Short Meeting with Mr. Sheldon Cardinal
A representative the Haudenosaunee Confederacy

CONGO: What issue(s) have you presented to the Working Group on Indigenous People this week?

Mr. Cardinal: I am here to tell the United Nations what the Confederacy is looking for in terms of receiving the respect and recognition of Confederacy sovereignty. We have never given up our sovereignty and we have definitely been impacted by Canadian colonial policies. The Confederacy still meets regularly and we still make decisions for the best interests of the Haudenosaunee people. Our sovereignty, our rights and our way of life are protected by the sacred treaties.
[Furthermore], I am here to announce our position to the world, with respect to our sovereignty, to demonstrate that Canada has utilized genocidal practices to all native people in Canada (including Haudenosaunee people), and to encourage the recognition of our treaties. We want to invite the special rap porter, Mr. Ruolpho Stavenhagen, to meet with the Confederacy to discuss these issues. We demand the recognition of our sovereignty and to have the U.N. tell Canada to cease and desist its genocidal practices against the Haudenosaunee People. Treaties and principals of the two row wampum belt must be upheld, recognized and respected by European and North American colonizers, who agreed to the terms of this relationship.

By : Michael Simpson

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