The Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council says a letter sent out by the Six Nations Band Council was out of line. The letter states that the Elected Band Council is the only legitimate governing body in the area, something the Confederacy Council says is a lie.
Chief Roger Silversmith was emotional this morning, “people seem to think that they can do what they want with our treaties, laws, and our customs… it gets hard, speaking, doing this, it brings tears inside.”
The letter was posted online and is meant to clear the so-called confusion about who to consult for proposed developments in the territory and goes on to say that the law is clear that the Six Nations Band Council is in charge.
The Confederacy Chiefs Council says they were blindsided by the statement released earlier this month but they say, they suspect they know why the band council wants to assert its dominance.
The Confederacy Chiefs Council is a more traditional form of Indigenous government and it doesn’t recognize the elected council, and neither do many of the Haudenosaunee people.
“They adopt provincial policies, that’s what their role is. Our role is different. Our role is the welfare of our people, culture.”
The Confederacy Chiefs Council says they must be included in talks for proposed developments, unlike the letter suggests.
CHCH News reached out to the Six Nations Band Council for an interview about the letter but have not yet heard back.
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