[IPSM] six nations articles

[shelly]

Ottawa mediator quickly rejected
       
      Sheryl Nadler, the Hamilton Spectator 
      Native protesters have erected a teepee on land which they say still belongs to Six Nations, under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784.
     
     
Native protesters give law professor 'his walking papers' in dispute over title to subdivision site
By Paul Legall
The Hamilton Spectator
CALEDONIA (Mar 30, 2006) 
An independent mediator sent by Ottawa to ease tensions in a month-long native protest has been sent packing by Six Nations clan mothers and hereditary chiefs.

Native protester Jacqueline House told reporters Michael Coyle was "given his walking papers" on Monday, just three days after he arrived with a letter of introduction from Ottawa.

The letter from Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice described Coyle as a University of Western Ontario law professor who had acted as an independent mediator in First Nations disputes in the past.

He was on a "fact-finding mission" to obtain information about the native occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates building site outside of Caledonia. Until then, Ottawa had kept its distance and suggested the dispute had to be solved locally between the developer, Henco Industries, and the protesters.

Coyle's presence at the site on March 24 appeared to represent a change of heart from Ottawa.

House said Coyle met Six Nation chiefs and clan mothers during the weekend.

But they eventually decided they wouldn't deal with him.

"They told him to send somebody of more importance to the table," House said yesterday during a scrum at the Douglas Creek Estates.

She also read a letter of support from Mohawk activist and 1960s international fashion model Kahentinetha Horn, who also alluded to Coyle's quick exit from the Long House.

"Ottawa sent an independent mediator, Michael Coyle, last week. The women sent him packing, 'there's the Eastern Door. Now, get out'," she wrote.

In her missive, Horn also decried the fact police were massing at a schoolhouse outside of Caledonia and preparing to clear the protesters from the site.

On Tuesday, a Cayuga judge had toughened up a court order to make it easier to arrest the protesters for contempt of court.

Horn, who was involved in the widely publicized land dispute between Mohawk natives and the town of Oka, Que., 16 years ago, said the local OPP and the courts have no jurisdiction over the disputed lands, which she argued still belong to Six Nations under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784.

"Are these folks living in a fantasy world? They had only one thing in mind. They want the OPP to 'get over there and shoot the hell of dem bad Injuns.' This ain't no cowboys and Indian spaghetti western," Horn wrote.

Last week, Don Henning of Henco Industries issued a press release and took out a paid ad in a native newspaper stating he has a clear title to the subdivision site.

He said he abided by all the planning requirements, including notification of the Six Nations elected band council, to get the survey approved.

Henning said he's being held "hostage" in a dispute between Ottawa and the protesters and urged Indian Affairs to intervene.

Native spokesperson Janie Jamieson said she noticed more police vehicles in the area yesterday, prompting speculation they were about to move in.

But the threat of mass arrests hasn't dampened the resolve of the protesters, she said.

Asked how the protesters would react if the police came to arrest them, Jamieson replied: "You can't stress yourself over the unknown. It's one step at a time. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She said she hoped a peaceful resolution could be found to the impasse, which started on Feb. 28 when a small core group of protesters moved onto the site and stopped construction.

The flags, including the Mohawk unity flag, were at half mast yesterday in honour of protester Jason Harris, who was killed in a single-car accident on the Six Nations reserve on the weekend.

A son of Six Nations elected band councillor Barbara Harris, Jason was one of the original protesters who moved onto the site a month ago.

"He was a good guy. He spent a lot of nights and days here. He and I were great friends," said fellow protester Jeff Hawk.

Harris was returning home from the protest site when the accident occurred.

plegall at thespec.com

905-526-3385


CALEDONIA, Ont. (CP) -- Premier Dalton McGuinty says everyone wants to see a peaceful end to an aboriginal occupation in southern Ontario. 
       
Protesters have been occupying a housing development in Caledonia. 

They say Douglas Creek Estates is being built on land that is part of Six Nations territory and was stolen from them in the past. 
       
McGuinty says his minister of natural resources and native affairs, as well as the attorney general, are paying close attention. 

The premier adds that all authorities will work as hard as they can to manage the situation peacefully and respectfully. 

Earlier this week, Ottawa appointed a mediator to examine the protest over land claim issues. 


Pressure mounts on Mohawk protesters at construction site
Developers expect police action, lawyer says
KATE HARRIES 

CALEDONIA -- Mohawk protesters who have held up construction of a subdivision for more than a month say they have no plans to leave, despite two injunctions and an envoy from Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.

"It's our land. It has been our land since 1784; we never did sell it," said Jeff Hawk, one of about 20 protesters gathered at the entrance to the Douglas Creek Estates site on the outskirts of this community 20 kilometres south of Hamilton.

But yesterday, after a Superior Court judge amended the terms of a court order to address concerns that have prevented police from arresting the occupiers, a lawyer for the developers said his clients expect speedy action from the Ontario Provincial Police.

"We expect them to exercise their discretion and execute the arrest warrants -- as soon as reasonably practicable," Michael Bruder said.

Brothers John and Don Henning attended the brief hearing at the Cayuga courthouse yesterday afternoon, but refused comment. They have owned the 52-hectare property at the southeastern boundary of the Six Nations reserve for 15 years and obtained all required approvals, Mr. Bruder said. Work started this year on phase one, a 10-hectare, 72-lot residential development. Ten lots have houses in various stages of construction.

There are parallels with the 1995 Ipperwash standoff in which an aboriginal activist was killed by a police sniper on the third day of an occupation: a newly elected Conservative government -- provincial in 1995, federal today -- a lack of support by the elected band council; and aboriginal claims of decades-long efforts to address injustices that have been ignored.

In this case, police have included aboriginal officers in talks and monitoring of the protest and have been praised for their restraint.

"They've been respectful," said Leroy Hill, one of the Six Nations Confederacy chiefs who held a news conference Monday to back the protest and call for a freeze on development in Caledonia until the land ownership issue is resolved.

Mr. Hill said he's concerned about major developments proposed in Haldimand County on disputed land. He said Mr. Prentice's appointment of law professor Michael Coyle as a fact-finder is a positive step, but expressed regret that the minister plans to deal with the elected band council on the matter.

The confederacy chiefs represent the traditional government of the six nations that in 1784 were granted the 360,000-hectare Haldimand tract, a 32-km strip on either side of the Grand River, in recognition of their allegiance during the American War of Independence. Their supporters reject the elected band council that administers the reserve, now 18,000 hectares, and are pursuing land claims in the courts.

The protesters moved onto the site Feb. 28. Mr. Bruder obtained a civil injunction and then returned to court to obtain a criminal injunction that police could enforce.

Mr. Justice David Marshall set a March 22 deadline for the protesters to leave or be found in contempt of court. Yesterday, Judge Marshall agreed to a wording change to address a concern about fingerprinting and photographing protesters who are arrested.
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