Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ; Mohawk: Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehà:ka; ) are a Mohawk community within Hastings County, Ontario. They control the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, which is a Officially in the Mohawk language, the community is called Kenhtè:ke, which means "on the bay" (from Mohawk kénhte "bay", which is also the origin of the word "Quinte"). The Cayuga name is Tayęda:ne:gęˀ or Detgayę:da:negęˀ, 'land of two logs'. The nation's band number is 164.

Overview

The territory of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ), represent one of the largest First Nations territories in Ontario.

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory has ties to the birthplace of the Great Peacemaker, Dekanahwideh, who was instrumental in the bringing together the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca into the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, according to Kayanesenh Paul Williams, a Six Nations lawyer and author.

The traditional land of the MBQ, which was much more vast that the current territory, was based on a variation of the traditional Mohawk name of Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea, which means "two pieces of fire wood beside each other". on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario, Canada, east of Belleville and immediately to the west of the township of Deseronto.

History

Following the American Revolution, the Mohawk, who were allies of the British Crown, lost their traditional homelands in the Mohawk Valley of what became New York state, when they were forced to cede their lands following the defeat of the British. As compensation for their allegiance, the Crown offered them unsettled land in Upper Canada. A group of Mohawk led by John Deseronto selected the Bay of Quinte because it was said to be the birthplace of Tekanawita, one of the founders of the Iroquois Confederacy in the 12th century. The majority of the Mohawk followed Joseph Brant to the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in what has become the province of Ontario.

On May 22, 1784, the group of 20 Mohawk families (between 100 and 125 people) arrived at Tyendinaga. Nine years later, the Tyendinaga tract of land was officially set aside under Crown Treaty 3½, signed on April 1, 1793, by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe and thereafter known as the 'Simcoe Deed'. This tract of land, measuring was legally accepted by the British Crown, and subsequently by the Upper Canada government. During the period from 1820 to 1843, the Mohawk lost two-thirds of the treaty lands of the Simcoe Deed.

Land claims

thumb|200px|left|<small>Land Claim—to the right of the green space—covers the south of Tyendinaga area and most of Deseronto.</small>In 1995 the MBQ filed a claim on an area which covers 923 acres of land surrounding the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory area, which included most of the land upon which the township of Deseronto has been built. In 2003, the federal government entered into initial land claims negotiations on the Culbertson Tract land claim.

The claim is based on Loyalist settlers allegedly acquiring Mohawk traditional land illegally, during the period from 1820 to 1843, resulting in the loss of the majority of the land from the Simcoe Treaty. Research and documentation has shown that these terms and conditions may not have been followed at Tyendinaga. The Township created a "Catalogue of Culbertson Tract Land Claim documents collection" in its archives. Chief Don Maracle renewed a call for negotiations to continue in 2011, following a period of stagnation. A symposium entitled "The Land that Supports our Feet", was held in Belleville in 2013 which was well-attended.

In June 2013, Justice Rennie of the Federal Court of Canada ruled in Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte v. Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development), that expropriation is one of several viable alternatives available to the government under the law.

Long-term Drinking Water Advisories (DWA)

The Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte have been under a Drinking Water Advisory since 2008, "due to fecal, bacterial and algae contaminations". During a drought in the area, many of the groundwater wells—upon which they had depended—went completely dry.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, supply chains from manufacturers were disrupted, resulting in an increase in the water main project from about $8.1 million to $18.2 million. In December 2020, the federal government had announced new funding of $16.7 million to "cover the cost of extending the water mains" from the township of Deseronto and the MBQ's own water-treatment plants which will then be able to serve five areas in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

This funding supports the final phase in the "multi-phase project to improve access to safe drinking water for the MBQ community. The federal government and the First Nation invested a combined total of $18.2 million towards the project, which will "ultimately lift five long-term drinking water advisories in the community". This final phase has been contracted out to Gordon Barr Limited, who began construction work in December 2020. The new water mains will link the MBQ's and Deseronto's water treatment plant, thereby connecting "86 existing homes and several of the community's semi-public buildings". On December 4, 2017, Council adopted a motion 'to approve to adopt the First Nations Election Act [FNEA] regulations for the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in 2019', but Council has not officially adopted a custom election code or opted into the FNEA as of December 2018.

Current Council

Chief

  • R. Donald Maracle

Councillors

  • Carl "Ted" Maracle
  • Josh Hill
  • Stacia Loft
  • Chris Maracle

Government history

From the start, the government of the Mohawk community at the Bay of Quinte consisted of a council of chiefs selected following Haudenosaunee democratic tradition. When the Mohawks first came to the Bay of Quinte, they were led by Captain John Deserontyon, and he was then the first leader of the community. Between the time of the landing in 1784 and Captain John's death in 1811, the government consisted of so-called "community chiefs," "war chiefs," and Captain John himself, who was considered the "headman." All functions of government went through Captain John, and as such the finer points of the government structure are unclear, for instance how many chiefs made up the council.

Upon Captain John's death in 1811, there is evidence from external correspondence with other governments that six chiefs may have led the community in the early 1800s. Extant documents from the 1820s and 1830s include signatures from groups of four chiefs, five chiefs, and six chiefs. In 1835, with the conversion of over 60 community members to Methodism and their subsequent exodus to the Grand River, the number of chiefs on the Quinte Mohawk council was reduced by two, resulting in a council size of four, referred to as "the old chiefs," Brant Brant, Powles Claus, Joseph Pinn, and one other. named two men as councillors, and the community chose three other men to be on council—resulting in a council of five. The only one of the "old chiefs" on this 1858 council was Powles Claus. The following year, Visiting Superintendent W. R. Bartlett again named two men to council (Powles Claus and Thomas Claus), while three men were elected by the community (Seth W. Hill, John Loft, and William Maracle). Ultimately, the Superintendent called an end to widespread community-internal elections between 1860 and 1870, claiming that "they're a great deal of trouble, and much ill feeling was caused by the intemperance and excitement." Seth W. Hill was removed from council for intemperance in 1860, and replaced at an election by William J. W. Hill. In 1863, John Loft was dismissed from council also due to intemperance, but was not replaced, leaving a council of four. In 1866, the last remaining of the four "old chiefs" Powles Claus died, reducing the council further to three. Historical evidence indicates that the community had selected Seth Powless to replace the old chief, but he was a controversial figure and not accepted by the whole community—some thought he had "made himself" a chief, though historical evidence is inconclusive.

{| class="wikitable"

! style="background:#ddf; width:220px;" |Candidate for Chief

! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;" |Vote

! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;" | %

|-

|R. Donald Maracle

|908

|89.02%

|-

|Karoniakeshon (Andrew C.) Miracle

|69

|6.76%

|-

|Rejected

|43

|4.22%

|-

|Total

|1020

|100.00%

|-

|Registered/turnout

|

|

|}

{| class="wikitable"

! style="background:#ddf; width:220px;" |Candidate for Councillor

! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;" |Vote

! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;" | %

|-

|Carl (Ted) Maracle

|629

|61.67%

|-

|Josh Hill

|599

|58.73%

|-

|Stacia Loft

|597

|58.53%

|-

|Chris Maracle

|587

|57.55%

|-

|Erin Leigh Ferrante

|551

|54.02%

|-

|Kurtis (Chip) Brant

|484

|47.45%

|-

|Manson Loft

|208

|20.39%

|-

|Rejected

|14

|1.37%

|-

|Total

|1020

|100.00%

|-

|Registered/turnout

|

|}

2019 Band Council election

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Chief

!Name of Candidate for Chief

!Total votes Received

!Percentage

|-

|R. Donald Maracle

|650

|65

|-

|Stacia Loft

|290

|29

|-

|Balin "Spiderman" Hill

|33

|3

|-

|Karoniakeshon (Andrew C.) Miracle

|22

|2

|-

|Total

|995

|100

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Councillors

!Name of Candidate for Councillor

!Total votes Received

|-

|Josh Hill

|714

|-

|Carl "Ted" Maracle

|665

|-

|Kelly "Brant" Maracle

|649

|-

|Linda Laween

|593

|-

|Christopher M Maracle

|537

|}

2017 Band Council election

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Chief

!Name of Candidate for Chief

!Total votes Received

!Percentage

|-

|R. Donald Maracle

|726

|84.7

|-

|Brenda Green-Edwards

|106

|12.4

|-

|Balin "Spiderman" Hill

|25

|2.9

|-

|Total

|857

|100

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Councillors

!Name of Candidate for Councillor

!Total votes Received

|-

|Josh Hill

|505

|-

|Carl "Ted" Maracle

|396

|-

|Debra Vincent

|379

|-

|Stacia Loft

|371

|-

|Christopher M Maracle

|370

|-

|Kelly "Brant" Maracle

|333

|-

|Kathleen Brant

|278

|-

|Curtis Maracle

|248

|-

|Manson Loft

|201

|-

|Melissa Rose Anne Maracle

|136

|-

|Glen "Smoke" Maracle

|132

|}

2015 Band Council election

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Chief

!Name of Candidate for Chief

!Total votes Received

!Percentage

|-

|R. Donald Maracle

|819

|81.0

|-

|Barbara Francis Brant

|115

|11.4

|-

|Andrew Clifford "Karoniakeshon" Miracle

|58

|5.7

|-

|Balin Hill

|19

|1.9

|-

|Total Valid Ballots Cast

|1011

|100

|-

|Number of Rejected Ballots Cast

|76

| --

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Councillors

!Name of Candidate for Councillor

!Total votes Received

!Percentage

|-

|Carl "Ted" Maracle

|505

|47.2

|-

|Debra "Deb" Vincent

|440

|41.1

|-

|Douglas E. Maracle

|433

|40.5

|-

|Stacia Loft

|426

|39.8

|-

|Josh Hill

|392

|36.6

|-

|Barry D. Brant

|365

|34.1

|-

|Chris Maracle

|291

|27.2

|-

|Blaine Loft

|269

|25.1

|-

|Pam "Maracle" Detlor

|222

|20.1

|-

|Barbara Francis Brant

|150

|14.0

|-

|Jim McMurter

|142

|13.3

|-

|Keith Sero

|142

|13.3

|-

|Cindy Thompson

|127

|11.9

|-

|Catherine Hill

|97

|9.0

|-

|Dewayne Maracle

|84

|7.9

|-

|Total Valid Ballots Cast

|1070

|100

|-

|Number of Rejected Ballots Cast

|17

| --

|}

2013 election results

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Chief

!Name of Candidate for Chief

!Total votes Received

!Percentage

|-

|R. Donald Maracle

|852

|63.7

|-

|Shawn Brant

|358

|26.8

|-

|Barbara Frances Brant

|86

|6.4

|-

|Corey T. Maracle

|29

|2.2

|-

|Isaac Balin Hill

|12

|9.0

|-

|Total

|1337

|100

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Election for Councillors

|-

|1813

| colspan="2" |Old John Green, Joseph Smart Sr.

|These chiefs may not have been selected in 1813, but they are attested as being chiefs in that year.

|

|-

|Unknown

| colspan="2" |Jacob Kense

|

|

|-

|Before 1873

|Thomas Green

|

|

|

|-

|2015

|

  • Carl (Ted) Maracle
  • Debra (Deb) Vincent
  • Douglas E. Maracle
  • Stacia Loft

|

|

|-

|2017

|

  • Josh Hill
  • Carl (Ted) Maracle
  • Debra Vincent
  • Stacia Loft

|

|

|-

|December 8, 2019

|

  • Josh Hill
  • Carl (Ted) Maracle
  • Kelly (Brant) Maracle
  • Lynda Leween

|

|

|}

Demographics

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Date !! Total registered population !! Living on-reserve !! Living off-reserve !! Living on other reserve !! Living on no-band crown land

|-

| July 2010 || 7,986 || 2,133 || -- || -- || --

|-

| June 2011 || 8,075 || 2,017 || 5,940 || 17 || 1

|-

| July 2011 || 8,141 || 2,124 || -- || -- || --

|-

| November 2011 || 8,253 || 2,125 || 6,111 || 17 || --

|-

| March 2012 || 8,500 || 2,124 || 6,359 || 17 || --

|-

| April 2012 || 8,895 || 2,145 || 6,733 || 17 || --

|-

| March 2013 || 9,013 || 2,152 || 6,844 || 17 || --

|-

| July 2013 || 9,109 || 2,162 || 6,930 || 17 || --

|-

| October 2013 || 9,417 || 2,168 || 6,962 || 17 || --

|-

| August 2014 || 9,280 || 2,167 || 7,096 || 17 || --

|-

| April 2015 || 9,452 || 2,163 || 7,271 || 18 || --

|-

| October 2015 || 9,481 || 2,159 || 7,304 || 18 || --

|-

| February 2016 || 9,551 || 2,162 || 7,371 || 18 || --

|-

| February 2017 || 9,714 || 2,178 || 7,517 || 18 || --

|-

| November 2018 || 9,869 || 2,169 || 7,679 || 18 || 3

|}

Notable Bay of Quinte Mohawk people

  • Beth Brant (1941–2015), writer and poet
  • Rick Brant (born 1967), track and field athlete, sports advocate
  • Hannah Claus (born 1969), visual artist
  • Norm Maracle, NHL player
  • Lee-Ann Martin, curator and writer
  • Shelley Niro (born 1954, Turtle clan) filmmaker, photographer, and installation artist

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Official Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory webpage
  • KWE - Mohawk Nation Radio - Tyendinaga - 105.9 FM
  • Tsi Tyonnheht Onkawenna Language and Cultural Centre
  • First Nations Technical Institute
  • Kahniote Tyendinaga Territory Public Library