[Reclamation Site] June 12th Update fom Hazel Hill

Sago from Grand River.

Well, the news tonight while it sits heavy on the hearts of some, is a decision that was felt to be the best for all concerned. The remaining barricades around Kanestahton have been removed. The confederacy council has asked the people to support them on this decision. While there wasn’t a consensus of the people, the majority of the people felt that it was a decision that we should support.

First of all I have to assure everyone that this does not mean we are giving up our position on the land. The people are not leaving the land, nor do we intend to. We are calling Canada’s bluff. The federal and provincial governments all along have stated that they will not negotiate on the issue of land while the barricades remain intact. Now we will see how honorable these people are.

For the people on the site, this is a hard pill to swallow. Continuously throughout history it seems that it is our people who always have to take the high road and it is we who have to give in to the threats and demands of the colonialistic government. They peg us as the criminals but it is they who have the guns, they who stole the land and they who created the barricades in the first place by sending in the riot squad and refusing to talk.   We know that the only reason the true Onkwehonweh government is at the table is because the barricades were up. Will Canada continue with the talks now that the barricades are down or have they played out their hand in order to pull the rug out from under our feet?

At this point it is the trust in our confederacy and in our Creator that is what we are holding on to. It is the trust and knowing that we are upholding the Law of Peace and our responsibilities that lie within that Law. It is the belief in our Sovereignty and our obligation to protect the land for the generations to come. Our negotiators believe that in order for talks to continue, this is the only position that we can take.

For the people on the site, it is the distrust of the canadian government and their ability to speak with truth that concerns us. Who is to say that this isn’t another trap and we’re playing into their hands. I hope for Canada’s sake that this isn’t the case. While I write to you, I have just been informed that the police build up around the site has increased. Ambulances are on stand by. Have we made a mistake, or are they merely continuing to keep a presence to prevent the continued racial discrimination, hate crime’s and violent actions recently displayed by some of the residents of Caledonia.

This week in the media we have been portrayed as lawless and through the continued efforts of the government to incite a violent reaction, it has resulted in 7 of our people with warrants out for their arrest. These individuals have been brought before our clanmothers and chiefs to be held accountable for their actions according to the protocol of the Kaierenekowah.  They will be dealt with according to our Law, and Canada has to be reminded of the fact that they do not have the jurisdiction to enforce their laws on our people.

The charges to say the least are an exaggeration of the truth. For instance, the beating of the CHTV 11 cameraman that resulted in his having to get stitches, was confirmed on their own sister radio station CHML that the injury was a result of his being hit in the head with a police billy club during the attempt by the opp to diffuse the situation. Yes, the opp did try to intervene. But that is not the way it was led to believe. It was made to look like our men violently beat this man and that the opp stood by and let it happen. I’ve seen picture’s myself taken by one of our local newspaper reporters that showed clearly that the opp did step in to physically stop not just our men, but the CHTV men from throwing punches as well.

It has also been reported that our people swarmed the car of an elderly couple who were only out “sight seeing”. They did not report that the racial discrimination and insults that were directed at our people at the front gate of the site or the dangerous driving that resulted in one of our men being hit by this same car and why our men originally followed them to the Canadian Tire parking lot.  It was not reported that while they state that they drove to the nearest place to seek help from the police that they drove right past the opp officers who were stationed only yards from the area where the incident occurred. Yes, our people did follow the couple to the Canadian tire parking lot. But that was because for some strange reason, they thought that they would somehow see justice given and that the deliberate action of trying to run one of our people down would result in charges being laid against the driver. How naïve of our people to think that this was even a possibility.

Attempted murder charges have been made against another of our men who reacted violently at seeing the United States Border Patrol vehicle lurking around the site, having our people under surveillance, with the support and assistance of the opp. This agent, who was learned to be of the ATF (alcohol, tobacco and firearms) had to have been given government clearance to be near the site, not just for the day, but evidence shows that they have been in the area since early April. The ATF agents normally are mandated to deal with terrorists. Obviously the government is trying to build a case against our people as terrorists to justify bringing in excessive force to physically remove us from the site. The government of Canada has yet to explain why, if they are seeking a peaceful resolution to this situation, have they enlisted the services of the United States government agencies to discredit the political positon of the Onkwehonweh on this land and try to peg this reclamation as a criminal activity rather than the political position that it is.

Furthermore, the government has yet to come to the table to deal with the real issues of the Onkwehonweh. The issues are not the barricades, the issues are the Land, Our Sovereignty, Our Treaties and OUR responsibilities to the Kaierenekowah. It is not whether THEY understand them or even believe them, this is about US and who we are as a people. A NATION long before Canada even existed.

Categories: Kanenhstaton-Reclamation