Natives educate through annual canoe trip; Excursion raises a few eyebrows along the Grand River

KAREN BEST
Dunnville Chronicle
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 05:00

The 180 mile canoe trip was a spiritual one for members of the Mohawk nation but was a source for concern for others on the route.

On Aug. 5, about 20 natives launched canoes below the rapids at Elora Gorge. Their first stop was West Montrose, near Elmira. Next they set up camp in Kitchener before moving onto Cambridge. After staying in Six Nations, they travelled to York in Haldimand County where they stayed on Aug.9.

Here concerns began. Fred Finn, who grew up in York and lives in Cayuga, called OPP about a group of natives setting up camp in a county day use park on the east side of the York bridge. They also lit a fire in a no fire zone, he told a reporter.

Fearing a Caledonia like occupation, he asked police to remove the natives or the people in town would do it.

Finn, who has been in Caledonia during a couple native and resident clashes, said he saw what police did not do and he wanted something done in York.

OPP told the caller that this was an annual canoe trip by a community group. Police told Finn that these people were not causing a disturbance and police said they would not do anything, he reported.

News of the situation drifted up river bringing out curious and concerned Caledonia residents.

Six Nations resident Lori Monture, who organized the first trip last year and this one, said police came into the camp to tell them they had complaints. They also said people were concerned about natives taking over the bridge. The group stayed in the park last year without any problems.

Mel Smith, who was part of the group, said OPP talked to him about a bylaw infraction in staying in the park. "We wouldn't leave," he said attributing concerns to the drama in Caledonia.

Over the five and a half months of the native occupation of a Caledonia building site, police have checked county facilities including the York bridge.

In May, a specially trained dog sniffed for bombs and other substances and two officers used mirrors to check under the bridge deck. After the Highway 6 bypass bridge was closed on April 20 for almost two months, county residents worried about closures on other bridges.

On the evening of Aug. 9., traffic increased in front of the York park. Concerned about safety, the group sent youngsters home to sleep on the Six Nations reserve, said Monture.

The canoe trip started out as a family vacation idea in 2005. "It gets us back to how ancestors used to live without hydro and TV," said Monture. "This is spiritual for us."

Participants get a visual concept of how big the Haldimand Tract is, she continued.

Before they left the park on Aug. 10, Monture taped up a notice on the Canadian Heritage River sign. It said: "No Trespassing on Mohawk 1784 Proclamation Land. No development of any kind".

She also posted a notice entitled, "Mohawk Nation of the Grand River."

It included a passage attributed to General Frederick Haldimand. Delivered to the Mohawk nation on April 7, 1779, it promised to restore American Mohawk lands to the state they were before the American War of Independence. The Mohawks and other First Nations fought with the British in the war.

After it was finished, the British could not negotiate for the return of the Mohawk lands in the U.S. territory.

In 1784, Haldimand granted Mohawks and others of the Six Nations six miles of land on both sides of the Grand River from the mouth to its source. The Haldimand grant was also part of the notice posted by Monture.

Someone also blotted out Canadian on the sign, changing it to A Mohawk Heritage River. Later in the day on Aug. 10, a couple of Caledonia residents erased "Mohawk" and removed the notices.

On Aug. 10, the canoeists made it down to Dunnville's Grand Island where they paid to spend the night. Their presence raised concerns for some area residents.

Shortly after 1 p.m. on Aug. 11, the group completed their trip at Port Maitland. Smith said the trip raises awareness about the land grant and educates young participants about their history.

For Ellis Hill, the family trip was a chance to get away from the hype of the Caledonia confrontation. He wanted people to appreciate what's here and to get along. "If you know it's not yours, give it (the land) back," he said.

Hill was on the land reclamation site for six weeks but pulled out with other Mohawks because they thought their sovereignty was being jeopardized. "We support it and the cause but not the procedure and how governments are dealing with it," he said.