Thread by @dwebsterbu

99 years ago, June 20, 1921, the Six Nations (Haudensosaunee or Iroquois) council met with Canadian govt officials to try to stop the erosion of their Grand River land base through Cdn channels. Canada stonewalled & the Six Nations took their appeal global. Thread on the meeting:

2. Chaired by local MP John Harrold, the meeting opened with a presentation of Canada's position by the architect of Canada's "Indian policy" Duncan Campbell Scott. The key issue was "enfranchisement." Many Six Nations members fought in WW1 as part of their alliance with Britain.

3. Enfranchisement meant that these ex-soldiers & some others could become British subjects (and thus Canadians) by surrendering their status as Six Nations citizens - a loss of people.

It also meant loss of land: the enfranchised could sell reserve lands to Canadians.

4. Chief A.G. Smith opened with sadness that D.C. Scott was not prepared to make any concessions to Six Nations concerns.

D.S. Hill, for the Six Nations, asked for changes to the Soldiers Settlement Act to make sure that settler soldiers could not alienate Six Nations land.

5. As Scott refused to budge, Hill called for wider discussion between the Canadian government and the Six Nations government. "We care very little about the attitudes of Mr. Scott, it is the attitude of the law that we care about."

6. Where did Scott get authority to control Six Nations land? From parliament, he said. But as Chief William Smith said "the land upon the Six Nations reserve is absolutely owned by us." Scott: "The Govt does not agree with you and you have been told that a great many times."

7. Who controlled the land? That was the crux of the issue.

D.S. Hill: 6N council has full control of all reserve lands. "That authority has been taken away [so that Dept of Indian Affairs] has full control and management." Appeal planned not to Cdn court but to a higher court.

8. This would mean British courts, for Britain and 6N were allies & 6N had never accepted Cdn authority. Miles Hill: status as "an independent nation" recognized by King George III.

D.C. Scott: "I came to this Conference not to offer anything but to explain certain things."

9. Scott raised Mohawk Institute, a notorious residential school. A.E. Hill reply: "In my 45 years of experience can the Dept show any man who has received his education at this institution and has benefited by it." (More on the Institute at archives.algomau.ca/main/sites/def…)

10. This was 99 years ago, but it shows that efforts by First Nations governments to play by the rules were consistently stonewalled. The Six Nations would take their appeal on to the Imperial government in London, where it was rejected by Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill.

11. Finally the Six Nations appealed to the League of Nations in Geneva, causing Canada's government much embarrassment, in the report of Canada's delegate to one Assembly, Senator Raoul Dandurand. For documents on that story, see historybeyondborders.ca/?p=189

12. All this resonates 99 years on. The Six Nations still assert their rights as an independent nation. Canada still claims control of First Nations lands. Canada's "Indian policy" is rebranded but consistent & embarrasses Canada globally & at UN. /end. aptnnews.ca/national-news/…

TL;DR Canada has not learned much in 99 years. #IndigenousHistoryMonth

Footnotes: documents from Library and Archives Canada, RG19 microfilm collection. Map image of Haldimand tract from Wikipedia.

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