Susan Gamble
For the first time in almost 80 years, leaders of Haudenosaunee Confederacy gathered on Six Nations to talk about issues facing First Nations people.
Chiefs, sub-chiefs, clan mothers and faith keepers met to review their own history and plan for the future in a hastily organized Gathering of Nations.
“The last time they all met was in 1927,” said April Powless, assistant to the local confederacy.
The invitation went out to all elected and traditional leaders from across
“It’s an historic event.”
Powless said the meeting was part of a plan for the confederacy to get more proactive about issues affecting natives.
The tightening of rules to cross the
The agenda also included discussions of the next steps for establishing the Indigenous Nationhood and Alliances and the Six Nations reclamation project at
The Six Nations community was invited to come and observe in the large Iroquois Lacrosse Arena and many took advantage of the invitation, with at least 50 people in the audience throughout the day.
Local Chief Arnie General was pleased to see those onlookers, but he expected the arena would be full considering the historic nature of the meeting.
“It’s disheartening to think of how many of our people are not paying attention to our land rights, the decisions we make today and how they will affect tomorrow,” General said.
The agenda package handed out to community members included minutes and full notes from the June 1870 meetings of Six Nations and leaders from various bands.
As part of the meeting, several original and replica wampum belts were unrolled and explained to the audience.
Chief Peter Skye told how the Creator sent the Messenger to the natives. With interpretation by sub-chief Leroy Hill, he explained the significant two row wampum, which represents the path of the native canoes and the path of the English and Dutch ships.
“We have our laws and they have their laws and they go along side by side. If someone crosses to the other vessel, they have to follow the law of that vessel,” interpreted Hill.
The two men also held up the council fire wampum, strands of various beaded ropes representing different nations.
“This council fire wampum was stolen from us when the RCMP came in,” Hill said of 1924, when an elected council system was imposed.
“The chiefs of the day made another one. It is a form of record, because all decisions were made in front of it.”
The stolen council fire wampum, which has been described as the ceremonial mace of the Six Nations, was returned in 1989.
“If we can find a way to approach our issues in a united way, that’s the substance of what we want,” Hill said of the meeting.
“We need to identify the issues we have in common and how we can approach them from a position of strength.”
The meeting was scheduled to end on Saturday afternoon with a tour of the contentious protest site in