Six Nations 40, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Six Nations is the largest First Nation
in Canada with a total of 23,902 band members. 11,865 are reported living in the territory. It is the only territory in North America
that has the six Iroquois
nations living together. These nations are the Mohawk
, Cayuga
, Onondaga
, Oneida
, Seneca
and Tuscarora
. There are also some Delaware
living in the territory. The acreage at present covers some 46000 acres (186.2 km²) near the City of Brantford, Ontario
. This represents approximately 5% of the original 950000 acres (3,844.5 km²) of land granted by the 1784 Haldimand Treaty
.
, the British government worked to resettle Loyalists in Canada and provide some compensation for properties lost in the new United States. It also hoped to use new settlers to develop more towns and agriculture in areas west of Quebec
. The Haldimand Proclamation
of October 1784, the government granted a reserve
of land to the Mohawk Nation
and Six Nations Indians in appreciation of their support for The Crown
during the revolution.
In 1785 a census showed that 1,843 Natives lived there, including 448 Mohawk
, 381 Cayuga
, 245 Onondaga, 162 Oneida, 129 Tuscarora
, and 78 Seneca
of the Iroquois Six Nations, the Haudenosaunee. There were also 400 from other tribes, including Delaware
, Nanticoke
, Tutelo
, and some Creek and Cherokee
. Joseph Brant
invited several Anglo-American white families to live on the grant, particularly former members of Brant's Volunteers
and Butler's Rangers
from New York
. To encourage his loyalist friends to settle there, he gave them larger grants than the government had given other loyalists. Some of the Aboriginals objected to Brant giving land grants to whites in this reserve area.
The Aboriginals received some provisions from the Indian department, including such items as saws, axes, grindstones, and chisels. They received help in establishing schools and churches, and in securing farm equipment and other necessities. Conditions were extremely difficult in the first years on the frontier, as the government never provided enough supplies or assistance to any of the resettled loyalists. In 1785, the government built the first Protestant church in Upper Canada
(now Ontario
), Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks
, on the reserve. It is now one of twelve Chapels Royal
supported by the Crown throughout the world.
The main town was at what is now Brantford. It was first called Brant's Town after Joseph Brant
, who built his residence there. In 1798, it was described as a large and sprawling settlement. Brant's home was a handsome two-story house, built in a European-American style. In 1797, Brant founded one of the earliest Masonic Lodge
s in Upper Canada; he was its Worshipful Master.
In the early 1790s, the population started decreasing as Aboriginals left the Grand River for traditional native communities in New York. After Brant's land sales starting in 1795, the population began to increase again, with the promise of annuities to help the Six Nations community survive.
Governor John Simcoe confirmed the Grant with a limited deed on January 14, 1793. This deed did not extend to the source of the Grand River, territory to which the Six Nations maintained they were entitled as described in the earlier Haldimand Proclamation
. Also, this deed forbade them to sell the land to anyone but each other and the king. Led by Joseph Brant, the chiefs rejected the deed.
In 1795, the Grand River chiefs empowered Joseph Brant to sell large blocks of land in the northern section, which the Aboriginals were not using. They set terms of no money down because they wanted to take their payment entirely in future years as annual interest.
The original tract of land stretched from the mouth of the Grand River
on the shores of Lake Erie
to the river's head
, and for 10 km (6 mi) from either bank. Between 1795 and 1797, Joseph Brant sold 381480 acres (1,543.8 km²) to land speculators; the property comprising the northern half of the reserve was sold for £85,332. This was the highest price paid to Aboriginals up to this time for undeveloped land.
Simcoe opposed the sale. The interest on the annuity promised an income to the people of £5,119 per year, far more than any other Iroquois people had received. The land speculators were unable to sell farm-size lots to settlers fast enough. By 1801, however, all the land speculators had fallen behind in their payments. Because of the lack of payments, Brant was determined to sell more land to make up for the missing payments.
In 1796, Lord Dorchester issued another deed for the land. This empowered the Aboriginals to lease or sell their land provided they offered it first for sale to the government. Brant rejected this deed partly because the deed named the Six Nations as owners of the land. He believed the deed should be limited to the current persons living on the land.
In 1800, two-thirds of the Aboriginals had not adapted to separate subsistence agriculture
. Brant had hoped that sales of land to European-Americans would help them develop the frontier more than took place.
In 1828, John Brant, a chief, was appointed resident superintendent for the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The Six Nations people were originally given 10 km on either side of the entire length of the Grand River, although much of the land was later sold. The current reserves encompass 184.7 km2 (71 sq mi), all but 0.4 km2 in Six Nations reserve No. 40.
Delaware
, who spoke Unami
(Lenape
), to the reserve.
Six Nations of the Grand River is the most populous reserve in Canada. As of December 2010, there were 23,902 band members, of which 11,865 lived on the reserve. The population consists of the following bands:
The reserve has both a traditional Iroquois council of chiefs and an elected band council conforming to Canadian government requirements.
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
in Canada with a total of 23,902 band members. 11,865 are reported living in the territory. It is the only territory in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
that has the six Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
nations living together. These nations are the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, Cayuga
Cayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
, Onondaga
Onondaga (tribe)
The Onondaga are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York...
, Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
, Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
and Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
. There are also some Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
living in the territory. The acreage at present covers some 46000 acres (186.2 km²) near the City of Brantford, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. This represents approximately 5% of the original 950000 acres (3,844.5 km²) of land granted by the 1784 Haldimand Treaty
Haldimand Proclamation
The Haldimand Proclamation was a decree that granted land to the Iroquois who had served on the British side during the American Revolution. The decree was issued by the Governor of the Province of Quebec, Frederick Haldimand, on October 25, 1784....
.
History
After the colonists' victory in the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the British government worked to resettle Loyalists in Canada and provide some compensation for properties lost in the new United States. It also hoped to use new settlers to develop more towns and agriculture in areas west of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The Haldimand Proclamation
Haldimand Proclamation
The Haldimand Proclamation was a decree that granted land to the Iroquois who had served on the British side during the American Revolution. The decree was issued by the Governor of the Province of Quebec, Frederick Haldimand, on October 25, 1784....
of October 1784, the government granted a reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of land to the Mohawk Nation
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
and Six Nations Indians in appreciation of their support for The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
during the revolution.
In 1785 a census showed that 1,843 Natives lived there, including 448 Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, 381 Cayuga
Cayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
, 245 Onondaga, 162 Oneida, 129 Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
, and 78 Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
of the Iroquois Six Nations, the Haudenosaunee. There were also 400 from other tribes, including Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Nanticoke
Nanticoke
Nanticoke may refer to:* Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States* Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language* Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey-Place names:United States* Nanticoke River in Delaware and Maryland...
, Tutelo
Tutelo
The Tutelo were Native people living above the Fall Line in present-day Virginia and West Virginia, speaking a Siouan dialect of the Tutelo language thought to be similar to that of their neighbors, the Monacan and Manahoac nations...
, and some Creek and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
. Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
invited several Anglo-American white families to live on the grant, particularly former members of Brant's Volunteers
Brant's Volunteers
Brant's Volunteers was an irregular corps raised in spring of 1777 during the American Revolutionary War by Joseph Brant which fought on the British side in the Province of New York....
and Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers was a British provincial regiment composed of Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War, raised by Loyalist John Butler.Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York...
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. To encourage his loyalist friends to settle there, he gave them larger grants than the government had given other loyalists. Some of the Aboriginals objected to Brant giving land grants to whites in this reserve area.
The Aboriginals received some provisions from the Indian department, including such items as saws, axes, grindstones, and chisels. They received help in establishing schools and churches, and in securing farm equipment and other necessities. Conditions were extremely difficult in the first years on the frontier, as the government never provided enough supplies or assistance to any of the resettled loyalists. In 1785, the government built the first Protestant church in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
(now Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
), Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks
Mohawk Chapel
Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, the oldest building in Ontario, is one of six Chapels Royal outside of the United Kingdom, and one of two in Canada, the other being Christ Church Royal Chapel near Deseronto, Ontario. It was elevated to a Chapel Royal by Edward VII in 1904...
, on the reserve. It is now one of twelve Chapels Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
supported by the Crown throughout the world.
The main town was at what is now Brantford. It was first called Brant's Town after Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
, who built his residence there. In 1798, it was described as a large and sprawling settlement. Brant's home was a handsome two-story house, built in a European-American style. In 1797, Brant founded one of the earliest Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
s in Upper Canada; he was its Worshipful Master.
In the early 1790s, the population started decreasing as Aboriginals left the Grand River for traditional native communities in New York. After Brant's land sales starting in 1795, the population began to increase again, with the promise of annuities to help the Six Nations community survive.
Governor John Simcoe confirmed the Grant with a limited deed on January 14, 1793. This deed did not extend to the source of the Grand River, territory to which the Six Nations maintained they were entitled as described in the earlier Haldimand Proclamation
Haldimand Proclamation
The Haldimand Proclamation was a decree that granted land to the Iroquois who had served on the British side during the American Revolution. The decree was issued by the Governor of the Province of Quebec, Frederick Haldimand, on October 25, 1784....
. Also, this deed forbade them to sell the land to anyone but each other and the king. Led by Joseph Brant, the chiefs rejected the deed.
In 1795, the Grand River chiefs empowered Joseph Brant to sell large blocks of land in the northern section, which the Aboriginals were not using. They set terms of no money down because they wanted to take their payment entirely in future years as annual interest.
The original tract of land stretched from the mouth of the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
on the shores of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
to the river's head
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
, and for 10 km (6 mi) from either bank. Between 1795 and 1797, Joseph Brant sold 381480 acres (1,543.8 km²) to land speculators; the property comprising the northern half of the reserve was sold for £85,332. This was the highest price paid to Aboriginals up to this time for undeveloped land.
In 1796, Lord Dorchester issued another deed for the land. This empowered the Aboriginals to lease or sell their land provided they offered it first for sale to the government. Brant rejected this deed partly because the deed named the Six Nations as owners of the land. He believed the deed should be limited to the current persons living on the land.
In 1800, two-thirds of the Aboriginals had not adapted to separate subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
. Brant had hoped that sales of land to European-Americans would help them develop the frontier more than took place.
In 1828, John Brant, a chief, was appointed resident superintendent for the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The Six Nations people were originally given 10 km on either side of the entire length of the Grand River, although much of the land was later sold. The current reserves encompass 184.7 km2 (71 sq mi), all but 0.4 km2 in Six Nations reserve No. 40.
Communities
Several named communities exist within the Six Nations reserve:- Beavers Corner
- Longboat Corners
- Medina Corners
- OhswekenOhsweken, OntarioOhsweken, , is a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices...
- St. Johns
- Sixty-Nine Corners
- Smith Corners
- Smoothtown
- Sour Spring
- Stoneridge
Members
They later welcomed a group of AlgonquianAlgonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, who spoke Unami
Unami
Unami may refer to:*the Lenape language, or its sublanguage the Unami language*Unami Creek*the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq *the Unami Lodge...
(Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
), to the reserve.
Six Nations of the Grand River is the most populous reserve in Canada. As of December 2010, there were 23,902 band members, of which 11,865 lived on the reserve. The population consists of the following bands:
| Nation | Band Name | Total | On reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois | Bay of Quinte Mohawk | 696 | 308 |
| Tuscarora | 2,004 | 957 | |
| Oneida | 1,878 | 737 | |
| Onondaga Clear Sky | 741 | 414 | |
| Bearfoot Onondaga | 565 | 233 | |
| Upper Cayuga | 3,256 | 1,388 | |
| Lower Cayuga | 3,367 | 2,133 | |
| Konadaha Seneca | 511 | 195 | |
| Niharondasa Seneca | 361 | 161 | |
| Lower Mohawk | 3,771 | 2,004 | |
| Walker Mohawk | 470 | 287 | |
| Upper Mohawk | 5,665 | 2,812 | |
| Algonquin | Delaware | 617 | 236 |
| total | 23,902 | 11,865 | |
The reserve has both a traditional Iroquois council of chiefs and an elected band council conforming to Canadian government requirements.
See also
- Caledonia land disputeCaledonia land disputeThe current Grand River land dispute came to wide attention in Canada on February 28, 2006. On that date, protesters from the Six Nations of the Grand River began a demonstration to raise awareness about First Nation land claims in Ontario, Canada...
- Grand RiverGrand River (Ontario)The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...
- Haldimand ProclamationHaldimand ProclamationThe Haldimand Proclamation was a decree that granted land to the Iroquois who had served on the British side during the American Revolution. The decree was issued by the Governor of the Province of Quebec, Frederick Haldimand, on October 25, 1784....