Meet the Chiefs: Onyota’a:ka/Oneida First Nation Chief takes office in a pandemic
By Victoria Gray Writer He started in a pandemic. Virtual meetings, no physical contact or meetings, online elections, operating in the middle of a world wide health crisis is all he knows. Onyota’a:ka/Oneida Nation of the Thames Chief Adrian Chrisjohn first term in office has been challenging but he likes to stay positive and look on the bright side. “We’ve done a lot with what we have and with the abilities we had during COVID-19. We’ve maintained a fairly regular presence in the community,” he said. Chrisjohn officially stated his term as chief on July, 8, 2020, just over three months into the pandemic. He went to work trying to help the community navigate and follow public health guidelines. Chrisjohn was only able to meet other councillors and staff for...
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Survivors’ Secretariat: Dr. Beverly Jacobs takes on role of Indigenous Human Rights Monitor
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – The Mohawk Institute Survivors’ Secretariat has brought on noted Six Nations lawyer Dr. Beverly Jacobs to take on the role of Indigenous Human Rights Monitor for the secretariat. Jacobs, a, citizen of the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is Bear Clan member and holds a series of , CM, LLB, LLM, PhD. Jacobs said she is “honoured” to take on the role. “I am truly honoured to accept this role and that the Survivors’ Group has confidence in me to do this work,” said Dr. Jacobs. “The Secretariat’s model of Survivor-led, trauma-informed investigation and community reporting is an essential step towards recovery, reclamation and healing for Survivors and families of the Mohawk Institute as well as for all Indigenous peoples in Canada. This...
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SPECIAL: Six Nations Elected Council adviser says not to worry
By Victoria Gray Writer Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) Political Advisor doesn’t think Bill C-15 has any immediate impacts for Six Nations. Christopher Mahon, gave a an update on Bill C-15 to SNEC at a general council meeting in August telling councillors he doesn’t anticipate much happening in the next two years aside from the federal government drafting a plan to align it’s policies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). “There are a number of questions about what this means, and a number of misconceptions. The new law does not change anything immediately with Six Nations or their relationship with the federal or provincial governments,” he said. The UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2007, with...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY – To Celebrate And Pause To Remember
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com Life is strange and very weird these days during the pandemic. We have had to deal with so much difficult news recently, yet happily wonderful happenings still occur here and there that raise our spirits and give us hope for the future. My good news comes with the birth of Nabayshish Emmette Wesley who arrived in this world July 21. He arrived with gifts of a tiny pair of moccasins made by his grandmother Janie Wesley who is my sister. This is one lucky little boy as he will be cared for and guided through his life by his mother, my niece Brianna Wesley, my sister Janie and her husband Brian. Indeed he will have a very large family backing him and supporting him throughout his...
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1492 Land Back Lane marks one year
By Victoria Gray Writer A full year has passed since Six Nations Land Defenders walked onto the McKenzie Meadows housing development site in Caledonia and renamed it 1492 Land Back Lane. The community was invited this past weekend with a concert, lacrosse game, pot luck and social to celebrate the first anniversary of the reclamation of land Monday, July 19. “At Land Back Lane the plan going forward is to make that sure the lands are there for the people that are going to be utilizing those lands and to be able to stay there, sustainable, for a long time,” spokesperson Skylar Williams said. Meanwhile, the development companies, Foxgate and Losani Homes wait for the Ontario Provincial Police to enforce court ordered injunctions. “We expect the court’s order to be...
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Black Walnuts Foraged Food Security
By Terrylynn Brant Mohawk Seedkeeper Gardens Black Walnuts have been a traditional foraged food source among the Haudenosaunee for centuries. Today, with food security on everyone’s mind we are seeing a renewed interest in these majestic nut trees across our territories. Store bought walnuts are English or California Walnuts. They are grown in managed orchards and have a milder taste. They originated in Persia, growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and later developed by the Greeks. Franciscan Monks brought them to California in the 18th century. The bolder, earthier tasting indigenous Black Walnut grows in the wild. On Six Nations they are often found around old homesteads. They are valued as food and medicine but also as a source of wood, dye and shade in the summer. Walnuts are...
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Sustainable Communities Save Seeds!
By Terrylynn Brant Since the beginning of agriculture over 10,000 years ago people have saved seeds. The Haudenosaunee seed savers have developed a wide variety of seeds over the centuries. This diversity in seeds is the cornerstone of a healthy sustainable agricultural system. It is our National Treasury. Seed saving has inspired the Haudenosaunee to create an elaborate society which honours seeds through songs,dances, speeches, and ceremonies. Our entire world view is heavily influenced by seeds. We exist because we save seeds and every harvest I turn my attention to restoring our National Seed Treasury. It is scary when I realize that in 1900 we ate 1,500 different plants and today we eat around 30. It is even scarier when I think about the future of farming that predicts only...
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Six Nations rolling out new colour coded COVID-19 chart, one active case
By Georgia LaForme Writer Six Nations is rolling out a colour-coded COVID-19 response framework, stricter than Ontario’s. The new framework comes just as Six Nations announced a new COVID-19 case over the weekend. Six Nations COVID-19 Stats Report shows that as of Saturday Nov., 28th Ohsweken Public Health reported one active case in the community. Contact tracing is underway.No further information was provided. Six Nations has had 98 total cases, with 97 resolved, and one death. Under the new colour coded framework the community will no longer be using Stages to determine COVID-19 . The new colour-coded framework mimicks Ontario’s. Nicole Bilodeau, of the Six Nations Emergency and Control group, presented the new framework to the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) at a zoom meeting last Tuesday. “Given the new...
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City launches Digital Service Squad to help small businesses adopt online technologies
Brantford, ON – In partnership with the Downtown Brantford BIA, the Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (BRC) has received a $15,000 grant from Digital Main Street Ontario for a Digital Service Squad (DSS) to help small downtown businesses use digital technologies to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Funding for the grant is provided by the federal program FedDev Ontario. The squad members will begin visiting small businesses in communities across the City of Brantford this month. Established in 2018, Digital Main Street Ontario was recently extended thanks to an investment of $42.5 million from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and $7.45 million from the Ontario Ministry for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT). The nearly $50-million investment will help small businesses across Ontario...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Don’t Let Your Guard Down
By Xavier Kataquapit You would think that this Corona-virus pandemic had gone away judging by the way people are acting here in northern Ontario. I have been doing curbside pick up mostly at grocery and hardware stores now for some time. It surprises me to see people heading into stores with no mask or gloves and seeming to not pay too much attention to the two metre social distance rule. I am doing the bare minimum in being careful and following rules so that I do not get Covid-19 or bring it home to my partner who has a lung condition. It gives me some pleasure to see the reaction of people who are not wearing masks in stores when I walk in with my black mask, black hat, black...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Pandemic Be Damned
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com I come from a large family with eight siblings. My mom Susan and my dad Marius certainly had a lot of challenges in caring for such a large group of children. These days as I find myself with some time during this pandemic I drift back to an earlier time when I was a child at home in Attawapiskat and I think about all the work my parents had to do to raise us. Life for my parents when they were growing up was hard as they lived mostly on the land, with little education that came with the trauma of attending the residential school system and living at home in conditions that were less than perfect. Mom worked for many years in the kitchen of...
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The Flower Report
“The earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) By Rachel A. Powless Photos by Rachel A. Powless I did not choose to become a photographer 25 years ago but rather by necessity did I pick-up a camera. So often when Carl holds a bird in-hand he will say things like this, “Rachel, would you take a photo of this?” He would point to a specific group of feathers such as the 3 very tiny alula feathers found at the joint of the primary wings. Small pieces of information like this can become a larger part of the “preponderance of evidence”. This can contribute to the id of the bird, sex, and/or age. I worked quickly & efficiently. I soon realized how striking bird feathers can be while holding...
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UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY: Learning In A Dangerous Time
By Xavier Kataquapit www.underthenorthernsky.com An entire new generation of graduates from universities, colleges, secondary schools and elementary schools are moving ahead with their lives all across Canada. This time of the year is very special for First Nations and in particular remote communities. Organized education is a relatively new thing for my people considering that less than a century ago most of my ancestors were only involved in learning about surviving on the land. My generation was one of the first to have a proper, modern education in Attawapiskat although we had to attend secondary school back in the 1990s in cities to the south. My parents believed in education and graduation day was a big deal for everyone. Life is not easy in this strange new pandemic affected world...
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Barn Fire Considered Suspicious
(COUNTY OF BRANT, ON) – On Monday, December 30, 2019, at approximately 1:40 p.m., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) County of Brant Detachment and Brant County Fire Department responded to a fire at a Middle Townline Road, County of Brant address. Attending firefighters arrived on scene and were met with a fully engulfed barn fire containing a large quantity of dried tobacco and hemp. The fire was subsequently extinguished and no injuries were reported. The County of Brant OPP Crime Unit along with the Office of the Fire Marshall is continuing to investigate and is seeking assistance from the public. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, they are being asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anyone with information about this or any incident in the...
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NO:IA from all of us at Turtle Island News
NO:IA from all of us at Turtle Island News...
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“Hey’all! See you at the Boucherie!”
Terrylynn Brant travels the Dish with One Spoon treaty area throughout Canada and the U.S., her longhouse basket in hand, reclaiming indigenous food sovereignty through foraging, gathering and collecting Haudenosaunee seeds. With a Masters in Science and teaching degree she shares her knowledge in workshops and speaking engagements. You can reach her through her Mohawk Seedkeepers facebook page. Photos by T. Brant “Hey’all! See you at the Boucherie!” By Terrylynn Brant T he White Hills Farm was a hive of butchery, pit cooking and eating barbebque as locals converged on their first outdoor “Boucherie” and Mohawk Seedkeeper Gardens were happy invited guests to this local food security event. Hunters, Chefs, Speakers and local families had the opportunity to attend and revitalize an old local tradition of food security. There were...
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Survivor Series Educates Tourists About Residential Schools
By Donna Duric Writer They were just kids. Yet they were forced to live in conditions comparable to a prison, filled with abuse of every kind, leaving a lasting impact on generations of families of all those little ones who attended the “Mush Hole.” The Mush Hole, a nickname for the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, closed down in 1970 but the heartbreaking stories from the kids who attended are still being told today in an effort to educate the general public about what really went on behind the doors of one of Canada’s most notorious residential schools. The Mohawk Institute, first built in 1828, was one of dozens of government and church-run residential schools that operated across the country in an effort to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Christian...
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Six Nations Man Wins Big in Lottery
It was a very Merry Christmas for Six Nations man Randolph Miller, after hitting it big on an instant lottery game. Miller is now $100,000 richer after winning on the lottery game Instant Chill Play Vacay. Instant Chill Play Vacay is available for $5 a play and the top prize is $100,000. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.97. “I played and scanned my ticket,” said Miller, a driver, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up his cheque. “When it came up a winner, I couldn’t believe it!” The 54-year-old plans to save and invest his windfall. “This win makes me happy,” said Randolph. The winning ticket was purchased at Gateway Newstands on Lynden Road in Brantford....
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2019 Year in Review
January 2nd, 2019 Newly elected mayors of Branford, Kevin Davis, and Brant County, David Bailey, both tell Turtle Island News that re-establishing the relationship with the Six Nations is a priority of theirs. January 9th, 2019 Logan Robert Larouche is the first Six Nations baby of 2019 after being born on January 4th to parents Bryce Larouche and Kalena Rayne Burning. January 16th, 2019 The Day of Action sees the Six Nations Mens’ Fire lead a one-day shutdown of Cockshutt Road in support of B.C.’s Wet’suwet’en while other Haudenosaunee across Ontario hold slowdowns on major highways. January 23rd, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is met by Wet’suwet’en supporters who blocked his entry to Brock University for a town hall meeting. January 30th, 2019 The proposed Six Nations Cannabis Control Law...
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