"Fascinating History Relived at Powwow"

The Six Nations Reserve, now known as The Six Nations of the Grand River, located 15 miles southeast of Brantford, is the only reserve in North America that has each of the Iroquois Nations represented: Mohawk Nation - People of the Flint; Onondaga Nation, People of the Hills; Seneca Nation - People of the Great Mountain; Cayuga Nation - People of the Great Pipe; Oneida Nation - People of the Standing Stone; and Tuscarora Nation - People of the Shirt.

Statistics show the Six Nations as the largest native community in Canada with a population of approximately 8,000 and a total membership of of over 12,000.

When the Europeans first encountered the Iroquois nation, probably in the 1500s, there were approximately 10,000 inhabiting the New York State region. This large linguistic group, or the Five Nations, was composed of Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga and Cayuga each with their own dialect and individual customs but sharing the common bond or belief in the teachings of Deganawidah and Hiawatha.

These teachings urged the five tribes to cease warring among themselves and found the Iroquois Confederacy or the League of Peace. This highly developed political organization has been well respected in the world and was used as the model for the United States government and the United Nations.

In approximately 1712, the Tuscarora Indians joined the Confederacy to make it the Six Nations Confederacy.

At the beginning of the American Revolution, the league established an official policy of neutrality, but eventually both the British and Americans instituted methods to enlist Iroquois military support.

Joseph Brant, or Thayendanagea, the Mohawk Indian Chief, fought for the British for the duration of the war. Five years after the Americans won their independence in 1776, Joseph Brant, along with 1,600 Iroquois, began their emigration to Upper Canada where they had been promised land by the British Crown to replace lands lost as a result of their allegiance. They received a tract of land along the Grand River extending six miles on either side of the river from its mouth to its source, consisting of 647,910 acres. This tract of land was legally recognized by the British Crown on October 26, 1784 with the signing of the Haldimand Deed.

By 1828, two-thirds of the original tract of land was lost through land sales, land leases and squatter's rights. By 1830, more land had been lost and the Confederacy along with the Colonial government were fearful of not possessing enough land to accomodate the Iroquois population. As a result, on January 18, 1841 the Confederacy surrendered the remaining land to the British government, and the following year this land became the Six Nations reserve.

Today the Six Nations community offers tourists the opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge of the Iroquois history and culture. Relive the history of the people as you visit Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks and the Woodland Indian Cultural Educational Centre. Enjoy unique and beautiful art and crafts in an authentic Iroquois craftshop.

The annual Six Nations Indian Pageant, an outdoor theatre production based on Six Nations history, is being held August 5 and 6, 12 and 13 and 19 and 20.

This Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy North America's finest traditional dancers in exhibition and competition at the Grand River Champion of Champions Powwow.