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The Indian Defence League of America marked the annual Jay Treaty Border Crossing Saturday with special protocols in place to deal with COVID-19. A small group were allowed onto the Rainbow Bridge to join in commemorating the Jay Treaty of 1794 between the U.S. and Great Britain that allows for Indigenous peoples to travel freely across the border. (Photo by Stephanie Dafoe-Woods Canadian Border official)

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By Lynda PowlessEditor Six Nations Elected

Council (SNEC) may be is-suing an apology to the Six Nations Police Commis-sion (SNPC) chairman after calling for his resignation, without grounds, in a press release June 24th. Steve Williams refused

to resign and served the council members both as councillors and personal-ly with notice of suit after learning of the widely cir-culated press release. Williams said the press

release targeted him. “They have targeted me

in this. They sent that so called media release out not just to media but to local organizations and provincial and national or-ganizations. They targeted me,” he said. Williams demanded a

public apology original-ly by Friday July 10th but when SNEC asked for an extension to consult a legal adviser they were given to Wednesday, July 15th to issue an apology. SNEC met with the Six

Nations Police Commission July 15th with Williams present. Councillors Wen-dy Johnson and Michelle Bomberry did not attend the meeting. Turtle Island News has

learned at least four band councillors personally apologized to Williams at the closed meeting. The controversy stems

from a press release SNEC posted to their facebook page and sent out to me-dia June, 24,2020. SNEC called for Williams’ resig-nation saying it wanted to ensure accountability and

transparency but offered no grounds. “We want to ensure ac-

countability and transpar-ency and make it clear that there can be no conflict of interest, or perceived or otherwise in such im-portant roles. This action speaks to good governance and to the future sustain-ability of our institutions who serve the communi-ty.” The statement continued,

“As we move forward, it is important that we have the trust of the community that we will make difficult decisions in order to devel-op and build stronger ser-vices in our community.” Williams said he received

a letter June 22nd from SNEC claiming he violat-ed the 2018 Six Nations Police Commission Gover-nance Policy section deal-ing with transparency and conflict of interest but has not been provided with any information on the alleged violations. Those sections speak

to commission members using information gained from the commission meeting for personal gain. Williams says there is no

foundation for the call or information provided on

how he realized any gain. “SNEC has not given me

any information,” he said. He hired a lawyer to force SNEC to provide him with information justifying the request.Williams said as far as

he is concerned he is still a member of the commis-sion. “SNEC cannot call for my

resignation. The commis-sion can.” The call for Williams res-

ignation came within days of the Six Nations Police Commission(SNPC) send-ing a letter to SNEC sus-pending Councilor Wendy Johnson from the commis-sion. Johnson allegedly dis-putes the suspension say-ing she quit. The commission has not

released details on why the councilor was suspended or why they are asking for a replacement councilor. Wendy Johnson, a new

band councilor in her first term, had only attended one police commission meeting.The current council is only

in its eighth month of a four year term. Turtle Island News

learned Wendy Johnson’s suspension may be tied to an incident involving a Six Nations Police officer who was suspended for releas-ing confidential informa-tion to councilor Johnson and councilor Michelle Bomberry. Six Nations Police have

brought in a third party in-vestigator to look into the matter. Councilors Wendy Johnson, Bomberry and Hazel Johnson are all being interviewed by the investi-gation team.

Councilor Wendy John-son questioned why the police commission was promoting from within the service for a new police chief instead of hiring from outside. The SNPC is made-up

of Six Nations community members with SNEC filling two seats on the commis-sion. The website says the

SNPC acts as the super-visory body for the Police Service. SNPC has been engaged

in a succession plan for retiring Police Chief Glenn Lickers. The commission decided

to promote from within the service and has been work-ing with an outside firm to determine which of two candidates who applied would be promoted when the controversy began to unfold. The commission had

hoped to have the hiring resolved before June but as a result of the controversy has put it on hold with re-tiring Chief Glenn Lickers asked to stay on in the in-terim. The Six Nations Police

Commission issued a press statement Thursday, July 2nd asking SNEC for an-swers. “The Six Nations Police Commission takes allegations related to the breach of policies by any member of the Commis-sion with the utmost seri-ousness,” the letter reads. The letter continued,

“The Police Commission has formally requested that the Six Nations Elected Council provide specific de-tails into the allegations of transparency and conflict

of interest in relation to Mr. Williams, as a member of the Six Nations Police Commission.” The commission said

Mr. Williams stepped back from his duties as this mat-ter plays out and an inter-im chairperson, Alisha An-derson, was appointed. Williams said he has been

approached by many peo-ple about the SNEC move. “They all say the same thing, ‘what did you do.’ I tell them nothing. I don’t know what this is about.” The police commission

met Thursday, July 2, about the issue Williams was not present. Also absent from the meeting was SNEC ap-pointee councilor Wendy Johnson. Just two months ago,

elected Coun. Wendy Johnson, was calling for a full review of the police and commission citing general governance concerns. Johnson’s former hus-

band was a Six Nations Po-lice officer retiring recently. Councilor Wendy John-

son, after his retirement, became SNEC’s appointee to the commission. Turtle Island News also

learned SNEC met behind closed doors with the band lawyer Friday, July 3, but

did not provide any infor-mation on their move. Questions to SNEC and

their communications di-rector on the issue have gone unanswered including whether SNEC is paying for a security guard for Coun-cilor Wendy Johnson who allegedly told council she is “afraid. Elected Chief Mark Hill

has not returned Turtle Is-land News calls. Williams has been presi-

dent of Grand River Enter-prises for 25 years and has served 18 years on the po-lice commission. He is also the Chief Elec-

toral Officer for Six Nations Elected Council. Williams was the only one who ap-plied for the electoral offi-cer’s position when it was posted. The press release does

not indicate if Elected Chief Mark Hill declared a conflict of interest in the contro-versy. Hill is directly relat-ed to a Grand River Enter-prise owner. Elected Chief Hill did sign the letter sent to Williams. The press release went

on to say the “Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council will continue to support the hard working efforts of the Six Nations Police officers in protecting our community,” SNEC said in the now

three week old statement. “We will provide more information in the days ahead.” SNEC members did not

respond to Turtle Island News repeated calls for comment or provide any additional information by press time.

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 2 I I LOCAL / ORÌ:WASE NE KÈN:THOR I

LOCALIOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020

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Six Nations Elected Council to apologize to police commission chair

Councillor Wendy Johnson Steve Williams

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I LOCAL / ORÌ:WASE NE KÈN:THOR I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 3 I

COVID-19 fails to stop the Indigenous border crossing celebrationBy Lynda PowlessEditor NIAGARA FALLS -Not

even a pandemic could stop them from Fighting the Line. Haudenosaunee from

both sides of the US/Can-ada border carried out a 93 year old tradition Satur-day continuing the Indian Defence League of Ameri-ca’s (IDLA) annual border crossing celebration but with a twist. IDLA president Shirley

Squire of Six Nations said despite the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic the event went off well, but it had its difficulties. “It was hard this year. We

didn’t know whether to go ahead or not,” she said. While the march is nor-

mally filled with floats, signs, and music make no

mistake the celebration is an “an act of resistance” highlighting the impo-sition of the U.S./Cana-da border on Indigenous lands, while protecting Indigenous free passage rights guaranteed in the Jay Treaty of 1794. Shirley Hill said she spoke

with Canadian border offi-cials but didn’t receive any assurance the celebration would proceed until last Friday. She said border of-ficials said a limited ver-sion of the annual crossing could go ahead.

“It went good,” she said. We had a good border

worker with us. We just had to wait for meetings on both sides so they could agree we could go.” She said the biggest

stumbling block was mak-ing sure they would not have to quarantine upon return from the middle of the bridge. She said border officials

insisted those crossing the bridge would have to be from the same family. “So I asked my daughters

Shelly (Squire) and Am-ber (Squire) to walk to the middle with the flag and do the ceremony.” But, she said they needed

a third flag holder and Kim-berly Farmer was allowed to join them. “Once they told us as

long as we didn’t go on the

American side it would be okay and we wouldn’t have to quarantine we were good to go,” she said. Meanwhile on the Amer-

ican side Haudenosaunee and supporters gathered and marched through Ni-agara Falls N.Y. to the Rain-bow Bridge where they stopped near the bridge. Miss IDLA Mikayla Isaa-

cs and her father were al-lowed to walk from the American side to the mid-dle of the bridge, but had to stay on the American side of the imaginary line.

Shirley Squire said she didn’t know they were go-ing to come from the U.S. side. “When they gathered on the U.S. side we heard them singing and Miss IDLA and her dad came up to the middle. It was a sur-prise,” she said. She said even the Cana-

dian border official wasn’t aware there would be representatives from the American side. “Our bor-der contact didn’t know it was going to happen but said whatever the State side lets them do is okay with her”. She said both stayed on

their own side of the imag-inary border line, held a tobacco burning and sang . “It went really well.” She said about 15 people

were waiting for them to come back on the Canadi-

an side with one unknown man singing as the flag bearers came through the border inspection lines. Shirley Squire said every-

one engaged in safety mea-sures and practiced social distancing and some wore masks On the American side

Erica Ferguson said they walked from City Hall in Niagara Falls NY to the bridge. She said her family made

up most of the crowd. “My great grandparent

Frank and Teresa Meness

have been involved since the start. My grandmother always made our regalia and like my father and his

siblings, myself and my siblings and our kids hav-en’t missed a border cross-ing.” She said they didn’t walk

onto the bridge. “Unfor-tunately we were not able to see the girls in the mid-dle but a few members of the crowd walked on the pedestrian bridge to see them,” she said. Shirley Hill said on the

Canadian side the echoing of Haudenosaunee singing coming across the Niagara gorge was heartening. “It was nice. We could

hear them singing on the U.S. side. My girls tried to make it so the U.S. side could see the banner too when they held it up.” For Shirley Hill it was

about protecting Six Na-tions border crossing rights. “I knew we had to do

something. I wasn’t sure what or how we were go-ing to do anything, but I

knew as long as we could get in the middle of the bridge and do the ceremo-ny it would be okay.” She said the five people

who made it the centre of the Rainbow bridge did more than usual. “They even did more

than usual because there was no traffic. They could talk more.“The girls can’t sing but

they did the best they could,” she said chuckling. For Shirley Squire it was

stressful. “It was stressful. We

never faced this before but in the end it got done safe-ly thank goodness,” she said.You can see the full cer-

emony at the IDLA Face-book page at https://w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /groups/243385728665/p e r m a -link/10157670839568666/

Carrying on a generational fight for soverignty on the U.S. side of Saturday’s border crossing event were; Erica Ferguson, her parents Jackie and Terry Ferguson, her daughter Aftann Ferguson. Alexias Ferguson and her children Cash and Nala Jacobs. Terry and Julia Ferguson, their children Dakota, Laila and Xander. Lisa MacNeil, Ayden and Machias MacNeil, Mike Knox Jimmy Porter and William Printup.(Photo supplied by Erica Ferguson)

On the Canadian side of the line supporters hold up the IDLA flag including Kimberly Farmer, Shelly Squire and Amber Squire and Shirley Hill (middle) (Supplied photo)

Kimberly Farmer, Shelly Squire and Amber Squire walked to the middle of the Rain-bow Bridge to perform a tobacco burning and continue to“Fight The Line” (Photo by Stephanie Dafoe-Woods Canadian Border official)

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 4 I I LOCAL / ORÌ:WASE NE KÈN:THOR I

I LOCAL / ORÌ:WASE NE KÈN:THOR I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 5 I

Six Nations people shut down Caledonia constructionBy Donna DuricWriter An unknown number of

protesters, some from Six Nations, have halted con-struction on a 1,000-home subdivision in Caledonia over the weekend. The subdivision sits right

across the street from the still-unresolved land recla-mation of the former Doug-las Creek Estates housing subdivision in Caledonia that sparked historic land rights negotiations with the federal government in 2006. Talks broke off in 2009 and remain unre-

solved to this day. Six Nations said no to

the McKenzie Meadows project during a commu-nity engagement consulta-tion in 2013 that offered $1,250 per unit to help build a language school on Six Nations as one of the project benefits. The maxi-mum benefit to Six Nations would have been $1.2 mil-lion. The current accommo-

dation deal will see Six Nations receive $352,000 from Ballantry Homes as well as 42.85 acres of farm land at 170 Concession 17 Road in Hagersville, Ont. The funds will be held in SNEC’s Land Banking Ac-count to be used to pur-chase lands for addition to Six Nations or to purchase lands on the territory that will be used to the commu-nity’s benefit. The project is owned by

2036356 Ontario Inc., with partner Michael Corrado listed as one of the owners. Losani Homes is also one of the developers. Six Nations Elected

Council signed an agree-

ment with Ballantry Homes in April 2019. Elected Council held three com-munity engagement events at the Six Nations Tourism Building last year to update the community on the de-velopments. The land in question sits on farmland on the east and west side of McKenzie Road in Cale-donia.The entire land holding is

about 107 acres. Phase one plans include the develop-ment of 25.2 acres and 200 residential units. Skylar Williams, a Six

Nations community mem-

ber, said he and a group of about 20 Six Nations peo-ple walked onto the site late Sunday afternoon to take the land back, saying no to the construction and accommodation package elected council negotiated. The work stoppage was

months in the planning, he said. “Our intention was to

stop the development, pe-riod.”Williams said the deci-

sion to construct another housing subdivision right across the street from the former Douglas Creek Es-tates – the longest Indige-nous land rights protest in history – was a “slap in the face.”He said they have no plans

to leave. Director of Six Nations

Lands and Resources Lonny Bomberry has told Turtle Island News the deal does not affect Six Nations’ land claims. “The area isn’t a tradition-

al land claim because there isn’t any Crown Lands any-more that you could go after, it’s all in third party

hands and it has been for 150, 160, 170 years. Our claim is against Canada for breach of fiduciary duty and disposing us of our land…The whole Haldimand tract is still under claim but that is against Canada and not against third party devel-opers like Ballantry.” Bomberry said Ballant-

ry had contacted Elected Council in 2015 to discuss an accommodation agree-ment. He said Ballantry was did attempt to reach out to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council through representatives at

the Haudenosaunee Devel-opment Institute (HDI) but he stopped when internal turmoil a few years ago hit the HDI . Bomberry said Ballant-

ry has acknowledged that Caledonia is a sensitive area for housing devel-opments given the histo-ry of the Caledonia land reclamation of the former Douglas Creek Estates housing development on Argyle Street. Bomberry said that since the lands were bought from farmers, there isn’t anything the Six Nations could legally do

to stop the developer from building on them. “The lands have been out

of our possession for about 150, 170 years so you couldn’t legally do any-thing to stop them other than that they have a duty to consult and accommo-date. Although that duty is really with the Crown and our Crown here in Ontario doesn’t seem to want to move very quickly on any of that stuff.” He said Six Nations Elect-

ed Council has been ap-proaching developers on areas close to the reserve

or the traditional territory in order to reach an ac-commodation with them, to prevent a repeat of the Caledonia standoff. Bomberry said that the

accommodation with Bal-lantry also includes job op-portunities for Six Nations people.Ballantry Homes and

Losani Homes did not re-turn calls for comment.The Turtle Island News

also reached out to Six Na-tions Elected Chief Mark Hill for comment but did not hear back by press time.

Work continues at the McKenzie Meadows housing project while protesters set up camp in the background. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)

Letters to the Editor:

In order to foster public discussion of matters effecting the residents of the Grand River Territory, Turtle Island News welcomes all opinion pieces and letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and include an address and phone number Turtle Island News reserves the right to edit any submission for length, grammar, spelling and clarity. Turtle Island News, P.O. Box 329, Ohsweken, Ont., N0A 1M0 fax; (519) 445-0865 email: news@theturtleislandnews.com.

Turtle Island News is published weekly on the Six Nations Grand River Territory. It is a politically independent newspaper that is wholly owned and operated by aboriginal people. No portion of the newspaper, including advertisements, pictures or editorial content may be reproduced without permission.

Publisher -Lynda Powless, Turtle Island News PublicationsEDITOR - Lynda PowlessTurtle Island News is a member of:+Canadian Journalists Association+Native American Journalists Association

+International Committee to Protect Journalists WorldwideTurtle Island NewsP.O. Box 329, 2208 Chiefswood Rd., Ohsweken, ON, N0A 1M0T: 519.445.0868 F: 519.445-0865E: sales@theturtleislandnews.com or news@theturtleislandnews.com

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Six Nations Cannabis Commission time to hit restartSix Nations Elected Council needs to recognize its

cannabis commission is in a free fall and needs to be dismantled. The commission is just over a year old and it has

been a tumultuous year. Launched under former elected chief Ava Hill the

commission hasn’t been able to get its feet under it.Inner fighting and disgruntlement hit within two

months of it being established. The former chair be-came a scapegoat in an attempt to give the commis-sion some kind of credibility in a community wonder-ing what was going on. Since then another member quit, council appointed

two councillors in an attempt to bring some order to the group. Now yet a third commission member has left this

time citing a sudden conflict of interest. Audrey Hill said Tuesday that she had resigned. That leaves the chair and a commission member and

what appears to be a bunch of high priced talent espe-cially when the chair asks for a 2020/2021 budget of over a million dollars to hire a bunch of consultants, leaving one wondering if the positions will be post-ed or like band council recent moves will seek out a headhunter. A local lawyer was hired. All hoped that would

mean suddenly some kind of direction would lead the commission to finally getting SNEC’s regulations un-derway and permits issued, late, but issued.But alas, that wasn’t to be. Instead they developed a constitution? A council

commission with its own constitution?Then it went on to hold a conflict of interest work-

shop for band council and declared various council members in conflicts with cannabis including Elected Chief Mark Hill. Not that the elected chief wouldn’t have declared his own conflict but isn’t it nice they did it for him.Six Nations is behind the eight ball when it comes to

the cannabis industry. Communities across the country are prospering from

a medical cannabis industry and Indigenous business-es have been launched to take advantage of a new industry that could see economic development pros-perity for communities. ‘ Instead the dust is settling on the industry at Six

Nations and it is long past the time to bring the com-mission to an end. The commission, as it stands, has not only been

unable to launch the industry but actually told the community it will be year 2021 before anything that resembles a permit can be issued. Add to that it has found itself in conflict with oth-

er members of the community, who felt they were unable to be heard has ended up (Continued right)

setting up its own organi-zation and rather than try to mend the gulf of dis-content has launched a li-bel suit against one com-munity member who had reached out to the com-mission’s council member

for help. The commission is al-

ready a year old. It will be two years old before it even issues its first per-mit. It is time to put an end

to an expensive experi-ment and start talking to

Six Nations Grand River Development Corporation chairman Matt Jamieson about taking it on. One thing is clear Jamie-

son would have been is-suing permits by now and guaranteed he would have a Six Nations partnership

in place with a major corporation. It is time to stop the

stalling and put it in the hands of a body that can oversee it and get it mov-ing.It’s long past time to hit

re-start.

(continued from left)

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 6 I I COMMENTARY I TSI NAHÒ:TEN RÓN:TON I

CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos will search for new nameEDMONTON-The Edmon-

ton Eskimos will change their name. The CFL squad makes

the move following a sim-ilar decision by the NFL’s Washington team as pres-sure mounts on teams to eliminate racist or stereo-typical names. The team said in a release

it will begin “a compre-hensive engagement pro-cess’’ on a new name. In

the meantime, the club will use the names EE Football Team and Edmonton Foot-ball Team. The decision comes less

than a week after two published reports said the team was on the verge of changing its name. Critics say the Edmonton

team’s name is a deroga-tory, colonial-era term for Inuit. In February, the Edmon-

ton club announced it was keeping the name fol-lowing year-long research that involved Inuit leaders and community members across Canada. The club said it received “no con-sensus’’ during that review. On July 8, the Edmonton

club promised to speed up another review of its name and provide an update by the end of the month. In that statement, the club

noted “a lot has happened’’ since it made the decision in February. One of the team’s

sponsors, national car-and-home insurance pro-vider Belairdirect, had an-nounced a day earlier that it was rethinking its rela-tionship with the team be-cause of the name.

By Donna DuricWriterSix Nations Elected Coun-

cil is one step closer to in-stalling a roundabout at Chiefswood Road and Hwy. 54 to help mitigate traffic issues at the busy inter-section.Construction of the

roundabout will cost $1.2 million, with $938,000 from the federal govern-ment, $104,000 from the provincial government, and Six Nations pitching in the remainder of the cost at $208,000. Six Nations Public Works told elected council last week it was recently approved for $1 million in federal funding for the project.The Ministry of Trans-

portation has been re-sponsible for maintaining Six Nations’ portion of Hwy. 54 since 1985 until the province transferred responsibility to Brant County. Six Nations began investigating the feasibility of a roundabout at the in-tersection in 2018.Currently, a four-way light

controls traffic at the inter-

section but a report from First Nations Engineering Services Ltd. recommends that a roundabout be in-stalled to address vehicle queuing at the intersec-tion.The busy intersection was

a four-way stop until 2007 when traffic lights were in-stalled.However, the busy inter-

section has been a long point of contention for motorists who complain of long wait times for traffic signal changes, especially during big events in the area. The intersection is about 100 metres up the road from the Six Nations Bingo Hall and about 3 km down the road from the Ohsweken Speedway, which sees thousands of motorists enter the ter-ritory every Friday night throughout the summer racing season.Despite the popularity of

those two major tourist draws, a 2018 study noted that Thursday afternoon between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. is the busiest day and time of the week at the inter-

section, with 1,132 vehi-cles using passing through at that time. Using a 2.6 per cent annual growth projection, in 10 years that number could reach 1,464 or higher.The study notes round-

abouts are safer than tra-ditional four-way intersec-tions controlled by traffic signals. A traditional in-tersection has 32 points where a collision could oc-cur, whereas a roundabout has eight potential colli-sion points.Roundabouts also reduce

the severity of collision impacts by eliminating left-hand turns, and there-by, eliminating dangerous t-bone collisions.Roundabouts also reduce

idling time and emissions.Six Nations Elected Coun-

cil agreed to move forward with the plan but con-struction won’t begin until 2022/2023.The intersection will be

closed for about three months to accommodate construction.

By Donna DuricWriterPandemic or no pandem-

ic, Six Nations grads are going to be honoured this weekend.After almost two months

of planning, a communi-ty-wide graduation cere-mony is all set to go this weekend at the Gathering Place to honour Six Na-tions students who grad-uated during one of the

most exceptional years in living memory.With Covid-19 raging

on around the world, and schools shut down since March, students resorted to online learning and a large and sad fraternity of students missed out on one of the most important ceremonies of their lives - their graduation ceremo-nies.Thankfully, Six Nations

Elected Councillor Hel-en Miller took the lead in organizing a communi-ty-wide social distancing graduation ceremony this weekend where not only graduates and families can celebrate, but community members are welcome to honour local grads, as well.The ceremony, which be-

gins at 2 pm, will see grads gathered in a circle in the parking lot at the Gather-

ing Centre, some dressed in grad clothes and prom dresses, and others ex-pected to wear traditional regalia.The community can drive

into the parking lot, around the circle of grads, and the parade will end at 3 p.m.People are encouraged to

decorate their vehicles for the ceremony.“It’s an open invitation

to all community members

to participate,” said Coun. Miller.Students graduating

grades 8, 12 and even uni-versity students are wel-come to attend, she said.Each student will get

a black mask that reads “2020” on it and will re-ceive a $50 Walmart gift card each.“All Covid guidelines will

apply,” said Coun. Miller.

I LOCAL / ORÌ:WASE NE KÈN:THOR I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 7 I

2020 community graduation, social-distancing style

A roundabout at Chiefswood Road and Hwy. 54 is in the works. Construction is slated for 2022-2023 and will see the intersection closed. (Photo by Jim C. Powless)

Helen MillerSix Nations Councillor

Six Nations planning roundabout at Chiefswood and Hwy. 54

Six Nations Cannabis Commission loses another member Six Nations Cannabis

Commission is down to, two members and contin-ues to operate without a quorum. Commission member Au-

drey Hill has resigned citing a conflict of interest. The resignation leaves

only commission chair Nahnda Garlow and com-mission member Cole Squire.The terms of reference calls

for five board members. one ex-officio member from elected council, and one

ex-officio member from the Haudenosaunee Confedera-cy Chiefs Council. Council later placed two councillors on the commission. Cur-rently councillor Nathan Wright is on the commis-sion but has no vote. The commission has

been operating outside its terms of reference since Six Nations Elected Coun-cil (SNEC) removed former chairman Nick Wyman when the commission be-came mired in inner turmoil amid allegations of bullying

and internal disputes and one commissioner claim-ing they are “doing illegal things” just two months into their mandate. With Wyman gone the

commission was left with Audrey Hill, Nahnda Gar-low, Cole Squire and Derek Miller. Garlow became chair and shortly after Derek Mill-er resigned. SNEC did not fill the vacancy and now the commission appears to be undertaking its own recruit-ment with SNEC approving their selections.

Halifax Thunderbirds focusing on staying strong

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 8 I I SPORTS / TEHONTKAHRI’TSHERÓN:NIS I

J O S H G I L E S T U R T L E I S L A N D N E W S S P O R T S R E P O R T E R . . . L O O K F O R H I M A T Y O U R N E X T S P O R T I N G E V E N T !

Warren Hill has been an anchor in the net for the Thunderbirds in their first full season in Halifax, and he has a bright future at the position. (Photo by the Halifax Thunderbirds)

By Josh GilesWriterThroughout the offsea-

son there have been a flurry of trades bouncing around the NLL, but none have come from the Halifax Thunderbirds. Instead they decided to focus on keep-ing everything in house in order to maintain their success.It makes sense, as they

had a very successful first season going 8-4 to lead the North Division in the league, but according to Head Coach Mike Accur-si, they won’t say no to a good enough trade. “I don’t think we’re opposed to making moves, but we’re happy with the team we have in our system, and we want to maintain that strength.”One of the re-signings

they have secured is Six Nations Arrows player Clay Scanlan moving him

to a protected practice player agreement. As one of the youngest players in the 2019 NLL Draft, he has a lot of time to grow. “Clay is a young talent. He knew he was young coming into the draft and needed to mature his game. He is definitely a future star in this league and he needs to grow and develop, but he has the potential to be a great player in this league,” said Accursi.It’s no question, the

Thunderbirds are loaded with talent everywhere, but with the draft quick-ly approaching, Accursi is still looking to fill needs in the team. “You always want to try and look for depth. This is a good draft with some great players who have been legitimate stars in college. We need to look at getting some youthfulness on the left side for sure. We have

aging stars there and we want some depth for when they decide to hang it up.”

Halifax’s first season was a hit, and they were one of the favourites to win the

NLL Championship this year. But they are hoping to regain that form and

keep the momentum mov-ing for next season.

I SPORTS / TEHONTKAHRI’TSHERÓN:NIS I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 9 I

Halifax Thunderbirds focusing on staying strong this offseason

Group wanting rallying to make Jim Thorpe sole gold medalist

Cody Jamieson has captained the Rochester Knighthawks, and now the Thunderbirds to successful season after successful season. (Photo by the Halifax Thunderbirds.)

By Josh GilesWriterIn the 1912 Olympics, Jim

Thorpe broke records in the decathlon and pentathlon winning two gold medals for the United States, but it was revoked shortly af-ter. It wasn’t until 1983, thirty years after his death, that a movement began to make sure he is the sole winner of the event.The story goes that Thor-

pe dominated the events in such a way that was never seen before winning the event. It was later found out that he was being paid to play minor league base-ball, which does not make him an amateur athlete. His gold medal was revoked and then given to former silver medalist, Hugo Wi-eslander of Sweden.The International Olym-

pic Committee (IOC) did decide about 70 years lat-er that the disqualification had been improper because there was no protest to Thorpe’s eligibility within the thirty days that was required at that time.

This has caused a studie called Bright Path Strong to speak up about the injus-tice done to Thorpe over 100-years-ago. Nedra Dar-ling is the Executive Pro-ducer of Bright Path Strong and called for Thorpe to be the sole gold medalist of the 1912 Decathlon. “Jim Thorpe broke barri-ers at the 1912 Olympics. He won two gold medals

in the pentathlon and de-cathlon. At a time when Native Americans weren’t even recognized as US citi-zens,” she said.There is an online petition

going around that will be submitted to the IOC in order to “right this wrong,” according to Darling, and make Thorpe the sole gold medalist of the sports he dominated.

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 10 I I SPECIAL I

DISCOVER SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER

Visit our Artisan and Craft Shops and Play in the Grand River

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GR AND R IVER CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS V IRTUAL POWWOW

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GR AND R IVER CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS V IRTUAL POWWOW

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DISCOVER SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER

Chiefswood National Historic Site

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OBITUARYMOSES: Daniel David

Our communities across Turtle Island bid farewell to a gifted First Nations’ artist. It is with heavy hearts the family announce the sudden passing of Daniel David Moses on July 13, 2020 in his 69th year. He is survived by his sister: Debora Blanche, and predeceased by his parents: David Nelson and Blanche Ruth (Ja-mieson). Daniel will be deeply missed by several aunts, uncles, numerous cousins and extended family members. He will be fondly remembered by lifelong friends Eric Ladelpha

and Carol Rowntree.Daniel acknowledged his Delaware Nation paternal lineage

while also embracing his maternal lineage in the Tuscarora Na-tion, Bear Clan. His pride in his Indigenous roots was evident in his works as a poet, playwright, dramaturge, editor, essayist, teacher and artist. He held an Honours B.A. from York University (Toronto, Ontario) and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.). From 1979, Daniel worked as an independent, Toronto-based artist: first as a poet, and later

as a playwright, dramaturge, editor, essayist and teacher. He filled artist, playwright, and writ-er-in-residence posts with institutions as varied as: Theatre Passe Muraille (Toronto, Ontario); the Banff Centre for the Arts (Banff, Alberta); the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.); the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario); the University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario), the University of Toronto (Scarborough), the Sage Hill Writing Experience (Regina, Saskatchewan); McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario); and Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec). He re-cently served as a member of the Advisory Board of Oskana Poetry and Poetics book series for the University of Regina Press.He served on the Boards of: The Association for Native Development in the Performing and Vi-

sual Arts (ANDPVA), Native Earth Performing Arts, and The Playwrights Union of Canada (now The Playwrights Guild of Canada). He co-founded tyhe influentia Committee to Re-Establish the Trickster with his collegues: Lenore Keeshig-Tobias and Tomson Highway.In 2003, he was appointed as a Queen’s National Scholar to the Department of Drama at Queen’s

University (Kingston, Ontario), and in 2019, as Professor Emeritus.In 2016, he was inducted as a Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada (Arts).His plays include: Coyote City, a 1991 Governor General’s Literary Award nominee; and The In-

dian Medicine Shows, the 1996 James Buller Memorial Award winner. His classic work: Almighty Voice and His Wife was remounted by Soulpepper Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) in Fall 2019. This production received five Dora Mavor Moore Award 2020 nominations and won the award for Out-standing Scenic/Projection Design. He was so proud!His poetry collections include: The White Line; Delicate Bodies; Sixteen Jesuses and a CD of read-

ings: River Range Poems (dedicated to his father). His essays are collected in the book: Pursued by a Bear: Talks, Monologues and Tales. He edited with Terry Goldie: An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English (1992); a Second Edition (1998),and a Third Edition (2005). He also edited the Fourth (2013) Edition.His career in the arts was interspersed with readings and presentations from New Mexico to New

York City; from Vancouver, B.C. to Sackville, N.B.; and from London, U.K., to Prague, CZ. Daniel generously shared his talents and knowledge, inspiring and mentoring the next generations of artists.At Daniel’s request cremation has taken place. In honour of Daniel, donations may be made to

The Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, Toronto, Ont.; The Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia, Hamilton, Ont.; or the Charity of your choice. Arrangements by Styres Funeral Home, Ohsweken. www.rhbanderson.comDaniel David Moses: your legacy will never fade.

OBITUARYBURNING: Frank

It is with great sadness the family announces the sudden pass-ing of our fallen warrior Frank “Red Man” Burning (age 51) on Sunday, July 12, 2020. Son to Alberta Monture and the late Frank Burning. Father of Frank and Lacie Burning, Travis and Da-kota Longboat. Father-figure to Tawny and Jr. Longboat. Grand-father to Ratetsen’tohskon. Brother to Suzy (the late Dan), Mel-anie, Shantel, Francine, Dave, Erin, Helen, Lindsay (Jason),Tyler (Lauren) and the late Lanny Martin. Uncle and Great Uncle to many nieces and nephews. Frank loved to play pool, lacrosse, hockey and slo-pitch. He was a carpenter, wood-carver, guitar player and drummer. He was truly a friend to all, leaving a last-ing impact on everyone who met him. Resting at his mother’s house at 1049 First Line Rd, Six Nations after 6pm on Saturday, where the funeral service will be held on Monday, July 20, 2020 at 11am. The family requests visitors to wear masks upon entering the home. If possible, wear Frank’s signature red bandana as a face cover in his honour. Burial to be held at Onondaga Long-house. www.rhbanderson.com

IN MEMORIAMIn loving memory of Kenneth Eugene Smith

December 15, 1970 - July 23, 2018 You may be gone from my sight, but you are never gone from

my heart.It’s hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.I am because you were.When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory be-

comes a treasure. Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you, until we meet again. Love Mom, Dad & CisEugene, Helen & Cathy Ann Smith

Activity page for all ages!Keeping your minds nourished... Colouring page • Maze

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I SPECIAL I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 19 I

LEARNING AND GROWING AS

...

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 20 I I SPORTS / TEHONTKAHRI’TSHERÓN:NIS I

By Paul Whitinui, Associ-ate Professor, Faculty of Education,

School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of

VictoriaTHE CANADIAN PRESSThis article was originally

published on The Conver-sation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Washington Redskins,

facing increased public and financial pressure, have fi-nally announced they will change their team nick-name. This decision puts an end to almost 30 years of active protest and litiga-tion against the National Football League franchise.Following the brutal kill-

ing of George Floyd by po-lice in Minneapolis on May 25, the Black Lives Matter movement effectively mo-bilized the world to stand united against racialized acts of violence.The idea of sports teams

changing their racist lo-gos, names or brands be-came part of the campaign against systemic racism, though it is not new. Since 1969, 14 North American sports teams have removed their names or logos that were outwardly racist to-

wards First Nations and Native Americans.The RedskinsIn 2014, in the Amanda

Blackhorse vs. Pro Foot-ball Inc. case, the United States Patent and Trade-mark Office ruled that the Washington NFL team’s name was disparaging to Indigenous Peoples.At the time, Amanda

Blackhorse was inter-viewed by journalist Steve Paikin on The Agenda. She said the Washington Redskins mascot name is an outwardly racist, offen-sive and disparaging slur.Four years later, the Su-

preme Court ruled in fa-vour of allowing the team to use the name. Black-horse told USA Today:“We said the term

‘Redskins’ is disparaging and the courts agreed with us ... it’s just that now the Supreme Court says it’s OK to register a disparag-ing term.’’The name reinforces racist

stereotypes targeting Na-vajo Indians as “Redskins.’’The Redskin controversy

dates back to 1775 when a document called the Phips Proclamation named after Spencer Phips, a British politician and then Lieu-tenant Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Prov-

ince, placed a bounty on the heads of Penobscot Indians, a tribe now based in Maine. A “Redskin’’ was said to be a scalped head of a Native American, sold, like a pelt, for cash.Similarly, up until 2019,

the Cleveland Indians ma-jor league baseball team used a cartoon charac-ter called Chief Wahoo. Wahoo was depicted as a Redskin, who is often ridiculed in ways that are offensive to Native Amer-icans.The problem with opin-

ion pollsA 2019 poll conducted by

Angus Reid said that more than half of Canadians be-lieve sports franchises that use Indigenous naming and imagery should not have to change.However, the problem

with these polls is the si-lencing of Indigenous voic-es. It’s like taking a general

survey about the correct pronunciation of an Indig-enous place name in Cree when all Canadians pre-dominantly speak English and French. It makes no sense.What we need are fluent

Cree speakers who can help us learn the correct pronunciation.The word mascot orig-

inates from the French, mascotte, which means my lucky charm. Mascot also has several derivatives, including maso, meaning witch or sorceress; mas-coto, meaning spell or be-witchment.It has been associated

with inanimate objects that were commonly seen as either a lock of hair, a

figurehead on a sailing ship or good luck animals used to represent one’s group identity.In modern sport, mascots

are used for good luck. But they are also used to build merchandising revenue, meet monetary targets and increase the fan base. Team mascots often take

the form of a logo, person, live animal, a costumed character or other inani-mate objects.But what happens when

team mascots are used to misrepresent or misappro-priate groups of people who then feel constant-ly ridiculed, violated and delegitimized as human beings because of the way team mascots are paraded, adorned and validated?This might include out-

wardly racist slurs, misap-propriation of images relat-ed to First Nations/Native Americans, a public mock-ing of First Nations/Native Americans regalia, or other misconstrued terms to fur-ther dehumanize a group of people.Resistance to changeThe National Congress of

Indians (NCAI) published a database in2013 which found more than 2,000 secondary schools with mascots that reference Native American culture, compared to around 3,000 from 50 years ago. Since the 1960s, the NCAI has been a powerful advocate for spearheading laws and regulations that Native logos need to end every-where.Racially constructed

names pertaining to the Braves, Chiefs, Redskins, Indians, Blackhawks and

Seminoles remain a point of contention among many Indigenous Peoples living in Canada.Earlier this year, the Ed-

monton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League decided against changing their name - but then said in July it was reassessing the name once again. The team said its original de-cision was based on the premise that it had con-sulted with the Inuit com-munity who stand by the name “Eskimos.’’But the Inuit are not Es-

kimos, and according to fluent speaking Inuit mem-bers, Eskimos means “meat eater,’’ not Inuit.But elsewhere, other

teams are changing rac-ist names. The amateur Saanich Junior B “Braves’’ hockey team on Vancou-ver Island recently decided to change its name out of respect for First Nations Peoples.Mana-munching is not

our wayArticle 31 of the UN Dec-

laration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that Indigenous Peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and devel-op their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expres-sions.Anything less diminishes

the mana of a people.Mana is a word well

known and used among many Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific and North America. In Hawaii and New Zealand, for exam-ple, mana means the spir-itual energy, healing power or essence a person car-ries with them from one

generation to the next. To disrespect, demean or desecrate a person’s mana in any way is to diminish who they are, and in doing so to dishonour all they are and can be - this is not our way.A more respectful ap-

proach to enhancing the mana of a person, as ar-ticulated by performer and researcher Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal, is the idea that we should all work together to hold each oth-er up so that a person can realize their full potential.To mana-munch a per-

son’s spirit through dis-paraging, racist and mis-appropriated mascots and branding is nothing short of dehumanizing the leg-acy of the living, their an-cestors and those yet to be born. It is an intergenera-tional practice Indigenous Peoples know only too well and is an integral part of our identity and who we are as human beings.Mascots that enhance the

mana of all people rather than diminish them is the preferred teaching be-

cause it impacts every aspect of our society or world. In this era of Truth and Reconciliation, we can work together to reconcile our differences, repair the past and heal. Team mas-cots have a role and re-sponsibility to respect the living and build positive relationships that can en-hance the spirit of sports we all love and enjoy.h t t p s : / / t h e c o n v e r -

s a t i o n . c o m / w a s h i n g -t o n - r e d s k i n s - f i n a l -ly-agree-dismanhttps://theconversation.

com/washington-redskins-

Money Talks: Sports Teams Changing their NamesWashington Redskins finally agree: Dismantling racist team mascots is long overdue

I SPORTS / TEHONTKAHRI’TSHERÓN:NIS I I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 21 I

Jordin Tootoo on Instagram-My personal statement regarding @officialedmesksRelease Position State-

mentMany people and media

outlets have contacted me to ask my position around the contoversy surrounding the name of the Edmonton Eskimos CFL franchise.We should all understand

what the term means to the Inuk people. My father’s generation connects with this term to describe who they are. He would refer to himself as Eskino. My generation refers to itself as Inuk. What is important to me is that people under-stand this. And, when re-ferring to the Inuit people, they respect that we refer to ourselves today as Inuk.

I understand their are names of sports teams that bring back feelings of op-pression for people and I can see why those names should be changed.So, this makes me ask the

question, does the term Eskimo for the Edmonton franchise bring back feelings of oppresseion for the Inuk people? For me, it does not. That is NOT a reason to keep the name. There could be others for whom it does create those feelings. But for me, it does not.I encourage the Franchise

to explain why they chose the name Eskimos in the first place. Was it racially charged, or, was it because

of admiration for the ability of the Eskimos to thrive in cold climates, for their men-tal and physical toughness and for their resilience? My point is that context really does matter. And, they need to be honest with them-selves and with the public. Truth goes a long way.In closing, the name of the

Edmonton Eskimos is not objectionable to me. This does not mean they should keep the name. But, I think the discussion should be around how the Inuk people feel about it. Some might feel pride. Some might feel hurt. Either way, that is the group that should be con-sulted.

I TURTLE ISLAND NEWS I IOHIARIKÓ:WA / JULY 22, 2020 I PAGE 22 I I CAREERS AND NOTICES I

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