Six Nations' protesters have said the Six Nations never surrendered land in and around Brantford, that the land was to be leased not sold and that the land was stolen from the Six Nations.
However, on Dec. 18, 1844, 45 chiefs from the Six Nations of the Grand River signed a document in which they unanimously accepted the reserve south of Brantford and unanimously agreed that the Crown could sell the land on the Johnson, Martin, Oxbow and Eagle's Nest tracts.
That original hand-written document is stored at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.
Here are some quotes from that document.
"He (meaning Commissioner David Thorburn of Indian Affairs) desires that it should be clearly understood that no Indian be compelled to remove from his present location the doing so to be an act of his own and when he wishes to settle on the Reserve his improvements to be sold for his own benefit."
"On the other part of their answer that the lands on the north side of the River known as the Oxbow, Eagle's Nest, Martin and Johnson settlements be leased and not sold. From this answer they unanimously recede and therefore agree that the same be sold."
"The Chiefs would further recede from that part of their former answer that such portions of Lots as the Commissioner might judge not to be useful or necessary on which an Indian resides might be sold and therefore desire that any lot whereon an Indian resides out of the general Reserve no part of it be sold while it is so occupied but on the lot becoming vacant the same to be sold and not reserved.
In addition, during the discovery phase of a 1995 court case, the Crown said "More particularly, the Six Nations consented to the sale of these lands at a Council meeting held on Dec. 18, 1844."
That document clearly shows that the Six Nations of the Grand River surrendered land outside of the reserve to the Crown for sale in 1844.
What do Six Nations protesters and leaders have to say about that 1844 agreement?
Garry Horsnell Brantford