I read Hazel as a hungry-eyed person. I like reading the truth. I like seeing a journalist who has a wide perspective on herself, her people and what really happens.
I get damned annoyed with the Canadian mass coverage of what is happening in Caledonia/Six Nations .. and I write the CBC and particularly the Hamilton media outlets complaining long and loud.
I am glad to see Hazel here tackle and raze the establishment for what it says about here and exposing the lies they impose about what is going on. It effects ALL of us -- not just Six Nations or Canadian aboriginal persons. This is a "fight" between survival and spirit and those who are only concerned with the bottom line on their bank accounts.
I pick what I post about this issue CAREFULLY. WHY? Because I don't anyone mislead into thinking this is a sovereignty among nations issue .. this is about our right to live and leave resources for the future. That includes HONESTY ...
Hazel's update 12/26/06
MNN Dec. 27, 2006Greetings!
It has been a few weeks since I last updated everyone and I have had people e-mailing wondering what is happening.
Before I begin, I need to ask that those of you who forward and post this to your blogs, PLEASE do not change it. I have had radio stations slandering me,discrediting me, only to find out that they had been duped and someone had sent them a "so-called update", that had been drastically changed painting me out to be a racist etc.
I write what I SEE, and while it may not be journalistically orgrammatically correct, it is MY thoughts and MY feelings. The message is being received and understood by everyone else who reads them, so there is no need to change them. Perhaps this would also account for the Crown representatives who have been complaining about my updates to our Haudenesonne delegates. They do not like my updates and are concerned that they could be construed as coming from the"negotiations".
So as a matter of clarification, when I update the people, which IS what my job is, I update based on looking at things from the Eagles perspective. It is not from a politicians perspective, and it is not from the Chiefs or delegates perspective.
It is from the perspective of one who can bring herself away from the table of discussions and look onto the situation and look beyond the words that are being said, and look at the actions of the Crown and from that, put on paper the words from my heart and from my instincts, of what is really going on. So for the federal government to have made issue with my updates, not just once, but several times, tells me that I AM DOING MY JOB!
One thing I made clear at the beginning of my attending the meetings is that I report to the PEOPLE. There is no such thing as confidentiality when it comes to the Haudenesonne. Our people counsel in honesty and openness and that is how we will continue. For us to state otherwise, will only lend to question what it is that we have to hide. I report to the Clanmothers and Chiefs on what I am doing, and answer any questions that they have, and I will continue to do so.
My obligation is to the People, and to keep them informed. These updates are for all of the Haudenesonne who are spread across Turtle Island and cannot attend meetings or council to be updated. They are for the millions of Onkwehonweh across the world who are reading and watching and counting on the Haudenesonne to uphold their responsiblities to Creation in order to help bring about Justice for all the Onkwehonweh.
More importantly, my updates are for the Creator.
To do what I believe is what is the highest good of ALL concerned. Not in the interest of any individual or Nation.
This is about the PEACE that was intended for ALL.
I have been put on this earth to answer only to the Creator and to do the job that he set me on this earth to do.
It is not for any one to question, it is between me and the Creator, and while some may not appreciate my perspective or my thoughts, OH WELL, cause I am not here to please anyone either.
Having said that, the first thing I have to take issue with, IS the Federal representatives reason for taking issue with my updates. Their concern was with my use of the word Genocide and how I refer to their actions as "the continuance of thegenocidal practices of the Crown".
Well, HELLLLOOOO!
Spot it you got it I say.
Perhaps they took issue with the fact that it is the TRUTH, and while they might not like it, it is a FACT.
One of their legal representatives is apparently Jewish and felt that my use of the word was inappropriate becuase of the suffering of the Jews at the hands of Hitler. Well as a matter of clarification, Hitler studied the Onkwehonweh and while I have been told that he liked how our people lived and how our law worked, he also seen how Western Civilization treated the Onkwehonweh, and he modelled the treatment of the Jews after THAT and so YES!, Geneocide is an ugly word, but no one people can take ownership of the word, and those that do, need to study a bit more of where it comes from and how it even became a word in the english dictionary in the first place. It came from the treatment of the Onkwehonweh by those who invaded our homelands and tried to wipe us out for their own benefit and gain.
So as far as I'm concerned, the Crown IS continuing with its genocidal practices because of its insistance on thinking it has some sort of governance over our people, which they do not; and by their refusal to uphold the Treaties to which their ancestors swore to, which they are obligated to do.
You can't just have it your way.
They want us to acknowledge all of the agreements and treaties that benefit their people, but the moment we remind them that that Silver Covenant Chain can rattle in both directions, they close their eyes and ears.
Well, our people are tired of it, and we are not going to tolerate it any longer. The Crown needs to ensure that the representatives that they send to the table to talk, are one's that have the ability to make a decision, not one's that are there to bide time while they try to figure out a way to get out of it.
Barbara McDougal herself told Tekareporter Jim Windell that she is not there to negotiate or make decisions. So again, what is it that the taxpayers are paying these big dollars for???????????
For the last ten months they have been dancing around and talking about everything BUT the issue at hand.
We've talked about blockades, fences, buffer zones, governance, 4-wheelers, flashing lights and flags. When are we going to get to the heart of everything.
You stole our land, we've proven it. What is there to negotiate? We took it back and there is nothing to talk about other then when are you giving the rest back.
Or do we have to come and take that too? When have you ever seen a car thief negotiate with the owner over when and how to give it back.
This whole process is ridiculous!
All I know is that the People are getting tired of being led down the garden path once again and in July when the barricades came down, we gave our delegates a few months to deal with it. It has been well past a few months and it is time that the Crown representatives remembered that the delegates that have been chosen to sit at the table with them are exactly that, delegates.
I have heard our delegates remind the Crown representatives that they can only hold the people back for so long.
I know that the PEOPLE are definitely not happy about the apparent lack of good will on the part of the Crown, and if the people so choose, we may have to send in more convincing delegates to get the message across.
And talk about messages.
Gary McHale has been on a campaign to prove that there is a two-tiered justice system when it comes to the Native people and he has finally proven himself right. He is a walking talking evidence of the two tiered justice that exists within Canada's so-called democracy and its treatment of native people. He has been weebling in and out of the reclamation situation by holding marches, demonstrations, and setting up his web page campaign to try and undermine our people's position, and to get out his propoganda.
His latest venture was using the Canadian Troops with his flag campaign. Well, he got what he wanted. He proved that there IS a two-tiered justice. Gary was arrested and released WITHOUT condition.
Every single "Native" person that was arrested with respect to the reclamation of OUR lands near Caledonia, had the condition "not to return to Douglas Creek" as part of their release. If the Crown's agents of the Courts really wantedGary McHale to go away and stop interfering in what is NONE OF HIS BUSINESS, they could have easily directed him with the same conditions as our people have been given. Stay away from Douglas Creek.
I guess the Crown doesn't want him to stay away because with the Gary McHales of the world, there is no guarantee of PEACE, and he has been given a "get out of jail free card" to allow him the freedom to continue to manipulate and undermine the Peace by instigating trouble. Good job Gary, thanks for proving our point.
Along side of Gary McHale are the homeowners who claim that the "Native's from the Site" broke into their home and vandalized it. They have Mayor Trainer of Caledonia and MP Toby Barrett going on national television, and in their house of commons blaming our people for the vandalism and continuing with their claims that there is no peace within Caledonia, and that they are constantly being terrorized. It doesn't take a genious to figure out that perhaps there is some dirty pool going on with this so-called break in.
First of all, if there was truly a break-in and vandalism, WHY would you compromise the evidence by inviting CH TV Channel 11 in to take footage, and have half the neighbourhood in there trapsing through and eliminating any chance of the police being able to do a thorough investigation because you've compromised the crime scene.
Also, if it was one of our people from the site, there should be a lot of mud in the crime scene and foot prints leading to and from the house as they claim the 'individuals' ran out the back when they got home and went into the reclamation site.
Our men did our own investigation and can clearly see there were no footprints leading to or from the house from the site, and for all of those who came to the site when the homeowners had the media and their supporters there claiming the natives had broken in, calling us names and holding signs that read "Peaceful People my Ass", everyone who was on the site had their shoe sizes enhanced by a couple of sizes from the mud that caked on their shoes from walking in the field next to the house, so don't tell me that anyone from the site did this.
It was a staged set up, and poorly done I might add.
They're either stupid or think we are.
Our people are fully prepared to co-operate with the police to ensure that this is investigated thoroughly because we know it wasn't any of our people from the site, and we know a set up when we see one.
This is the same crap that was pulled in Kanesetake during 1990 trying to use the media as a negotiating tool and to play out their political bs at the expense of the Onkwehonweh.
In this particular case, it has been alleged that the homeowners want to be bought out and the government won't answer to their demands for an outrageous amount of money. It is also been alleged that the three times they claim that the "natives from the site" stole their Canadian flag off of their lawn, they were seen by police removing the flag itself, and then calling in a false police report. I think that the politicians who are supporting these slanderous accusations against our people need to think about who and what they are supporting (unless they are part of the plan) because at this point, perhaps we should go ahead and jump into the boat and into their court system with charges of slander against our people and sue them for everything they got, including their homes that are sitting on land that already belongs to us.
The only terroristic action that is happening near Kanesthaton, is that brought on when the instigators from outside try to come in and insite trouble, or when the politicians who think they are doing something for their people, continue with their lie-filled campaigns based on slanderous gossip and who are both supported and allowed to report it as facts by irresponsible news media.
So, a message from our people, go ahead and continue with your plots of deception, keep on trying to prove to the world that we are an evil people as your latest blog "faces of evil" tried to imply, because when you live and answer to the Creator, you live without fear.
We have nothing to hide. We have simply stated the facts. The land is ours. The road which you hang your flags on is ours. The business which you are claiming millions of dollars of losses on, is a result of the racism and hatred shown against our people that has caused our people not to shop in your stores anymore. It is not a result of barricades and it isn't based on fear from the outside townspeople coming in to shop, because they continue to come to Six Nations.
It is your own doing. It is your mayors' doing. It is because you did not understand or respect the fact that the Haudenesonne, whom you want the army brought in to eliminate, are the very people who supported and kept your business running by the spending of our money in your community.
I also wanted to touch on the whole "faces of evil" thing. There was a recent blog which was allegedly started by the same individual from London Ontario who supports Gary McHale and who apparently scanned different pictures of our people and our supporters to create a little video depicting so-called "faces of evil".
I didn't get to watch it because by the time I tried to view it, it had been shut down. But the whole thing about our people being evil was started a few months ago within ourown community by the elected chief and his political advisor after the band council voted to stop paying the salary of this particular legal advisor and took him out of his position. ( Note however, that the individual is still out there speaking on behalf of the Six Nations, and still wanders around the band administration building as any other employee even though he supposedly was taken off payroll........what gives!? )
It was an attempt at a smear campaign to undermine the position of the people at Kanehstaton, it was done out of anger to try and get our people to stop supporting the site, and somehow try to stop the movement of the people at forcing the crown to deal with our only true government, the Haudenesonne. The people, through our traditional council.
As a matter of fact, it was implied that our traditional council was evil.
It was an ill fated attempt to smear some of the people who supported us financially. It was and continues to be used as a tool by those who want to discredit the Haudenesonne in order to perpetuate the fraud of the crown in its insistance at dealing with the illegal entity known as the elected band council.
I understand that there was something out there with my own name attached to it, that an individual was calling me evil. I don't know because I didn't read it, I was only told about it. It doesn't matter. What matters is that it is right in line with what has been prophescized.
That we, the Haudenesonne, would be called evil.
That we would referred to as the "666" which apparently one of the article's was referring to the "6-6-6 Nations".
I have been told by many elders inthe past, that this time would come, and that those who truly work for the Creator would clearly be separated from those that don't.
I guess that time is now, and those individuals are showing themselves.
Finally, I want to talk about this holiday season in particular and how deeply it has effected me.
For many years, I have struggled with Christmas, and have tried to teach my children the truth about this season, and how I see it. That for the Christian people, it is a time to celebrate Christs birth, and to enjoy Peace on Earth. And yet, for the Onkwehonweh, this is something that we are suppose to live our life by. Every day. Not just one day of the year.
Just like many of the other Christian/Calendar holidays. Mothers Day, Fathers Day etc.
Why would you only honour your mother and father on one day of the year. So why do we only acknowledge this person, Christ, who gave his life for your sins, only one day of the year.
In our teachings, He was known as the Peacemaker, and the Kaienerekowah, this Great Law, is the Law or Message of Peace that he brought to help us to live our life by. It is symbolized by the Great White Pine Tree with an Eagle sitting at the top.
I'll share with you this story I was told and then I will explain why.
I was told that when the Peacemaker came and our people accepted the Peace, He then told us that He was going to go across the great big waters and deliver this same message to the people over there. He left instructions for our people to cut a notch out ofthe Great White Pine every day, and if one day that Pine was to bleed, we would know that those people did not accept the Peace and that they had killed Him. So every day, our people cut the notch out of the tree, and finally, there came a day whenthat Pine did bleed.
Our people were angry and set out to build a big raft and were going to go across those great waters and kill the people that had killed our Peacemaker. But while they were building this raft, the Peacemaker returned to them
in spirit and told them not to go across to kill those people.
He reminded them of the Peace that we had accepted. He showed them the holes in his hands and feet, and the crown of thorns on his head and he warned our people that there would come a time when those people would come across the waters to our homelands and it was up to us if we welcomed them and helped them.
He also warned our people to beware of the man carrying the black book. This is something that has never left my mind. It was not the book itself that he warned us of. It was the man who carried the black book, and just like anything written, it can be changed and manipulated to control people. And like everything else in the battle of good vs. evil, right handed twin vs. left handed twin, everything that was good that the right handed twin did, the left handed twin has to undermine.
So too has this message of Peace been undermined.
This celebration of Peace, that was given to all people, was never intended to be commercialized, nor was it intended only to be acknowledged only one day out of the year.
The Eagle, representing the Onkwehonweh who have the responsiblity to uphold that peace, that rests on top of the Great Tree; was replaced by the Star of David, and the Message of Peace has been replaced by commercialization and the giving of presents.
It has become something that is used to further the stress and hardship of the people by putting pressure on parents to go into debt to buy presents for their children based on what?!
On Peace? No wonder statistics show that Christmas time has the highest rate of suicide because we are buying into the fraud and continue to teach our children this fraud.
So when I was on my way home from town on Christmas Eve with my daughter, and I had just hung up the phone with my husband who was at the site at Kanehstaton, and I was thinking of the people at the site, who weren't at home with their families enjoying foods and celebrations, but who were there on that site maintaining our position and upholding the Law that Creator gave to us, my tears began to fall.
When she asked if I was ok, I told her how I felt. How hypocritical I felt because how I know that this whole Christmas Season is just a facade and that those people who were at the site were doing exactly what the Creator intended for us to do and what we are obligated to do and how this Peace that we speak of isn't suppose to be only acknowledged one day of the year, and that it isn't about presents, and that even though my tree at home has an Eagle on it rather than a Star, am I truly upholding what the Creator intended by continuing that facade.
I cried alot of tears that night. But my tears were not for the people at the site, they were for the rest of us. Again, just MY thoughts. And while everyone at Kanehstaton knows my heart and my spirit is with them even when I can't be, I want to acknowledge all of them who are staying on the site full time, and I want the rest of the world to know that those individuals have my deepest respect because of their committment and dedication to the Onkwehonweh, to our Sovereignty, to the Kaierenekowah and to the Creator.
I am truly inspired by you all!
Nya Weh Kowah!
For now, that is it for my update.
I was asked to give some thought about the new year, and perhaps share some of what I envision for the Onkwehowehonweh.
What I envision is a time of change for the Onkwehonweh. I can see the Unity and Peace growing and the Haudenesonne slowly taking back their responsiblities and rightful place in the Governance of the People, and I see the People, knowing it is OUR responsiblity, making sure that this is what happens. I see the Crown finally recognizing that it is the People who are the government and that they can continue to try and manipulate individuals and the elective system, but they will never manipulate nor dictate to the Onkwehonweh.
I know for myself, and in speaking with some of the women who are part of the "negotiations" both band council as well as traditional, we are committed to having more community meetings and updating the people so they are more directly involved with what is going on.
My biggest message is to all of our supporters.
For it is with all of you that recognition must be given. When I stood with the Women & Clanmothers in that circle and we sent out the message to re-kindle the Fire of Peace back in April, and I look at how far our message of Peace has reached, and how truly amazing times that we are in and what an impact that this is having on the World, It is all of you that we have to thank.
So Nya Weh Kowah to all of you who accepted that Peace and who share that Message with others.
Nya Weh to all of those who have supported Kanehstaton through your financial donations, through your encouraging words, and through your prayers.
All of you are greatly appreciated and thought of in our prayers as well.
In Love, Light and Peace,
Hazel
poster: Thahoketoteh