RIP Billy Two Rivers

 

 Wrestler, council chief and Mohawk activist Billy Two Rivers has died at 86

CTV News

By Daniel J. Rowe

February 13, 2023

 

Wrestler, council chief, activist and storyteller Billy Two Rivers has died in his home community of Kahnawake on Montreal's South Shore.

The Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder was 86 years old.

His niece Melissa Montour-Lazare posted the news on Facebook on Sunday after his death.

"A gentle giant, very intelligent and knowledgeable person," she wrote. "Fly high with the eagles uncle. I'll continue to make you proud and keep fighting the good fight.

"He was hugely influential, acting as Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton’s right-hand man during the so-called Oka Crisis, the most difficult time in Kahnawà:ke’s recent history," the MCK said. "He was both colorful and outspoken, never afraid to challenge government officials or correct Kahnawà:ke's opponents on their misinterpretations of the community's position or its place in history."

Former Canadian justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould posted her condolences on Twitter.

"Such sad news," wrote Wilson-Raybould, who was the first Indigenous person to hold the office. "Rest in Peace Billy Two Rivers."

Assembly of First Nations Chief RoseAnne Archibald recalled the "articulate and powerful speeches" Two Rivers made at multiple AFN meetings.

Two Rivers entered the wrestling scene in 1953 at the age of 17 after training with fellow Kahnawake wrestler Don Eagle. His signature vault over the top ropes to enter a match became a staple of a career that spanned the next two decades.

Van Morrison released his album "Roll With the Punches" in 2017 using an image of Two Rivers without his consent. Two Rivers and Van Morrison reached an agreement to settle the issue.

Upon retiring from the ring, Two Rivers entered politics and was elected to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake in 1978, where he spent the next 20 years. After failing to get re-elected in 1998, Two Rivers worked as a political and policy advisor in his community and with national organizations like the AFN.

Two Rivers was a central figure among the leaders that helped Kahnawake and sister community, Kanesatake, during the 1990 Oka Crisis and standoff with Quebec and Canada.

He features throughout the Alanis Obomsawin documentary Kanehsatake: 270 years of Resistance.

He also appeared in a series of film and television projects, including Black Robe (1991), Tales of the Wild (1994) and, more recently, an episode of Mohawk Girls in 2015.

TWO RIVERS, Billy (Kaientaronkwen)

Born: 5/5/1935, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

Died: 2/12/2023, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

 

Billy Two Rivers’ westerns – actor:

Red Earth, White Earth – 1982 (Indian)

Black Robe – 1991 (Qugebmat)

Tales of the Wild (TV) – 1994 (Broken Foot)

Pocahontas the Legend – 1995 (Mochiqua)