On January 7th, HRNABrantford sent a letter to Six Nations 56th Elected Band Council Chief, Ava Hill. The letter was sent to open a discussion about the source of Band Councils empowerment.
I had a chance to hear Ava Hill speak at the AFN meeting on December 9, 2014 where the panel discussed the need for change and restructuring the AFN. During the discussion a young man named
Clifford Sinclair took the opportunity to ask the panel “How can I expect you to fight for my rights if you’re not empowered by me and by the people?”
Ava Hill encouraged the chiefs in the room to take the issue back to their communities for discussion. In sending my letter to the Office of Chief we asked two questions that we believe help foster this discussion in a local environment to be better prepared to address the restructuring of the AFN.
In Part, Recently I have written and published letters to the city of Brantford to address this issue; these two questions are not designed to create any confusion. The two questions have been chosen to clarify the nature and limits of your delegation of authority, to which, directly effects the enjoyment of certain constitutions, treaties and historical alignments.
1) Do you represent the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk)?
2) Do Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) qualify to vote in the Canadian Elections?
On January 12th I received an acknowledgement to the letter. This is a great way to initiate the local discussion on how the AFN and Band Council may be empowered and by whom.
Link to correspondence scribd.com