Re: 'Natives claim jurisdiction in Hamilton; HDI: mandate not restricted to Haldimand' (April 19)
As a former Haldimand County resident living in Los Angeles, I am glad I left. I would not purchase land in the Haldimand Tract at any price -- even though my ancestors (native and European) settled there in 1783 and many of my ancestors, including my parents, are buried there.
This whole situation of native land claims has degenerated into a travesty. Jurisdiction in Hamilton? We are now reaching the advanced levels of absurdity. Is this Ontario in 2008 or Chicago in the 1920s? How many ways are there to spell extortion? Why are these protesters not being hauled into court and the laws of the land applied? Are there special considerations for some that would not be permitted others? Is there, as I suspect, a two-tiered system in which First Nations must be treated with kid gloves?
I am familiar with native land "issues" via my study of the RG10 series of Indian Affairs papers in the Archives of Canada. This resulted in a book on First Nations genealogical research. I have also studied history and archeology as it pertains to natives in the region. The lands of southern Ontario "belonged" to the Attiwandaronk (neutral) people, whom my ancestors of the Six Nations exterminated during the 1600s along with the Hurons (yes, adopting some of the captives). The people who subsequently occupied the hunting and fishing territories of the neutral peoples were the Mississauga, whose descendants now reside on the New Credit Reserve adjoining Six Nations in Haldimand County. The Haudenosaunee have a weak claim, if any, to any hunting and fishing rights, and none to the land itself.
How much longer are the spineless politicians going to be cowed by a group of radicals who really need to get a job and a life? The Ontario Provincial Police and the federal agencies have the right and the duty to act. This disruption is illegal and unacceptable. Don't the rights of the majority in Haldimand count for anything? Are you a second-class citizen unless you carry a band card? Who has the guts to lay down the law and stand up to tyranny?