Phil Monture: Global Solutions for the Six Nations of the Grand River

The Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre and the Faculty of Arts are pleased to announce a new Indigenous Speakers Series highlighting the voices of Indigenous artists, writers, activists, and leaders from across Turtle Island.

Phil Monture will tell the story of his community and the Haldimand Treaty of 1784. The treaty covers lands for six miles on each side of the Grand River from Lake Erie to its source, including the University of Waterloo's campus. Monture, who has been researching this history for almost 40 years, will provide a historical overview of various land transactions and will discuss current Six Nations efforts in Canada and at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples to have the their land claim resolved.

About the speaker:

Phil Monture is Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River. From 1975 to July 2002 he was he Director of the Land Claims Research Office at the Six Nations of the Grand River.  As the Director of the Land Claims Research Office, Phil developed a long term research program and supervised the research for the Six Nations of the Grand River as it relates to lands, which are no longer used for its benefit and for which no Crown letters patent have been issued or legal surrender obtained under prevailing legislation.

He was a member of the Planning Team for the National Land Claims Research Summit and Ontario’s representative on the Land Rights Issues for the National Joint Task Force on Claims Policy Reform (Assembly of First Nations/Canada).

In 2002, Phil established his own company Nativelands Ltd. To utilize his expertise to study and develop Land Tenure and Land Rights for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the United States and Central America.

Phil has also been active in taking Six Nations unresolved Land Rights issues to the United Nations. The ultimate goal of this process is to establish partnerships and secure a stable, secure and independent economic base for the Six Nations Peoples as per the intent of Six Nations Treaty for their lands.