision to release the statement, suggesting it only fanned the flames of speculation, Lahache portrayed it as a necessary step.

“Unfortunately some of the comments were starting to question the integrity of the organization, questioning the people who are our leaders or high up in the organization, kind of calling into question the integrity of our organization and our ability to make sound decisions,” she said. “At that point the line was crossed, and we decided that a statement was to be put out.”

She characterized the rumours as personal and said there is no cause to question the integrity of Council or its operations.

“The point is to get the dialogue started and have people be a little more mindful of how they talk about people and kind of a reminder that this is not our way,” she said. “Just to remember that we’re always setting an example for the next generations, so just keep that in mind, and really to encourage respectful dialogue. That’s it.”

Organizations in Kahnawake have frequently objected to the tone of social media discourse in the community, often characterized as a form of lateral violence. However, this statement also cites offline behaviour.

“There are countless attacks, rumours, and damaging falsehoods being spread both in social media and in social circles, many of which have hurt the targeted individuals and the people within, and associated to, the organization,” the statement reads, suggesting the “message is rooted in false information and malicious intent.”

It goes on to ask community members to consider the impact of their speech.

“The irreparable harm to the reputation of our community members and organization challenge the integrity that we hold as a healthy community,” the statement reads. “We must remind one another to reflect on how we conduct ourselves, how we treat one another in our homes, in our families, and within our community. This obligation is there for us all as Kanien’kehá:ka, regardless of the positions we hold.”

The statement is available to read in full on the MCK’s Facebook page.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door