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 ...

In 1784, Sir Frederick Haldimand of the British Army gave approximately one million acres of land to the Mohawk people in recognition of their support during the American Revolutionary War. However, since then, many of these lands have been taken away from the Mohawk community through legal loopholes and shady government practices. The goal of this article is to discuss how the Mohawk people are working to get back those lands that were given away under the Simcoe Patent of 1793.

The Haldimand Proclamation of 1784

The Haldimand Proclamation is an international document that was created in response to the ratified pledge of 1779. The pledge promised to restore the named three villages to the state that they were in ...

For over three hundred years, the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy have been occupying lands in what is now southern Ontario, alongside the Grand River and the former Brantford Township. While this treaty right has been long established, there are still several ongoing disputes between Six Nations and various provincial municipalities surrounding the question of taxation of Mohawk Indians living on the reserve lands (i.e., tax exemption). This blog post will present both sides of this issue in an effort to provide understanding and insight into this very controversial topic.

A Proposal to End Taxing Grand River Mohawk Indians

The Grand River is the traditional territory of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee. ...

Mohawks aren’t considered Canadian citizens. This means that they don’t have the right to vote in Canadian, Provincial or Municipal elections, nor do they have the right to run for office. The reason Mohawks aren’t Canadian citizens isn’t because of some secret policy to deny them citizenship, but rather because of a technicality in the treaty and common law that doesn’t consider them to be part of Canada at all. So what does this mean, exactly? Do Mohawks even live in Canada? Did the Haldimand proclamation set apart the lands placing the people and territory outside of the Canadian domain? How does this affect their ability to buy property, travel within Canada, and file taxes? 

The Mohawk community in “Canada” is home to about 13,000 people and sits astride the US-Canadian border aka “the line”. It is not a part of the United States nor is it a part of Canada, but it is also not quite independent either. It’s a place where the border, in some respects, doesn’t exist, even while it is also a constant presence in people’s daily lives. These boundaries, as well as modern Canadian common law, traces its historical origins to the United Kingdom. The common law of Canada became liable to the independent Mohawk legal order because, although they wrongfully do not recognize the Mohawk nation, in 1869 and again in 1919 the Mohawk nation adopted Prince Arthur as ...

The Grand River Mohawks are named as distinctly separate in both the Haldimand Pledge of 1779 as well as the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784 .

The Grand River Mohawks are set apart as the only named real party in interest of the near million acres of the original Haldimand Proclamation of 1784.

Such Other or Stranger refers to a person who is not a party to a particular transaction. In Kirk v. Morris, 40 Ala. 225 (Ala. 1866), it was observed that the word “stranger” was substituted for the words “or some other person.” However, both were intended to mean the same thing, namely, a person not a party to the suit, who acts for the benefit of the defendant ...

"If it wasn't for your people Canada would not be a nation today," said the late-Sylvannus General, last of the old time Mohawk Workers (Kanienkehaka Ratiiotens). He was the brother of Emily C. General and a contemporary of Iroquois founders of the Mohawk Workers and Indian Defense League of America (IDLA) such as Sophie Martin and Clinton Rickard in the early 1900s.

Sylvannus referred to an event that took place between the Queen of England and the Mohawk People in Brantford, Ontario on October 1, 1869. On this day at the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford the Iroquois People (Wisk Nihohnnowentsiake) made Canada legal.

Here's how Canada became a nation as Sylvannus General said.

By custom, the Iroquois people hold an ...

Indigenous peoples have always been a part of the virtual community since the internet's inception. The internet's first day was a revolution for sharing new and old ideas, and it helped to bridge the gap between many cultures. Not only has the internet facilitated the formation of friendships, but it has also enabled the same types of colonial practices that Indigenous people have faced in the real world.

Cyber colonialism is a real threat to the free flow of ideas from a specific cultural perspective, in part due to the complexities of indigenous communities obtaining virtual dominion or challenging Top Level Country Domains assigned to recognized members (eg .ca .us .au .nz etc:.). Since the dawn of the internet, colonial ...