Update from Grand River

Nov., 8, 2007

By Hazel Hill

Well, things have sure heated up at the negotiating table!

It started a few weeks ago when Ontario representative tried to get tough with the
Haudenosaunee, telling our representatives that we were using the media to negotiate, even
going so far as to try and tell us that we couldn’t do what we’re doing with the HDI, and that
Ontario was standing by its lands registry system. Funny that they forgot to mention that
they started the media campaign by coming out and telling developers that they were on their own and to deal with the
Haudenosaunee!!! But then it got really HOT at Kanonhstaton this past Monday night because of all a sudden, our front
gate house mysteriously went up in flames!!!

Well, if I were what one calls a ‘normal’ person, I’d look at that and say, ‘what a co-incidence’. But then I’m not anywhere’s
near ‘normal’ (thankfully) and I have a lot of skepticism when it comes to co-incidences. Especially when that co-incidence
happens throughout the night when, thankfully our security was
at a different area and no one got hurt, but more importantly, it
happened only a few short hours before another ‘co-incidence’.
And that was when one of the on-going non- native instigators,
(we’ll call him idiot/instigator #2 because our #1 idiot/instigator is
our friend who likes to come into town from Richmond Hill, which
he has done continually for the last few weeks with his money
pail in hand) anyway, Idiot #2 decided to set up a smoke shop
down the road in Six Nations territory, deliberately trying to incite
violence with our people that would cause police action. And he
did this with the full support of the opp. It wasn’t just that he
decided to do this, he phoned the OPP, told them what he was
about to do, and asked them to be there to protect him while he
did it cause he was sure there would be ‘trouble with them Turtle Island News photo
Indians’. They stood by, allowed him to proceed under the carefully planned and watchful eye of the OPP, and CH-TV. Co-
incidence? Not likely. This is what I’d call the Crown stepping up its pressure on the Haudenosaunee in hopes they’ll get
a reaction from our people and in hopes that they’ll be able to push us far enough where all hell will break loose and the
‘you know what’ will hit the fan, and then they can gleefully send in the troops under the justification that the “Indians are
out of control and have broken the peace”. Seems like we’re going backwards instead of forward. Helloooo, does no-one
remember what happened in Ipperwash? Seems like some people aren’t going to be happy until there is blood shed
again!. Well, this time at least, their attempt to break the peace failed and they got fooled again. As hard as it was, our
people maintained the PEACE. We aren’t taking this lying down as some would believe. We’re re-building our gate house
this weekend. We’ve put a call out to our supporters for donations of lumber and finances, we’re having a good old fash-
ion building bee and pot luck, and we’re going to re-build what those instigators thought/hoped would send us packing, into
a bigger and better facility that will show Canada exactly who we are are. And that is a people of pride and resolve. A
people who will take what was a deliberate attempt to incite war, and turn it into a peaceful and determined resolution. It
wasn’t just a gatehouse that they burned down, but it was an important part of the current history of our people and our
struggle against oppression and assimilation.

And of course the idiotic statements and reaction from our neighbouring politicians continues. You have Caledonia’s mayor
making statements such as, “you gotta realize that a lot of people are glad that it burned down”. Sounds like she might
know something, I wonder if the OPP talked to her and got names. Yup, something smells in Denmark, or I guess it’s the
polluted Grand that stinks. I don’t know. But I do know that we’re long past Bread and Cheese Day and the rats are cer-
tainly out in full force sniffing around looking for something to bite on.

And speaking of which, all this comes on the heels of statements made by another of the good old politicians whose upset
because of what I would say was finally some action on the part of the Crown to working toward what we’ve all been work-
ing toward, and that is a peaceful resolution to the Haudenosaunee land rights. At the same lands side table meeting a
few weeks ago when Ontario was trying to flex its muscles and told our Confederacy representatives that ‘we weren’t play-
ing right and they didn’t say we could be a ‘government’’, they also informed us that they had set aside around 7,000 acres
and put a freeze on development in that area, acknowledging that in FACT the Haudenosaunee have legitimate land rights
and that they (Ontario), on behalf of the Crown, were looking at lands that could be returned to the Six Nations for our own
places to grow. In fact, the lands that they have set aside are almost identical to what the HDI had suggested on a map
shown in our “green plan”. So to me, this is progress, on some level, and it’s a very loud statement to the rest of the world
that indeed the Haudenosaunee have been right all along and that the Crown had in fact, allowed the theft of our lands
and resources and that they have a responsibility to correct those wrongs. Oh, and that good old politician I was talking
about, he’s mad because all of the ‘red zone’ is in Haldimand township and his point was ‘theres a lot of crown land all up
and down the grand river, not just in Haldimand. Again, cudo’s to you Mr. B, the light bulb finally went on over-head, cause
that’s exactly what the Haudenosaunee have been saying all along too, and that’s exactly what we intend on continuing to
work toward resolving. Our land rights aren’t just in the surrounding two townships of Brantford and Caledonia, but they
extend all along the Grand River from its mouth to its source. So good, I’m glad you finally recognized that and perhaps
you can help by insisting that our places to grow plan as set out by the Haudenosaunee, recognized by the Crown, will
extend well beyond the 7,000 acres that are currently on the negotiating table. Nya weh!

In the meantime, boy are the developers continuing at a fast pace. Why that is, is because the Federal and Provincial reps
have continually said that they “will not displace third parties from lands”. So, what do they do? They hurry up and try and
develop as much land as possible so they can say they can’t return it to the Six Nations. Well, our representatives told
them in no uncertain terms, that history has shown that the Crown has no problem re-locating complete nations of people
from their homelands when required, and that it is not unreasonable to expect the same courtesy with respect to our inter-
ests. Some of the developers however, I will say, are trying to work with the Haudenosaunee, trying to respect the process
that was put in place by our government, known as the HDI, and working toward peaceful resolutions to our land rights,
that would honour and respect the ancient agreements set out by our ancestors. But you also have the idiotic ones who
think that they are untouchable, and who not only want to ignore our land rights, but they continue to ignore their own
Canadian Law which requires them to consult. They want to be able to say, well, ‘we went to Confederacy’, or ‘we talked
to the HDI’……what they don’t get is that attending one confederacy council meeting, or having one meeting with the HDI
isn’t construed as consultation and doesn’t mean a hill of beans as far as accommodation. What it does mean is that they
knowingly and deliberately failed to fully respect honour or uphold their own laws, and are commencing development
UNLAWFULLY. And that is the bottom line. All of these municipalities towns and townships are telling the Crown that they
don’t care what their laws say, as a matter of fact, they are somehow blessed with their actions because Ontario is saying
they’re standing by their lands registry system when in fact, their lands registry system doesn’t have a leg to stand on when
it comes to lands that are under what they call “Indian land claims”. So who’s trying to protect the developers and Canadian
people when they make large financial investments into what they believe to be their dream home or business venture.
Well, it isn’t Ontario or Canada that’s for sure. Their lands registry system, more specifically their title insurance, says that
they ARE NOT COVERED if its on an ‘Indian land claim area’. And so how then, can Ontario stand behind its land reg-
istry system knowing full well that they are selling lands and developing lands on exactly that…….a ‘land claim area’. What
they’re really saying to those developers and Canadian citizens is “keep spending your money, we’ll keep collecting your
tax dollars, we’ll keep taking your millions of dollars for your business plans etc., but oh, by the way, if the natives come
and re-claim your land that you just invested your life savings on, well, sorry, we’ll work that out at the negotiating table
over the next fifty to a hundred years and in the meantime, you’ll just have to wait”. They’ve already said they’re not going
to do another “Henco buy out” where they spent 16 million dollars to prove that the Six Nations didn’t have a
claim…………..??????? gee, if that was the case, wonder why they spent all that money…. Dah!!!!!!! I hate to say it
Canadians, but your government’s been taking you on a ride, and its gonna continue to cost you until you realize that the
Haudenosaunee have legitimate land rights. Then maybe you’ll work with us to ensure that your government is being hon-
ourable and truly working toward a peaceful resolution that will be toward your benefit, as well as ours. That is exactly
what the Haudenosaunne are trying to do with the HDI. We’re not only looking out for our own people’s interests, but we
recognized quite easily that someone had to protect the developers, and the people who live up and down the grand.
Doesn’t mean we’re going to give a rubber stamp to all development. No, sorry, it doesn’t work that way. But it does mean
that if that development is consistent and in accordance with who we are, and what our law requires us to do, and that in
simple terms is consistent with protecting the environment and the future, it might mean some development can continue.
But it will also mean that the finances that are being unlawfully paid to municipalities, will be paid directly to the
Haudenosaunee, for our perpetual care and maintenance, exactly like was intended in those 999 year lease agreements
that specifically said “leased” and not “sold”. So if you’re a developer who is building on unceded territory of the
Haudenosaunee without full and proper consultation and accommodation of the Haudenosaunee, know that you are pro-
ceeding in an UNLAWFUL manner, not only according to Haudenosaunee law, but according to your own Crown laws. And
note to MQ, when in my last update I spoke of transparency in our government, I meant exactly that. Transparency with-
in our own government. That means it’s internal to the Haudenosaunee. It has nothing to do with any outside government
or any one else. Confidentiality in any agreements that we (HDI on behalf of Haudenosaunee) set up with a potential
developer or third party land ‘owner’, has the right to confidentiality as to the terms of that potential agreement. It's not
rocket science. It’s done between us and that developer without any interference of any other government. Just like
Canada doesn’t need permission from the United States (at least not yet) to make development agreements, the
Haudenosaunee doesn’t need permission from Canada to make any development agreements. Simple! Hope that helps clear
up your understanding of the difference between transparency within a government, and confidentiality in an agreement.

So where exactly are we in negotiations? Well, like I said, we’ve made some progress with Ontario freezing development on some
land, and we are also waiting on the federal government to provide a full and detailed mapping of their current land holdings as
promised over a year ago at the consultation side table. We’ll hopefully be getting that information soon. Mean time, we’re still
doing the ‘well, our interpretation of that historic document says it was a surrender’, and its countered with, ‘our interpretation
clearly say’s it was intended for leasing purposes only’.

We have gotten the commitment for a full environmental clean up of the Burtch lands prior to our taking it back, and the only thing
the Crown has to figure out, is how to register the lands according to the original agreement, which was agreed to at the negoti-
ations table, and that is in accordance with the Haldimand Proclamation. A good point to mention here is the same point that the
OPP made the other day when they allowed idiot/instigator # 2 to attempt HIS ILLEGAL cigarette sales in our territory. The land
that he set up on, are lands that the elected band council purchased ‘back’ over 15 years ago, applied to have returned to ‘reserve
status’ and those lands, according to the OPP, are currently still part of Haldimand Township. So you can see why our people are
insistent that the lands don’t come ‘back’ under the Indian Act. We continue to look at all of our lands and our land rights under
original title, and its up to the Crown how it figures out how to register it on their side of the wampum. All I know is that the Crown
doesn’t have authority on any of our land, and it certainly isn’t going to start now. Which might explain to you Canadians what we
mean when we say, jurisdiction is jurisdiction, and that the crown laws do not apply within Haudenosaunee territory. This isn’t
two tiered JUSTICE, It JUST IS!

And so, the negotiations are continuing next week, and hopefully the public awareness and education side table will begin to put
out an update on a continual basis so that the rest of the world out there watching won’t have to wait a month or longer for my
updates. I do apologize to everyone. I know its hard, especially all of you in Haudenosaunee Territories, waiting and wondering
what’s happening. Just know that we continue to do what we were designated to do at the very beginning. And that is to uphold
and protect the Kaierenerekowa, protect the interests of our land and our future generations, and to continue re-polishing the
Silver Covenant Chain with the Crown as we move forward in these negotiations in accordance with our relationship with the
Crown through the Two Row Wampum Treaty. And that’s all any of us can do. We all carry the same responsibilities, and we are
all doing the best that we can. We appreciate the continued support of everyone, including all of the other Onkwehonweh Nations
out there who are doing exactly the same thing, and that is holding the Crown accountable for the injustices of the past, as we
work toward a peaceful future for all people, no matter what colour skin they carry.

In love, light and peace,

Hazel.