A voice of calm amid Caledonia strife
A Six Nations ironworker who was front and centre in the Caledonia land claims dispute has died suddenly of a heart attack.
Clyde Powless, who gave up work in New Jersey and the Northwest Territories to be on the job at Douglas Creek Estates (DCE) in 2006 — and years following that — died May 30 at a Niagara hospital. He was 51.
Powless, a faithkeeper at the Onondaga Longhouse, was one of the main spokespeople for the Six Nations Confederacy after members of Six Nations occupied the proposed 600-home subdivision in south Caledonia on Feb. 28, 2006.
Band members said it was being built on unsurrendered land. But the federal government said Six Nations had surrendered the land in 1844. The dispute grew tense and over the years grew to encompass barricades, court injunctions, lawsuits, assaults, arsons, boycotts, a blackout, a state of emergency, rallies and thousands of police officers passing through Caledonia.
Powless, nicknamed “Bullet,” arrived on the scene right after the OPP were driven from the Argyle Street South property following a botched raid in April 2006. He also served as a spokesperson in land claims in Hagersville and Brantford.
Despite the tension, Powless also played the role of peacemaker between Six Nations members and Caledonia residents, and gained a reputation as a calm, controlling voice behind the barricades. He worked a lot in keeping communications open with the OPP.
“Our fight is not with Caledonia or its residents or Canadians, but the government,” Powless told reporters in 2007.
He was charged in 2007 with assault and mischief following a confrontation with activist Gary McHale at a smoke shop near DCE. Powless later pleaded guilty to the assault and was granted a conditional discharge. The mischief charge was withdrawn in court.
Mohawk Chief Allen MacNaughton expressed his “deepest sympathies” on behalf of his clan and the Mohawk nation to Powless’ family. “Clyde ‘Bullet’ Powless was a man dedicated to the Haudenosaunee people, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council and a strong believer in the rights of the Haudenosaunee,” he said. “He will be missed. He was there for our nation at a time of our need and we will always remember him for his strength, determination and patriotism.”
Powless had travelled across most of North America in his job as an ironworker. He helped build the new Detroit airport and the football stadium in Green Bay, Wis. Powless had no qualms about getting involved in the land claims dispute, believing it was something he had to do for his grandchildren and family. “When you’re an ironworker, you are used to the ups and downs,” he told the Spec in 2006. “We’re all giving up a lot.”
Members of Six Nations remain on the former DCE. Talks between Six Nations, Ottawa and Ontario to resolve the situation, and other land claims, ended in 2009.
Powless is survived by three children, their mother, three grandchildren, six sisters and two brothers. The funeral service was Saturday at the Onondaga Longhouse on Six Nations.