"Woman will be on her own in her tax fight with Brantford"

By Jim Windle, SIX NATIONS

Is the Johnson Tract still unceded Haudenosaunee land or not? If so, why are Haudenosaunee people paying taxes to the municipality of Brant­ford to live on it? These are questions Six Nations' Lisa VanEvery went to Confederacy Council with last Saturday. After giving her presentation, the only response she got was to go to the HDI and discuss the matter with them.

VanEvery did just that on Monday, but came out of her meeting with more questions than she had when she went in.

She was advised to register her land with the HDI and fill out a Haudenosaunee Certificate of Responsibility.

VanEvery went to the Longhouse and the HDI with the hope of getting someone to back her as she begins her battle with Brantford over being taxed on unceded Haudenosaunee land.

There were mixed signals right off the hop for VanEvery after she began to read the material given her by the HDI explaining their land registry system.

"I read in the document they gave me that the certificate of responsibility is 'granted by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, the HCCC,'" she says. "But the application itself says it is from the Haudenosaunee Land Registry Six Nations 'Iroquois' Confederacy, Grand River Country."

She wonders if they are, in fact, the same entity, legally, since the documents do not carry the same name.

"So, who is it I am registering with, the HCCC or the HLRSNICGRC," she asks.

The explanation sheet VanEvery was given also states that the Certificate of Responsibility "may be amended or revoked by the HCCC" under certain circumstances.

"So what if I sign this and they make some decision to change what it is I signed?" she wonders. "Because my name is on it, am I now expected to live up to whatever amendment they decide to put in place somewhere down the road?"

She also wonders if the land she is registering would be tied to the certificate. If so, would the HCCC now have control over that land too?

"I didn't go there to have more rules and regulations put on me," she said.

But the biggest disappointment is a clause that relieves the HCCC from any responsibilities should VanEvery face legal charges or is evicted for not paying taxes on land she and the Confederacy believes to still belong to Six Nations. And more personally, land

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that her grandfather's grandfather was born on in the mid 1800's.

Which means, if she decided to fight the issue based on the belief that the Six Nations never gave that tract of land up, neither the HDI nor the HCCC would support her in any tangible way in a possible court action. In other words, she'd be completely on her own with or without signing the certificate of responsibility.

"So what am I getting by signing this certificate," she asks. "I don't need to sign any certificate to be responsible to the land. If they won't fight with me, what's the sense?"

VanEvery knows she could be evicted should she pursue her challenge to the city not to pay any tax on her home as an Haudenosaunee woman living on Haudenosaunee land.

As with most things, the devil is in the details and so far anyway, VanEvery is being devilled by the lack of detail in the application form she has been advised to sign by the HDI.

There are still a lot of questions that I have," VanEvery said. "I am showing this document they (the HDI) gave me to some people here in the community to get their opinion on it before I sign anything."

There may be perfectly acceptable answers to her questions, but her immediate response is, "I went to ask the Chiefs to stand with me if I challenge this tax issue, (which is listed on their eight points of jurisdiction)," she said. "And what I get is a document saying they will not fight for me should I be evicted or any litigation be put against me by the city."

She may change her mind with some of these important questions answered, but for now, she is disappointed and may soon seek support from the Elected Council instead.

"This isn't just about me," she says. "If I can win this challenge, it could effect as many as 2,500 Onkwehon:we people currently living on un­ceded land in Brantford and Brant."

VanEvery has not met with Brantford City Council about this matter, as reported in another publication, but has only had a casual conversation with one city councillor about it.