On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) and McNally Robinson Booksellers hosted Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel and Dr. Sean Carleton for a special evening to discuss their new book, When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance (Between the Lines). The event was hosted by CHRR Research Affiliate Dr. Kiera Ladner.

On When the Pine Needles Fall:

There have been many things written about Canada’s violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in the summer of 1990, but When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege. When the Pine Needles Fall, written in a conversational style by Gabriel with historian Sean Carleton, offers an intimate look at Gabriel’s life leading up to the 1990 siege, her experiences as spokesperson for her community, and her work since then as an Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader. Gabriel’s hopes for a decolonial future make clear why protecting Indigenous homelands is vital not only for the survival of Indigenous peoples, but for all who live on this planet.