Crafting Decision Making at Confederacy Council

The Great Law is a Law of Peace, not money. Our obligation is to respect and protect the Earth, not sell its gifts off to the highest bidder.

The Law of Consensus, as we say in Onondaga, Skae wah, the pillar of Gayenesagohna ,The Great Law,  must include the voice of everyone. At this time it does not. Disregard for Council protocol and the Great Law continues through devious maneuvers at Council and by HDI such as:

1. The Great Law states that a candidate for Chief must have a Haudenosaunee mother. Despite this concern and in the absence of Honawiyeti(Murray Henhawk); Howard Elijah, a man with an Anishnabec mother was condoled as an Oneida Chief.  (coincidentally a strong HDI supporter receiving honoraria fr. HDI) For the background on this, in 1982, the Oneidas wanted to stand up Bruce Elijah (Howard’s brother) as Oneida Chief. At that time Honawiyeti, (who is responsible to ensure that Council protocol is followed) advised Council that Bruce was ineligible because his mother was Anishnabec. Council agreed and respectfully declined to stand up Bruce Elijah based on the Great Law directive.
2. Allan MacNaughton is not a legitimate Mohawk Chief; a fact which was previously confirmed in writing and presented at Council by HCCC. Yet despite never being officially condoled by Council AND despite that he does not have a properly selected and condoled Clan Mother, but receives his direction from his sister who is a self-declared never condoled Clan Mother, He is still permitted to pretend to be a Chief with the full speaking privileges, responsibilities and all the social accolades of such (incidentally also a spokesperson for HDI and receiving honoraria/paid by HDI). HOWEVER;
3. Despite being selected through the proper Clan process by condoled Clan Mothers, using selection criteria of Great Law protocol; 3 Chiefs representing 3 Clan Families, have not been condoled and given a voice or authority to speak or conduct themselves as Chiefs at Council. (3 Clans that had expressed concerns about HDI)
4. Interference in the business of another Clan Family when at Council in July 2016, HCCC circumvented Great Law protocol by going over the heads of the Cayuga Wolf Clan and reinstated a borrowed Clan Mother (sympathetic to HDI) who had previously been removed to allow for the selection of a permanent Cayuga Wolf Clan Mother.
5. Creating a separate “council of the willing” chiefs and others who act outside the Great Law and conspire to influence the HCCC community and promote the objectives of the HDI to sell out our rights and responsibility to the land in exchange for money.
6. Disregarding Haudenosaunee sovereign authority by submitting to Canadian Business and Government policies, by establishing HCCC within Canadian Law as a Corporate Structure. (violation of Two Row Wampum)
7. Submitting to and paying to a Canadian Court, fines imposed on HDI and its Lawyer, from HCCC
8. Violating the collective responsibility of the people to uphold and protect the land (violation of the Great Law and of the original mandate of HDI from 2006.
9. Allowing a paid lawyer to operate outside of his role in directing Chiefs, Clan Mothers, Benchwarmers and others on their role within Confederacy Council proceedings.
10. Presenting proposals and discussing business after adjournment of Council and despite no quorum to allow business to continue.

Without Honawiyeti in place to ensure objectivity in decision making, to follow proper protocol and to remind the people of their obligations under the Great Law; HDI and its lawyer take advantage to further their business pursuits and manufacture a bastardized version of consensus.

HDI supporters complain to those expressing their concerns that if you want a voice you need to physically attend each and every Confederacy Council meeting. If that is the case then those decisions made at Council should only apply to those who attended each and every meeting of Council.

The Great Law lays out a process through each and every Clan for the voice of the people to be heard and this is the process that needs to be respected, nourished and encouraged for everyone to feel included and validated.

Creating a parallel version of Band Council and Calling it the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (inc.) does nothing but undermine the true Sovereign position of the true and original government of the people.

Sagoyesatah

Ken Hill, Onondaga Beaver Clan