KANONHSTATON – Hazel Hill was at Kanonhstaton July 9th, when she spoke with people gathered to repel another threatened breach of the peace. In 2006, Hazel Hill was one of hundreds of Six Nations people who were active in reclaiming the former DCE lands. She became one of the leaders at the site. Since then, she has become director of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, an administrative body established through the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, and speaks on their behalf.
She confirmed that the HDI on behalf of the HCCC has approved the building of a protective chain link fence around the perimeter of the Kanonhstaton site. The fence is in response to recent provocations against Six Nations by Binbrook resident and known anti-Native rights advocate, Gary McHale and a group of his followers.
According to Hill, sometime within 7 to 10 days, the construction of the fencing and a front gate facing Argyle Street, would begin.
“This is about the safety and security of the site,” Hill told the gathering at the front gate. “The Confederacy and the Haudenosaunee as a whole, and when I say Confederacy, I mean everybody, have said this is our land. You’ve got to remember too that at the table Ontario never proved anything, not just on this land, but on the Plank Road itself. That road is ours. They have no surrender for that and Ontario admitted at the table that they only assumed jurisdiction, so they have nothing that shows that road was ever turned over to them. That is an important and critical part of it as well.”
She spoke of the authority of the HCCC in contrast to that of the Elected Band Council.
“It was Band Council that got the injunction to remove Jeff Hawk’s and Don Tripp’s smoke shops on that road so they are not here supporting you at all,” she said. “They are over there with Indian Affairs or who ever they work for.”
Bill Monture, known Six Nations activist and land protector, reminded everyone, “If that barricade comes down it will be the will of the people, not the Elected Council or anyone else.”
“All I am doing is trying to keep going on what the people said in 2006,” said Hill.
She went on to explain why the HDI and the Chiefs refused to participate in tri-level talks between the Six Nations Elected Council, Haldimand Council and the Province, although they were formally invited.
What Ontario was told is the HCCC would be happy to meet with their Ministers through the process they struck when Kathleen Wynne, who was Minister of Aboriginal affairs at the time, and came to the Longhouse and set up a communications process with the Confederacy.
“She was ballsy in setting up a table to talk without condition that the Band Council or Haldimand had to be there, when no other government had done that,” Hill said.
She said that agreement had expired in June 12, and that the HCCC has been waiting to renew that process.
The Chiefs have said they would be happy to sit and talk with the ministers, but they wanted to stick to the process that was agreed to, according to Hill.
Hill also took the opportunity to explain the work of the HDI regarding land deals with various entities.
“We have created leases,” said Hill. “With Pattern Energy for instance, as part of the Samsung project, it is a lease. You are not surrendering title to your land and you are not giving up anything. It might be in someone else’s possession right now, but you still have the underlying title, which was never surrendered.”
Resident elder Jan Longboat, one of the original group who took over the site Feb. 28th, 2006, questioned Hill about the transparency of the HDI.
“As Haudenosaunee people, can we know what all these negotiations are about?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Hill answered. “The door is always open.”
Longboat responded, “I’m glad to hear that because there’s a lot of people that want to know about the money and where it has gone.”
“We are undergoing our audit right now and you will see in there that there are three different columns,” said Hill. “ The first is the administration dollars. That is how we operate HDI. The second column is about the lease money and that is restricted, which means, I don’t get to decide what happens with that. The decisions on those lease dollars are going to come through our process, which means, how it is spent is going to come out of that council. The people, through their clans and their families, if you are participating with your clan family and know the process of the Confederacy, that’s who gets to decide that.
“The other column is about this land acquisitions money. So, on some of the agreements, if it’s $50,000 a year as example, it is to be set aside for land acquisitions. When it goes into that pot, the only use for it is doing those things, just like in the 1800’s only that it will be going under the Haudenosaunee land registry.”
Longboat inquired why the land is not being returned under the Haldimand Deed.
“Because the Haldimand is only on top of what we already have. 1701 existed long before the Haldimand of 1784,” answered Hill. “Before 1924, you had a land registry. You had people looking after education. All the things the Confederacy was doing. We have never ceased to exist as a government and that is the truth. Why Ontario is pushing so hard right now to bring in Band Council and even Haldimand is because you have demonstrated as a Nation of people, you stood as Nations even when the Chiefs told you to go home.”
Hill believes that since the people stood as a Nation to reclaim the land, Band Council or the Ontario should have no say if we want to put up a fence or a gate, or building a meeting area.
“The people are not ready to take down that trailer right now because it represents violence that was coming upon us,” said Hill. “But at some point, I hope we’re ready to let go of it. But right now, I understand and I have no problem leaving it there.”
