The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909

A Summary Statement on Behalf of the Haudenosaunee People

Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force
To be delivered at the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 Centennial Celebration in Niagara Falls, NY

June 13, 2009

Greetings to all of the people gathered here. We are thankful for your safe arrival and we wish everyone a safe and happy celebration. In honor of the "sharing the waters" theme expressed here today, we felt it was our responsibility to share an indigenous perspective on the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, and to offer some suggestions on how to work together for the future.

# 1- Water is the lifeblood of Mother Earth. At any gathering of the people, we have been instructed to turn our minds to the waters. The many forms of water quench our thirst and provide us with strength. Water is life- Awe awete. The people gathered here are of one mind on this universal concept.

#2- We, the Haudenosaunee People, are still dependent on the waters of the Great Lakes as were our ancestors thousands of years ago. We depend on them for our ceremonies and our way of life. We will work together to make sure future generations will be able to drink, swim and fish in these waters in another thousand years.

#3- Water is not a commodity and does not belong to any person or place. It is wrong for people and their governments to assume they have ownership or title to the waters. Our only concern should be to make sure the waters can fulfill their responsibility to the rest of Creation, as instructed by the Creator.

#4- We were neither notified nor consulted on the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 at the time of its inception. The Treaty was ratified without concern to existing Treaties made between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Dutch, the United States, and Great Britain. International law maintains that Haudenosaunee rights to the use of water feeding and bordering our lands are paramount over other users of the same water source.

#5- The Haudenosaunee Confederacy has never accepted the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States and Canada over the waters of Mother Earth as established in Article Two of the Boundary Waters Treaty. The treaty is merely another piece of legislation which has dispossessed the Haudenosaunee of their rights to international waters.

#6 – Indigenous Nations affected by this Treaty must be included in decisions affecting their riparian rights, water withdrawals, and restoration. At a minimum, we insist the International Joint Committee, established by the Treaty, appoint at least one Native Commissioner to represent native interests and communities.

Thank you for your attention on this important issue. This statement is available at the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force table.

Ohahonkohton, Director, Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force