There is still a lot of work left to do but a partial settlement of the Culbertson Tract land claim was celebrated on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Monday.
Mohawk Chief R. Don Maracle and Minister of Crown Relations Marc Miller signed off on the agreement that returns 300 acres of farmland just northeast of Deseronto to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. Along with the land the band received around $30 million.
Miller acknowledged that the land was given to the Mohawks in the late 1700s through a treaty known as the Simcoe Deed but was slowly taken over by European settlers even though it was never legally surrendered by the Mohawks.
The Simcoe Deed was a way for the British to express gratitude for the bravery and sacrifice made by Mohawk warriors fighting on the side of the British in a handful of battles including the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 in Quebec.
Meanwhile another 600 acres of the Culbertson land tract, much of it in Deseronto, remains under negotiation.
Chief R. Don Maracle says just cash settlements won’t be the answer.
“We are looking for the lands to be returned. We have no mandate from our people to surrender any lands. When we had our community meetings it was quite clear, and of course Canada’s policy is willing seller, willing buyer, so there is a mechanism to make it work. There just has to be the political and administrative will in the government to make it so.”
Consultations with Mohawk community members is ongoing on what to do with the land and the money from the partial settlement.
A offer to buy Culbertson Tract land in the Town of Deseronto has been made by the Mohawks but Chief Maracle said they are waiting to hear back from the town.
