Chiefs to attend ceremony to celebrate relocation of the Hochelaga Rock at McGill University

09/21/2016

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the community that Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton and Ratitsénhaienhs Kenneth McComber and Christine Zachary-Deom will be attending a ceremony tomorrow (Thursday) to celebrate the relocation of the Hochelaga Rock to a new site on the McGill University campus in Montreal.

The Hochelaga Rock, with its attached plaque, was established in 1925 by Parks Canada to commemorate the Iroquois village that stood on the lands where the university now sits. Its original location was deemed unsatisfactory; Indigenous groups and services on campus had indicated that it was in a very low-traffic area that compromised the degree to which it could serve its educational and commemorative purposes.

The Hochelaga Rock has been moved to a more prominent location near the Roddick Gates at the main entrance of the university on Sherbrooke and McGill College Streets.

“We know our history,” said Ratsénhaienhs Kenneth McComber, who holds the Heritage Portfolio. “With the move to this location, current and future students are far more likely to take a few moments to gain awareness of the historical realities of Tiohtià:ke (Montreal).”

Grand Chief Norton will speak on behalf of the MCK. McGill Professor Michael Loft of Kahnawà:ke will be the keynote speaker at the event, which takes place from 11:30am to 12:30pm at the new site. It is open to the public.