Dear Brothers, Sisters, Friends and Allies
April 15, 2007. This is our most recent Six Nations of Grand River update:
We are concerned about the 'co-incidental' release of Canada's National Defense Training Manual for the military. They decreed that all 'first nations' who defend our homelands or our sovereignty would be classed as “terrorists” and “insurgents”. Insurgents is defined as "the actions of a minority within a state who are intent on forcing political change by a mixture of subversion and propaganda and military pressure to persuade or intimidate a broad mass of people to accept such a change". This is exactly what the colonists did to us in 1924 when violent armed RCMP invaded the Haudenosaunee to put in the illegal band council government.
Then on April 20, 2006, the colonizers tried to sneak onto our reclaimed land at Six Nations we call “Kanonhstaton” and attacked us. We defended ourselves.
The Crown continues to tell us they have valid surrenders of our land. That's not what their documents say. Canada is "making a claim" to our lands. Canada can't give us proof of its claim or what they did with our monies they supposedly put into trust for us. That's because they didn’t.
We refuse to discuss the land issues according to colonial 'Canadian law'. Their Justice Department opinion is not relevant. It's a nation-to-nation issue.
We continue meeting with the Crown to watch them scramble around trying to dig up phony proof. We are looking at the other thousands of acres that the colonists swindled from us. The Six Nations band councilors have been doing “information sessions” on each parcel to see which will be dealt with next.
We are becoming more involved in developing means on how we are going to assert our jurisdiction on our lands. The Crown has to stop issuing illegal permits to develop lands that are in dispute. The municipalities and developers have no business talking to the government imposed band council. They have to come to the people through our spokespeople, the Confederacy Chiefs.
We intend to protect the Grand River tract and the future of our people. The Federal and Ontario governments keep pushing illegal development on our land. Our priority is protecting the environment.
Other indigenous people on Turtle Island should be wary of these developers. The colonists must answer to the people. We will decide what kinds of development will go on our homelands and whether they will protect the environment.
We have the obligation to make decisions for the future generations. All the leases, with the exception of blocks 1-4, have expired. Rent is way past due. It’s either time to pay up, renew the lease, or move.
We’ve heard some ridiculous double talk. Developers and third parties who have been stopped from illegally building on our land are griping we should compensate them for their losses!!!!!!! History repeats itself. The crown compensated the squatters with our lease money for what they called “improvements” on our lands in the 1800's! The Crown is duping you. They are answerable to you. Remember how fast they looked after the Henning brothers? Ontario gave you illegal title to our land and they had to pay up.
The precedent has been set. Non-natives, fix your problems with your colonial governments. We've called in all of our leases. Canada and Ontario, clean the slate.
Today, the Crown has the band council paying for it. The band council cannot legally give a mandate to the traditional Confederacy. Dekanawida, the Peacemaker, devised a system that reflected our natural ways, based on equality and true democracy. He bound those five arrows together and brought the Five Nations together as one strong confederacy. The power is in the people. The Confederacy Chiefs speak for us.
There are only a few misguided people who create divisions. Many of our people call us and make valuable suggestions. They bring in old documents, attend council and community meetings. They take their responsibility seriously.
We excel in the art of diplomatic relations between nations. The Crown, through its designated Canadian advisors, acknowledged our Nation-to-Nation relationship. They agreed to obey the law and deal with Confederacy Council. To resolve the issues, the Crown must continue to acknowledge that neither they, nor Canada, nor Indian Affairs have authority over us. We are sitting at the table as equals according to our laws, our covenants and agreements. The Crown keeps trying to push us out of our canoe and pull us into their boat. They are trying to negotiate under their “land claims process”. There is nothing to negotiate. The land is ours. We are part of the land. The land is part of us. Our relationship with the colonists is according to the Two Row Wampum.
One of the main federal negotiators wanted to know if I was crazy! Grampa Goodie used to say "yeah I'm crazy, and I got papers to prove it!" We are serious.
The recent attempt by New York State to enter our territory through the Eastern Door (the Mohawk Tribal Council of Akwesasne) and the Western Door (the Oneida Tribal Council of New York) to set up casinos do not accede our jurisdiction. We continue to be independent sovereign nations. Taxation and foreign laws forced upon our people violate international law. The attempt failed, as it should.
Nia:wen for your continuing support. Please send donations of food, constructions materials and fund to Kanenhstaton, R.R. #6, Hagersville (Ontario Canada) N0A 1H0
In love light and peace,
Hazel