Haudenosaunee Chiefs Will Not Allow Sale of Unceded Territory

Chiefs Council will take all necessary action to protect Haudenosaunee land

NORFOLK COUNTY, ON, Sept. 30, 2021 /CNW/ - The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) provided public notice to Norfolk County, as well as any non-Haudenosaunee people, that they will protect their unceded land at 1594 Concession 2, Townsend – known in the Haudenosaunee language as Onehsa'keh. The HCCC makes clear that it holds exclusive use, occupation and possession of these lands.

"Land is central to the Haudenosaunee way of life," said Aaron Detlor of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), the organization appointed by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) to protect Haudenosaunee rights. "The Haudenosaunee have never shied away from protecting our lands. The attempted use of these lands by non-Haudenosaunee are a breach of the Crown's treaty obligations."

"Land is central to the Haudenosaunee way of life," said Aaron Detlor. "We have no intention of leaving Onehsa'keh."

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HDI is working to ensure that their lands never leave the possession of the Haudenosaunee, including placing advertisements in local news outlets to inform all Canadians that their land is not for sale, and will remain in the possession of the Haudenosaunee, so that the people native to this land can exercise the full extent of their treaty rights, unbound. Any attempts to disrupt or monetize the use of lands that the Haudenosaunee have inhabited since time immemorial is an attempt to further colonize the Haudenosaunee people.

In April, the HCCC, supported by the elected chief of the Six Nations, called for a development moratorium on lands within the Haldimand Tract. To this day, Onehsa'keh remains Haudenosaunee land: HCCC's title to these lands has never been surrendered or otherwise relinquished.

"The Haudenosaunee will take every measure to ensure that these lands remain under the stewardship of our people," said Detlor. "We have no intention of leaving Onehsa'keh."

The Haudenosaunee – meaning People of the Longhouse – Confederacy also known as the Iroquois Confederacy and the League of Five Nations is a unified council of First Nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca peoples. After 1722, the Tuscarora people were welcomed into the Confederacy, creating the Six Nations. Established prior to European contact, the Confederacy is the oldest participatory democracy on Earth and its constitution served as a model for the American Constitution.

The Haudenosaunee Development Institute was created in 2007 as a response to a deluge of developers seeking approval of projects on HCCC owned land. The developers approached the HCCC directly when the Crown of Canada failed to respect Haudenosaunee rights. The HDI functions to ensure Haudenosaunee Law and protects Haudenosaunee rights in dealings with developers. 

SOURCE Haudenosaunee Development Institute

Aaron Detlor, Haudenosaunee Development Institute, 647-228-1454, [email protected]