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As the community grows — Brisebois expects to have 800 members by the end of the year — and becomes more vocal in its demands, it has attracted the ire of the Kahnawake Mohawks, whose reserve is just 20 kilometres away from Beauharnois.

Joe Norton, grand chief of the Kahnawake Mohawks, has labelled the Mikinaks a fraud and questioned their motives.

“They go in and they recruit those who have no idea really what they’re getting involved in, have no idea what it is to be part of the struggle,” Norton said.

“It concerns me because in the future, when it comes to settling land issues, hopefully they are not going to be part of that.”

Already the Mikinaks have created friction with attempts to use status cards issued by the Confederation of Aboriginal Peoples. The official-looking photo IDs declare that the holder is “an aboriginal within the meaning of the article 35 of the Constitution Act of Canada” and as such is entitled to exercise aboriginal hunting, fishing, trapping and trade rights.

Researchers have found that between half and three-quarters of all Quebecers have at least one aboriginal ancestor, suggesting that the potential pool of Mikinak members could number in the millions. Brisebois said there is no limit to how far back in the family tree an aboriginal ancestor could be.

“Even if it’s eight generations back, that’s OK,” she said. “The most important thing is that you feel it inside you.”

I just want to be respected. I’m not a savage. I’m an Indian.

Norton said he has no problem with people taking pride in aboriginal heritage, but he worries that some are simply seeking a way to avoid paying sales tax at local stores.