Q&A: How the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy came to be

Nearly 100 years ago, the federal government ordered a new governance system to replace the traditional forms of governance that Indigenous communities held for centuries — the effects of which are still felt and discussed today.

For the Six Nations, the most populous First Nation in Canada, the traditional form of governance didn't fade away. It exists separately as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that remains unrecognized by Ottawa.

A McMaster University professor and member of the Mohawk nation, Turtle clan, from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory recently shared his research on the impact of the order on Oct. 7, 1924, at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ont. 

Richard Monture spoke with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo in advance of that presentation. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What was the traditional governance system that existed before it was changed in 1924?

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy governance system is based on the Kaianere'kó:wa, the Great Law of Peace, established about 1,000 years ago in our traditional territories and what is now upstate New York.

It's a system based on matrilineal descent where the women, the clan mothers, chose our leaders. It's a long story as to how that whole system was conceived, developed and enacted. It's what's been called the oldest form of democracy, where leaders served the people, as opposed to the other way around, which is what happened in Europe at the time.

Q: We have spoken a few times with elected Chief Mark Hill from the Six Nations of the Grand River. Explain which form of government he leads.

He leads what is known as the elected council at Six Nations. That was the system that was put in place by Ottawa in 1924. 

There were a lot of things that led up to that particular moment when the overthrow happened. There were some members of Six Nations who were in favour of an elected system — it was a more progressive kind of modern system. It allowed bigger representation across the political body of the reserve. 

But it was always the one sanctioned by Ottawa under the Indian Act. It was always overseen by the Indian agent, like every First Nation, community and reserve in Canada at that time.

Q: How does this fit in with the bigger conversations around Truth and Reconciliation and the land back movement?

A: Our traditional governance system resonated with the founding fathers of the United States. They appropriated a lot of our images, a lot of our imagery. For example, the presidential seal of the United States has 13 arrows bound in its talons, that's one of the symbols that our people talked about when we first formed the Confederacy of Nations, the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.