Johnny Hawke 620 Awenda Park Rd Amik Council Fire 705 529 5653 ojibwayrebel@gmail.com
Beausoleil First Nation Chief and Council 11 Ogema Miikaan Christian Island, ON L9M 0A9 705 247 2120
Mike Armstrong Awenda Park Superintendent 620 Concession 18 East Tiny On P.O Box 5004, L9M 2G2 705 549 2231
Monday July 8, 2019
Re: Amik Council Fire’s Intentions in Awenda Provincial Park
Aahniin/Greetings I am writing you today to formally make first contact and summarize the history and intentions of the Anishinabek Sovereignty Encampments that have reoccupied traditional territory of the Wendat and Chippewas of Lake Huron and Simcoe that Ontario’s Awenda Provincial Park has been caring for and managing since 1975. After the 1600 Beaver Wars between the Haudenosaunee, Wendat, Anishinabek influenced by European colonists our Confederacy’s developed a series of peace and alliance treaties through Wampum Belts. These Agreements known as the Dish with One Spoon, Ojibway Friendship Belt, 1701 Great Peace of Montreal, Western Great Lakes Confederacy Belt established an alliance and resolved territorial issues among our Nations where 5 Anishinabek Council Fires were affirmed and acknowledged. These Council Fires stretch from what is known today as the Credit River to Sault Ste Marie where this area is one of those Council Fires known as the Amik Council Fire.
The 1795 Penetanguishene Purchase where the British Crown wanted access to Georgian Bay petitioned 5 Clan Chiefs for use of Penetang Bay for military use. This Agreement evident through oral history, historical documents and etchings on a large granite rock located in the park inform that the lands in question including a plot of land where the current CNCC and Waypoint were lands not to be ceded within Crown Treaty Number 5.
Three members of Beausoleil First Nation who self identify and assert themselves by their Clans have been occupying lands in the park have constructed a cabin and hosted gatherings since 2012 and have not been removed by the Park. The current encampment that has shut off access to the main entrance of the park is under the same collective and is working with and taking direction from a Clan Mother, Elizabeth Brass Elson who is working with 13 other Clan Mothers and a grassroots working group of Beausoleil First Nation Members.
In Assertion of Anishinabek Title and Jurisdiction through our Clan System the One Dish One Spoon Treaty, Ojibway Friendship Belt, 1701 Great Peace of Montreal, 1704 Queen Anne’s Constitutional Order regarding Mohegan Tribe vs Connecticut, 1763 Royal Proclamation, 1764 Niagara Covenant Chain Belt declare our intentions of currently holding ground at our current encampment are to:
– Holding Ground and Creating a Respectable Presence in current Encampment – Organize Family heads to reestablish Traditional Clan Governance System and Amik Council Fire
– Provide Educational Workshops, Healing Circles, Gatherings and Ceremonies – Establishing an immediate Working Relationship with the Park Authorities and Province
– Taking Steps to develop a Partnership Agreement between the Park, Province and rightful Title Holders represented by the Amik Council Fire
– Construction of a Cultural Centre/Governance Lodge
– Transferring Title of Lands in question back to Amik Council Fire
– Organizing against Federal Policies and Land Claim Settlements that breach said Fundamental Nation to Nation Agreements that are extinguishing our Inherit Rights and Indigenous Title to our Traditional Territories.
We are asking that you respect our space of our current encampments and in the spirit of such Nation to Nation agreements and reconciliation extend a hand out in peace to work together to address such historic injustice and our intentions. We have documentation and research of our position of the lands in question that has the potential to open up an issue of a much larger scale regarding the validity of such Pre Confederation Treaties.
Michael Swinwood a well established Lawyer devoted to Indigenous Sovereignty, Title and Inherit Rights is now representing us and we have support from a growing number of Indigenous and Settler Communities. We will contact Park Representatives when we are ready to sit and discuss further steps.
In the Spirit of a Nation to Nation Relationship, Kaikaikons, Amik Dodem (Johnny Hawk)
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