In a world where it's easy to lose your identity, Benjamin Doolittle UE was able to find evidence that he was the legal heir of the lands acquired by a special treaty known as the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784. In honorable style and gracefulness, he talks about the importance of knowing his history and how it shapes him as an individual.

The Haldimand Proclamation (1784) establishes the legal legitimacy of Mohawk people and those living on the grand river lands; these lands were set apart prior to the creation of the province of Ontario, Canada. This proclamation was created following a ratified pledge with the British government signed in 1779. The treaty granted "status quo ante bellum" control of large ...

As more and more businesses invade treaty lands, the Mohawk nation of Grand River are been forced to take matters into their own hands. The reason? The encroaching businesses are violating the terms of the treaty that was supposed to protect the rights of Kanien’kehá:ka people forever—but it hasn’t worked out that way in practice. Instead, Kanien’kehá:ka people find themselves struggling to defend their rights and preserve their way of life from ruthless developers who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

The business of exploitation

The business of exploiting someone else's riparian rights is a lucrative one. After all, riparian boundary disputes are often complex and expensive to litigate. And, if a business can get away with ...

Following the American Revolution, many Loyalists fled north of the American border to avoid persecution from the Rebels and the new American government, including many Mohawk people who had fought on the side of the British Crown. To secure Mohawk support Haldimand signed the ratified Pledge of 1779 assuring that Mohawks would be restored to the state they were in before the war broke out. In order to entice them further north, Lieutenant Governor Frederick Haldimand signed an official proclamation known as the Haldimand Proclamation that was used to acquire the Grand River and valley lands for these Mohawk people and "their posterity to enjoy forever".

In the aftermath of war, loss, and change, many Loyalists found themselves displaced. Between ...

In 1493, the year after Columbus made his great or at least so-called discovery, the Roman Catholic Church proclaimed the natural law governing questions of legal rights between natives and newcomers. Because, at that time, the church was universal in Europe the declaration of natural law determining international law.

The declaration took the form of formal legislation, a papal bull entitled Inter Cetera. It enacted that aboriginal people were not humans with souls but rather animals without souls and, for this reason, without rights either of jurisdiction or property in the lands of the new world.

Controversy raged in European legal circles. Not all Europeans had the same attitude of rapaciousness and racism. There was another faction, that saw the ...

There has been an increasing number of Ontario homeowners who have bought property on the Haldimand Tract not knowing there are risks involved with doing so. The land, known to the Canadian government as Haldimand Tract, was granted by the British crown to the Mohawk posterity in 1784. Since then, it has been inhabited by both Indians and non-Indians alike who have used the land to fulfill their needs and desires such as farming, logging, and hunting.

As an open advocate for Grand River and Treaty rights, I am often asked by Ontarians whether they should buy property on the Haldimand Tract. The answer is not always simple, as there are a number of potential risks that Ontario homeowners should be ...

The Six Nations Council (SNC) issued a press release claiming that they are the sole real party in interest to land in Haldimand Tract.

While the Six Nations Council may have some rights to the land, the Grand Back Project, a group of Mohawks who live in the area says that those rights are not valid because there is no official documentation proving that the SNC has any rights to the land.

The Mohawk posterity has been fighting for the recognition of their rights to the land for years, and they are not going to give up without a fight.

Recently Brantford proposed a lands transfer tax share concept that would see a portion of lands transfer tax diverted to ...

(July 11, 2022) ⟶ Grand Back is a website that provides online resources for Grand River Mohawk legal posterity. Here, you can find information on treaties, as well as other documents that we have archived and made freely available to the public. The “Grand River Mohawk Legal History Project” is led by Benjamin Doolittle, a fraternal member of the Sha’tekari:wate; one of nine uterine sub-clans of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk Confederacy), and is the 6th great-grandson of Colonel Joseph Brant. The project is based on the idea that by making these documents accessible, we can educate people about our history and help them to restore the law, and make informed decisions about our future.

The Grand River Mohawk Legal History Project ...

In any legal situation, communication is the key to reducing confusion and resolving problems quickly. This principle applies to Ontario municipal councilors who must balance their duty to the municipality with their duty to the people they represent under the Municipal Act while negotiating in good faith with Ontario on behalf of the Grand River Mohawk legal posterity. This piece explains what trustee de son tort means, why Ontario municipal councilors should understand it, and how it affects current land developments and the Grand River Mohawk legal posterity negotiations.

What is a Trustee de Son Tort?

A trustee de son tort is someone who has illegally encroached on another person's property. In Ontario, municipal councilors may be at risk of ...

The history of Indian treaties in North America is a long and complicated one. There have been many different interpretations of these treaties over the years, and they continue to be a source of contention today. One of the most controversial issues surrounding Indian treaties is the question of who is considered an "innocent third party purchaser." 

The Haldimand Tract is a belt of land along the Grand River in southern Ontario. It was originally granted to the Mohawk by the British Crown in 1784, as a reward for their loyalty during the American Revolution. The Haldimand Pledge of 1779 was a ratified agreement that was followed up by the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784. The Haldimand Tract was originally meant ...

An article from 2007 titled "$4.4 Trillion, That's what a group claiming to be the heirs of Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant say they want from the Six Nations for stealing their land." This title shook the Six Nations community. Not long after this article was published, Six Nations elected councilor Helen Miller penned a letter in the local newspaper claiming that this made Six Nations a laughing stock, In the letter, Hellen asks if certain people are "Real Mohawks(Maternal Line)" or are they "INAC MOHAWKS(Paternal Line)" . Hellen further asks "Was the land governed under the Haldimand Treaty not given to the Mohawks and Others?" , This seems to be the very Root of the conflation, and ambiguous representation we see ...