Special Events

R19 - Reconciliation Committee Keynote Panel: The Legacy of Deskaheh, Cayuga Chief: a Haudenosaunee Perspective

Date: Jun 14 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: 303 - Centre St. Pierre, 1212, rue Panet street, Montréal, H2L 2Y7

Chair/Président/Présidente : Daniel Sherwin (University of Toronto)

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This event is taking place at the Centre St. Pierre - Read more>>>

Cet événement a lieu au Centre St. Pierre - Lire la suite>>>

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THIS IS A CPSA OPEN EVENT (see list of 2024 Open Events) COMMUNITY PASS REQUIRED (Read more HERE) | ÉVÉNEMENT ORGANISÉ PAR L’ACSP OUVERT AU PUBLIC (Regardez ICI la liste des événements) LAISSEZ-PASSER COMMUNAUTAIRE OBLIGATOIRE (Cliquez ICI pour en savoir plus)

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While everyone is familiar with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, most are not aware of the role that Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chief Deskaheh (Levi General) had in laying the foundation for this important document. Traveling from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory to the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in 1923, Deskaheh’s aim was to draw attention to the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples at the hands of the Canadian government. But because the Haudenosaunee were not recognized as a sovereign nation, Deskaheh was not permitted to speak at the League, and Canada and Great Britain took great measures to suppress his message. Undeterred, he remained in Geneva for over a year, giving several public speeches to large audiences. When he decided to return to Six Nations in 1924, he learned that he or members of his family might be arrested by the RCMP, so he chose to stay at the home of Tuscarora Chief Clinton Rickard, near Niagara Falls, NY, where he continued to proclaim his message for all that would listen. Chief Deskaheh passed away, in exile, in June 1925 at the age of 52. This panel of Haudenosaunee leaders, activists, lawyers, and scholars will discuss the legacy of Deskaheh, reflecting on a century of Indigenous activism at the international level, the current state of “Reconciliation,” and the future of Indigenous rights in Canada.

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“With support from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ Open Programming Fund”
« Avec l’appui du Fonds de programmation ouverte de la Fédération des sciences humaines ».

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Participants:
Kenneth Deer (Kahnawake) (Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee)
Dr. Susan Hill (Six Nations of the Grand River) (University of Toronto)
Dr. Beverly Jacobs (Six Nations of the Grand River) (University of Windsor)
Carol Jacobs, Clanmother (Six Nations of the Grand River) (Haudenosaunee Confederacy)
Deskaheh Steve Jacobs, Chief (Six Nations of the Grand River) (Haudenosaunee Confederacy)
Dr. Rick Monture (Six Nations of the Grand River) (McMaster University)