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Women Title Holders Assert the Great Law over ALGONQUINS
by Kahentinetha Horn
 The Kahtihon’tia:kwenio have been forced to assert their responsibilities as caretakers of Haudenosaunee land.
The land in question is south of the Ottawa River which was Huron [Wyandot] territory 308 years ago. After many years of warfare between the Iroquois and the French and their allies, the Hurons, there was a meeting in Montreal in 1700. At this time, this land passed to the Haudenosaunee in exchange for prisoners.
MNN. Jan. 15, 2008 - The land in question is currently occupied by the Ardoc and
Shabot Lake Algonquins as well as by cottagers belonging to the
colonizing society. The people from these diverse backgrounds have
been in the news recently for protesting uranium mining. Before this
issue arose, the Ardoc and Shabot Lake Algonquins were negotiating a
land claims deal with the Ontario government.
The focus of
negotiations has now shifted to manipulate public opinion and
circumvent the objections to uranium mining by the residents of the
area.
It is time to set the record straight. The land concerned is Haudenosaunee land. It comes under Haudenosaunee law.
Both
the land claims negotiations and the negotiations to facilitate uranium
mining are being conducted on a stunning array of false assumptions.
The parties involved have no authority to decide anything concerning
the use of our land. Any agreements they might make will have no legal
validity according to the international standards that Canada has
agreed to uphold.
The course being followed is the
“might-makes-right” standards that prevailed at the height of the
European colonial era. These European colonists continue to operate
under the delusion that they were superior to everyone else and they
have a right to steal other people’s resources without their consent.
To
bring this misguided negotiations to public attention, we have served
the following “Notice of Objection” on the private individuals and
official representatives of the corporations and polities that are
embroiled in this matter.
The situation is of concern
to all those who care about the health of the environment and the well
being of our future generations wherever they may be in the world. It
is also of concern to those who want to establish and maintain a fair
legal and political regime that respects the right of all human beings
as set out in the treaties and covenants of the United Nations.
It
is lack of information and silence of ordinary citizens that states
like Canada can impose colonial conduct. If we all work together, we
can end corporate and colonial abuse. If you share our concerns,
please ask for the support of your political representatives, wherever
you may live in Onkwehonwe territory, in Canada or anywhere in the
world.
Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
NOTICE OF OBJECTION TO NEGOTIATIONS CONCERNING HAUDENOSAUNEE LAND CURRENTLY BEING CONDUCTED BETWEEN CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ALONGONQUIN NATIONS
AND COLONIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF CANADA, ONTARIO AND FRONTENAC VENTURES INCORPORATED
To the attention of:
QUEEN
ELIZABETH II; Hon. Steven Harper, Prime Minister of CANADA; M.
Michaelle Jean, Governor General of CANADA; Hon. Dalton McGuinty,
Premier of ONTARIO; Robert Lovelace, Ardoc Algonquin Nation and Allies,
Ontario; Doreen Davis, Shabot Obaadjiwan Algonquin First Nation,
ONTARIO; Cam Clark, Ronald Ferguson and Andrew McDonald, Ministry of
Northern Development and Mines, ONTARIO; Richard Moore, Mediator; Chris
Reid, legal counsel; Steve Reynolds, legal counsel; and George White,
Frontenac Ventures Incorporated.
TAKE notice that:
The
negotiation currently being conducted by the above parties or their
representatives are illegal because they exclude the Haudenosaunee who
are the legal owners and protectors of the land concerned.
We accordingly inform the above parties that:
WE,
THE KAHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO MAKE THIS NOTICE OF OBJECTION PURSUANT TO THE
AUTHORITY VESTED IN US ACCORDING TO HAUDENOSAUNEE LAW AND TRADITION AS
SET OUT IN WAMPUM 44 OF THE KAIANEREH’KO:WA, THE GREAT LAW OF PEACE,
WHICH IS THE CONSTITUTION OF THE HAUDENOSAUNEE.
WHEREAS:
1.The
Haudenosaunee [also known as Five Nations or Six Nations] are a
sovereign state that never ceded any of our territory to any alien
interests, be it Ongwehonwe or non-Ongwehonwe, colonial or corporate.
2.Haudenosaunee
law, accords no authority to anyone to pollute, alienate or destroy any
of the land that falls under our care or protection.
3.CANADA'S
historical record contains no legitimate treaties, instruments or
agreements that purport to transfer any land or sovereign authority
from the Haudenosaunee to either BRITAIN or CANADA.
4. In
September 1700 Governor Callieres and his Indian allies, including the
Hurons (Wendat or Wyendot) and the Algonquins, negotiated for peace
with the Haudenosaunee ceding land in exchange for prisoners.
5.The land in question included the Ardoc and Sharbot Lake territory currently the subject of negotiations.
6.Under Haudenosaunee law, the Kahtihon’tia:kwenio are the caretakers of the land, water and air of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island;
7.The
Kahtihon’tia:kwenio are the trustees of the land and have the duty to
uphold the law and to protect our land for the future generations;
8.The
Haudenosaunee have affirmed the trusteeship of the Kahtihon’tia:kwenio
over all the lands of the Huron [Wyandot] Nation including the area
south of the Ottawa River, presently occupied by the “Algonquins”.
Whereas, Haudenosaunee relations with the Algonquin are governed by the following considerations:
9.The
Algonquins are allies of the Haudenosaunee confederacy, but they have
never been adopted into or agreed to become part of the Haudenosaunee.
10.The Haudenosaunee have never authorized the Algonquins to negotiate or act as agents on their behalf.
Whereas, Haudenosaunee relations with BRITAIN are governed by the following considerations:
11.The
British are allies of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, but they have
never been adopted into or agreed to become a part of the
Haudenosaunee.
12.The Haudenosuanee have never authorized the British to negotiate or act as agents on behalf of the Haudenosaunee.
13.The
relationship between the Haudenosaunee and BRITAIN is nation to
nation. The English monarch does not and never had any right to any of
our land or to anything either above and below the surface of our
land.
Whereas, Haudenosaunee relations with CANADA are governed by the following considerations:
14.As
an instrument of the British monarchy, CANADA remains subject to the
terms and conditions of any agreements with the Haudenosaunee entered
into by the British Crown.
15.As a successor state of BRITAIN,
CANADA and its province of ONTARIO remain subject to all of Britain’s
obligations and their rights and authority do not exceed those held by
BRITAIN.
16.CANADA has never negotiated an independent alliance
with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and it has never been adopted into
or agreed to become a part of the Haudenosaunee.
17.The
Haudenosaunee have never authorized ONTARIO, CANADA, BRITAIN or any
other colonial entity to negotiate or act as an agent or agents on
behalf of the Haudenosaunee.
18. Canada’s laws are subservient to BRITAIN. The law of Onowaregeh continues to be the Kaianereh’ko:wa.
Whereas, International Law is governed by the following considerations:
19.All members of the human family have equal and inalienable rights.
20.No international differences shall be settled by the use of force.
21..No
state shall absorb another without the fully informed consent of the
people concerned as determined in free and fair elections or decision
making processes.
22.As a founding member of the UNITED NATIONS, CANADA has agreed to uphold these principles.
23.The
Haudenosaunee have never consented to become part of the Canadian state
and it is notoriously known that CANADA’s forced assumption of
authority over our land is not based on any treaty, instrument or
agreement.
Whereas, the negotiations concerning the use
of the lands south of the Ottawa River around Ardoc and Sharbot Lake
are violating the principles that should govern a free and democratic
society because:
24.They fail to acknowledge the authority of the law of the Haudenosaunee confederacy
25.They
are being conducted without the informed consent of anyone concerned
including the Haudenosaunee people, the Algonquin and colonial settler
residents of the area, and the citizens represented by the settler
governments who are incurring liabilities on their behalf.
Whereas,
the uranium mining, arms testing and other business projects that are
being condoned by the colonial governments are illegal and are risking
the health and survival of ALL future generations:
IN
ORDER TO PROTECT THE LEGAL RIGHTS AND PHYSICAL INTEGRITY OF OUR COMING
GENERATIONS, WE, THE KOHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO, AS MEMBERS OF THE
ROTINO’SHONNI:ONWE ACCORDINGLY DEMAND THE FOLLOWING:
i)An
immediate stop to all discussions and negotiations concerning the use
and disposition of the lands under our protection as conducted by
CANADA, ONTARIO, people who claim to represent the Algonquin people,
FRONTENAC VENTURES and all unauthorized parties.
ii)The
immediate cessation of all operations concerned with arms testing, the
development of uranium or other mining and any other ventures that had
not been authorized by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
iii)Reparation
of all land that has been used, abused, mined, cultivated and otherwise
ravaged so it may be turned to a healthy and natural state capable of
sustaining life for the generations to come.
iv)An
announcement by CANADA and ONTARIO confirming their commitment to
uphold international law, confirming their recognition of Haudenosaunee
sovereignty and acknowledging the illegality of all treaties, licenses,
agreements or contracts that have been made without our consent
concerning land under our protection.
v)QUEEN ELIZABETH
II must cease her exploitation of our land and resources through her
corporations and franchises known as “Canada”, “U.S.”, provinces and
states, particularly the effort to extract the uranium which lies
beneath Haudenosaunee land at Ardoc and Sharbot Lake.
KOHTIHON’TIA:KWENIO of the Kanion’ke:haka of the Rotino’shonni:onwe, hereby sign on this 15th day of January 2008:
Katenies /s/ ____________________
Kahentinetha /s/ _____________________
Contact:
P.O. Box 991 , Kahnawake of Mohawk Territory [Quebec, Canada] J0L
1B0 Kahentinetha2@yahoo.com katenies20@yahoo.com
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Statement of Solidarity and Support for
Ardoch Algonquin First Nations (AAFN)
Struggle Against Uranium Exploration and Mining
February 19, 2008 - Ottawa, Ontario
Paradigm Shift Environmental Alliance strongly condemns Ontario judge Douglas Cunningham's injunction which seeks to chain community leader, hero and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations Co-Chief Paula Sherman away from her rightful struggle against destruction of Algonquin land and lives of her people.
There is no injunction or law which can make destruction of life into a rule and into a law. If there is such injunction and such law, they are a sign of legalized lawlessness, insanity and brutality illogically aimed against our common humanity. Canadians have witnessed this brutality, insanity and lawlessness in judge Cunningham's decision. Shame!!!
Protecting Air, Land and Water is protecting Life. This is all Paula did, and she did it peacefully, with grace and love. This Life she protected is each and every one of our lives. We invite the judge to reinvent himself and join the struggle.
Paradigm Shift Environmental Alliance strongly condemns judge Cunningham decision to imprison for six months community leader, hero and Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Co-Chief, Bob Lovelace and attach to him and Paul a fine counting in thousands of dollars.
Why would the judge want polonium and radon instead of clean water and clean air? Why would he want radioactivity on all of us? Because it's his job to use polonium and radon against us? What did we ever do to this guy for him to want to poison our lives and for him to mistreat those heroes who stand up for all of us including the judge himself? How low can the ethics bar for judges go?
Lest we forget that in addition to drinks he may raise in honour of Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, judge Cunningham is a human being who is alive because water he drinks and air he breathes is still free of radioactive byproducts of uranium mining his decision is protecting. Bob Lovelace and Paula Sherman tried to keep clean land, water and air, which judge Cunningham enjoys in Ontario, but he fined them. He chained them!?
He said to the dungeon with those who protect our waters, land and air. He said to the dungeon with those who care about Ontarians including himself and his family.
Judge is a citizen and a human being. We are asking for a citizen and a human being in the judge. We are asking judge Cunningham to redeem and rectify himself as a citizen and a human being by jettisoning his decision of denial of his basic responsibilities of upholding human right to clean water, land and air.
Only a machine interface may not care about land, water and air. But we believe that the judge is still a human being. As a result, we cannot but wonder how it is that judge could side with a corporation which seeks to release irreversible radioactive materials in Ontario's land, water and air.
We are asking for immediate release of esteemed community leaders, heroes and Co-Chiefs Paula Sherman and Bob Lovelace.
We are asking judge Cunningham to stop using the Struggle for Life as a financial transaction from the poor to the rich. Paula and Bob must not pay a penny, and conversely our public tax dollars must NOT subsidize Frontenac in its claim to destroy our lives.
We are asking for judge Cunningham to withdraw decision which is the result of his own failure as a human being and a citizen of this province and therefore failure as a professional.
We are asking for immediate stoppage to any kind of uranium exploration and God forbid uranium mining in Ontario.
Water and Air are two things which indisputably keep us united rendering all artificially constructed divisions amongst us extraneous and irrelevant. Why? Because breathing air and drinking water means life to each one of us. To strike at air and water the way judge did, is to strike at the essence of life. It is to want destruction of life.
It is a very peculiar profession in which one is given responsibility to decide whether our collective Water and Air should be radioactive or not. It is peculiar because the responsibility for Air and Water by its nature transcends any “profession” and calls for citizen responsibility in a professional. It calls for human responsibility in a professional.
Judge is a citizen and a human being. We are asking for a citizen and a human being in the judge. We are asking judge Cunningham to redeem and rectify himself as a citizen and a human being by jettisoning his decision of denial of his basic responsibilities of upholding human right to clean land, water and air.
Paradigm Shift Environmental Alliance (PSEA) is for the worldwide Abolition of Coal-Fired Plants and Uranium Mining
More info:
http://quebec.indymedia.org/en/node/28427
http://ottawa.indymedia.ca/en/2008/01/6565.shtml
Contact:
psea4earth@gmail.com