Keefer 6N Roundtable

7/30/2019 Keefer 6N Roundtable

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135SIX NATIONS ROUNDTABLE

[[[Roundtable]]]

The Six Nations LandReclamation

Upping the Anti is pleased to bring you a roundtable discussing theimportant land reclamation being carried out by the Six Nations peopleof the Grand River Territory and the role of non-native solidarity work

in that struggle. To begin with, Tom Keefer provides a brief overview ofrecent events surrounding the reclamation to provide some context for thediscussion. Brian Skye of Six Nations, who has been heavily involved inthe activities of the site, then provides his perspective on the significanceof the reclamation and the place for external support. Jan Watson, a localCaledonia resident and founding member of Community Friends ForPeace and Understanding with Six Nations, then talks about the work shehas been involved to build support in her community for the Six Nations

reclamation. Finally, we interview three longtime members of the OntarioCoalition Against Poverty AJ Withers, Josh Zucker and Stefanie Gude to ask for their thoughts about organizing support as non-native activists.

The individuals that we have interviewed for this roundtable and thepolitical opinions they express are by no means exhaustive or representativeof all perspectives. We are merely attempting to initiate what will hopefullybecome an ongoing discussion of these questions. For those interested infurther coverage of the struggle at Six Nation and are interested in hearing

more accounts from the participants directly involved, we encourage you tocheck out the video interviews uploaded at the Autonomy and Solidarityweb site at http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2012.

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136 UPPING THE ANTI, NUMBER THREE

Overview and ContextTom Keefer

Since February 28th 2006, members of the Six NationsIroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy have been occupyingthe Douglas Creek Estates, a small parcel of land that provides oneof the few buffer zones between the expanding suburban sprawlof the nearby settler town of Caledonia, Ontario and the remaining

territories held by the Six Nations. Historically, the Confederacyprovided a crucial military force that enabled the British to retaincontrol of Upper Canada in the face of half a century of conflictwith the US, but one of the consequences of allying themselves withthe British was that the Iroquois Confederacy lost their traditionallands in New York State after the US War of Independence. Toremedy this situation the British General Frederick Haldimandgranted a tract of land (6 miles along each shore of the Grand Riverfrom its mouth to its source) to the people of Six Nations in 1791.However, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, this territory wassteadily whittled away by encroaching white settlers and squatters,and by deliberate land confiscations by federal and provincialgovernments. Some 200 years after the original proclamation, theSix Nations reserve near Caledonia now encompasses a mere 5% ofthe 950,000 acres originally granted to them.1

In their framing of the issue, the people of Six Nations insistthat they remain an independent nation according to both their ownconstitution and the principles of international law. Consequently,the struggle around the Douglas Creek Estates poses not only thequestion of a struggle over the possession of a particular parcel ofland, but also raises the very question of political sovereignty.


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Since the beginning of the reclamation the struggle has gonethrough a number of different stages. During the first stage, fromFebruary 28 to April 20 2006, the reclamation was a low-key protest

at which a small group of a couple dozen people from Six Nationsset up a camp at the entrance of the Douglas Creek Estates toprevent further construction on the subdivision. Tensions withresidents from Caledonia were low and many locals stopped byto bring supplies and show their support. On March 10th HencoIndustries, the developers of the subdivision, obtained a courtinjunction against the camp, and tensions began to increase. TheOntario Provincial Police (OPP) stepped up its surveillance, and

the site protesters requested the presence of warrior societies fromother Haudenosaunee communities to protect their encampment.Early on the morning of April 20, under cover of darkness and

after having explicitly promised not to move on the protesterswithout warning, over one hundred OPP officers raided theencampment with automatic weapons drawn. As the OPP draggedprotesters from their tents, they beat, pepper sprayed and tazeredthose who resisted. However, the OPP had seriously miscalculated

the resistance they would face and the level of community outragethat their actions would engender. Within minutes, warriors whowere camped in a dense bush area just beyond the reclaimed landstreamed onto the site, and reinforcements soon arrived from thereserve. Outmaneuvered by all-terrain vehicles and pickup truckstearing across the rough ground of the construction site, andconfronted by a determined group of men, women, and children,the OPP was driven off the site with several officers injured and

a number of vehicles damaged. Sixteen indigenous activists werearrested, but the episode was a clear victory for the Haudenosauneeand represented the start of a new phase in the reclamation.

Immediately after the OPP raid was repulsed, the reclaimersexpanded the perimeter of the reclamation by erecting a barricadealong Argyle Street/Highway 6 which fronted the Douglas CreekEstates and from which the OPP had mounted their raid. Warriorgroups established half a dozen security checkpoints around the

perimeter of the site, and hundreds of people gathered on the siteto defend it from further incursions. As word of the raid spread,hundreds of supporters from both indigenous and non-nativecommunities arrived at the barricades. The camp which hadpreviously consisted of several tents and a plywood cookhousebegan to expand rapidly. It was at this time that the half-dozen


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partially completed homes on the Douglas Creek Estates weretaken over and used for the purposes of the reclamation.

A groundswell of solidarity actions took place over the course

of the next few days. In economic terms the most important ofthese was the action by the Mohawks of Tyendinega, who by closingrail lines running through their territory tied up over $100 millionworth of train cargo and forced the diversion of over 6 000 Via Railpassengers. Marches were organized by indigenous people and theirsupporters in Toronto, Montral, Vancouver, Sudbury, Calgary, andelsewhere. A huge outpouring of media coverage brought the SixNations land struggle to the forefront of national attention.

Non-native support for the reclamation took a variety ofdifferent forms. Significant numbers of anti-capitalist activistsincluding members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty(OCAP) were a constant presence at the site, assisting in campsitechores, and contributing to the production of the food required tofeed the hundreds of people present at the site. Others producedblogs and web sites with news, reports, and video and audiointerviews covering the reclamation.2 The leadership of several

major trade unions and labor organizations including the CanadianAuto Workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, theOntario Public Service Employees Union, the Canadian Union ofPostal Workers, and the Canadian Labour Congress wrote lettersof support and in some cases made financial donations. While thesupport from trade union officialdom remained largely symbolic,dozens of rank-and-file trade union activists made their way to thesite, bringing donations of food, money, and flags from their locals

to fly at the site. During this time, a labor and community coalitionnamed Community Friends for Peace and Understanding with SixNations was created with the intention of countering racism inCaledonia by building a network of local residents and nearby rank-and-file union activists.3

It should also be noted that there has been vocal opposition tothe Six Nations reclamation by a significant proportion of the localpopulation in Caledonia. On April 24, 2006 a group of over 2 000

Caledonia residents rallied at the local fairgrounds in oppositionto the blockade; later that evening, 500 Caledonians attemptedto break through police lines and forcibly reopen the road. OnApril 28, another large gathering of townspeople met to protestthe road blockade; they held anti-native placards while chantingracist slogans.4


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The OPP, shaken by its defeat on April 20, made no furthermoves to disperse the people at the reclamation site, and actedinstead as a buffer between the hundreds of indigenous people and

Caledonian residents who gathered each night. The town itself,which used to be relatively integrated, became a virtual no-go zonefor Six Nations people. Racism within the high schools kept manystudents from school, and a number of local businesses refused toserve native customers. The Caledonia Citizens Alliance, a groupformed by property developers, realtors, and local businesspeoplewith an interest in developing more Haudenosaunee land, claimedto speak on behalf of Caledonia citizens; with favored access to the

local TV station, they unleashed a daily barrage of criticism againstthe reclamation.From April 20 until May 24 when the barricade on Argyle Street

came down, the site remained highly active. Food was prepared forthe hundreds of people who came to the site every day, solidarityactivists from other communities and towns were often present,and delegations from different indigenous nations rotated throughthe encampment. The security team maintained strong perimeter

control, stopped a number of incursions from white Caledonians,and also dealt with low-level harassment from OPP officers.Under the impact of both the blockades disruption of rail

and highway traffic in Caledonia, and solidarity actions takingplace elsewhere, media coverage intensified and the provincialgovernment began a process of negotiation with representativesof the traditional leadership of the Haudenosaunee people. This initself was a significant victory, since the Canadian government was

acknowledging the traditional longhouse leadership of hereditarychiefs and clan mothers for the first time since it had forciblyimposed the band council system at Six Nations in 1924.

However, as negotiations dragged on, internal debate grewwithin the ranks of the reclaimers. Because the governmentrefused to negotiate over substantive issues until the barricadescame down, on May 22 it was decided to remove the Argyle Streetbarricade as a good-faith gesture. Within minutes of the barricade

coming down, a handful of white Caledonians set up their ownbarricade, re-blocking the road, and refused to allow indigenouspeople through. A full-scale physical confrontation ensued and theSix Nations barricade went up again. Later that same day a burningvehicle was driven into a power substation within the perimetercontrolled by the reclamation, and the region was plunged into


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darkness as power was knocked out in Caledonia, the Six Nationsreserve, and a number of surrounding towns.

The power outage and renewed conflict over the lifting of the

blockade brought matters to a boiling point. With the OPP taxedto the limit in its efforts to prevent a direct confrontation betweentownspeople and supporters of the site, and with a two-day poweroutage affecting the nearby region, the mayor of Caledonia andother prominent townspeople called for the army to come in. Thepossibility of the Canadian army arriving and the likelihood thatsuch a move would result in an Oka type standoff intensified riftsboth between different sections of the Six Nations community, as

well as between some community members and indigenous alliespresent from elsewhere. While the reclamation had in many waysunited the community to an extent unparalleled in recent years, thecommunity retained pre-existing political and social divisions. Thepotential escalation of the situation into armed conflict, and fearsabout the long-term effects of such an escalation for residents of thearea, brought these divisions into the open. After an acrimoniousdebate the main blockade on Argyle Street was removed on May 23

and the barricades on the Highway 6 bypass and the railroad werelifted several days later.The summer was marked by a series of confrontations between

Caledonians and people from Six Nations, although for the mostpart life in Caledonia returned to normal. In early June a seriesof significant incidents occurred. On June 4 two OPP officerscaught trespassing on the Six Nations reserve, were arrested anddetained by a group of Six Nations people before being marched

off the territory. On June 9 matters escalated again when an elderlycouple taking pictures and driving around the perimeter of the sitewere involved in a confrontation with people from the reclamation.Later that same day, a fistfight broke out between reclamationsupporters and reporters from CHCH a local TV station whichhad been harshly critical of the reclamation. Perhaps the biggestembarrassment for the forces of law and order also occurred onJune 9 when a US border patrol vehicle lurking around the area was

captured and police documents including operational plans wereconfiscated. Various protests by Caledonia citizens continued overthe summer, especially on long weekends and on Friday nights, butdespite repeated attempts they were not able to make it past OPPlines.

The removal of the barricades thus marked the commencementof a new stage in the standoff, which has continued to the present


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day. Support for the reclamation remains strong within the SixNations community, but many external visitors and supportershave returned home. The number of people at the site on a regular

basis has dropped to a level comparable to that which existedbefore the April 20 OPP raid. After the barricades came down, theOntario government purchased the disputed lands from Henco atthe cost of some $20 million and no longer considers the people ofSix Nations to be on the land illegally. But, as was the case at Okaand Ipperwash, the government has refused to turn title of theland over to the indigenous people. While immediate developmentof the Douglas Creek Estates has stopped, the struggle is not yet

over.As of November, 2006, discussion at the negotiation tablecontinues although the Ontario government insists that theprotesters must not spend the winter at the site. Protests fromthe Caledonia side also continue as evidenced by the October 15March for Freedom which sought to bring Caledonians and theiroutside supporters on to the reclamation site.

Under steady pressure from the Tory opposition, the Liberal

government of Ontario is trying to assuage public opinion inthe area by dispersing hundreds of thousands of dollars to localbusinesses which claim to have been negatively impacted by thecrisis. The Ontario government has not, however, provided anythingfor the Six Nations people who have also had to make significantchanges to their lives in order to deal with the disruption causedby the reclamation and racism in Caledonia. As it now stands, thegovernment seems to be waiting out the reclamation, hoping that

with the immediate threat of development gone, the occupierswill eventually go home or become demoralized by the strain ofmaintaining the reclamation site. For their part, the people at thereclamation remain committed to bringing political pressure tobear on resolving not only this conflict but the underlying questionof Six Nations land rights over the Haldimand tract as a whole.

Notes1 For a good overview of the historic situation concerning the people of Six

Nations and the struggle over the Douglas Creek Estates in particular pleasecheck out the pamphlet Documents Regarding the Struggle at Six Nationsat http://www.lefrigovert.ca/pdf/sixl.pdf.

2 The Autonomy & Solidarity website has made over 40 videos available at itspage supporting the reclamation at .


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Other important sources include the blog Sketchy Thoughts at http://sketchythoughts.blogspot.com/, Settlers in Support of Indigenous Sovereigntyat http://sisis.nativeweb.org/index.html, the Reclamation Informationsite at http://www.reclamationinfo.com/, and TnL Productions at http://

friendsofsixnations.bravehost.com/ who have produced a large number ofvideos posted to Google Video and YouTube.3 For more information about this group, please see their web page at www.

honorsixnations.com.4 For coverage of this rally please see http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=

3107072711881835098.


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The Political Significanceof the Reclamation

An Interview with Brian Skye

Can you tell us who you are and what your connection toSix Nations and the reclamation is?

My name is Degunohdohgae. I am of the Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan,

Six Nations. My colonial name is Brian Skye. My original name,Degunohdohgae, translates into English as between villagesand thats who I am as recognized by the Confederacy. Im at thereclamation site because of the history that is there. As a writer ofhistorical plays, the reasons why we are at the reclamation site as aConfederacy arent lost on me.

Our symbol in relation to the colonial countries was the TwoRow Wampum, the two rows symbolizing the respective paths of

our Confederacy and the non-native country or peoples that wewere making the agreements with. The idea behind the symbolismwas that we would continue on our path without interrupting theirgovernment and religion, assuming that they would show us thesame respect and wouldnt try to force their laws, religion andgovernments on our people. So that history is something that Imwell aware of. That is part of the history of how we came to be inthis part of the country along the Grand River and its that history

that we are affirming by exercising our rights with the reclamationon the outskirts of Caledonia.

How would you situate the reclamation in terms of the last50-100 years of resistance to Canadian colonialism in thisarea? Do you have any thoughts as to why it came about


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when it did or why people decided to carry it out at thistime?

It has certainly been the most high-profile of our protests because

of the aggressive action of the OPP on April 20th 2006. However,there have been several other reclamations or protest actions,although these were brought to an early end by the Band Council.The Canadian government wants to deal with the Band Council asthey represent the system imposed by the Canadian state to governthe people of Six Nations. But thats not the recognized system;the recognized system is the traditional system of the Confederacy.In terms of this reclamation what really galvanized us were the

actions of the OPP following the orders of Judge Marshall, andthis chain of events brought things to where they are now.

The OPP thought that support behind this reclamation waslow when they raided. They werent aware of the traditional oralhistory that goes on within communities, or if they were aware of it,they didnt give it much weight. The traditional oral history affirmsthat we had always owned Plank Road (the area which includes theDouglas Creek Estates). From 1835 on it has been passed downfrom generation to generation that we owned it and that it wastaken from us. Everyone knew that. But we also knew that sincethe Canadian government only deals with the Band Council, if itwas pushed to any type of action the Band Council would just bebought off again as it had been at Bing Island in Dunville, as ithad been at Red Hill Creek, as it had been at the Glebe Farm inBrantford or the occupation of the Department of Indian Affairsoffices at Brantford. Different actions that had occurred in the pasthad similar results. In this case, however, events took a differentcourse as seven different members of the Band Council thought itwise that the traditional Confederacy government should take thelead in negotiations.

I think that the mandate for the Confederacy to negotiatecame through on April 17th, 2006. Three days later the OPPthought they could just wipe away the protesters and that would be

the end of it. What their actions actually did was to unify all of SixNations including the Band Council supporters, the Confederacysupporters, the longhouse traditional people, and the churchpeople. All were united by the injustice perpetrated against ourpeople by the OPP. And again, all these people knew the oral historyabout the ownership of Plank Road. So they knew that what wewere doing was absolutely just. If it had been something that was up


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in the air, that they werent sure about, it definitely wouldnt havebeen a strong unifying movement. But, in this particular situation,it was a fully Six Nations supported reclamation.

How significant is it that the Canadian government isnegotiating with the Confederacy? What is happening withthe negotiations that are taking place?

From what I last heard, Ottawa cant prove that they own the leasesor that they ever bought the property, since payments were nevermade to the two financial bodies that were supposed to controlmonies from those leases. Essentially, Ottawa has said we cant

prove it so what do you want in lieu of it? So now its a questionnot of providing proof, its a question of how does the Canadiangovernment and the provincial government say to us that we areright and what should be done about it. But that doesnt make thingseasier. If anything it will probably entrench people into trying toget us off the land. Since they cant do it legally theyll probably tryand do it physically, by provoking a state of emergency throughwhich they can try and rally the rest of Canada to support them.

Our Caledonian neighbors have fully bought into the Canadiangovernments stories about that not being our land. What theyvebeen sold is a false story of conquest and a claim that as a people weno longer exist. Well unfortunately for them, we do still exist andwe do still own the land.

What kinds of alliances are being made between yourselvesand groups of supporters in Canada?

We have a lot of support from non-native groups. I dont know thatI want to actually put names out there. Generally I can say that yeswe have received a lot of support. A lot of groups have come outand a lot of unions have expressed their support, because this isan issue of having freedom of speech, which is one of the aspectsthat has solidified support from non-native groups. The fact is thatthis reclamation is part of reclaiming our land rights, exercisingour right to control the future of what is being done with the land

on the Haldimand Proclamation. Weve looked towards the futureand we dont want to simply exploit the land as a resource; it issomething more precious than that. And I think that this has beenechoed by non-native support groups who also want to look out forthe future not only of the country but of the world. Things cannotcontinue the way they have been going because the world will just


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not support it ecologically. Its a humanistic battleground; onceyoure there you understand the humanity that is behind it. Its notabout adversity, its not about heroism, its a peaceful reclamation

and as such it is focused on the land and the future.There are a lot of non-natives in this region literallymillions of people and a fair number of them are fairlysupportive of indigenous rights in general and indigenouspeople and Six Nations in particular. What should thosewho want to be in solidarity with your struggle do to getinvolved?

It comes down to the individual and what they would see asa satisfactory give and take. If a person is a chef or a cook in arestaurant and he wants to come out and show support or he wantsto get involved in some way, it would probably be best if he cameand worked in the kitchen. If theyre a computer programmer andthey want to show their support, then it might be in a financialway or it might be in helping out with our computer systems. Inutilizing their skills and abilities theyve helped us make it through

another day. They make a contribution and they take that backknowing that they have done something. We cant do that withevery person, and allow them free access to everything, so whatsimportant is patience. Networking is important and just having thepatience to know that at some point in time if your heart is in theright place you will be allowed to assist us.

How do you assess the support work thats going on with

groups like Community Friends in Caledonia or othersupport groups in Toronto or elsewhere?

First of all, the fact that there is actually an organized CommunityFriends group was somewhat of a surprise to me, and this may havebeen the first one in regards to other protests such as Ipperwashor Oka. Im sure there wasnt a Community Friends group in Oka.Since I have done some other actions in this area, it has never beenthe case that the non-native community has said okay we support

you and were going to have a group that actually does things tosupport you. So that was a wildcard, something that was unheardof and that came as a pleasant surprise. As for the other groupsthat have been involved at the site and the protests, the things theyhave done to bring public attention to what is happening here arenecessary. I think they also need an outlet to show to themselves


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and feel that theyre making a difference to the world and making adifference to the people here at the reclamation site who they havecome to know and trust and have some regard for, so that again is

positive. Groups like Community Friends or the other groups thatare out there doing different things to support us can be bridginggroups between us and the rest of Canadian society.

Theres a danger of the OPP coming back in. Theyve alwaysstated that they wont, but then again on April 19 they said theywouldnt come in. Another thing that we have to be aware of isthat some people might not want to come out to the reclamationbecause there are racists out there in Caledonia, there are white

supremacists, and there are angry rednecks who view the non-native supporters as traitors. I must also recognize that our peoplehave been oppressed for a long time, most of their lives. And thisreclamation has given them a sense of pride and, in some of them,although its not a positive thing, it made them lash out at non-natives, and made them treat non-natives poorly. Those situationshave occurred. Its unfortunate, but it is a result of the colonizationprocess and the genocide that has occurred. So these groups and

the people in these alliances have to have patience, understanding,and the ability to be accommodating in some instances.

How should alliance groups and bridging organizationsrelate to Six Nations? Should they be relating through aframework established by the Confederacy or should theybe relating through the people that are present at the site?

It all depends on what the bridging organization or group wants

and what their structure is. Seeing how this is so far a grassrootsorganization or movement, it has to maintain its level of involvementwith that same focus. Because the people of the reclamation siteare the grassroots of that process I think that grassroots supportgroups should primarily relate to them. If a grassroots groupwere to try to go above that grassroots level then I think youwould lose a connection there. If it was a funded organization, agovernment run organization of some sort or a union organization,

I think you would be more attuned to a balance of understandingwith the negotiation table and work through them. If it was yourgovernment meeting with our government I dont think that anytype of grassroots group would have any involvement at that level,although they could present information at the table.


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How have the people of Six Nations met the challenges ofmaintaining a presence at the site given the tremendoussacrifices that people have had to make? What other

lessons are there to be drawn by people who might want todo similar actions?

I guess there are varying accounts of what you might term asuccess. Definitely we have gotten through it so far, the negotiationprocess is still going on, and thats all that we can really hope for.However,our needs at the site itself arent currently being met andin terms of the group dynamic, we dont always get along. Thatsunfortunate but thats part of living with each other as a family.

However much we try to leave our personalities at the gateway tothe site and as much as we all want to live equally and cohesively, itis not always possible. However, we do have unity in one respect,and that is for the reclamation site itself, the land which we arethere to reclaim. So its important to remind all the individuals,who have brought us this far that theyre special. Making sure theyknow that theyre the reason that we are at the table negotiating.Just letting them know that theyre appreciated, and that they arehonoured for their work and their sacrifice. And its in trying to meettheir needs and wants, trying to forecast and foresee what will beneeded to make every day run smoothly, that you develop a cohesiveunit ready to do what is necessary for the reclamation process.

What did you mean when you said that peoples needswerent currently being met?

Basic needs arent being met. Our food is substandard. The nutritionthat the guys are receiving now will leave them susceptible to coldsand flues. Their nutritional needs arent been met and thats dueto financial constraints. Things like warm clothing and firewoodto keep them warm on the posts are needed, and those needs haveto be met. Its an issue of drawing from the community constantly.Its not a question of waste, its just a question of not having accessto resources that are out there but are not getting to us. We met

with the Band Council recently and they turned down a budget werequested. We asked them for $10,000 a month and they turnedthat down while granting $948,000 to spray for gypsy moths onthe very same night that we asked for money just to feed and clotheour people and buy medical supplies, gas, diesel for generators,etc., the things needed to keep that site as a secure and safe area.These needs arent being met by the Band Council or the cigarette


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profiteers, whether its GRE, the multimillion dollar companythat makes cigarettes and distributes them around the world orwhether its the local smoke hut owner whose rights as Six Nations

confederacy members are being upheld and defended by peopleat the reclamation site. The Band Council loses sight of the factthat we are essentially their lobby group for self governance. Werethere to make the Band Council and Confederacy stronger; werenot there to take away their power.

What do you envision when you look ten years into thefuture? What changes will the reclamation have broughtabout for the people of Six Nations?

First of all, I see us winning this in its entirety. There will be anew understanding of what our jurisdiction is along the GrandRiver watershed. I hope that ten years from now the Canadianpeople will be educated as to why that has occurred and that racistviews will be dispelled and that the Canadian government bringsthe proper understanding of these issues to their people. Thatswhat I see as being the paramount necessity. I see The Grand

River watershed as being a focus for understanding that within theHaldimand proclamation we have jurisdiction over developmentand anything that progresses along those lines must be looked atfrom the viewpoints of our concern for Mother Earth and futuregenerations. We must be focused on what and how theyre goingto live and what we need to do to continue to be the protectors ofthe land.

The obstacles that I see coming out of this is that there is a lot

of money associated with the lease payments that have been heldin trust, lost or invested elsewhere. The estimated amount is $843billion, so I see that as a potential hazard. It would not be a goodthing if that were just given back; theres just too much healingthat has to go on before things like that can occur. And again wehave to be very careful when we talk about jurisdiction and whatour Confederacy is going to do with that. If they continue to takethings slowly and proceed cautiously, I dont see that as being a bad

thing. It has taken us this long for the recognition of jurisdictionfrom the Canadian government, so if it takes even 10 years for theentire process to work itself out in relation to jurisdiction overland, resources, law, justice, administration of health, education,that will be a good thing. Considering that its been over 200 yearssince the proclamation ten years is not such a long time.


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Community Friends

of Six NationsAn Interview with Jan Watson

As a non-native Caledonia resident, how did you getinvolved in supporting Six Nations? Have you ever been

involved before as a political activist?

No, I have never been an activist, its just the way I was raised.I feel that as human beings this is something that we should bedoing. We shouldnt be looking at the people from Six Nations anydifferently because of their race. Its no different than helping aneighbour, helping somebody that has a flat tire; you stop on theroad as a neighbourly person. It reminds me of the time when a

persons house in Caledonia blew up in a gas explosion, and we allgot together to organize different events to raise money for them.We didnt ask if they had insurance, or whose fault it was, we justimmediately dropped everything to help them in any way we could.Thats the same spirit that got me started with Six Nations. I knewthat they needed assistance and I just assisted as much as I could.

What did you start doing when you first got involved with

the site?Well, in March I drove by and I saw them on the land, and so Istarted searching on the Internet to find a phone number to callsomebody at Six Nations and ask how I could help. That was reallyone of the biggest challenges, just trying to find a key contactperson. I started emailing anyone I could find saying that I was a


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Caledonia resident and wanted to help the supporters that are onthe site. After I was directed to contact Janie Jamison, I called herand she told me what was needed. I would go out and get some

of the things and drop them off, then we would touch base againafter another few days. It got to the point where sometimes Id beheading home, and Id just pick up a few large pizzas for them whenI knew there was a large crowd, and then I would go on my way.

Was this before the OPP raided the site on April 20?

Long before the OPP raid, yes.

How would you compare the actions of Six Nations peopleto the non-native protesters in Caledonia who have opposedthem?

I dont think you can even compare them. You always have tolook at something in the big picture. If you look at the last 200years in this area, the people of Six Nations have been dealt aninjustice. It is absolutely appalling that we can live in a house likethis in Caledonia in a neighbourhood with all the amenities and

it would literally only take me 30 minutes to walk to a house thatdoes not have running water. Theres something wrong with that.Six Nations has lived with that for 200 years. Since I moved herein 1999 theres not one native person thats come up to me and saidI see youve had something that we havent.

They have been treated like second-class people, which is totallyappalling. When you look at the kinds of things that theyve hadto put up with day in and day out, you can understand why theyre

frustrated. When they first took the land, they were there calmly,having to put up with the odd thing from Caledonia residentsgoing by. When they were invaded by the OPP, their families wereput at risk. They were arrested without justification and yet theycalmly put up with it. They put the barricades up because they hadto protect themselves, and yet we reacted in such a negative way.Look how quickly we reacted when they had not reacted to us inthat way in the past 200 years. When you understand the things

that they have had to put up with and the way that we have reacted,I dont think that you can compare them at all.

What have been some of the responses from people inCaledonia to the reclamation?


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Myself and another person from our group spent a few daysgoing around to the homes on Thistlemore and Braemar roads.We basically focused on the houses that backed right onto the

reclamation site, and we got a lot of positive responses. Everybodythat we talked to said that everything had been quiet for the lastmonth, other than a few small things here and there. When weasked if people had their homes damaged they told us no, that theywere not threatened or told to leave. When we asked if some of therumours were true (we heard that flags were being shot at), a lot ofthe residents just shook their heads and laughed.

And what are some of the more negative attitudes youve

seen displayed against Six Nations?

Weve had one person that said they were from the Army and theyfelt that they could take care of it themselves had the OPP notbeen around. But mainly weve heard a lot of positive stuff. Therewas an incident on a Sunday night when I was swarmed by angryresidents. These were definitely very negative people. They wereout of control and there was no way of dealing with them. So I can

understand why some of the people weve met were hesitant totalk because if they have neighbors like that next-door theyre notgoing to want to speak out.

Could you talk a little bit about the group that youre apart of? How did it come to be and what was the groupspurpose?

It started when I began attending the Friday night rallies of

Caledonians against the blockade. I was just going just to talk topeople on the Caledonia side and ask them about their thoughtsand just give them a different spin on things by talking about whatit would be like to see things from the perspective of Six Nations.And out of that I met Tom from Toronto and Tim and Lisette fromBrantford and we got together and started a group because we wereall on the same page and we wanted to do something to make apositive impact.

What are the groups goals?

Were looking at education and communication between peoplefrom Six Nations and Caledonia. Were also looking at gettinginformation out to the media, talking to people to find out whattheir thoughts are, and educating them so that theyre aware of


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the issues. We put ads in the papers for quite a few weeks andweve had very positive feedback from that. Weve had one ortwo negative comments, but they werent threatening. And were

getting supportive e-mails from as far away as Korea.Can you talk a little bit about who some of the differentgroups are that are a part of this coalition, and wheredifferent people are coming from?

We have members from unions such as Canadian Union ofPublic Employees (CUPE), the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW),and the Steelworkers, as well as people that have joined us from

Brantford, Brampton, Toronto, Hamilton, Caledonia Hagersville,and Cayuga.

Whats the relationship of this group to Six Nations?

Its very positive. The relationship has really developed sincethe group started. We have quite a few people in our group thatare from Six Nations. At first they felt very awkward coming toCaledonia (where we meet on a weekly basis); they were fearful at

first, but over time weve been able to build trust and start somegreat friendships.

How would you contrast your group to the CaledoniaCitizens Alliance (CCA)?

Like night and day! We stand for completely different things. Ivehad discussions with the leaders of the CCA and we know thatwe are on opposite sides of the fence, and that we will probably

remain on opposite sides of the fence. They come from a businessstandpoint and we come from a very humanistic perspective. Wethink that this is a question of justice and human rights. Weretaking seriously the injustices that have been done to Six Nations,while for the CCA its a money issue.

Weve seen the way that the CCA has acted; there have beenincidences of racism during meetings, there have been radicalcomments made by some CCA members who want to do damage topeople at the site or want to find the homes of people in Caledoniawho are raising funds for Six Nations. Thats totally uncalled for andit breeds hate. With our group, were about peace, trying to get themessage out, and trying to foster communication between the twosides. Were also demanding that the government return the landto Six Nations so that no future development takes place on the


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From Anti-Poverty to

Indigenous SovereigntyA Roundtable with OCAP Organizers

This roundtable was conducted in September 2006 with AJ Withers, Josh

Zucker and Stefanie Gude of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

What led you to get involved in supporting indigenousstruggles in general, and the Six Nations struggle inparticular?

AJ: The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) is a socialjustice organization and, as such, we support indigenous struggles.

I hadnt heard of what was going on outside of Caledonia untilsome friends of mine in Tyendinaga told us about it and suggestedwe go. We went to check it out and see if there was anything wecould do to support it. We didnt know anyone and were quite shyso we sat silently by the fire a lot and hoped people would speakto us. Finally, we learned about things we could supply, and asked ifthere were things in Toronto we could do to show our support.

Josh: I got involved with indigenous struggles through workingwith OCAP. When I joined OCAP in 2001 there were 5 paidorganizers, one of whom was Shawn Brant, a Mohawk fromTyendinaga Mohawk Territory which is near Belleville on the Bayof Quinte in southern Ontario. Most members of OCAP, I wouldsay, started learning more about native issues and sovereignty


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through the links Shawn brought to OCAP, which went back tobefore 2001.

There were a number of actions over the years that built

this connection, the most notable of which was the attempt toopen up the bridge that runs from the U.S. through the Mohawkterritory of Akwasasne into Canada. This action was plannedwhen demonstrators came from the U.S. to attend the anti-FTAAdemonstrations in Quebec, and it was done in conjunction withMohawk people. The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte have alsobeen providing OCAP with deer meat, fish, and other kill fromtheir hunts for a number of years which we serve at demonstrations

in Toronto. They always reminded us that every hunting issue is asovereignty issue. These connections increased our consciousnessabout the issues grew greatly.

Why do you see these indigenous struggles as being suchan important issue to organize around? What is theirconnection to your anti-poverty work?

AJ: I am white. Everything I have is a result of the theft from

and genocide of Native people. I have a responsibility to fight forjustice and support their struggles, we all have that responsibility.

The obvious connection to OCAPs anti-poverty work is thata lot of Native people are poor, especially in the cities. Systemicracism leads to less opportunities, lower pay and lower standardsof living for many Native people. Further, Canadas current andhistorical violation of treaties means that most First Nations donot have access to the lands, resources and funds that they are

entitled to.More than being about poverty, though, connecting anti-

poverty and Native rights movements is about building resistance.Aside from there being a lot of poor Natives, poor people andFirst Nations people have a great deal in common in regards toour issues, struggles and the repression we face. As a poor person,I know that our movement is stronger when we are united withother communities and movements. The only way any of us will be

truly victorious and free is if we all are.

Josh: I remember the first conversation I had with anyone at thereclamation site was about welfare rates. It was the first day I wasthere and I was talking with a man named John about when helived on the streets in Toronto. He told me point blank that we


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should be fighting to get the welfare rates raised in Toronto andso we talked a bit about the OCAP Raise the Rates campaign.The connection is obvious. Native people live in extreme poverty

unknown in many other communities across the country.Beyond that, I see the struggle for native sovereignty as themost fundamental issue for people who want to see radical changein this country; its the bedrock, the first issue. Theres a quotefrom the paper by Taiaiake Alfred on warrior societies that wasexcerpted in Upping the Anti #2, which has really stuck with me. Itsfrom an interview he does with Sakej Ward, the head of the EastCoast Warrior Society where hes talking about his aspirations for

sovereignty. He says, I dont see us having a strong enough militarypower to conquer Canada, but I do see us having the strengthto create a condition of deterrence where colonial dominationbecomes very difficult for Canada to continue. This will create thephysical and political space for us to pursue our own definition ofour rights and our ways of life. I think thats very powerful andsomething that we could see in our lifetimes; not the conqueringof Canada, but autonomy for Native Nations from it. Would this,

in and of itself, end poverty, racism, exploitation? No. But it wouldshake the foundations of Canadian identity as a benign power,one that cares for its poor, and one that encourages peoples of allnations and colours to become part of its fabric. Exposing thesemyths is critical for all our various struggles.

In what concrete ways has your support for Six Nationsmanifested itself ?

AJ: Most of my solidarity work with Six Nations has been on site.I see that work as playing four different roles.

The most obvious thing that I do to support Six Nationsis cook. As there are a number of people who live permanentlyat the reclamation there is a cookhouse that feeds the peoplethere. Primarily filling that role with people from outside of SixNations (Native and non-Native) allows people from there tofocus their energies on other things. This is especially true for

freeing up some women to do jobs like security when they wouldotherwise be cooking. There are a number of other practical skillsthat I try to offer. From time to time, I act as a medic or providelegal information. I am also helping to compile a Kanenhstatoncookbook to raise funds.


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Secondly, I am there as a witness. The presence of non-nativepeople there shows support for the struggle outside of the Nativecommunity. This is important for the people there and for the

Caledonians and the government to see. There is also a theory thatthe state will behave differently if they know there are non-Natives(especially white people) behind the lines. I do not know if thisis true or not, I do, however, know that the white people therethe day of the raid were treated dramatically different than theNative people were. Only three of the eight or so white peoplewere arrested. Those who were arrested were not tasered or peppersprayed and only one was injured. The only white woman who was

arrested was released on the spot, for no reason that we could tellother than that she was a white woman.Additionally, I act as a communications person between

Toronto and Six Nations. The work that I do on site is closely tied tothe work that OCAP and the Coalition for Indigenous Sovereigntydo off site. Like any community, the people at Kanenhstaton havea diverse range of opinions about when, how, why and what thingsshould be done, including solidarity work. I try to engage different

people about their thoughts on the issue on a regular basis to helpensure that we are actually taking leadership from the community. Ialso attend meetings and raise ideas we have about organizing withthe people. Because decisions are made by consensus it is crucialthat people doing solidarity work are getting leadership from thepeople, not just one person.

Lastly, both myself and OCAP do not view the struggle overThe Protected Place as an emergency issue at this point. That is

to say that things have somewhat regularized in the six monthsthat we have been doing support work with them. There is nolonger the sense of crisis that there was in April and May and wehad to cut back the level of support we are doing (especially on-site support) in order to be more sustainable. We are behind thepeople of Six Nations in this struggle for this land but we also lookforward to working in solidarity with them for years to come. Partof my presence there is about building relationships so the respect

and trust exists between us to have a meaningful, lasting solidarityrelationship.

Stefanie:As an individual, I worked both to support the peoplefrom my organization who were spending intensive amount oftime on the site, and to help make supportive actions, events, andeducation around the Reclamation happen here in Toronto. I did


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not ever spend a considerable amount of time on the site itself, but,beginning in late March, I traveled back and forth quite frequently,sometimes spending a night or two, but most of my work was a

manifestation of this back and forth.In and around the more severe crises at the reclamation site the police invasion on April 20th, Caledonian mobilizations againstthe site, alarms being sounded about the military being called in,etc. I worked with others in Toronto to respond to requests fromthe site to bring people and supplies in very short amounts of time.This kind of response people coming to observe and supportthrough their very presence, be it for a few hours or a few days

was definitely at its height in late April and May. This activitybrought with it a responsibility to share with other supportersas much as we knew, in terms of what to expect, what codes ofconduct were in place (respecting the sacred fire, staying awayfrom the front lines, etc.). Within 12 hours of the early morninginvasion, we helped to send almost 20 cars full of people to the site.Such efforts continued, to a lesser degree, throughout the next twomonths.

Specifically, in Toronto, I acted as the elected representativeof OCAP within the organizing space of the Coalition inSupport of Indigenous Sovereignty. In co-operation with otherorganizations who participate in the coalition, we held informationsessions, a demonstration against the Minister of Indian Affairs,demonstrations in front of federal government buildings andletter-writing campaigns. We co-organized a couple of large visits ofpeople from Toronto to the site, bringing food and other supplies.

One such effort resulted in people from a downtown drop-in thatOCAP is very connected to being able to meet people from SixNations and be impacted by the experience of listening to storiesat the fire on the site, as well as people who came through urbannative networks. As well, in consultation with people from SixNations, I was involved in organizing to prepare actions to takeplace in Toronto in the event of a raid on the site.

How does OCAP as an organization relate to Six Nationsin terms of knowing what kind of work to do and how todo it?

AJ: We discuss our work with people from the community bothon specific issues and in general. There are a number of differentperspectives there and people who are part of different clans,


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nations, political factions and communities and it is very importantthat we get input from all of them, at least to the extent that ispossible.

We do go to council fires and ask peoples opinions on whatwe are doing or planning on doing. Frankly, our presence at thesemeetings complicates things for us. There is a lot of power insitting at a decision making table and it is power that I, as someonewho is doing solidarity work, dont want. However, because it is agovernment of the people it is the only real way to ensure that weare taking leadership from the people.

With that in mind, though, it is important for us to remember

that we are doing solidarity work and that our need for leadershipfrom the community not take up more space than is welcomeor necessary. I do not think it is possible to do solidarity workproperly or with integrity without constantly questioning yourroles, tactics and actions. However, that questioning can lead toa lot of insecurity about what we are doing. No matter how muchwe want be constantly reassured that we are doing a good job, it isunfair to demand that kind of guidance and reassurance from the

community, as they have more important things to be doing.

Stefanie: Our relationship to supporting indigenous struggle,as an organization, is centered in our own struggle against thegovernment, for welfare, disability, housing, access to health care- a fight for respect and dignity, against poverty and oppression. Itis also strengthened by our understanding of the impact of fightingback together as a community and shaking the power structure,

can have.On-site, after the initial heat of late April, many people in

OCAP began to transform the request for non-native observersto the situation into something more concrete. You cant standaround, watching, and feel useful for very long. This is how thework in the kitchen, which many people spent considerable timedoing, began. Working in the kitchen was a means of freeing uppeople from the community to do other things, to get some sleep,

to stay at the various camps farther away from the main kitchen,to go home to their kids, and so on. Because the volume of peoplefrom the community spending time on the site was so massive inthe period after the invasion, and throughout the ensuing periodsof high alert, there was clearly a need for people to fill this role.Obviously, the fact that people who stayed on the site slowly


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developed relationships with people from the community criticallyinforms our organizational perspective and decision-making.

After the heightened tension subsided, from mid-June

onwards, the number of people spending a lot of time on the sitebegan to ebb. And the clarity of purpose in the kitchen work alsosubsided. So, non-Native on-site support began to make less sense,in very practical terms, and people stopped spending the same kindof intensive time on the site. At the same time as we were trying tosupport the membership on-site, we were also supporting withinthe city boundaries. And within this dual purpose is where some ofthe major criticisms begin to emerge.

What have been some of the challenges that you have facedin supporting Six Nations?

AJ: Kanenhstaton is a community with problems like any other. Itis very challenging as an outsider to negotiate the need for me tobe in my place as a supporter and still be myself. In the beginning Iacted very differently than I do now as I increasingly feel confidentin myself and my actions. My desire to be pleasing when I first

started going meant that I actually behaved poorly. Because I wasafraid I would offend someone. I wasnt as honest as I could havebeen, even when I was being asked for my opinion. That wasntfair to anyone. Once I started being myself more and dealing withthings how I would normally do so, I became more comfortable.That was when people actually started respecting me.

I also used to be paranoid that I would do something offensivewithout knowing it because I have a very limited understanding of

Iroquois culture(s). At some point I realized that I had to respectand trust the people around me to let me know if I was doingsomething improper. Folks there knew that I was trying hard tolearn things and if I was out of place I had to trust that I would beput back in it. To be clear, I am not saying that it is native peoplesresponsibility to educate me or correct my behavior but I am sayingthat at some point you have to accept that you dont know shit andthat you arent going to. At that point you have to be vigilant about

learning but you also have to know you can trust your friends.

Stefanie:We should have worked harder to support our indigenousallies in the city, to ensure that native people from Toronto whowanted to be there or learn about the reclamation had access toresources available to us. Its hard to make those things happen


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when your relationship with people from the native communityliving in your city isnt strong, and I know this is something weneed to understand how to develop the capacity to share limited

resources also within our own city blocks. This is where therelationship between OCAP and the Indigenous Caucus of theCoalition for Indigenous Sovereignty also becomes so important,which has been a crucial part of my experience of supporting SixNations.

For those OCAP members supporting from Toronto, it was apriority to work with radical indigenous people that we met throughthe structure of the coalition, and being guided by their perspectives

and experiences, both of their own struggles and their relationshipto the reclamation. We respected the structure requested by them,in order to ensure that the group was not overwhelmingly non-Native. However, we failed to pursue the interest and energy beingfelt by countless people from all different sectors and populationsoutside of that structure and outside of OCAP. We had aresponsibility to harness those things, and between supporting ourpeople on the site, respecting the framework of CSIS, and trying to

understand the constantly shifting facts on the ground at the site,we did not live up to this as we should have.There are many reasons why the work we were doing in the city

has floundered. There was a tendency to be very susceptible to thecomplex unfolding of events at the site often to the point wherewe were second-guessing our actions and next steps all the time.In terms of working constantly to respect the wishes of the peopleengaged in the struggle, this is not wrong. It is also appropriate

to be cautious given the amount of time it takes to build trustwith people across centuries of mistrust and racism. But we alsolacked the confidence and the numbers of people organizing herein Toronto to put forward ideas, to think creatively, and have trustin the work we know how to do because of our own struggles herein Toronto.

After the heightened tension and large numbers of communitymembers frequenting the site subsided, we did not adapt our

support strategy fast enough. We had a lot of people who hadburned themselves out on extended stays on the site, who neededto pick up with surviving in Toronto, doing their work in the city,and who struggled to make the experience of being on the sitetranslate into Toronto-based support work. The number of peoplewho had been consistently thinking about city-oriented supportorganizing had been few, and we had missed big opportunities to


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outreach to a broader public who had clearly shown interest anda desire to support Six Nations in the spring. We were left with asmall, drained core of organizers. We should have put more energy

into attacking the government from Toronto and confronting theracism of the Caledonian citizens, through the media and throughactions and events in Toronto, in order to give voice to the othersupportive opinions which non-natives have of the reclamation.

What drawbacks or dangers does this on-the-groundsupport pose?

AJ: A lot of the people we had on the ground were a part of

the organizational core of OCAP. We had a lot of very skilledorganizers doing a lot of unskilled work. While there were stillpeople in Toronto working, there were times when they werelargely unsupported and our work in the city did suffer for a period.We shifted focus too late and lost some organizing potential at thetime and I think we should have refocused our energies onto doingother forms of support work sooner. Further, it took us a longtime to start to figure out how to actually offer our skills at the

reclamation site and we are only beginning to do that now.I would certainly do things differently if I were to do it again.

I think it is important to have people on site but that shouldnt bethe primary focus as it was at the time.

How do you conceptualize the role of non-native supportersin the struggle for indigenous sovereignty? What kinds ofallies within settler communities can be relied upon to

support indigenous struggles?AJ: I think here, the question provides the answer; we are non-native supporters. It is important to remember that we are not andnever will be the central players in this movement. Solidarity workis not in itself liberatory, only the struggles of the people directlyaffected will see their liberation.

I think that it is key that we take leadership from native peopleand that we ensure that we are taking it from the people, not a few

people. It isnt hard, in a community of a few thousand, to findsomeone to tell you what you want to hear and call that leadership.It is hard to try and figure out what an actual community wantsand do that. In Six Nations, we are quite lucky because they haveconsensus based community meetings so it makes things a lotclearer than having a lot of individual conversations.


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As far as what kinds of allies within settler communities canbe relied upon, I dont know if any can be relied on. The only thingyou can ever actually count on an ally for is to screw up. I know

that this is a pessimistic view but as a disabled person I know thatI constantly question if allies even exist. As a white person doingsolidarity work with First Nations people I have to believe thatallies do exist. I havent solved those contradictions yet. I cant callmyself an ally, I only say I am trying to be one.

I do however know that there are lots of people who want tosupport somehow. I think it is important that we try to reach themand get them involved. I do think it is important that we work in

our communities. My community isnt Caledonia, I didnt knowanyone there, didnt live there and hadnt gone there prior to this. Ithink it is important that we support the work of the Caledonianswho are organizing but that we actually look at what we can do inour own communities.

That means talking to our neighbours, friends and families. Itmeans educating people beyond activists. And it means trying toidentify those people who show interest and get them involved.

Josh: Theres a story Ive been told from someone who wasinvolved in the Oka Standoff in 1990 about the solidarity activiststhere that I find pretty compelling. In Oka there was a peace campsupporting the stand by the Mohawks that formed on the oppositeside of the military line and at its peak had about 1000 peoplestaying there. This person told me they thought one of the greatestfailures of the whole standoff was that the people at that peace

camp didnt try to cross the military line. That if theyd just triedto cross, to challenge and confront that line, it could have changedthe dynamic of the whole situation. To quote the Doors, you gottabreak on through to the other side (and Im talking in our actionshere, not some kind of identity crisis going native bullshit).

Stefanie:Toronto is where I am from, it is where I organize, whereI live. That has to make sense to supporting indigenous struggle.

Whether this means prioritizing working with the framework ofnative activists in the city, sharing information and experienceswith people from my world in Toronto, through conversations,sharing resources to ensure it isnt only people with the time andmoney who get to travel to the community that is resisting, pushingagainst the power structure that oppresses where we can do it herein the city, it has to make sense to where you are standing.


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Having said this, you cant support unless you understand, andyou cant understand unless you break down the distance betweenpeople. It is really hard to argue with the power of meeting people

and talking to them. The power of meeting people in a crisis is thatyou spend hours and hours and for some people days and nightsand in some ways this collapses the amount of time you need fortrust to build normally. But I have learned that it is not a true orcomplete collapse. Trust is still slow.

It is also very important to acknowledge that non-nativesupporters are not only white. There was strong support for thereclamation site by people of colour, which is often overlooked by

white people when we talk about non-native support work. Thepower of the Palestinian flag flying tall on the site in the very earlystages of the reclamation, and what this meant to people visitingthe site as well as the frequency with which kaffiyehs were wornby natives on the front lines, was very visible. I was certainly madeaware of different kinds of trust being built along colour lines, bothon the site and off. Obviously, this makes sense and as a movementof people supporting indigenous struggle, the awareness that

questions of resources, voices, access to information should alwaysbe asked, even in the rush to support a crisis situation.

The struggle at Six Nations is obviously ongoing, but howwould you relate to it if the Douglas Creek Estates issue isresolved and the struggle takes place in less high-profileways? What suggestions would you have for non-nativeactivists in other parts of Canada who may get involved insupporting indigenous sovereignty in the future?

AJ: There will always be struggle by First Nations people, at leastas long as our government and economy are structured the waythey are. When Douglas Creek is won, there is still the rest of theHaldimand Tract, let alone broken treaties, broken promises anda whole lot more. I have a feeling that Six Nations wont be goinglow-profile anytime soon, even with a victory at Kanenhstaton.However, should that happen, I know that OCAP would continue

to support Six Nations. We would step back and look at what weshould be doing and what the situation merits and then bring itback to the community. Frankly, if nothing overt was happing inSix Nations, we would continue to support the community andmaintain communications through our personal relationships.


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If I were to give advice to someone who is starting out doingsolidarity work I would tell them to build relationships. Do notlook at indigenous people as a means to an end or as a campaign.

Liberation movements are long term. They are not there to be usedto help you achieve your own political aims, be they environmental,anti-capitalist or anti-government.

I used to believe that if people saw you as an ally that youhad achieved something and things would get easier. Six Nationshas taught me that from that point it only gets harder and morecomplicated.

Josh: Often the best time to get involved in solidarity and fosterconnections with people in native communities is in the midstof high-profile struggles like the one taking place in Six Nationsnow. But the most important time is in between these battles. InOCAP, were lucky to have a close relationship with people activelyinvolved in fighting for sovereignty up in Tyendinaga where thereis a mutual aid sort of thing going on and we support each othersinitiatives pretty regularly. Thats a most ideal situation, where

you have people in the community who you trust and trust youto shoot the shit with about whats going on, to share stories andexchange advice about all the little battles. If this isnt there thenthe solidarity can only go so far when the bigger struggles erupt.

Across the country there are good examples of variedorganizations supporting communities that are geographicallyclose to them like the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement inMontreal with the Mohawks of Kanehsatake and No One Is Illegal

in Vancouver with the Secwepemc. I think we also need to do abetter job of studying struggles like Oka and looking at what non-natives in solidarity have done before and also seek them out fortheir experiences. On that note, I want to thank Upping the Antiforprovoking conversations about Six Nations and solidarity.

Stefanie: I dont think our numbers at the site were ever significantenough to comprise some kind of supporters army, in terms of

showing the state how huge the numbers of people standing withthe community were. And that wasnt needed the community wasthe strength, the numbers, the force. We were never to be thereas a fighting force, much as I think some people get caught up inthe messed up romantic notion of being on the battle lines, beingwhere the action is, and fighting a real fight. The community ofSix Nations never needed us in this way. But I do think that we


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did work to provide some of what was being asked for, in terms ofsupportive non-native faces and presence and respect. Your workas a supporter is to hear what is being asked of you. It is to offer up

what you appropriately can without having to lean on the peopleyou are supporting for constant instructions. It can also be to knowthat you are implicated in what is being fought against, which hasmotivating consequences not crippling or indifferent ones.

Non-native activists need to understand that indigenousstruggle will never be won because of the actions of settlers. Weneed to understand our responsibility to fight the racism and poweron the settler side, which may not be the most glamorous or exciting

part of the fight, but a part of it only we can and should do. Manypeople who spent time at the site or who came together to plansupport for the reclamation here in Toronto are rooted in strugglesof their own. This is one of the reasons why we came together,because we are already fighting. This is also one of the reasons whyit is hard, albeit crucial, to support the Six Nation peoples. Youcant drop your own fight because it is exactly that which groundsyou and offers one way to understand why indigenous struggle is so

crucial and what your role supporting it should be.

Keefer 6N Roundtable

Documents

Transcript of Keefer 6N Roundtable