The six nations of grand river territory's: Attempts at renewing international political relationships, 1921-1924

• Published in: Canadian foreign policy journal Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 29 - 43
• Main Author: Belanger, Yale D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; French
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2007; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: American Indians; Canada; Councils; Diplomacy; Equal rights; International agreements; International Organizations; International Relations; Interwar Period; Political alliances; Political systems; Politics; Sovereignty
• ISSN: 1192-6422; 2157-0817
• DOI: 10.1080/11926422.2007.9673441

Citing treaties with England and the Netherlands acknowledging its sovereignty, the Six Nations of Grand River Territory in the 1920s publicly proclaimed its community a nation trapped within a nation. Using the recently established League of Nations as his catalyst, Six Nations spokesperson Levi General Deskaheh contacted the representatives of member countries to remind them of their obligations as treaty signatories while simultaneously seeking an audience with the League's general council. The theme of renewal is apparent in Deskaheh's actions: he believed past treaty relationships with Britain and the Netherlands could be renewed, thereby affirming Six Nations sovereignty. His actions also represent the first time that an Indian leader in Canada chose to forgo political interface with Canadian representatives in favour of petitioning a newly formed international body to act as political and cultural mediator. Deskaheh and the Six Nations' approach preceded by several decades the creation of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations and the James Bay Cree international lobby efforts of the late twentieth century that halted hydroelectric development threatening their homelands.