BREAKING NEWS For Immediate Release
October 12, 2008

Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train
“Six Nations and solidarity activists resist Olympic theft of Indigenous
land, ecological destruction, and attacks on the poor”

Toronto, Ontario – Moments ago, a group of activists occupied Canadian
Pacific (CP) Railway’s train tracks by locking themselves down to the
tracks and hanging banners off of the rail overpass on highway 27 near
Elder Mills. The protest was organized in solidarity with the Olympics
Resistance Network (ORN) and their call to disrupt CP’s “Spirit Train”
that is traveling across Canada. Directions to the blockade site can be
found at the bottom of this release.

“We are here today to show the world what the Olympics really stands
for; capitalist greed and colonialist theft of Indigenous lands” said
Winnie Small. They continued, “In stark contrast to Canada’s cherished
reputation as a human rights advocate, our First Nations live in abject
poverty; casualties of Canada’s apartheid policy refusal to respect
Indigenous rights to their own land.”

By Anthony Hall, August 25, 2008

The United States forms one element of a broader and more abstract polity known as America. While the term, America, has been appropriated to identify the most powerful country in Americas, the word should be reclaimed so that it applies equally to all citizens of the Western Hemisphere. The idea of America remains as elastic and as subject to revision as ever. Throughout much of its history America has been seen by many beyond its shores as a symbol of hope, as a promised land for those yearning to breath free? But what is to be made of the experience of the Indigenous peoples who were pushed aside or eliminated to make room for wave after wave of immigrants? Will freedom for some in America continue to be purchased at the expense of others? Will America look outward to the world with confident humility or is the idea of America to be henceforth associated with the corrosive xenophobia that brands all those who do not conform to imposed norms as deviants and possible terrorists?

*Please forward widely*

Friday, August 22 to Sunday, August 24, 2008
Chiefswood Park, Ohsweken, Six Nations Territory

The third weekend in August will witness a historic gathering of the
people of Six Nations and their allies from across Ontario and Turtle
Island. From Friday, August 22 to Sunday, August 24, hundreds of people
will gather at Chiefswood Park in the town of Ohsweken, Six Nations
territory for a three day festival of friendship and solidarity.
The vision for this event was inspired from the work that has been
accomplished by the people of Six Nations in the spirit of the Great Law
of Peace and the good minds that have been tireless in moving this
vision forward. Many have lent their voice, strength and support to
building greater awareness, understanding, friendship and solidarity
between our peoples. The Peace and Friendship Gathering will facilitate
the opportunity for and all of us to learn, be inspired, and gather a
greater understanding and respect of the relationships that indigenous
and non-indigenous people have.

The primary focus of the festival will be a series of workshops, talks
and presentations related to indigenous sovereignty, environmental
politics and issues of anti-racism and social justice. In addition to
talks and workshops, we will also be holding a series of cultural events

What: An informative lecture and Q&A time with 30 year veteran of Six Nations land claims research Phil Monture and other leaned special guests.

When: Thursday, May 15, 2008, beginning at 7 pm.

Where: At the BCI Auditorium, Brant Ave. Brantford.

Why: Without the truth, it will be impossible to understand why Six Nations are blocking development in Brant/Brant County and elsewhere.

DID YOU KNOW:

Did you know that more than 50% of the present Six Nations land and resources disputes registered with Canada involve Brantford or Brant County?

Did you know there are dozens more yet to be filed?

Did you know that since 2002, the Supreme Court of Canada has ordered the federal and provincial governments of Canada as well as municipalities and developers to engage in meaningful consultation and accommodation with First Nations where contested land land claims or treaty rights are concerned?

Did you know that the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 recognized and affirms Aboriginal Rights and Treaties?

Did you know that only 807 acres of Brantford is accounted for, and most of that has yet to be paid to the people of Six Nations?

Don’t believe it? Come and hear the real truth behind the settlement of Brant County and the expansionism policies of today’s City Hall.

Statement by Skyler Williams At The Cayuga Court House
Six Nations of Grand River Territory

April 28, 2008

My name is Skyler Williams. I am a Mohawk, Wolf, from Six Nations of The Grand River Territory. I am speaking on behalf of myself and several others that have been charged with criminal offences in connection with defending our land rights at Six Nations.

We have instructed our lawyer today not to proceed with our legal defence, so long as police have guns turned on our brothers and sisters in Tyendinaga.

Over the past months, Canada’s efforts to criminalize those of us who are standing up for our land rights has reached epic proportions. The message is clear: participate in negotiations that go nowhere as our lands are developed and destroyed - or go to jail.

Today, Six Nations is standing in steadfast solidarity with those in Tyendinaga whose lives and freedoms are in jeopardy because they are standing up for their rights. We also stand with those in Akwesasne, Kanawake and all peoples who have joined in this stand.

Also, we stand with those leaders of Ardoch Algonquin and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug that are in jail because they refuse to betray their people and allow for mining exploration in their traditional territories.

Six Nations spokesperson speaks on April 27th blockade of Highway 6 in Solidarity with the Mohawks of Tyendenaga. Video was filmed in the early evening of Sunday April 27th by members of the CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group.

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/277772

Paul Legall

CALEDONIA - Six Nations residents will be holding an old-fashioned building bee to replace a makeshift shelter at Douglas Creek Estates that was destroyed by an arsonist Monday night.

A piece of art commemorating native war veterans also vanished in the blaze shortly before midnight.

With the community pulling together, native leaders expect to have a new structure standing at the Argyle Street entrance by the weekend.

It’s believed someone either entered the unlocked building and ignited the blaze with gasoline or threw a firebomb inside before disappearing into the night. There was no one near the building at the time and the arsonist appears to have snuck in while the security guards were changing shifts.

***PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY***
Thursday October 25, 2007

Incarcerated Six Nations Man Threatened by Institutional Staff
by Janie Jamieson
Six Nations

Skylar Williams, a Mohawk Wolf from Six Nations has been held without
bail at the Hamilton Barton St. Jail since the illegal arrests at
Stirling Street September 19, 2007. Today we held a rally for him
outside the jail where he has been in the "hole" for two days.

We have reason to believe if Skyler is harmed in anyway, we know he is
the target of planned and deliberate threats and violence by jail
institution staff members.

A few days ago Skylar woke up to find the plumbing in his cell on range
5 was backed up. He notified institution staff on his range. He was
accused by staff of backing up the plumbing. The mess was left.
Skylar asked for a drink of water, he was told by staff to drink from
the toilet. Skylar responded, "there's sh*t" in there. The institution
staff's paid professional advise to Skylar was to "take the sh*t out and
then have a drink." Skylar refused and notified his lawyer of the
situation. At this point Skyler was without clean water for
approximately 18 hours.

By Tom Keefer

This article will address some issues which have arisen in the context of non-native activists doing solidarity work with the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) people of the Grand River Territory who recently reclaimed land near Caledonia, Ontario.1 I will begin by discussing the problems with how many non-native activists have used the concept of “taking leadership” to guide their activism around this struggle, and I then will look at the spaces and places where I think non-native activists should focus their efforts in support of indigenous sovereignty. In order to do so, I will draw on the work of black power activists Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton as their work provides a relevant model for non-native activists looking to build solidarity with Six Nations. I will conclude by addressing the importance of the work being done by trade union activists supporting the people of Six Nations.2

Chris Hill’s family and friends, the CUPE 3903 First Nations
Solidarity Working Group, and Community Friends present:

*Hip-hop for Six Nations: a benefit for the legal costs of former
political prisoner and Six Nations warrior Chris Hill.*

Saturday, June 9, 1pm till 7pm - Chiefswood Park,
Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Featuring hip-hop artists including: Blues Brigade,

This roundtable was conducted in September 2006 with AJ Withers, Josh Zucker and Stefanie Gude of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

What led you to get involved in supporting indigenous struggles in general, and the Six Nations struggle in particular?

AJ: The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) is a social justice organization and, as such, we support indigenous struggles. I hadn’t heard of what was going on outside of Caledonia until some friends of mine in Tyendinaga told us about it and suggested we go. We went to check it out and see if there was anything we could do to support it. We didn’t know anyone and were quite shy so we sat silently by the fire a lot and hoped people would speak to us. Finally, we learned about things we could supply, and asked if there were things in Toronto we could do to show our support.

Josh: I got involved with indigenous struggles through working with OCAP. When I joined OCAP in 2001 there were 5 paid organizers, one of whom was Shawn Brant, a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory which is near Belleville on the Bay of Quinte in southern Ontario. Most members of OCAP, I would say, started learning more about native issues and sovereignty through the links Shawn brought to OCAP, which went back to before 2001.

There were a number of actions over the years that built this connection, the most notable of which was the attempt to open up the bridge that runs from the U.S. through the Mohawk territory of Akwasasne into Canada. This action was planned when demonstrators came from the U.S. to attend the anti-FTAA demonstrations in Quebec, and it was done in conjunction with Mohawk people. The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte have also been providing OCAP with deer meat, fish, and other kill from their hunts for a number of years which we serve at demonstrations in Toronto. They always reminded us that “every hunting issue is a sovereignty issue.” These connections increased our consciousness about the issues grew greatly.

As a non-native Caledonia resident, how did you get involved in supporting Six Nations? Have you ever been involved before as a political activist?

No, I have never been an activist, it’s just the way I was raised. I feel that as human beings this is something that we should be doing. We shouldn’t be looking at the people from Six Nations any differently because of their race. It’s no different than helping a neighbour, helping somebody that has a flat tire; you stop on the road as a neighbourly person. It reminds me of the time when a person’s house in Caledonia blew up in a gas explosion, and we all got together to organize different events to raise money for them. We didn’t ask if they had insurance, or whose fault it was, we just immediately dropped everything to help them in any way we could. That’s the same spirit that got me started with Six Nations. I knew that they needed assistance and I just assisted as much as I could.

What did you start doing when you first got involved with the site?

Well, in March I drove by and I saw them on the land, and so I started searching on the Internet to find a phone number to call somebody at Six Nations and ask how I could help. That was really one of the biggest challenges, just trying to find a key contact person. I started emailing anyone I could find saying that I was a Caledonia resident and wanted to help the supporters that are on the site. After I was directed to contact Janie Jamison, I called her and she told me what was needed. I would go out and get some of the things and drop them off, then we would touch base again after another few days. It got to the point where sometimes I’d be heading home, and I’d just pick up a few large pizzas for them when I knew there was a large crowd, and then I would go on my way.

Can you tell us who you are and what your connection to Six Nations and the reclamation is?

My name is Degunohdohgae. I am of the Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan, Six Nations. My colonial name is Brian Skye. My original name, Degunohdohgae, translates into English as “between villages” and that’s who I am as recognized by the Confederacy. I’m at the reclamation site because of the history that is there. As a writer of historical plays, the reasons why we are at the reclamation site as a Confederacy aren’t lost on me.

Our symbol in relation to the colonial countries was the Two Row Wampum, the two rows symbolizing the respective paths of our Confederacy and the non-native country or peoples that we were making the agreements with. The idea behind the symbolism was that we would continue on our path without interrupting their government and religion, assuming that they would show us the same respect and wouldn’t try to force their laws, religion and governments on our people. So that history is something that I’m well aware of. That is part of the history of how we came to be in this part of the country along the Grand River and it’s that history that we are affirming by exercising our rights with the reclamation on the outskirts of Caledonia.

How would you situate the reclamation in terms of the last 50-100 years of resistance to Canadian colonialism in this area? Do you have any thoughts as to why it came about when it did or why people decided to carry it out at this time?

Upping the Anti is pleased to bring you a roundtable discussing the important land reclamation being carried out by the Six Nations people of the Grand River Territory and the role of non-native solidarity work in that struggle. To begin with, Tom K. provides a brief overview of recent events surrounding the reclamation to provide some context for the discussion. Brian Skye of Six Nations, who has been heavily involved in the activities of the site, then provides his perspective on the significance of the reclamation and the place for external support. Jan Watson, a local Caledonia resident and founding member of Community Friends For Peace and Understanding with Six Nations, then talks about the work she has been involved to build support in her community for the Six Nations reclamation. Finally, we interview three longtime members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty – AJ Withers, Josh Zucker and Stefanie Gude – to ask for their thoughts about organizing support as non-native activists.

by Zainab Amadahy

Questions arising from the Six Nations land reclamation
Canadian Dimension Magazine, May/June 2007 issue

By mid-March, 2006, when activist communities discovered the land reclamation at Six Nations of the Grand River, carloads of non-Aboriginal supporters from Toronto, Montreal and beyond made almost daily trips to the site loaded with supplies and youthful activists eager to staff the cookhouse, help out in the first-aid tent, or do a security shift. At night gaggles of underdressed youth would huddle at the fire, soaking up community gossip directly from “the real grassroots” (as one white activist described members of the Grand River community).

Information about registering is at the end of the message. If you are
planning to come you need to register. Please bring snacks for the
potluck lunch/snack break. Contact tom@tao.ca or call 416-526-4255 for
more information.

DATE: 11:30AM – 5:00 PM Saturday, March 31st, 2007
LOCATION: Hamilton Horseshoe Club - 170 Brockley Dr
DIRECTIONS:http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=170+Brockley+Dr.,+Hamilton,+ON&ie=UTF8&z=13&ll=43.23895,-79.739799&spn=0.057526,0.215263&om=1

Taiga News

March 23, 2007 - by Joseph Quesnel and Heather Stevenson

A peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict near Caledonia can only be achieved if the federal government lives up to its obligations and negotiates in good faith with Six Nations, said organizers at a recent informational demonstration held at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

"The Federal Government can't try to pass the buck by pretending that the Provincial or other levels of Government, or the Band Council, are responsible for negotiations." says Dr. George Sorger, a spokesperson for the group. "We believe the authorized representatives of the Federal Government and the Six Nations Confederacy are the ones who will make the critical decisions and have to be at the negotiating table, because they are the ones who inherited the authority from those who made the treaties and agreements in the first place."

You can write Chris at:

Chris Hill

Wentworth Detention Center.

165 Barton Street East

Hamilton, Ontario

More information below...

Support Chris Hill: Six Nations indigenous prisoner

AN APPEAL FOR TURTLE ISLAND WIDE SOLIDARITY
AND ACTION IN SUPPORT OF SIX NATIONS!

** Actions in Toronto and Montreal on February 28th, 2007**

One year is too long! Recognize the rights of Six Nations!

February 28th, 2007 marks the one-year anniversary of the Six Nations Land
Reclamation. One year ago, a group of people from Six Nations took back a
piece of their land that was under construction by developers and demanded

1) Update and Report on the Release of Trevor Miller

- Report by Sarita Ahooja

- Hamilton Spectator: Tears, Applause as Activist Freed

2) The case of Jeff "Hawk"

- Turtle Island News: Jeff "Hawk" facing Canadian Courts - Interview with Jeff Hawk by CKUT Radio in Montreal

3) Free Chris Hill! – update and call-out for Support and Solidarity

By Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jan 2, 2007)
The Six Nations Confederacy celebrated New Year's Day by getting back
the original building that was the seat of its government before they
were removed by Canada in 1924.

The elected band council gave keys to the vacant 1864 council house in
Ohsweken to Onondoga Chief Arnie General, who was part of a rocky 1959
attempt to reoccupy the old confederacy council house.

Robert Seth Hayes is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the
Black Liberation Army who has been imprisoned for the past 33 years. In
this video message he speaks about the Panthers, the struggle of the Six
Nations people and sends a message of solidarity to Trevor Miller, a Six
Nations political prisoner.

Dear friends,

We are writing to let you know of a number of important upcoming events
that will be happening in the course of the next week to build support
for Six Nations political prisoner Trevor Miller. Trevor is a Six
Nations Mohawk of the Turtle Clan who has spent more than four months in
jail after being arrested for his involvement in supporting the
reclamation site. Trevor has been politically targeted and faced

By Fiona Becker
Indymedia
November 30th, 2006

Over 50 people packed the Cayuga courthouse on Wednesday for Trevor
Miller, a Six Nations Mohawk of the Turtle Clan, as Trevor declared to the
court that the colonial Canadian system has no jurisdiction over him. When
the judge walked into the courtroom for the pre-trial hearing of Trevor
Miller, and the bailiff called “all rise”, only the cops and the lawyers

[please forward widely]

It has now been over 8 months now since the people of Six Nations
repossessed a tract of land that was stolen from the Haudonausaunee by
the
Canadian government and sold to developers. They have endured media
slander, racist settler violence, police brutality, constant
surveillance
and one OPP raid. Since the reclamation began, at least 23 people have
had
charges laid against them. Out of these 23 people, 3 are now in prison:

This is a great video from TnL productions detailing a bunch of people confronting Gary McHale who is organizing a racist demo against Six Nations on October 15th. Another video is below...

Here is a quick report about the Community Friends public meeting in
Caledonia this afternoon. First off, the event was a major success by
any measure. Over 120 people from across the Haldimand tract and beyond
attended the three-hour event which was addressed by indigenous rights
lawyer Kate Kempton, Caledonia resident Jan Watson and United
Steelworkers of America Local 1005 President Rolf Gerstenberger.

(a leaflet from the group Community Friends which is being distributed in Caledonia and elsewhere on the Haldimand tract)

1. BECAUSE THEIR CLAIM IS JUST AND RIGHT. Canada has a long and shameful history of mistreating First Nations peoples. Canada has broken treaty after treaty and has refused to fulfill its obligations to First Nation peoples, the Six Nations people included. Despite the fact that the Six Nations people have always been (and remain to this day) a national Confederation with whom the British crown entered into nation to nation agreements, the Canadian government imposed its own "Indian Act" by force upon them and encouraged the illegal sale and theft of land and revenue belonging to Six Nations. Respect for First Nations land and treaty rights and respect for indigenous sovereignty is a matter of upholding human rights, international law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Colonization and appropriation of other peoples resources is morally wrong and must be opposed, even if we or some of our ancestors have benefited from it.

This is a very interesting interview done by CBC with Barbara McDougall who is representing the Canadian government at the negotiating table. She says some quite positive things about Six Nations and also critiques the people in Caledonia who are stirring up trouble...

Evan: You saw the piece (Letters from Caledonia aired on CBC News
Sunday, September 24th) http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/caledonia.html
you saw the different voices. They are not united on a lot of issues but
they are united on one thing: the government needs to step in and do
something fast. What is the government doing? What is the timetable?

Barbara McDougall: If there was something fast to do, it would have
been done. The government is the lightning rod. It's easier for people
to attack the government whether provincial or federal than it is to
point at their neighbor and use some kind of slur and there has been a
lot of that but the people there were on their best behavior, they were
all thoughtful. They all, I think, were trying to come up with something
that would be helpful and yes I think the government has to lead the
discussion here but at the end of the day, there has to be something
forthcoming from the Six Nations and from the neighbors. The government
can facilitate, the government can push forward the land claim to the
extent possible but not all the delays are due to the government. I mean
these are very complex issues. They've been going on a long time. The
treaties were signed in the 18th century, predates the federal
government. There were other agreements in the early part of the 19th
century predates the federal government with the government of Upper
Canada. There's an oral history versus a written history.