Caledonia Reclamation

There's an opportunity for us to learn more about our native brothers and sisters. Taking place near the historic city of Brantford, on Six Nation land, the people there have been demonstrating their right to sovereignty of their land. What a lot of people may not know, the Haudenosaunee (people of the Long House), are autonomous to the rule of both Canada and the United States.

Haudenosaunee is the general term we use to refer to ourselves, instead of "Iroquois." The word "Iroquois" is not a Haudenosaunee word. It is derived from a French version of a Huron Indian named that was applied to our ancestors and it was considered derogatory, meaning "Black Snakes." Haudenosaunee means "People building an extended house" or more commonly referred to as "People of the Long House."
-http://sixnations.buffnet.net/Culture/?article=who_we_are

The bloggingtories professing knowledge and experience on how best to rule this vast country should take an interest in this issue. Information I got from a Six Nations' website imparted a greater knowledge of their governance.

We exist as distinct peoples in the 20th century. The Haudenosaunee are unique in that we maintain one of the very few traditional governments in North America, free from the oppression of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and free from the lunacy of tribal elections. Our leaders are selected according to the oldest constitutional democratic systems.

We live a contemporary lifestyle and are not frozen in the past. While we still maintain practices that are rooted in the past, we apply those practices to define our place in the modern world. Our traditional culture is forward thinking, to assure our long-term survival. Our culture allows us to deal with the realities of the modern world, not by embracing any new fad, but continuing to absorb new traditions on our own terms.

We, like other peoples, continue to maintain our culture. Culture is not just the relics of the past, but patterns of thought and cycles of behavior that form the basic building blocks of our lives.

We, like other peoples, have our own world view. To say we are Haudenosaunee means that we have deep seated beliefs in our traditions and are committed to their survival. We are connected to a living earth and a spiritual universe. We have sacred duties to fulfill.

We continue to live on portions of our original territories. Our lands were never conquered by outsiders. We never consented to American or Canadian authority over our territories. Our lands were never placed in trust with the United States, as are most other Indian reservations. Our current territories were defined by four federal treaties. [emphasis mine]

We maintain our distinct laws and customs. Within our territories, where the Council of Chiefs are the sole governing authority, our own laws are in place, not the laws of the United States or Canada. We operate the Grand Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations under the Great Law of Peace which promotes peace, power and righteousness.

We have made many contributions to world culture. The Haudenosaunee have been instrumental in colonial history. After two hundred years of contact, the emerging American settlers adopted many Iroquoian ideas and practices in order to survive in our land.

We have a unique relationship to the United States and other nations. The federal treaties we have are very distinctive and provide the Haudenosaunee with a special status in Indian law. We maintain a government to government relations. We are not wards of the United States. We are independent nations, sovereign and free in our own territories.

The portrayal of Indians in the media perpetuates stereotypes that effect our relationships to non-Indians. Most people are seriously uniformed about the Haudenosaunee because of distorted textbooks, misguided movies and biased history books. Seldom have people been able to hear directly from the recognized traditional people of the Haudenosaunee to counteract the negative racial and cultural stereotypes perpetuated by American popular culture.

We are committed to maintaining our survival as distinct peoples. We believe that the lessons from Creation; the guidance of the Original Instructions; the unity of the Great Law of Peace, and the moral imperatives of the Gaiwiio provide the roadmap to our future.
-http://sixnations.buffnet.net/Culture/?article=ten_important_points

Apparently, the OPP supervising the protestors, arrested some sixteen people, Thursday, 20Apr04 at 4:30am. The demonstration held at Douglas Creek Estates, has been going on since February in one form or another. A developer, Henco Industries, wants to build on an unused section of disputed land. Negotiations between the Iroquois Confederacy, Indian Affairs, and provincial authorities were being held in good faith leading to an equitable resolution between all parties.

Another great source of information comes from CKRZ radio. They have an online live streaming feed from their station at the Grand River reservation. They have pre-empted their normal programming to report on the ongoing Caledonia situation. Many listeners are phoning in their perspectives. Listen & Learn.