I have made it abundantly clear, with numerous examples, that the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) is little more than a Mafia - like group using extortion, racketeering and any other strategy imaginable in order to meet their aims (extracting money from victims; and seeking power through weakening the group legally mandated to represent the people of Six Nations, namely the Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC)). They have taken over as spokespersons for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), basically coopting this group to gain legitimacy - when it is all about money and power.
The HDI has only two spokespersons ending up in the limelight, the Director and their legal representative. I do not recall ever hearing from anyone else associated with this group. The Director was one of the primary activists during the 2006 crisis on the Native side of the barricade. She was a spokesperson then, and is actually featured (in a somewhat heroic role) in a book that only a leftist academic could love - Laura DeVries, Conflict in Caledonia: Aboriginal Land Rights and the Rule of Law, Vancouver, UBC Press, 2011. In the "Notes" section to the book, the author offers, Many appreciative thanks go to Hazel E. Hill for her permission to quote from her communications about the dispute in Caledonia - which is a slap in the face of all who value the rule of law. Actually the HDI legal representative, who is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and thus a legitimate lawyer duly registered to practice law in Ontario, stays somewhat in the background also. It is the Director who appears to be the absolute dictator, and is typically the only person to be interviewed and to make public announcements - it has been this way since 2006 when the group formed when they realized that there was potentially a lot of money to be made by capitalizing on the crisis in Caledonia.
Since they claim to represent Six Nations (another unsubstantiated belief), and have used "no holds barred" methods of getting their way, they have made a number of enemies including, but not limited to the following. I have discussed each and their interactions with HDI in previous postings. I will, however, provide a bit of context in relation to their primary rival, then focus on the newest group on the growing list of enemies:
1) Six Nations Elected Council. It has been difficult for SNEC, the only legitimate (recognized by the Federal Government who is the source of transfer payments and welfare payments), to be coerced into "consulting" with a group that refuses to even recognize their legitimacy. The HCCC to this day has not accepted that it was seriously dysfunctional in 1924, and was removed from power upon the request in writing of many Six Nations residents. They continue to provide a parallel form of government. They will stand in the way of any endeavor by SNEC although they are given some standing or voice, as much as a courtesy and to keep the peace. Yet despite any peace overtures over the series of Elected Chiefs to the present day, the HCCC refuse to even be in the same room as the Elected Council, and express their disdain of the latter on all possible occasions.
Every time the Elected Council tries to initiate any actions that would be productive and help Six Nations deal with land claims or pot holes on Reserve roads - if SNEC is for it, HCCC is against it. If SNEC negotiates a deal with a land developer or a corporation building wind turbines, HCCC will do everything they possibly can to stand in the way of the deal, or if it goes through, then will try to torpedo it later. Examples here include the McKenzie Meadows Project across the road from Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) where for every unit built a rather large sum of money would be set aside for the building of another Haudenosaunee language immersion school. It was not a project initiated by HCCC so it floundered, despite all the efforts of SNEC to seeking Community involvement. Now the Elected Council as established deals with for example Samsung which will give Six Nations more than $65 million over a 20 year period (based on a false claim of unceded land in Dunn and South Cayuga Township which Samsung accepted), but HCCC through their spokesperson group the HDI have looked to every possible means to shut down projects that "don't have their approval". In effect, the HDI are the HCCC.
2) Land Developers in Haldimand and Brant Counties.
3) Corporations Involved in "Green Energy" Projects.
4) Professional Archaeologists.
5) Haldimand County Council and citizens (particularly those from Caledonia).
6) Corporation of the City of Brantford and citizens.
7) Brant County Council and citizens.
8) Province of Ontario and taxpayers.
9) Federal Government of Canada and taxpayers.
Number 10 on this list is -
Mohawks of the Grand River: I have mentioned the Mohawks of the Grand River (MGR) previously, as one of the factions at Six Nations which appeared to be somewhat on the periphery from the others (i.e., not interconnected such as HCCC, HDI and Men's Fire). They have a somewhat eccentric background where in the early days they were known as "Kanata Mohawks" and "Mohawk Workers". At one point it seemed that the only two individuals involved in this group were Bill Squire and a white supporter, a controversial individual who provided "legal assistance" but who seems to have faded into the background in the past year or so. Later, people who were affiliated with other groups would show up to add support to their "cause" - individuals who seem to add but another level of complexity to the multiple interlaced knots that we find at Six Nations. One thing has remained constant over the years. The Mohawks of the Grand River had a particular interest in the former Burtch Correctional Centre, and were pushing for its return to Six Nations, but under control of the Mohawks, who they believe are the first among the Six Nations, and the true inheritors of the Haldimand Tract. I have posted about this group on a number of occasions in this blog.
A Letter to the Editor appeared in "Two Row Times", July 23rd, 2014 (p.7) entitled, Mohawks respond to HDI. First their spokesperson, Ratsirenhawi (Bill Squire) provides a rationale for the letter to the Editor. It is worth quoting in full. Squire stated, We wish to make public the following letter we wrote in response to Hazel Hill and the HDI concerning their attempt to try and stop Guswhenta Holding's Birkett Lane project as covered in the July 9th edition of your paper.
Basically the HDI were angry at the MGR because the latter refused to follow the "application process" for developments in the area HDI considered their turf (their tentacles extend throughout Southwestern Ontario based on their interpretation of the fraudulent "Nanfan Treaty"), and pay the "required" fees to HDI.
Squire then directs the content of the rest of the letter to the Director of the HDI, in response to the ill-informed letter you wrote dated June 9, 2014 and distributed to investors and Financial Institutes. It is intended to properly educate those same sources as well as yourself on the true nature of the labours of the group known as the Mohawks of the Grand River who are dedicated to the recognition of the 1784 Haldimand Proclamation. On that note, we wish to educate you on two primary points with which you seem to be struggling to understand.
The wording suggests that there is no love loss between the MGR and the HDI (or that the leaders of these groups).
Squire then makes the point that, in the Haldimand Proclamation is found the special responsibility of the Mohawks, as the only formally named Nation on the Proclamation, is the source of our legitimacy and authority to take action to uphold this Proclamation. These actions have included increasing public awareness of our legal rights under the Haldimand Proclamation and the peaceful acquisition of surrendered lands as a result of thee educational efforts.
The spokesperson of the MGR then "reminds" the Director of the HDI of the "Mohawk Workers" (forerunner of the MGR) special role, as "protectors", "preservers" of and advocates for the Haldimand Proclamation. He then names the key people in the Mohawk Workers over the years. Next Squire states, To clarify, the relationship between the people referred to in this letter as the Mohawk Workers and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC) and the associated body known as the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), and that the MGR efforts should in no way be construed, to represent the voice of the HCCC.
Now we get into a very interesting perspective that, undoubtedly reflects the thinking of many off and on Reserve. Squire states, Regarding HDI, it should be pointed out that we do not fully understand the relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council and HDI; not do we understand your personal authority to represent the official voice of the HCCC. Further, who of the Mohawk Nation supported this decision?
The above statement hits the nail on the head. Squire goes on to say that the MGR has, never been intended to represent HDI, nor had they received, any formal information from HDI regarding land transactions involving land held under the Haldimand Proclamation; or been made privy to any financial benefits potentially known to the HDI through any such land deals and/or transactions - although the MGR are eager to learn more of this matter.
The Director had questioned how individual members of the MGR may have been remunerated for their efforts and Squire retorted that, there has been no personal gain or benefit, rather each had invested heavily of their own finances. What apparently irks Squire most is expressed as follows:
It is regrettable that you used a public forum to make such unfounded allegations against the Board of Trustees. We hope that any future communications will convey a peaceful and fact based message, and then Squire offers the Director of the HDI the opportunity to speak to their group, so that concerns may be respectfully addressed in the spirit of peace and friendship.
It is very odd that the Director of HDI should be making allegations that are remarkably similar to those leveled at her by people from various quarters at Six Nations. A common questions is, "Where does the money go?" To this day no one outside the HDI knows the answer to this question. There are numerous differences between the HDI and the MGR though. There are allegations and verified findings that the HDI has been involved in, which include, but are not limited to:
1) Violence, and non peaceful means of attaining goals - in stark contrast to the MGR who have never, as far as I know, been in any way involved with actions such as we see at Douglas Creek Estates. MGR have never threatened "grave consequences" to the public if they do not get what they want.
2) Lack of transparency, which is an accusation constantly leveled at HDI. Where does the money go? Who is paying for their legal representatives very expensive suits? How much is being paid to each of the principals in HDI? How much is funneled into Community projects? Who knows .....
3) Schemes outside the Haldimand Tract to "convince" naieve developers and others that they were a legitimate authority who represented Six Nations and by virtue of the fraudulent Nanfan Treaty that they had rights and entitlements to lands throughout Southwestern Ontario.
4) Activity within the Haldimand Tract claiming that they were empowered to demand shake down money from land developers of purported "contested lands", such as J. Voortman in Hagersville, and the developers in Brantford which resulted in HDI being named in a Court Injunction and ultimately being initially fined over $800,000 but later reduced (because it is not possible for Canadian Courts to recover assets hidden on Reserve) to $125,000 in a settlement.
DeYo.
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