The Grand River

"This collection of poems presents an unconventional way of thinking about the history and ecology of the Grand River watershed (Ontario)."--

If one seeks to understand Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) history, one must consider the history of Haudenosaunee land. For countless generations prior to European contact, land and territory informed Haudenosaunee thought and philosophy, and was a primary determinant of Haudenosaunee identity. In The Clay We Are Made Of, Susan M. Hill presents a revolutionary retelling of the history of the Grand River Haudenosaunee from their Creation Story through European contact to contemporary land claims negotiations. She incorporates Indigenous theory, Fourth world post-colonialism, and Amerindian autohistory, along with Haudenosaunee languages, oral records, and wampum strings to provide the most comprehensive account of the Haudenosaunee’s relationship to their land. Hill outlines the basic principles and historical knowledge contained within four key epics passed down through Haudenosaunee cultural history. She highlights the political role of women in land negotiations and dispels their misrepresentation in the scholarly canon. She guides the reader through treaty relationships with Dutch, French, and British settler nations, including the Kaswentha/Two-Row Wampum (the precursor to all future Haudenosaunee-European treaties), the Covenant Chain, the Nanfan Treaty, and the Haldimand Proclamation, and concludes with a discussion of the current problematic relationships between the Grand River Haudenosaunee, the Crown, and the Canadian government.

Renowned for its recreational paddling opportunities, water quality, cultural heritage and fishing, the Grand River offers paddling trips for both novice and experienced paddlers. Whether you are interested in a two-hour trip or a five-day excursion, this newly updated guide has everything you need. It includes full colour maps displaying access points, portages, and points of interest; details on local sights fishing, accommodation, parking, outfitters, and suppliers; and aerial photos showing portages around dams and coordinates for GPS navigation. With updates by guide Jamie Kent, Paddling the Grand River is now better than ever.

The Haudenosaunee, more commonly known as the Iroquois or Six Nations, have been one of the most widely written-about Indigenous groups in the United States and Canada. But seldom have the voices emerging from this community been drawn on in order to understand its enduring intellectual traditions. Rick Monture’s We Share Our Matters offers the first comprehensive portrait of how the Haudenosaunee of the Grand River region have expressed their long struggle for sovereignty in Canada. Drawing from individualsas diverse as Joseph Brant, Pauline Johnson and Robbie Robertson, Monture illuminates a unique Haudenosaunee world view comprised of three distinct features: a spiritual belief about their role and responsibility to the earth; a firm understanding of their sovereign status as a confederacy of independant nations; and their responsibility to maintain those relations for future generations. After more than two centuries of political struggle Haudenosaunee thought has avoided stagnant conservatism and continues to inspire ways to address current social and political realities.

7. Haudenosaunee/Ohswekenhró:non Interventions in Settler Colonialism -- Land -- Political Difference -- Knowing -- Epilogue: Hypervisible Settler Colonial Terrains and Remembering a Haudenosaunee Future -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

This volume traces the history of the Indians in the Grand River Valley from the first written record in 1627 until the middle of the nineteenth century. Much of the book is devoted to the Six Nations Indians who, dispossessed of their homes in the Mohawk River Valley because of their allegiance to the British cause during the American War of Independence, were granted lands on the Grand River in Ontario after the war. From this grant arose many problems—the Indians' right to sell their land, the difficulties of such sales, their transition from a fur to an agricultural economy, the position of the Six Nations in the War of 1812 and the Rebellion of 1837, and the adjustment of the Indians to a European way of life, religion, and education. All of this is told in the words of the missionaries, travellers, army officers, government officials and settlers, as well as in the vigorous letters and speeches of the Indians themselves. (Ontario Series of the Champlain Society, Volume 7)

The Grand River, winding for nearly 300 kilometres through southwestern Ontario, is a Heritage River, its watershed rich in prehistoric, historical and contemporary features. It is important in the history of First Peoples, and the story of European settlement along its banks is a microcosm of that in Canada as a whole. The watershed contains many treasures, such as part of the Carolinian Forest, some of the best farmland in Canada, the spectacular Elora Gorge and a wealth of historic architecture. Far more than that, the Grand is both uniquely itself and also typical of many of the planet’s rivers in the challenges it faces: issues of water management, farmland versus urban development, exploitation of natural resources and restoration of a polluted environment. Each of us lives in a watershed, and this is the story of our world. In the images and words of two artists, The Grand River explores the river’s history, beginning with its formation after the end of the last Ice Age. The book gives insight into the private life of a river—the dialogue of land and water—as well as the ways in which a river interacts with humans, vegetation, wildlife, weather and the planet. It takes the reader on an imaginary journey from the Grand’s first drop of moving water at the source to the point where it flows into Lake Erie.