KANENHSTATON: Potluck for Peace and an update from Hazel Hill.

I just received an email from the OCAP mailing list and I thought I'd share the  important parts...

   By now, many of you have probably heard about the "March for Freedom" being promoted by Gary McHale and his "group" Caledonia Wake-up call.  In response to this, the people on the reclamation site are planning a "Pot-luck for Peace" for Sunday afternoon, to coincide with the rally in Caledonia. It seems like a great opportunity to show support for the effort of the reclamation in the face of the bigotry and provocation which will be occurring down the road.  I think I may have to book a day off work...

The email I recieved also contained an update from Reclamation Spokesperson Hazel Hill:

Now in the eighth month, the people of the Six Nations Haudenosaunee
(Iroquois) Confederacy continue to remain steadfast in their reclamation of
the ‘Douglas Creek Estates’, land that is part of the Haldimand Tract, sold
to developers even though it was contested.  The site, renamed ‘Kahnestaton’
or ‘The Sacred Place’, stands as a symbol of resistance by First Nations
people, an assertion of sovereignty and self-government.  The Six Nations
peoples’ reclamation of Kahnestaton is an act of strength, one which
reveals the failure of the Canadian government’s land claims process,
and demands that respect for First Nations’ land and treaty rights is not a
debate - it is essential.

Negotiations between the government of Canada and the people of Six Nations
also continue, a process that actually recognizes the traditional,
hereditary system of government created by the people of the Haudenosaunee
Confederacy.  This system has been upheld by a community that is home to one
of the longest-standing democratic governance structures in all of Turtle
Island/North America.

Early on in the reclamation, the Mohawks of Tyendinaga, took action to
support the reclamation when it was under attack by the Ontario Provincial
Police.  Blocking rail lines that run through their Territory, the
Tyendinaga Mohawks jammed up more than $100 million worth of cargo and
forced more than 6,000 passengers to be diverted.  This rail blockade was
held until the Canadian government gave assurance that the place of the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy at the negotiation table would be recognized.

The community of Tyendinaga, located near Belleville, has itself been
targeted for ‘illegal’ cigarette sales, and for the peoples’ determination
to keep foreign police forces off their land and out of their lives.  A new
longhouse has nearly been completed, where no such governance building has
stood for over 50 years.

The long history of colonization on which this country has been
built--theft of natural resources and land, genocidal assimilation
policies, marginalization and impoverishment of First Nations peoples--has
been resisted at every step by the refusal of indigenous communities to
accept such criminal treatment. The stand being taken by the people of Six
Nations and of Tyendinaga, whether through land reclamation, building
alternative economic prosperity, assertion of indigenous governance
structures, resistance to colonial policing, is evidence of the struggle
and victories in the battle for First Nations’ sovereignty.

Join us on October 14th, to hear directly from representatives of both Six
Nations and Tyendinaga, speaking about their communities and their strength.

3.  UPDATE FROM HAZEL HILL (October 10th, 2006)

Tonight's update is a mixed bag of emotions once again. In the past
several weeks at the side table dealing with archaeology and
appearances, we've had discussions around a 100' buffer zone that
Minister Ramsay wanted to have clarified in order for him to make a
public statement. The buffer zone has been in place for well over 4
months, initiated by the Six Nations people working with the opp. It was
done in an effort to be respectful for the concerns by residents in the
area that the lights and patrols by atv's were bothering them. So, we
respected their concerns.

We've stopped the atv patrols, cut back on vehicle patrols, have reduced
our presence on the site all in good faith to show that we are not there
to bother anyone, we are there in a political statement over jurisdiction
and in respect to our land rights. So giving them the go ahead to make
this statement, what do they do with it, they turn it into another big
media release that puts a feather in their cap to somehow show that
they've accomplished something during this negotiation process, but more
importantly, they turn it around to imply that the Confederacy Chiefs
acknowledged that we've been these bad little indians and we're being
reprimanded. Not only that, they continue to claim that they are being
hounded by lights, noise and threats from the people on the site.

For the record i want to clarify that the buffer zone originated because
of the friday night rally's and potential danger and aggression that was
being displayed, not by the people on the site, but by a small group of
residents from caledonia with their outside supporters.  And then of
course the Crown rep's wanted to be able to mark the 100' zone and obliged
us by getting the poles and signs last week.  Guess they forgot to mention
in their media release that it was already agreed way back in May that the
Crown would pay for an archaeology reassessment because on the news last
Friday, it was
reported that already we weren't respecting the zone because "Indian
Archaeologists" were already disrespecting the buffer zone, and Mayor
Trainer was complaining that the posts weren't up yet and the Six
Nations people were just making fools of them by not respecting the
zone.  Guess she missed all the rain last week because sure as s**t if
we drove out to put the posts up last week we would have vehicles stuck
in the mud, and then there would have been complaints about all of the
noise from us spinning around or deliberatly throwing mud bombs at them.
Better yet,  maybe Ramsay should have included all of the FACTS in his
press release rather than just trying to grandstand.

Two key facts that were left out is the fact that the archaeologists would
be reassessing the north side of Kanonhstaton first, including the area
within the buffer zone, and the fact that the OPP would continue to patrol
within the original 30' area and the only time they would be in the 100'
area was a result of someone disrespecting it.   And of course yesterday,
when we did go out to the site, accompanied by provincial and federal
reps to post the markers and signs, the moment we put one facing the
Caledonia residential area, as soon as we walked away, three residents
from the neighbourhood came over and turned it around while the OPP
watched them.  I immediately walked right back to them, and while two
scurried away hollering about "blood being shed", one silently stood and
said nothing while I turned the sign back around and respectfully
reminded the OPP that we can read the signs facing in our direction and
that he should remind the people that those signs are posted for their
information.  He acknowledged that because he and I had already gone
through how it was working, but he also said he wanted to wait till they
had gone away before he turned it back around.  I suggested to him then
that no, he needs to let the residents know that those signs were being
posted by their government and are considered government property so
they need to keep their hands off of them.

You want to know what their big complaint is.  Now that there is  "no
trespassing" signs posted, anyone going into that area can be arrested and
charged.  Guess we know which people are worried about violations against
the "law of the land" because we didn't seem to have a problem with it.
In fact, our security put the damn signs up, and like I said, we've
already been respecting well beyond 100 feet for months.  The truth is,
when it comes to "law", in this case they only want it to apply to
"Indians" .  You can't win in this situation and for the first time, even
the fed's and prov. got to see first hand the crap we have to put up with.
 They had to put up with it too because when the prov. guy came back with
more wire and i told
them what happened with the sign, I reminded him that it was his side of
the wampum and he had to deal with it.

Again, for anyone who hasn't been paying attention for the last few
months, and for anyone who jumps on Caledonia Wake Up Web site for their
information and wants to know the TRUTH and what really is going on, it's
like this.   The Six Nations people worked co-operatively with the OPP
many months ago to ensure the safety of all concerned, including the
residents who live in that area and who have become victims of these
so-called spokespeople for the
Caledonia Wake-up Call, and we established a 30' buffer zone for the OPP
to patrol.  At that time, we also established another area that we have
respected that is well in excess of 100' and have been doing so for
months.  That is what has been happening, if you would like to verify
it, call the OPP office and ask.   Perhaps Caledonia residents need to
get other spokespeople to get their message across, like the 91 year old
war veteran who came out to talk to us while we were posting a sign
behind his property and who like the rest of us, only want to see a
PEACEFUL resolution, and who had no complaints but had good things to
say about relations with the Six Nations, and yes, the prov. and fed.
rep's did get to hear that!

Spokesperson's like Gary McHale who, coming from the Toronto area and
having his own agenda, is planning a 20,000 person rally to come onto
the site at Kanonhstaton because the taxpayers have spent over 20
million dollars on the reclamation and they feel they are entitled to
come onto the land. Somewhere I think Gary didn't read between the lines
during this negotiation process. The $15 million that the Crown has
given to Henco to buy them out of the situation was an acknowledgement
in itself that gee, maybe they made a mistake and didn't have the right
to sell that piece of land afterall. Common sense tells you if they had
clear title, this would have been over along time ago. And as far as the
expense of the OPP's presence there, maybe they better take another look
at what's on their own web page. They admit to making false police
reports, giggling at the fact that they deliberately create situations
which require the OPP to bring in extra forces for potential violent
situations and threats against the people on the reclamation site. They
think it a laughing matter that once they stage their gatherings at the
local Canadian Tire or Tim Hortons plaza, once the OPP respond to what
they are mandated to do, these people go home or listen to their
scanners in their car's and laugh like its some big joke. And yet they
want the rest of the world to believe the OPP are there because of the
Six Nations people and that the taxpayers are footing the bill.

I guess the fact that they owe  100's of billions of dollars in land leases
alone to the people of Six Nations has somehow slipped their minds
throughout this process, and that the interest alone on the Trust Fund
that is owed is well in excess of that as well doesn't factor into their
brains. No matter how many times you do the math, the tax dollars that
are being spent are monies that rightfully belong to the Six Nations
people, so in my estimation so far, the Crown hasn't spent one penny of
their own money, they continue to spend ours. And obviously they haven't
figured out that their complaints about the expense of the OPP are a
result of THEIR behaviour and not that of the Six Nations. We are not
coming into their property (although respectfully, that is our land
too), or making threats and planning rally's and making false police
reports just to see what happens. If the Crown is spending an immense
amount of money on the OPP, the fact is that they are the ones creating
these situations that result in that expense.

And as far as this 20,000 person rally. This has nothing to do with
supporting the people of Caledonia, it goes back to what it always does
for the McHale's of the world. He's looking at making a dollar out of it.
He's counting on the OPP to do their job. No matter what happens, he gets
what he wants. If the OPP stop him, he gets justification for his claim
and pending
lawsuit on the so-called two tiered justice system. If they don't stop
him and he try's to come onto the site, he's counting on the people of
Six Nations to stop him, hoping to incite violence, so it would warrant
calling in the opp or army to have the people removed from the site. Who
knows, could be part of the master plan. And of course there are the
one's flying the american flag on their front lawns asking the united
states to bring in homeland security to get us off the land. They've
sent letters out telling the U.S. of the terrible situation they are in,
about the violence and threats that they encounter everyday, they just
forgot to tell them that they are the one's instigating the violence and
making the threats. They probably didn't tell them that the only talk of
weapons comes from people within Caledonia and that the Six Nations
people have been on that site from day one in a peaceful reclamation,
without weapons. McHale say's all you have to do is read one of Hazel
Hill's updates or the writings of Ms. Horn to see the lies that are
being put out there.

I guess only you can decide that. I stand behind my updates and know that
I speak the truth and the truth is, it doesn't matter what McHale or
anyone else thinks. It only matters what we do. And what we are doing is
respecting and upholding the Law that the Creator gave to us.  We are
fighting for the future generations of our people and as a Sovereign
Nation, we are within our rights to do so. Tonight, the elected band
council refused to pass a resolution to support the continued funding of
the reclamation site. They're concerned with the fact that they've spent
over $100,000 to date, and can't afford to continue. In defense of the 5
councillors who voted to support;
Helen, Ava, Melba, Glenda and Carl......thanks. And to Dave Hill who is
off sick we also cannot blame. We do understand that the band council is
split in it's thinking with respect to the reclamation, and the whole
issue of governance.  But the fact of the matter is, regardless of
whether you support the elective system or the Confederacy, the Six
Nations people are the governing body, and the Six Nations people have
taken a stand, and we are united in that stand.   I can even understand
why Levi took it personally when our head cook and elder Ruby scolded
council for suggesting that we don't need to use vehicles to patrol, we
don't need generators for lights, we don't need to use the houses for
shelter and that we should go back to the old ways of no lights,
sleeping outside at the fire, walk on patrols and everybody just bring
food. I guess they missed the part about how important it was, not only
for the six nations community, but for all of the Onkwehonweh nations
who are watching and supporting and counting on us to continue to set
the path for future negotiations for their own land rights. I guess they
also missed the part about the world wide support that is out there, and
the many countries and nations who are supporting us and encouraging us
to continue. I don't know, maybe they haven't checked the world map out
yet, or perhaps they missed the latest Teka and Turtle that showed that
we had visitors to the site recently who do support us, including some
Buddhist Monks from South Vietnam, and a representative of Nelson
Mandella. Maybe they even missed McHales radio interview earlier today
on CKRZ when he might as well have threatened every man woman and child
in this community by declaring that he would come onto the site on
October 15th. I guess they also missed the fact that the potential for
violence is real, and that the continued threats for our own health
safety and well being is being compromised everyday by the ignorance of
a few. I guess they underestimate the power of the people as well to
think that if they won't continue to support the site financially that
it will somehow get us to go home. If the suggestion that if the money
is not there then the people won't be either is what is really in their
heads, I guess they really didn't understand when we said it wasn't
about money. And again, for the record, thanks to Chris, Roger, Barb,
George, Levi and Lewis, you just made it alot easier because if anyone
in this community was feeling complacent or dejected by the slow process
of these negotiations and the seemingly endless giving giving giving by
the Six Nations people, you just lit a fire of rejuvination and
determination in the people. Nya Weh!

And I guess they also missed the message that the money that you are
spending belongs to the people of Six Nations and it should be decided
by the people on how its spent, not on the 13 individuals sitting there.
The fact that you can spend nearly a million dollars over a two year
period on getting rid of gypsy moths, but you can't spend $10,000 in a
month to ensure your own people have the basic necessities of life is a
clear indicator on who's money you think you're spending.   And
somewhere in there you also missed the message pointed out by councillor
Helen Miller that the Land Reclamation of Kanonhstaton has made more
progress in the last 7 months at an expense as you well pointed out of
$100,000.00 while the Indian Act Band Exploration Process has cost the
people of this community in excess of $700,000.00 over how many years,
and whether you want to admit it or not, has made no where near the
progress that the people of this community did by taking the stand and
taking back our land. Which of course leads us to exactly what is really
going on here. Chief Administrative Councillor Dave General and his
little band of supporters are angry and upset that the Crown is dealing
with the only true government of Six Nations, and that is the people,
through our Traditional Haudenesonne Council, on a Nation to Nation
level. That's what this is really about. I guess you also forgot to
study during the introduction classes at "How to be a band councillor
101" and how the indian act system works, and exactly who's side of the
wampum you are really on. If a BCR is passed, it requires a majority
vote. Even if the rest of the band council does not like or agree with
the BCR, the fact that it passes requires them to support it. So perhaps
a reminder to those of you on band council who keep fighting the
negotiation process, get over it! The Confederacy Council has been given
a mandate by the people of this community first, and supported by the
elected band council, to take the lead in the negotiations with respect
to our land. And maybe you didn't understand the part in our history
that explains that the Confederacy has a responsiblity and obligation to
uphold our treaties and that no-where in that Indian Act do you have the
authority or right to do so.   And hopefully, when the Chief
Administrative Councillor Dave General follows through with his threat
to the Confederacy Chiefs and others designated to sit at the main table
of negotiations, and goes ahead and meets with Ministers Ramsay and
Prentice and anyone else he chooses to, that according to their laws, to
which he is bound by, that those Ministers remind him of the fact that
what I have said is the truth, and whether he likes it or not, whether
individual councillors like it or not, their Indian Act law requires
them to uphold the decision of their council, that they are obligated to
fully support and co-operate with respect to the mandate given to
Haudenesonne Confederacy in our land reclamation negotiations. It really
is a shame that when you take a look at the world wide support that we
are getting, when you look at the many Nations of people that are
watching and counting on the Six Nations, that they have to look also at
how petty and dangerous a few individuals can be when they are not
getting their own way. But as I've said before, those individuals have
only given us greater strength and determination. Just like the
government of Canada did when they sent in the OPP on April 20th. Thanks
guys! I just hope you can answer to the people in your district that you
claim to represent.

Hazel Hill

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-30-

Mike.