CALEDONIA - It was a bitterly cold morning in Caledonia on Feb. 28, 2006, when a handful of women from Six Nations walked onto a parcel of land known as Douglas Creek Estates to stop a housing development and affirm the property as Six Nations land and part of the Haldimand Tract protected by the Haldimand Deed.
Five years later, the land is vacant except for one completed house, a small makeshift building and a burned out tractor-trailer. Haudenosaunee flags fly from portions of a hydro tower that sit on either side of a street leading onto the land. There has been a continual Six Nations presence on the property in what is now the longest ongoing land dispute in recent history.
To mark the dispute's fifth anniversary Monday nearly 50 people marched onto the land known as Kanenhstaton or "The Protected Place." Some people carried flags.
Ontario Provincial Police blocked both ends of the Highway 6, from Sixth Line to the adjacent Caledonia Baptist Church.
As in 2006, Monday's march was community driven with no political presence from the Six Nations elected or traditional leadership. In attendance were three of the women, Dawn Smith, Jan Longboat and Janie Jamieson Cook, who started the reclamation.
Longboat smudged people with cedar as they marched onto the land. A small number of reporters at the site interviewed key people including Smith, Longboat and Floyd Montour. There were no speeches, no fanfare, no celebratory fireworks, just a quiet display of communal determination and continued commitment.
"We're still here," one woman said.
The message is clear: after five long years of failed negotiations, rejected financial offers and ignored injunctions, Six Nations is not budging. Year after year, the anniversary continues to be acknowledged.
But are people in the community of Six Nations weary? Some would say yes. The last five years have taken a toll on some. It's been a long journey that is not yet over. There's been no recent movement from the federal government to settle the land dispute. The Ontario government purchased the land back from the developers in 2006, shortly after the land reclamation began. Ideas for memorials, museums and tree planting on the land have been discussed but nothing has been agreed upon. It appears no one is in a hurry to see anything there.
Even though the immediate crisis of police raids and blocked roads has subsided, one can't help but wonder if it all could happen again. There has been some educational material distributed regarding Six Nations history. And an amazing grade school pen pal project between the communities of Six Nations and Caledonia has been established. But are we any further along to understanding each other?
Sunday's rally in Caledonia led by activist Gary McHale, who requested an apology from Six Nations, and a recently published book, entitled Helpless, tell us that understanding is still quite distant for some. Whatever we've been doing to promote understanding, we've only just begun. There's so much more that needs to be done.
Six Nations has experienced many windows of political opportunity open and close during the last five years. It would be fair to say that many of the opportunities were there during the early part of 2006 when uncertainty reigned and tempers flared. The windows remain but are now more difficult to open.
Since the beginning of the land reclamation, the community of Six Nations has experienced a change in elected leadership, and the formation of the Men's Fire group and the Ongwehonwe women's council, two groups that have strong voices and a leadership role regarding community issues. In some ways, there is more representation than ever before and that has been good for the community.
Where do we go from here so we aren't looking back on another five years of stalled resolution? There are certainly enough balls in the respective courts of all the players in this land dispute. All everyone needs to do is put theirs in play.
L.M. VanEvery spent much of 2006 at the reclamation site, attending community meetings,
sitting in negotiations and by her best estimation, consumed by this land dispute. She is now writing a book about the land reclamation, which she hopes will be healing for her and educational for you.