*Contributions by:*
*Haudenosaunee Confederacy representatives*
*as well as Janie Jamieson, Hazel Hill and Dawn Smith*
New Date:
Thursday March 29, 2007
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
MDCL 3020
The struggle of the Six Nations of the Grand River to reclaim the land called Kanonhstaton near the town of Caledonia, Ontario is coming up to the first anniversary of the re-occupation of the land by members of the Six Nations community. The dispute has had effects not only in the town of Caledonia and other parts of Canada, but also most notably in the Six Nations community itself. Overwhelmingly, the public and private media have focused on the economic and to a lesser extent the social impacts of the conflict in the community of Caledonia itself. Somewhat disturbing is the fact that media coverage has been much less, if not non-existent, on the impact on the Six Nations community.
Often the effects of these kinds of conflicts are revealed best through the eyes, the feelings, and the experiences of women. Women have played a prominent leadership role in the occupation of Kanonhstaton itself.
The decision by governments to involve the Six Nations Confederacy in the negotiations after decades of suppressing their activities and denying their existence has highlighted the role of clan mothers as leaders in the Haudenosaunee governing system and their responsibility to care for Mother Earth. And whenever there is trauma in a community as has occurred during this dispute, this trauma is often felt most directly by women, whether as mothers of young children denied places in schools or sports teams, as community members faced by anger and violence that arises from frustration from the conflict, and as persons feeling such stress to the point of undermining their mental and physical health.
This forum will explore some of these issues with remarks being offered by selected women from the Six Nations Community and their experiences of the Land Reclamation Dispute.
This event is sponsored by the Institute on Globalization and the Human
Condition, the McMaster Public Forum and the Indigenous Studies Program.