Crystal Monture, a candidate for Six Nations’ administrative council, is seen on video footage aiding in the violent beating of a woman outside of a community meeting in February. She is seen actively preventing others from helping the victim, as her sister Melissa Monture repeatedly punches Hayley Doxtator while slamming her head against a cinder-block wall.
Doxtator has publicly criticized the Monture family for a pattern of bullying and intimidation that has silenced the community in fear — often intended to influence the trajectory of public policy decisions and the community’s politics.
Several videos of the attack were shared to Facebook earlier this year, but the two sisters threatened each social media user who had the footage posted until they removed the content. It has not been publicly available since — until now.
Doxtator has pressed charges in the matter, but the Monture sisters have intimidated several would-be witnesses, such that Melissa Monture is likely to skirt jail time. Crystal Monture wasn’t charged in the incident, which still shocks many in the Reserve community of some 13,000 on-territory residents.
The beating took place outside of the Six Nations Community Hall, in Ohsweken, where a meeting of the Six Nations Economic Development Corporation was taking place to discuss tensions regarding the reconstruction of the Niagara Reinforcement Line, a hydroelectric transmission line that runs between Niagara Falls and the Greater Toronto Area.
Bill Monture leads a faction of the political organization known as the Men’s Fire and is the father of the two sisters. That organization has made a number of deals with federal Indian agents working for the administrative council that were designed to quell discontent at moments of tense politics — as was the case recently with the Niagara Reinforcement Line.
The details of Monture’s financial relationship with that agency, or possible payments made in exchange for using violence to silence the federal agency’s political critics, have never been clear.
In April of 2016, the Montures forcibly removed Aaron Detlor, an attorney who works on behalf of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Council, from the offices of the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), the Confederacy government’s administrative arm. Detlor pressed charges against Bill Monture in that incident.
Bill Monture’s son, Chucky, is also known to threaten community members who post content that is critical of the Monture family, its business interests, or the administrative council.
Many in the community have asked the Reserve’s administration to evict the family from the Grand River Territory, in accordance with the agency’s residency bylaws.
Under the Indian Act, a ‘band council’, as the federal works agencies are known, can easily evict individuals for violent behavior, non-membership, lack of blood quantum, or a slew of other issues. It’s created an environment ripe for intimidation — which, as a tactic, is effective in silencing critics — who fear that the Montures will turn to the Reserve’s administration to initiate eviction proceedings against them.
Two years ago, the administrative council was fighting with Haudenosaunee activists over who would control the Burtch Lands, an undeveloped tract of land along the Grand River that has never been surrendered by treaty. That land has been repossessed by Haudenosaunee activists in recent years, and there was much disagreement over who would be allowed to farm the site and to which council they would remit lease payments: the sovereign Confederacy government, which asserts sovereign title to the land, or the federal works agency that administers Reserve programs.
At the height of those political tensions, which would often manifest in the form of roadblocks of major roadways that traverse the territory, Melissa Monture threatened Hazel Hill, the former executive director of the HDI, attempting to provoke a fight and gesturing with her fists. Hazel quickly jumped in her vehicle and departed the Burtch Lands property.
Within days, Bill Monture and Wilf Davey went to Hill’s house and demanded she come outside. They screamed at her daughter, Ricki. Chuck Monture removed his shirt and began shouting obscenities, believing Ricki to be Hazel.
At the time, Kristine Hill, who is the individual who had been farming the Burtch Lands, divorced her husband, who is close to Bill Monture. The Haudenosaunee Chiefs decided to renew her lease in Hill’s name alone, in accordance with Haudensaunee law that stipulates matrilineal ownership of the home and domestic property. Hazel, acting as the Executive Director of the administrative arm of the Confederacy, supported the action.
Angry, Monture rounded up his faction of the Men’s Fire to mob Hill’s home with the aim of intimidating Kris into not farming the Burtch Lands that year, effectively shutting down her business and damaging her livelihood.
During the summer of 2017, when Haudenosaunee activists shutdown Argyle Street at Highway 6, a major intersection on Haudenosaunee lands near the hamlet of Caledonia, Monture repeatedly threatened protesters at the site with violence if they did not remove a ‘tent city’ that was constructed to reclaim the undeveloped site, over which the Confederacy asserts sovereign title.
At first, Monture offered to bribe the demonstrators, first with food and supplies and later with cash, if they removed the Argyle Street barricade.
“I was down there at the time, at first he tried to bribe the protestors, but we refused,” one source explains to The Chronicle. “Then he started threatening to come in with bulldozers. They even had a few big trucks all parked up ready to go at the Sit n’ Bull gas station on 6th Line Road by Oneida Road.”
That gas station is owned by the billionaire Ken Hill, of Grand River Enterprises, the prolifically successful manufacturer of Seneca brand cigarettes.
The protests at the intersection badly hurt several of Hill’s tobacco and gasoline retail outlets located along 6th Line Road, on a part of the Reserve nearest to vehicles entering from Caledonia.
During the summer of 2011, a youth group took over an old, decrepit police station before it was to be demolished. They wanted to repurpose it into a youth center. The administrative council tasked Monture and his faction of the Men’s Fire to remove the kids from the property.
“They went in and violently started throwing those kids around and tossing them on the floor, and they threw over old Wes Elliott, the only adult there at the time minding those youth,” another source explains. “All I know is the band council asked the Men’s Fire to step in because the youth protest was making the community look bad.”
Also pictured in the video of the February beating is Iris Monture, Bill’s wife, who goes by Kanatine Monture on Facebook. She is known to verbally attack critics in the community and on social media.
The Men’s Fire emerged in 2006, after the Caledonia Reclamation, in which a months-long standoff stopped the encroachment of a massive housing development on sovereign Grand River territory. The once-powerful group has split into distinct political factions, at least twice, leaving the political organization with a decentralized leadership structure — largely as a result of Monture’s abusive and bullying behavior.
In the most recent political schism of the Men’s Fire, two main factions partnered to barricade and occupy the site of the Reserve’s administration building, effectively shutting down the federal works agency for more than two months this past summer.
Those demonstrators received several threats from Monture and his associates, insisting that the administrative council would eventually call the Men’s Fire in and that they would go and remove those protestors forcibly — even implying that they would enjoy it.
“Bill Monture gets hired to do what the police can’t do. The Ontario Provincial Police don’t want to come on the Reserve to beat praying women and children off of our own land. The optics don’t look good for them, so band council hires Bill to do it instead,” he suspects.
Monture owned Mowhak Flooring for decades, and the family operates a burrito restaurant out of a building located at the front of their property, adjacent to the Two Arrows Restaurant.
To this day, the Montures continue to intimidate critics. Now that Crystal Monture is seeking a position on the administrative council — already rife with corruption — the community is worried that it will enable and perhaps even embolden the family’s violent and intimidating tactics.
“People are terrified of that family because if they speak up or do anything, they’ll get terrorized, beat up, their homes will mysteriously get burned down, their cars are stolen,” a source familiar with the situation explains. “They’ve been harassing Hayley.”
“If you speak out, they send people to watch your house, and they will sit in your driveway,” he adds.
Bill’s brother John Monture and his wife, Viera Monture, nominated Mark Hill to run for Chief of the administrative council. Mark is the nephew of Ken Hill. They are all members of the Six Nations Agricultural Association, a group of Christian families who vehemently opposed Kris Hill’s license from the Confederacy Chiefs to farm the Burtch Lands.
Incredible ! A community lives in fear of an ‘organization’ that does what ever it wants with impunity. Obviously the ‘law’ has failed to provide protection of the innocent and incarceration for the guilty. Why? And how high up does turning a blind eye go?? Perhaps it’s time that matters were addressed openly, no hidden agenda’s, responsibly, and maturely. To root out the rot, the corruption. To do otherwise only provides naysayers with ‘their’ logic to say, “See, they still can’t agree to disagree without bloodshed. So let’s make the decisions for them.” And the circle goes round and round, round and round, round and round…….. is that what our people really want? Of course not! Let’s show that we not only deserve self governance, but we are mature and worthy of such a step forwards. Bully’s ALWAYS get theirs. Sooner the better.
This article is full of lies.. such bullshit and half truth… very biased story… watch the video… i seen men recording the incident instead of breaking it up they just recorded it.. seems like the writer has a crush on the monture family…
Lol you can see it on video you gotta one incredible dumbass or are biased to not see it
Either that or you’re in on it and trying to sabotage the article…
sik
nasty
Why is there no author named credited for the article?
What is this buffalo chronicle?
Shouldn’t whoever writes this drivel be chronicling issues in Buffalo?
Buffalo Chronicle is a reputable news source. Just because the author does not want to attach their name to the article does not mean it isn’t true. If I were a journalist I wouldn’t want to add my name either. I mean having a bunch of mentally ill Indigenous people threatening me wouldn’t exactly be my idea of leading a healthy lifestyle. Six Nations war pigs are everywhere – some weighing as much as 200/300 pounds so no doubt many fear them.
A community with the Great Law in there hearts and walking with a good mind. Not. The men passing the attack should go to there elders and ask them what is my role. To help them become real men.
If the person that shared the video can contact me directly, I would like to speak with them. I am working on the Bullying issue within our schools at Six Nations. Our conversation will be held in confidence. tmtpleasant@ryerson.ca
Corruption and intimidation what a surprise the montures have always been fucking assholes and bully’s they should be run outta the bush permanently
Wtf has happened to the place I once called home.
CORPORATIZATION
Corporatization is the process of transforming state assets, government agencies, or municipal organizations into corporations. It refers to a restructuring of government and public organizations into their administration. The result of corporatization is the creation of owned corporations (or corporations at other government levels, such as municipally owned corporations) where the government retains a majority ownership of the corporation’s stock.
Goodluck
Shame .
who is anonymous?
Why is it a man’s job to stop two women from fighting and not the women’s job to not fight in the first place? I think the video reveals very cold truth about life at Six Nations that deserves to be shown. Shame on the women involved in violently assaulting this community member, there should be some for of justice applied to this situation.
Just have round two. Lol sell tickets on it next time then split the cash.. Lol
Everyone there is just as equally to blame for standing around!! You are a bystander… you are just as bad.
The following is a powerful curse. “May you get what you want”.
Every dogs, or in this case, bitches, gotta come outta their yard. Then, only then, will you see what their made of. As is, none can stand alone.✊✊✊👏 A’HO
As a mohawk. I’m ashamed. These are the one who give us all abad rap. No business being on council.
violence is unacceptable , if you are just standing and watching you are condoning you are supporting it . those who have recorded this has done a great deed . this needs to be exposed . they are oppressing their own by committing these acts of violence .
Melissa Montour is also being charged with a second assault just after this fight she went after an elder but there’s no mention of it anywhere
Money weakens the spirit, but fattens the head. These people have lost if money is the driving force.
I’m sure if Trudeau sees this, he will cut another cheque to the Hereditary chiefs.
Police, body of officers representing the civil authority of government. Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. These functions are known as policing. ( Webster’s dictionary).
The definition maybe simplified, but the basis states that Police are persons of authority, armed and able to maintain public order and safety.
We have seen may cases of violence set upon Citizens and Police alike in North America.
Justified violence? Is that the important issue here? The main issue is that Our Society is filled with FEAR.
Police fear for their lives, loss of authority while Citizens Fear those who are suppose to be protecting them.
Why the FEAR? So many reasons…Armed Criminality
Social injustice & prejudice
Racism (personal & institutionalized
Availability of weapons
Supposed media availability(everyone has a video)
Generational Poverty & Unemployment
Fear of all kinds transforming our society into groups…cultural, social, political, economic classes, race.
Even when we protest the injustices of the world we come face to face with Fear whether it be institutional ignorance, police/social oppression, societal exclusion’s.
Have you ever been in a predominately poverty stricken community walking at night, see three youths coming towards you on side walk? Hoodies in the dark. What to do. Fear of the possible.
A couple driving a premier vehicle in an exclusive neighborhood are stopped. If they were white they’d still be driving, but no. Police check. Why? Fear of the possible.
Lets get rid of this fear. Lets change how Police and Policing are viewed. No longer should police be viewed as those to be feared.
Policing should be viewed as PEACE KEEPING
Police Keepers do what? Stand between opposing forces to negotiate and stop violence.
I experienced an event in New York City long ago. We were on a bus when two officers came aboard. A young man stood up and pointed his fire arm at them. What did they do? Have a shootout? No. One officer stepped back down the stairs while the other spoke to the young man. We were all involved in this conversation. The officer knew how to de escalate the situation. The young man went down the stairs, sitting on a bench with an officers while the other stood behind him. Peace Keepers talk, discuss, influence situational experiences. As a clergyman I to learnt the power of intelligent gabbing. Explain the pros and cons of existing or future events. Have a gun, what can happen to you or others if that gun is used.
TALK-Walk in Their Shoes – Respond
Peace Keepers find solutions to problems. They often hash out political-Personal issues between individuals and groups. Policing has become a multi tasking career. Part police, social worker & diplomate. Remember the Police are agents of The Justice system but they do not punish. The Courts decide what is fair and just. The Police learn and proclaim Laws of the land. Therefore if someone has been perceived to break a law, the police respond in an intelligent controlled manner. Most times violence is not needed. If a law breaker does not fear the police, knowing they will be going to court where they’d be judged violence can be avoided. Do the Police know this? Is every Citizen in Our Land viewed as innocent or possibly guilty. Do the Police Fear Us(the Citizenry) so much that weapons in hand have become habitual?
Policing needs to become Community Centered. Police and our citizens need to learn what it is like to live in one another’s shoes. I lived in the Bronx of @ a year. White, Black , Hispanic, Asian…we all lived below the poverty line, among those who stood outside of the American experience. Low income, addiction, low prospects. Yet the communities in the Bronx were centers of helpful, charitable Community also. Respect given and taken by all. The police lived in the community. They knew the Fears, Joys and Expectations of their neighbors and responded with open hands & hearts. Shit happened, yes, but there was more good then bad.
We need to know each other, seeing our neighbors with new eyes. The prejudices of the past and present can be understood and dealt with intelligently. A Peace Keeper is possibly the most flexible of our armed forces. Thrown into every possible situation they need to adapt and respond in a constructive manner. So too Our Police. Pulling a weapon is a last resort. A Good person standing in their uniform, ready to serve their neighbor should be all that’s needed. Armed yes. There are situation that require the authority of a weapon, But the power of intelligent thoughts can be voiced, transforming a situation of potential violence into a act of peaceful good.
Our Police need to be trained as peace keepers. The days of turning off body cams, taking a hooligan down town for a beating, hassling someone cause they are in a car, neighborhood not symbolic of their demographic Must end.
Eric Cartman, a character of South Park bark’s these words “Respect My Authority”.
That is what is happening throughout North America. Police FEAR loss of their authority. Every ones seemingly questioning that authority on social media, videos and the media. I guess what I am saying is Authority is not as powerful as Respect. Found in the same statement, both words actually compliment each other. Respect My Authority. Police are not in themselves authority, but represent Authority. Who gives them this authority? We do. It is not Them and Us. It is US. WE are the authority they represent.
As God says “I Am” we the people should proclaim to all RESPECT OUR AUTHORITY. Who will represent us in the world? The Peace Keepers of society, our neighbor’s “THE POLICE”.
steven kaszab
bradford, ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca