NEWS ALERT: Six Nations Election officer has resigned after being hit with “negativity” from community
By Lynda Powless Editor SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER- Six Nation Chief Electoral Polling Officer (CEPO) has resigned. Lori Harris resigned in a closed session of Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) Tuesday (Sept. 27. 2023.) evenig. Harris would not elaborate on her resignation except to say, “there was too much negativity.” She said SNEC has asked her not to comment on it. Harris did receive some complaints on nomination day when some potential candidates showed up late. It was her first job as election’s officer. Six Nations Elected Council has not issued a statement. MORE TO COME...
Log In Register
“Safety is our right, We claim the night,” march hits Ohsweken
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND – Chanting “Safety is our right, We claim the night,” over 100 men and women took to Ohsweken’s streets Thursday (Sept.,21st) joining nationwide ‘Take Back the Night,’ marches. Some wearing ribbon shirts and skirts they left Ganohkwasra Centre making their way down Chiefswood Road to Veterans Park at Fourth Line where as dusk fell, chants rang across the village, ““What do we want?….Safe Community. When do we want it?…NOW” “Say it once, say it again, Bring violence to an end!” As they walked they carried large signs echoing calls to end all forms of violence. At Veterans Park there were speeches, songs and dancing. A number of organizations participated including Six Nations Justice, Six Nations Police, Six Nations Mental Health and Addictions, Branford Sexual Assault...
Log In Register
SN Band Council elections: 2 vying for elected chief
By Lynda Powless Editor Its official…Six Nations is in election mode. But there weren’t any large crowds out at the Six Nations community hall Saturday, Sept. 23, to watch who was running for Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC). Saturday’s nominations, for the coming November elections, saw two people running for Elected Chief. Former elected Chief Steve Williams and current councillor Sherri-Lyn Hill are pitting off for the job. Williams was nominated by former Elected Chief Ava Hill and Francis Russell Montour. Sherri-Lyn Hill was nominated by Carl Chancey Hill and Wanda Loy Hill. Current Elected Chief Mark Hill did not seek re-election after serving one term. Also not seeking re-election are councillors Nathan Wright and Michelle Bomberry. Nominations resulted in 14 people running for 12 councillor seats including six members...
Log In Register
SN Elected Council approves Community Engagement standards
Six Nations Elected Council is set to follow a new protocol when it comes to Community Engagement. The Community Engagement Process (CEP) was passed at Six Nations Elected Council’s (SNEC) Political Liaison meeting on September 25 and is set to go into effect on April 1, 2024. This will give employees time to educate themselves on the process, but in April all SNEC public consultations will have to follow a 10-step guide to gather community input around all of SNEC’s projects. The name was changed from the Community Engagement Standards (CES) at the meeting as part of the approval of the guide. SNEC experienced technical difficulties and the conversation before passing the CEP was not available online. Tabitha Curley, owner of Fluid Consulting, led the Community Engagement Standards (CES) project...
Log In Register
The Feather Report – What makes sparrows unique?
By Rachel A. Powless Feather Reporter Photos by Carl Pascoe & Rachel A. Powless What makes sparrows so difficult to ID? Years ago, an irritated, exasperated and very exhausted birder or was it a Professor of Ornithology drained from frustration more so than surrender, emphatically stated, “Let’s call all of them an LBJ; Little Brown Jobs and leave it at that!” I wish it were so, but I’m afraid not. There are approximately fifteen species of sparrow that will migrate through our province and many of them will stay to breed while others will move farther north. There are twenty-five species of sparrow in all of the US and Canada. We cannot forget the 8-10 other species of birds which can confuse the birder again. Yes, they may look like...
Log In Register
Ah… the election rumour mill
With almost two weeks to go before candidates in the coming 2023 Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) elections are actually officially approved to run some are already littering the roadways with signs. And the rumour mill is hitting and of course its on Facebook, the world-wide bully pulpit. Oddly the first insults aimed at the campaign are coming from a band employee who has taken to Facebook to not only tell anyone willing to listen who he plans to vote for but is spinning rumours about why community members shouldn’t vote for the other candidate. Rumours that are, without a doubt, in violation of the band’s employee social media policy not to mention legally actionable. Now, normally you expect rhetoric from anyone commenting on an election…generally. But when it comes...
Log In Register
Weekly Cartoon
...
Six Nations Land Rights Message travels Haldimand Tract
By Lisa Iesse Writer ALONG THE HALDIMAND TRACT – The crowd may not have been as big as expected but the welcome was, as Six Nations launched its Friendship Walk through the Haldimand Tract. The walk that began Friday (September 22) in Fergus saw about 100 participants over the three days as it made its way thru St. Jacobs, Kitchener, Brantford, Cayuga, and Port Maitland. One Fergus man told Turtle Island News “I think this is such a good cause, more needs to be done and sooner.” Participants walked a total of about 4-5 kilometres a day with social gatherings taking place at stops along the route. At each meeting point Six Nations culture was celebrated with music, educational theatrical performances, and keynote addresses on the significance of the Haldimand Tract. The 1784...
Log In Register
Dragon boat racer and wrestler named as 2023 Tom Longboat Award recipients
By Sam Laskaris Writer A dragon boat racer who won a total of eight medals, including three gold, at a world championship and an accomplished wrestler have been chosen as this year’s Tom Longboat Award winners. Trina Ross, from Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, is the female recipient of the award. And Connor Church, a Metis who is from Winnipeg but now lives in Montreal, was chosen as the male winner. Church was also the male recipient of the 2022 Tom Longboat Award. Officials with the Aboriginal Sport Circle, the governing body of Indigenous athletics in Canada, annually pick both a female and a male athlete who have excelled in sport within the past 12 months. Ross and Church will receive their awards at the upcoming 2023 Canada’s Sport Hall...
Log In Register
Six Nations women well represented at international lacrosse tournament
By Sam Laskaris Writer One of the world’s top box lacrosse tournaments will include a women’s division for the first time this year. The North American Invitational, which is also referred to as LAXNAI, will begin on Friday, Sept. 29, and continue until Oct. 2 in Utica, N.Y. The tournament will include numerous international squads in the men’s, boys’ Under-15 and boys’ Under-18 categories. And for the first time, there will be eight entrants in a women’s division. Among those taking part in this grouping with be the Haudenosaunee Nationals. Matches in the women’s division will be held over two days at the tourney, this Saturday and Sunday. The 23-player Haudenosaunee roster includes a whopping 14 Six Nations members. The club also includes Fort Albany First Nation member Mekwan Tulpin,...
Log In Register
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...
Log In Register
15 ‘potential’ gravesites found near former Yukon residential school
By Ashley Joannou CP Vancouver CARCROSS, Yukon- Yukon First Nation elder Sandra Johnson says the discovery of 15 potential graves near the site of a former residential school has “uncovered long-buried wounds.” Johnson spoke Tuesday at the release of an investigation into unmarked graves and the deaths of children who attended the former Chooutla Residential School in Carcross, south of Whitehorse. Johnson, who is an elder adviser for the Yukon Residential Schools Missing Children working group, acknowledged others around the territory will also be struggling. “Know that you are loved, valued and cherished. We stand with you in solidarity, committed to walking the path of healing alongside you,” she said. “May the spirit of our ancestors guide us and may the resilience of your communities inspire us all to create...
Log In Register
Kinistin receives $56.8M from agricultural equipment settlement
By Nicole Goldsworthy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A new agreement between the federal government and the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation will compensate the nation for the agricultural equipment it was promised but didn’t receive. Treaty 4, which Kinistin was a part of, stated that each First Nation receive: As well as each family was to get: According to Kinistin’s claim, Canada breached its legal obligations to the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation by failing to provide these agricultural benefits owed as specified in Treaty 4. Treaty 4 had a clause to ensure the First Nations had protection from change and economic hardship. Not fulfilling this treaty commitment limited the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation’s economic self-sufficiency and its capacity to produce its own food and agricultural products. On Aug. 2, Chief Felix Thomas of Kinistin...
Log In Register
True Story explores Indigenous peoples’ relationship with Canada on History Channel
By Crystal St.Pierre Local Journalism Initiative Reporter True Story Part Two is a documentary airing on the History Channel Sept. 30 to commemorate National Truth and Reconciliation Day. The film explores Indigenous history and the transition from Canada’s colonial history to a modern decolonized society and focuses on what some believe needs to be achieved through reconciliation, including learning and facing the past history between Indigenous people and settlers in Canada. “I think it’s important for these stories to be shared, in particular in this format,” said Rebecca Gibson, writer and executive producer on the project, “so that everybody can hear the truth behind a lot of the things that they have no idea that’s happened in Canada. “And it’s for everybody to watch so that you know. It’s like...
Log In Register
Judge finds province has duty to consult First Nations on mineral tenure claims
VANCOUVER- A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has given the province 18 months to fix its mineral rights system after a court challenge by First Nations who claimed they were owed a duty to consult under the Constitution. In October 2021, the Gitxaala Nation filed a petition challenging the province’s online mineral tenure registry, which automatically granted mineral rights on its territory without consultation. The Ehattesaht First Nation filed a similar petition in June 2022, and the B.C. Supreme Court heard the cases together this spring. The court’s ruling released Tuesday says the B.C. government claimed in court that the system did not “create adverse impacts” great enough to trigger a constitutionally mandated duty to consult First Nations. The nation’s original court petition not only sought to change the system, but...
Log In Register
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Exhibit features stolen Kainai children’s stories of resilience on Treaty 7 lands
By Tiffany Dionne Prete In Canada, when we talk about truth and reconciliation we have a tendency to focus on the Indian residential school system (IRS). While engaging with knowledge about residential schools and their legacies is an important facet of truth and reconciliation, there are other colonial school systems that we also need to acknowledge, consider and remember. In addition to Survivors of the IRS, we have Survivors of other colonial school systems the Canadian government initiated and implemented for over a century and a half. As a member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) of the Blackfoot Confederacy in Treaty 7 territory in Alberta, part of my research has analyzed the educational policies behind the IRS and other colonial schooling models, and how these policies have influenced my own...
Log In Register
Several First Nations from Ring of Fire region demand meeting with Premier Doug Ford
TORONTO-Leaders of several First Nations from the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario have demanded a meeting with Premier Doug Ford. Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Randy Turtle says he and other Indigenous leaders are upset with Ford, who has not met directly with the group over mining claims in the Ring of Fire region. Ford wants to mine the Ring of Fire for metals to be used as part of his vision for an end-to-end manufacturing chain for electric vehicles and the batteries that power them. Grassy Narrows, Wapekeka, Neskantaga, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, and Muskrat Dam First Nations have created the Land Defence Alliance in an effort to defend their territories. Turtle says the First Nations want to talk to Ford about the increasing number of mining claims on...
Log In Register
`Chase’ council revisits decision to reject Every Child Matters crosswalk after community pushback
By Breanne Massey Local Journalism Initiative Reporter In the Village of Chase in Secwepemcul’ecw, residents are pushing back against local government after councillors shut down a motion to paint an Every Child Matters crosswalk in recognition of Orange Shirt Day. The proposal to commemorate residential “school” survivors, which would cost the municipality $625, was defeated at a Sept. 12 council meeting after two councillors voted against the idea, a decision that was met by community criticism. Council is now set to revisit the matter Tuesday afternoon as an item of “unfinished business” being brought back by Mayor David Lepsoe under section 131 of the B.C. Community Charter. Ashton Sweetnam, a 37-year-old resident of “Chase,” said the decision “speaks very loudly about the attitude of some council members in respect to...
Log In Register
B.C. First Nation research finds 158 child deaths at four facilities
By Darryl Greer Canadian Press MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA- An investigation into unmarked graves and missing children by British Columbia’s Sto:lo Nation has revealed at least 158 deaths, most of them at a hospital. But representatives from the Sto:lo Nation Chiefs’ Council and Sto:l? Research and Resource Management Centre said Thursday that their work has only just begun, and is being hampered by lack of access to information from the federal government and religious institutions that were involved in the schools. As part of the nation’s “Taking Care of Our Children” project, researchers provided Sto:lo members and the media with an update Thursday on archival research, field work involving ground-penetrating radar, and genealogical research into historical sites of three residential schools, cemeteries and a First Nation hospital. Researchers with the nation...
Log In Register
National Gathering on Unmarked Burials supports Fort George investigation
By Patrick Quinn Local Journalism Initiative Reporter At the fifth National Gathering on Unmarked Burials, held in Montreal September 6-8, a Cree delegation shared their experiences searching former residential school sites on Fort George Island while learning from other communities and experts. This was the first such gathering in Quebec, where special interlocutor Kimberly Murray said searches are not as far advanced as in some other provinces. Murray was given a two-year mandate by the federal government in June 2022 to provide recommendations for a legal framework in protecting burial sites and the identification and repatriation of missing children. “The important role that these gatherings take is showing those best practices and bringing the experts together,” said Murray, who is Mohawk from Kanesatake. “All the experts talk about overlaying different...
