The following letter has been sent to McGill’s McCord Museum
Re Exhibition:Wampum Beads of Diplomacy
MNN. Mar. 14, 2024.
WOMEN’S NOMINATION BELT
AUTHORIZES THE WOMEN TO NOMINATE AND GUIDE
THE MALE MEMBERS OF THEIR CLANS AND THE ROTINOSHONNI CONFEDERACY
From the kanien’keha:ka kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) Kahnawa:ke, Mohawk Territory kahnistensera@riseup.net
She:kon,
We are writing to inquire about the McCord Museum’s collection of Rotinonshon:ni belongings, particularly any wampum belts, beads, or strings that are either in storage or on display. We have also been made aware that many of our wampum presented as part of the McCord Museum’s “Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy” exhibit will be displaced to far-off institutions or into private possession. This is deeply concerning to us given as wampum are not material or cultural artworks of our people. You did not seek our permission to display these. They are inaccurate misrepresentations. We request they be returned immediately.
For example, the Teiohaha:te or “Two Row” wampum is an active, legally-binding treaty between two nations: the Rotinonshon:ni and the Dutch. The fabric of the Rotinonshon:ni Confederacy is made up of hundreds of wampum belts like this one, and as such this necessitates a constant practice of being in relation with them. It is impossible for our people to do so when our wampum are sitting in museums– whether that be in Canada or around the world– or in the hands of collectors, just gathering dust.
As Kahnistensera we are responsible for taking care of the land, and for taking care of the children of the past, present, and future and.making certain whoae wampum belts are available to our unborn children. It is also our duty to ensure that the Kaianereh’ko:wa or “Great Law of Peace” of the Rotinonshon:ni Confederacy is respected. It is with this understanding that we are reaching out to you. It is our hope that the McCord Museum, despite its historical lack of engagement with the original peoples of this land, the Onkwehonwe, is willing and able to engage in meaningful dialogue with us about our wampum.
We can be available as early as April 1st, 2024 for a meeting with you, whether that be in-person or online. If this works, then we suggest as a next step that we co-create an agenda for our meeting. Onen, Kahnistensera
Fats Domino Ready, sings about being willing and able. “Oh, well, I’m ready. I’m willing and I’m able to rock and roll. [repeat] Come on pretty baby. We gonna rock. We gonna roll until the broad daylight. Cause I’m ready. I’m willing and I’m able. You better come along with me. We gonna rock and roll til the morning about 3. Talking on the phone is not my kind of speed. Dont send me letters cause I can’t read. Don’t be long cause I’ll be gone cause I’m ready, I’m willing and able to rock and roll ….
In 2022, McGill University began on-site work at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) site, in service of the New Vic Project. They proposed the expansion project would facilitate “state-of-the-art research”; however, the McGill administration failed to complete a thorough survey of the area and investigate the possibility of unmarked graves from victims of medical experiments and malpractice on the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH). The harmful medical and burial practices that took place at the RVH, along with McGill’s involvement with the MK ULTRA experiments, were forms of violence that disproportionately affected Indigenous communities. In Oct. 2022, the Kanien’kéha:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) secured a Quebec Superior Court injunction to ensure a vigilant and culturally sensitive approach to unmarked graves. Taiaiake Alfred’s appointment as McGill’s Senior Policy Advisor in June 2023—which coincided with news of the Historic Human Remains Detection Dogs’ discovery of the scent of potential human remains on the RVH site—prompts scrutiny of the university’s commitment to Indigenous oversight.
Alfred works with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), a band council formed under the Indian Act. Attracting very few voters and little support in Kahnawake, the council operates far from the consensus mandated by the Longhouse’s traditional decision-making system. Traditionalists have widely criticized his work on a “new governance project” for the MCK as replacing their ancestral government with band council governance structures imposed by colonial powers. One such criticism is that many workshops associated with this system of leadership did not allow anyone over 35 to attend. Therefore, Alfred’s questionable vision of a new way of governance was shielded from the oversight and criticism of elders and has the potential to mislead younger generations. This problematizes his alignment with colonial structures and indicates concerning implications for Indigenous peoples and perspectives at McGill.
Alfred’s new role at McGill follows his controversial exit from the University of Victoria (UVic) amid accusations of a toxic environment in their Indigenous Governance program. When //Two Row Times// asked for a response to the allegations, Alfred, who regularly puts forward his U.S. Marine infantry veteran status, said “[I]f you’re asking me if I’m hyper-masculine, well, I’m Mohawk from Kahnawake.” This puzzling assertion raises concerns about his accountability, particularly given the matriarchal nature of Kanien’kéha:ka traditions and that the Kahnistensera are from Kahnawake.
As the Senior Policy Advisor, Alfred’s responsibilities include guiding Indigenous policy development at McGill. But his public history raises serious questions about his ability to represent the interests of Indigenous communities and students. Will Alfred’s appointment only ensure that Indigenous consultation aligns with McGill’s objectives?
Beyond the immediate concerns regarding the New Vic Project, McGill’s track record of sidelining Indigenous voices and resisting court-ordered oversight is abhorrent. Their ongoing defiance against the Kanien’kéha:ka Kahnistensera and their appeal against a court-ordered reinstatement of an archaeological panel reveals the hypocrisy of the administration’s stated dedication to ethical practices and Indigenous rights.
Over the past eight years, the Kahnistensera have engaged in a multi-layered struggle against McGill, the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), and others. Their legal battles, including their landmark injunction in Quebec Superior Court, showcase persistent efforts to protect unmarked graves around the former Royal Victoria Hospital. Despite court orders, McGill and SQI’s actions during archaeological investigations, including the disbanding of an independent expert panel of archaeologists, underscore this process’ lack of integrity.
The New Vic Project uses a destructive and denialist strategy to undermine the stories of survivors who witnessed and suffered the atrocities that occurred at the RVH site. McGill’’s actions suggest a pattern of prioritizing expansion over ethics, and Alfred’s role seems to be an attempt to legitimize disregard for valid Indigenous concerns and shield the university from rightful criticism.McGill must foster meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities on their own terms. Seeking validation that supports the administration’s opportunist agenda is unacceptable. The university must uphold basic principles of equity, justice, and respect for nature and end its support for toxic, patriarchal behaviours, and extractive practices. Let us seize this opportunity to honour the wisdom of the Great Law of Peace that guides the Mohawk Mothers and the land McGill occupies, and genuinely embark on a journey of reconciliation, unity, and collective well-being.”
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were right behind Richard Oakes and Jane Fonda when the hippie, peace, love movement started in 1964, based on the great law/kaianerekowa.Tthe hippies wanted to be free like the Indians.
Women’s Nomination Belt authorizes the women to nominate and
guide the male members of their clans and the Rotinoshonni Confederacy
MNN. Mar. 22, 2024. Time for “rematriation.” First of all, wampum belts are not agreements. They are broken promises. These are not “collections”. They are stolen objects. The images displayed at the McCord Museum of McGill University are meant to remind us of what the invaders had agreed to do in order to stay on our land, which they did not do. 0ur agreements are still on our minds. We are honest, practical and just have to think about them to remember their essence. Together our honesty will bring back our words and thoughts. Wampums encapsulate our principles. https://www.musee-mccord-stewart.ca/en/exhibitions/wampum-beads-diplomacy/
Cadwallader Colden, a writer in the American colonies in the mid 1700s, said about wampum: “Wampum is a system of memory and recall far more advanced than anything we have ever seen in Europe”. The fraudsters stole the wampum thinking it was money and now have it on display at McGill, telling utter lies about wampum. We wonder how much money McGill paid for the stolen wampum. They can never take away our memory. Our message will never be diminished.
An elder from eastern turtle island said the wampum between his people and the Vatican were the “Keys to heaven! Canada is a Christian country”. This is not possible as only we indigenous people belong to the land and no one else. The foreigners said that, “Someone higher than us has to settle our differences”. We are always ready to settle up with the colonialists. ‘They throw the French language in our Faces so we don’t understand what they are saying. The elder’s people agreed to let the church build missions in five of their communities. He said, “Miraculously, we agreed!”.
The women made the belts because they have the duty of peace. They appoint the male leaders. McGill interprets that the straight line in the middle of the wampum was the rule to govern! This is contrary to our sovereignty. If colonial settlers think they have any power, they better watch out for the massive truths that will soon be rolling out and the kaianerekowa, the great peace, will apply. Ready or not, here we come!
The meanings of the wampum were not part of the display. When we get them back we will read them properly and debunk the false narrative of our opponents. We have no judges as we are mainly concerned about whether we are violating our earth mother and the sun that helps her give us life.
Canada says they want a new relationship with us so they can figure out how to break them just like before. These belts at McGill are mostly agreements between church and state while keeping us as bystanders. They broke every promise they ever made to us. All belts have to be traced to the source people who made them, otherwise they are clearly stolen. They bought them off a thief. Now McGill is taking care of stolen goods, including our lands and resources, plus the meanings. They should immediately hand over the booty to us right now. The beading displayed can be interpreted to mean anything they want. To many settler colonialists all over the world our wampum were valuable objects of fashion by people they killed off and use as symbols of status. They were taken right off the dead bodies of those they murdered throughout turtle island and then sold them. They wanted to have a souvenir to hang on their wall to remind them of murdering us. They did not lift a finger to stop the slaughter so they can have this.
The Mohawk Mothers have offered to meet with the McCord Museum, which is on kanienkehaka Mohawk land, to discuss the return of indigenous property at 11.00 am. on April 1, 2024.
The problem is that McGill curators make up meanings such as “the white shells are eating the purple shells! White beads win over war or death!” Most of the thousands of wampums on display have no descriptions. The criminals say they cannot be returned to us because they don’t know who they stole them from. The thieves do not get to keep theml Give us all our property right now. They admit they stole them. McGill, return all the wampum to the MohawkMohers of Kahnawake and they will find the original owners. McGill needs to explain why there is no depth analysis for each belt. Why is information being deliberately left out. The belts look lonely and misunderstood like they want to come home.
Notably, in an alcove at the museum are displayed with great honor paintings of the Sisters of Providence who were in charge of the “Pig Sty Cemetary” where thousands of non-native and native children who were kidnapped by them, many at birth, taken to St. Jeanne de Dieu Hospital to be mistreated, sold, sent to McGill ‘s Allan Memorial Institute to be experimented upon. They either died or were sent back to the nuns, who disposed of them by chopping them up and making the other children feed their remains to the pigs. A nun told the story to an inquiry.
The only depiction in the exhibit of indigenous is showing three men sprawled around their tent dead drunk. But they did not have any of the drunken white men brawling on the streets of Montreal. This is McGill cheap shot to portray a deplorable image they have always tried to reinforce as their stereotype of us.
McGill ignores the Longhouse people and natural kanienkehaka who are the majority of the indigenous people. Government of Canada want band councils to interpret for them, who have no authority to speak for us. Only original people have that knowledge. Band members are a creation of Canada. These traitors have forfeited their birthrights when they went into the Canadian system, who have a huge bias against us. We will never ever say anything good about Canada, the church, the band councils and all the institutions responsible for benefitting from the genocide.
Everyone has their own way of talking. Like Robbie Robertson said, we all got a song: God gave us each a song.Thats how we know who we are. Everyone has a song. We have come. Beat the drum. The land trembles with dancing. We have come. Bang the drum. Making a noise in this world. Making a noise in this world. You can bet your ass. It won’t go quietly. Making a noise in this world. I don’t want your promise. i don’t want your whisky. I don’t want your blood on my hands. I want only what belongs to me. I think you thought I was gone. i think you thought I was dead. You won’t admit it that you was wrong. Ain’t there some shit that should have been said. Making a noise in this world. Making a noise in this world.
“Making A Noise In This World”_500 Nations United_Robbie Robertson
Symposium – Around the wampums: stories and perspectives – Day 1
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