Historic Ontario Hockey League contest held in Ohsweken
By Sam Laskaris Writer A bit of sporting history was made in Ohsweken this past Friday. That’s because an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) exhibition match was held at the Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre. The host Brantford Bulldogs, who have relocated from their Hamilton rink which is undergoing extensive renovations, squared off against the Guelph Storm. The Bulldogs ended up winning the pre-season match 5-2. Prior to the game held locally the Bulldogs’ organization had the opportunity to learn about Six Nations culture via an educational session led by Cheryl M. Henhawk, who is the director of education for the Six Nations of the Grand River. “The team members were eager to learn about the traditions and history of the Indigenous people of the region, fostering a deeper...
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Six Nations man facing Dangerous Driving charge
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police have charged at 47-year-old local man with Dangerous Driving after spotting a vehicle speed through a four-way stop. Police said on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at about 1 :00 AM, Six Nations Police officers saw a Sports Utility vehicle travelling in the wrong lane at a high rate of speed on Tuscarora Road that failed to stop for the four-way stop sign at an intersection. Police pulled the vehicle over and the driver was placed under arrest without incident. As a result of the arrest police also learned the driver had an outstanding Arrest Warrant due to failing to appear in court on other matters. As a result, Roger Martin, 47, of Ohsweken was arrsted and charged with: – Dangerous Driving...
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Moment For Life Colour in recogniton of World Suicide Awareness Day
Six Nations hit the Blue Track at Six Nations Parks and Recreation participating in the Health Departments’ annual Moment For Life Colour in recogniton of World Suicide Awareness Day Run that sent everyone away looking like a rainbow of colours. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)...
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Six Nations Elected Council considering a $30 million bank loan or wants GRE taxes to build language school
By Lynda Powless Editor Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC)is looking into co-signing a $30 mllion bank loan to help get the Kawenni:io/ Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School built after the school was turned down for funding by another federal department. The school learned two weeks ago that its bid for funding from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program had been denied but weren’t told why. SNEC agreed at its finance meeting Monday (Sept 9) to have Director of Accounting Wayne Staats lok into whether or not they could co-sign a $30 million loan. The issue of co-signing a loan arose during SNEC’s council session Sept., 12. Councillor Hazel Johnson raised the issue making a made a plea for SNEC to help. “My heart is with Gaweni:yo. I don’t want to...
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Six Nations sweeps Celebration of Nations Outstanding Achievement Awards
ST. CATHARINES – Six Nations has swept the 5th annual Celebration of Nations Outstanding Achievement Awards. The homegrown honorees this year included artist Delbert Jay R. Jonathan, with language revitalizer Sam Hill, and actor Gary Farmer. Honorees also included Kanatawakhon, David Maracle, Dr. Savage Bear, Dave Labbé, and David Adames. The awards ceremony took place September 8, kicking off various events over the weekend including a powerful seminar about the impacts and the legacy of the Mohawk Institute, and a show-stopping Border Crossing Blues featuring Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish from Digging Roots, along with Rex Lyons and Irv Lyons from the Ripcords. The inspiring and beautiful music of the Strong Water Sisters opened the awards ceremony at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines. The Outstanding Achievement Awards...
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Second Six Nations store hit by thieves, ATM stolen
Six Nations Police are investigating an early morning smash and grab that saw a truck plow into the warehouse-styled doors of a local shop and make off with an ATM machine. Owner of Paradise Gardens Hydroponics on Chiefswood Road said her shop was hit by thieves between 1:00 and 1:30 a.m. Monday. Thieves repeatedly crashed, what is believed to have been a Chevy pick-up truck, into the large shipping doors of her business. She said the truck kept ramming the wall until it broke the doors and panels dropped allowing entrance. At the same time, she said the front glass door and a side window to her store were smashed by hammers. Linda Fazio said she didn’t know how much cash was in the ATM. The ATM company, she said...
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Modern day land grab as County learns parcel undocumented
By Lisa Iesse Writer Six Nations may be living a modern-day land grab with Haldimand County claiming a vacant strip of land along the Grand River. The parcel of land came to the attention of Haldimand County Council last month when liability became an issue after learning encampments and trespassers had started camping on the land. A report to Haldimand council August 29 said there was a lack of ownership documentation on the parcel. The land parcel is over one acre in distance, on Highway 54 just north of Mines Road. Megan Jamieson, Haldimand’s general manager of corporate and social services, was presenting concerns about land use in a report to the county’s council when the issue of no deed or title documents to the land parcel surfaced. The documentation...
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Historical stereotypes challenged in reconstruction of Haudenosaunee armour
By Lisa Iesse Writer HAMILTON – A Six Nations man’s reconstruction of 400-year-old Haudenosaunee armour speaks back to stereotypes and is challenging how we engage with history. Malcolm Kahyonhakonh Powless-Lynes is a 28-year-old blacksmith and craftsman from Six Nations of the Grand River whose creative work is now featured in an exhibit which opened Thursday (August 31) at the Dundas Museum. For over four years, he has worked on breathing new life into the hidden history of Haudenosaunee warriors who guarded their communities across the Eastern Woodlands. Powless-Lynes reconstructed armour, helmets, bows, arrows, shields, along with other tools used by Haudenosaunee warriors, by looking at artefacts, at long preserved cultural practices, and a handful of written sources. Powless-Lynes spoke with Turtle Island News at the exhibit’s opening at the Dundas...
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Psst… where’s the audit?
With an election just two months away the current Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) seems determined to tie the financial hands of any incoming council SNEC is considering co-signing a $30 million loan to help Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo build an elementary and secondary School. While we sympathize with the school’s struggle the decision to consider putting such a huge loan on the books of the band council certainly shouldn’t be left to a group of officials who’s days are numbered. The current council has only two months left in its life before an election could see new faces sitting in those seats grappling with a $30 million loan. Neither should it be used as a campaign starter! The SNEC motion came after the school’s directors and some supporters all but demanded the...
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SNEC catching up with proposed Indigenous Health legislation
Six Nations is gearing up for a fight against the Federal Government’s proposed Indigenous Health legislation. Clairissa Pietron, SNEC’s strategic advisory and systems analyst presented information on the proposed legislation, which has been in the works since 2021, to Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at its General Council meeting on September 12. The purpose of the presentation was to give SNEC the opportunity to take a stance and form an official position on the proposed legislation. “I just wanted to make sure we can kind of bring us all to the same level of understanding when it comes to the proposed legislation,” she said. She quoted an Indigenous Services correspondence that said, “the indigenous health legislation is an opportunity to establish overarching principles as a foundation of federal health services...
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SN Elected Council looking into if it can co-sign $30 million loan
Six Nations will investigate the possibility of stepping up to support The Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Elementary and Secondary School by co-signing a loan. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) voted to have Wayne Staats, director of accounting to find out how SNEC could and if they could cosign a $30 million loan for the school to start construction of its building They passed the motion at the General Finance meeting on September 18. “I know they’ve had great success attending at these banks.. interested in giving them a loan but council would have to cosign on their behalf,” Councillor Hazel Johnson said. Johnson, who says she is one of four SNEC councillors who sit on the board of the school, but she’s the only one who attends meetings regularly. She also says she...
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Six Nations overager commences final junior season with Toronto Jr. Canadiens
By Sam Laskaris Writer Brenden Anderson has dropped down a level for his final season of junior hockey eligibility. But the 20-year-old Six Nations member is still doing his best to impress as he still plans to move up in the hockey world. Anderson, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, had spent the bulk of the past two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He joined the then Hamilton Bulldogs, a franchise which has since relocated to Brantford, during the 2021-22 campaign. And then after starting last season with the Bulldogs he was traded to the Sarnia Sting. Anderson, however, didn’t even bother reporting to the Sting camp this year. That’s because he would have been one of 11 overage players (those who are 20 and in their final season of...
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COLUMN Sam Laskaris – BEHIND THE ACTION – Justin Martin
By Sam Laskaris Writer One just never knows who is watching. That’s why it’s prudent to try, if possible, to be performing at your best at all times. For example, take the case of Justin Martin, a 25-year-old lacrosse player from Six Nations. By no means is 25 old. But Martin admits he had started to question whether he would ever fulfil his lifelong dream of playing professionally in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Martin, who spent the spring and summer toiling for the Six Nations Rivermen, a Senior B squad that competes in Ontario Series Lacrosse, is one step closer to fulfilling his goal now. That’s because it was announced this past Friday that he has signed a contract with the NLL’s Toronto Rock. The Rock are one of...
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Indigenous Sport and Wellness Ontario youth leadership programcoming to Six Nations
Indigenous Sport and Wellness Ontario (ISWO) wants to bring a program to inspire, educate and give youth more confidence. Danielle Johnson, Standing Bear Program Manager for ISWO presented options for bringing the program to Six Nations in a variety of capacities to Six Nations Elected Council at its General Council meeting on September 12. The program is a youth leadership program developed by ISWO, aimed at strengthening athletes and community wellness by “empowering and supporting Indigenous youth in making positive changes. Standing Bear provides a culturally relevant framework for the development of confidence, purpose, identity, and support networks.” Johnson said in 2017 they surveyed 550 athletes at the North American Indigenous Games and athletes expressed a desire for leadership opportunities, cultural knowledge and employment opportunities in their communities. “The youth...
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Weekend of fund raising runs and lots of colour
Six Nations running track got a good workout this past weekend with two ambious runs to raise money for charity. The Walk For the Park was held to raise funds to build a memorial park honouring all former students of the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School or “Mushhole” as it has become known. Organziers have been working to raise funds to develop the Mohawk Village Memorial Park with a variety of events. Later that same day Miles General took to the track with a group of runners to raise money for the Terry Fox Run....
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Six Nations Chiefs win Mann Cup
By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Six Nations Chiefs’ perfect record in the Mann Cup national lacrosse championship remains intact. Since it was founded in 1993, the Chiefs, a Senior A men’s squad from the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, has made seven appearances at the Canadian final and won the cup each and every time. The Mann Cup is contested between the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) champs from Ontario and the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) champs from British Columbia. The Chiefs captured their seventh title on Sept. 13. Six Nations defeated the host New Westminster Salmonbellies from British Columbia 11-9 in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series. The Salmonbellies, who hosted all of the matches in the Mann Cup final at the Queen’s Park...
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Six Police investigate vehicle roll over in school yard
OHSWEKEN,SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nations Police are investigating a vehicle rollover on Third Line Road that occurred Sunday, Sept., 10th, and saw a vehicle leave the roadway and tearing out a portion of a fenceline in front of Oliver M. Smith Elementary School. Police, along with Six Nations Fire and Emergency Medical Services, attended the scene Sunday, September 10,, at approximately 8:20 p.m., where they found one individual at the scene with serious injuries. The person was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Witnesses at the scene told police other occupants of the vehicle fled the area before police arrived. The Ontario Provincial Police K9 unit was brought in to track potential injured parties but no individuals were located. The investigation remains ongoing, and charges are...
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Six Nations Fall Fair is back and building
Six Nations Fall Fair working to make a comeback when small crowds attend By Lisa Iesse Writer SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – The Six Nations Fall Fair hit its 154th year this year with some serious community fun. The fair returned this past weekend, starting Friday (September 8) to Sunday taking over the sports and recreation grounds at 1738 Fourth Line Road and inside the Dajoh and the arena. It’s the longest running Indigenous Fair in Ontario, Six Nations. Agricultural Society president Leslie McDougall told Turtle Island News. Outside the fairgrounds were full of smiling faces hopping on the ferris wheel, or showing off their muscles with some rock climbing, or just kicking back on a giant spinning strawberry. Just as dazzling, were the trade show booths along with...
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Six Nations Elected Council attempt to honour athletes disorganized, lacks communication, Elected Chief fails to attend
Six Nations’ attempt to recognize and celebrate the community’s athletes was well received, but some councillors believe it was poorly planned, executed and attended. Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) opted to plan a celebration for local athletes to recognize their contributions to different sports after North American Indigenous Games athletes and others came looking for financial contributions in June and reconfirmed a celebration with a parade in late July. SNEC settled on coordinating the event with the fair on September 9, but Councillors Helen Miller and Sherri-Lyn Hill were the only ones who attended. Councillor Miller voiced her concerns about the event’s planning, coordination and execution at the Political Liaison Committee meeting on September 11. Elected Chief Mark Hill, who originally suggested the event was not in attendance. SNEC councillors...
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