Hey from Grand River!

Well we've certainly had our share of things lately. Not sure where to start.

It has been a task this past week, more near the end of the week and into the weekend. Some of our young folks found themselves in situations that weren't good. Wednesday nite a few of the youth from Six Nations went into Caledonia for a slice of pizza. They ended up in a situation with a few kids from Caledonia. Long story short, police were called, and quite a few I might add, both from Six Nations and the OPP. No arrests were made, but it added to the tension of the people on both sides.

We went down to help calm the situation and brought our people back to the reclamation site. Our kids are angry and frustrated. First, they are feeling the frustration of being targeted for the colour of their skin. While ANYONE should be able to go ANYWHERE for a slice of pizza, the sad truth of it is that our kids can't.

Here we were trying to explain to them why. Although they are absolutely right that they should not be discriminated against because of their race, it would be best for them to just stay out of Caledonia. Go for pizza somewhere else.

Then they are frustrated because they don't see anything happening with the negotiations. All they know is that our people have been giving and giving. They don't see anything coming back. It is hard no matter what age you are, to feel like it is always our people who give in and the government continues to play their games. Our youth have seen the compromises we have made in the name of peace so that Caledonia people feel safe. We even went so far as to lend the OPP a "buffer zone" on the northern perimeter of the lands along the residential area and school area. This was way back in May when every weekend there was a mob of Caledonia people threatening the peace and trying to incite a fight.

The Caledonia Citizens Alliance continues to fear monger throughout the newspapers and on tv saying they are afraid and portraying us to be violent people. They continually spread their lies about us having weapons and terrorizing the neighbourhood. Boy! Do I understand how frustrated our youth are. I'm just as frustrated knowing the truth and listening to the propoganda being spouted.

To make matters worse, on Friday night, apparently the youth from Caledonia had called on some of the Six Nations youth to fight at the Caledonia arena. Unfortunately, we were not made aware of any of this till after the fact. Thankfully no one was hurt. Several of our kids were thrown in jail. Some were later released to their parents. As of tonight, one young Mohawk man is still being held over till Wednesday when he will be released with an assurety. Why they held him till Wednesday is not known. We have arranged to have someone go and sign for him to bring him home.

We are also unaware if any of the Caledonia youth were charged or if it was just Six Nations youth. We do have some of our women seeking legal advice and will be following up on the discrimination that is being shown toward our people on all aspects.

Even Justice Marshall, in his court yesterday, is still trying to hang on to some fictional power over this whole land reclamation. Common sense should tell him that his part was over the day Henco was bought out. When you really look at it, the OPP did enforce his injunction on April 20th. That should have ended things then. Some people have a problem with "me-ism". Perhaps Judge Marshall needs to take a look at exactly what it is that he is trying to say. Is it simply that his contempt of court order has not been enforced, or does it run deeper into his inner concience? The fact is that the land that he resides on does fall within the Haldimand Tract. Perhaps it is not the foundation of society that he is worried about, but something more personal.

The way we look at it, when one puts it out to Creation that the law of the land must be upheld, one must be prepared for Creation to respond. Also one must be prepared to accept exactly what that will mean.

Anyway, the youth are frustrated. On a positive note, the women have been taking hold of our responsibilities in trying to work with them. Not condoning any negative behaviours, but definitely validating their hurt and their anger. Definitely trying to help them to work through those hurts and help them take and utilize that energy to a more positive direction and for the highest good of everyone.

We talked about what they would like to do. We talked about letting them paint a mural on our storage building, maybe work on cleaning up an area, building rock gardens planting trees etc. Trying to get them to look at what they would like to see done at the site. Something that they could be part of, but that also would reflect who we are as a people, and who they are as individuals.

It really is sad for us to watch all of this being played out. We try so hard to help our young people and educate them about our behaviours and setting good examples. Yesterday we were reminded of how other cultures don't. I have been placed on a committee to deal with the archeaology and landscaping of the site. It was only our first meeting. I can't get out of my head the fact that the province would like to see something done to beautify the place prior to school going back in September. The message is, "lets do something....plant trees, build a fence or something, so that the Caledonia people don't have to look at the Indians anymore".

To make matters worse, even the board of education is talking about building a fence. Our message to the province was to "tell them to go ahead. They're the ones who have to live with that decision. They have to look at what it is they are teaching their children".

This is not a message we support. As for the youth involved with the fights this past weekend and the racial comments they throw at our children, it is not the youth that are to blame. The young ones that are making racial comments were not born with them. They have been taught them. It is their parents that need to look at that.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with our youth in a positive manner. We're working toward positive influences and building stronger nations. We are showing them that they have every right to be proud of who they are as Onkwehonweh people, and to respect our relationship with all of Creation. They are a part of the future, a future that will be stronger for the stand that we are taking, a future that holds promise because our traditional council is taking back its responsiblities, and that the Haudenesonne people have once again stood strong, in the name of peace, to protect that peace for all of the Onkwehonweh nations of the world.

We have taken our Law, and are holding onto it by standing strong and steady, before Creation. We are acknowledging our responsiblities to that law and respecting the process that was laid out for us. In spite of all of the attempts by Canada to undermine our authority, and to threaten violence in the name of peace, this land reclamation is something they should be proud of. We are being peaceful, we are upholding and respecting our law, and we are upholding our responsiblities to our future generations. That, my friends, is something we all should be proud of. nya weh for your continued support!

In Love, Light and Peace,
Hazel thebasketcase@on.aibn.com