Brandi Morin
APTN National News
A Six Nations man now living in B.C. is facing a contempt of court civil suit for practicing as a self-proclaimed notary public.
The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia (SNPBC) claims he has been falsely representing himself as a notary public. An injunction was originally filed by the SNPBC against Sino General AKA musician Chief Rock in 2013 and the charges escalated when he failed to comply.
For several years General has provided notary services to anyone in need, free of charge, under a customized seal of his home Cayuga Nation and operating under his traditional name of Hajistahenhway.
“I follow the law of peace and the governments of the (Six Nations) nation,” he said. “Our government’s system was here thousands of years before they (Canadian government) got here. I am exempt from Canadian law.”
General believes he is being coerced into following laws that do not apply to him.
“The courts will throw out the ‘Free man on the land’ title on me,” he said. “But what are they talking about? We are the natives, we’ve been here long before them.”
The SNPBC said they want to get the word out that General is not a notary public.
“The members of the public need to know that the legal fashions he’s carrying out are not valid,” said SNPBC General Counsel, Ron Usher.
“He’s not qualified…nor a member of any body. Our role is to protect the public from such things. The law says we’re the people who determine who is a notary and who is not.”
A Kwantlen Poly-tech University, Department of Criminology professor Lisa Monchalin supports General and said the courts are out right challenging his sovereignty.
“He has never once declared himself as a B.C. notary. He helps people out,” said Monchalin. “If the B.C. courts think what he’s doing looks similar to them then so be it. But he has every right to do what he’s doing under treaty.”
Monchalin referenced the Wampum Treaty of 1613 and said its terms still stand.
“We were to live in solidarity, yes. But to never interfere with each other- no nation was subject to the other one. Like many of our people we never renounced our sovereignty. We have to remember we are doing what we have a right to do as a people before being under “their” system.”
A Notary public is generally someone authorized to witness legal formalities or draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents.
B.C. Notaries are governed by the Notaries Act of B.C. and theSNPBC website states that notary services follow a tradition that goes back over 2000 years,
“…to the dawn of recorded history. Notaries laid down the Codex Hammurabi, the oldest evidence of recorded law. Notaries were also employed by the Catholic Church to guide the light of civilization through the Dark Ages. The Notary’s reputation for trustworthiness meant that documents retained a stable reliability throughout centuries of upheaval.”
However, General believes the SNPBC is a “white, racist group of men” organization who “tell a nation that their notaries cannot do work here because the SNPBC holds a monopoly on who shall be able to witness an oath.”
And for General, it’s about more than the issue at hand. It’s about taking a stand against a system that he refuses to recognize as having any authority because he believes Canadian and provincial laws do not apply to those under treaty.
“This is something that’s been coming down the pipes for a while,” he said. “We are the people who are original. We always had the agreement that we’d share the lands as friends and not tell each other what to do. Their laws would be theirs and our laws would be laws for our people.”
According to Usher, General is breaking new ground.
“What he is talking about is quite novel and unique,” said Usher. “I am not aware of any such claim ever being made in Canadian law regarding Aboriginal rights and freedoms (in regard to notaries.) He’ll have to make his argument in court.”
Court documents request that General be ordered to “deliver up to the Society of Notaries Public any stamps, seals, stationery, or other materials in his possession or under his care and control which, describe, depict, or otherwise suggest that Sino General is a Notary Public.”
The content hearing is scheduled in Vancouver court on Friday, February 27 where General will represent himself. If found guilty he faces 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Ultimately, he hopes the case will raise awareness and set a precedent for future generations.
“Our nations will stand up and we will create our own notary society,” he ended.
@songstress28
B.C. Notary Society sues native man for acting as notary public
By Brandi Morin
APTN National News
A Six Nations man now living in B.C. is facing a contempt of court civil suit for practicing as a self-proclaimed notary public.
The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia (SNPBC) claims he has been falsely representing himself as a notary public. An injunction was originally filed by the SNPBC against Sino General AKA musician Chief Rock in 2013 and the charges escalated when he failed to comply.
For several years General has provided notary services to anyone in need, free of charge, under a customized seal of his home Cayuga Nation and operating under his traditional name of Hajistahenhway.
“I follow the law of peace and the governments of the (Six Nations) nation,” he said. “Our government’s system was here thousands of years before they (Canadian government) got here. I am exempt from Canadian law.”
General believes he is being coerced into following laws that do not apply to him.
“The courts will throw out the ‘Free man on the land’ title on me,” he said. “But what are they talking about? We are the natives, we’ve been here long before them.”
The SNPBC said they want to get the word out that General is not a notary public.
“The members of the public need to know that the legal fashions he’s carrying out are not valid,” said SNPBC General Counsel, Ron Usher.
“He’s not qualified…nor a member of any body. Our role is to protect the public from such things. The law says we’re the people who determine who is a notary and who is not.”
A Kwantlen Poly-tech University, Department of Criminology professor Lisa Monchalin supports General and said the courts are out right challenging his sovereignty.
“He has never once declared himself as a B.C. notary. He helps people out,” said Monchalin. “If the B.C. courts think what he’s doing looks similar to them then so be it. But he has every right to do what he’s doing under treaty.”
Monchalin referenced the Wampum Treaty of 1613 and said its terms still stand.
“We were to live in solidarity, yes. But to never interfere with each other- no nation was subject to the other one. Like many of our people we never renounced our sovereignty. We have to remember we are doing what we have a right to do as a people before being under “their” system.”
A Notary public is generally someone authorized to witness legal formalities or draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents.
B.C. Notaries are governed by the Notaries Act of B.C. and theSNPBC website states that notary services follow a tradition that goes back over 2000 years,
“…to the dawn of recorded history. Notaries laid down the Codex Hammurabi, the oldest evidence of recorded law. Notaries were also employed by the Catholic Church to guide the light of civilization through the Dark Ages. The Notary’s reputation for trustworthiness meant that documents retained a stable reliability throughout centuries of upheaval.”
However, General believes the SNPBC is a “white, racist group of men” organization who “tell a nation that their notaries cannot do work here because the SNPBC holds a monopoly on who shall be able to witness an oath.”
And for General, it’s about more than the issue at hand. It’s about taking a stand against a system that he refuses to recognize as having any authority because he believes Canadian and provincial laws do not apply to those under treaty.
“This is something that’s been coming down the pipes for a while,” he said. “We are the people who are original. We always had the agreement that we’d share the lands as friends and not tell each other what to do. Their laws would be theirs and our laws would be laws for our people.”
According to Usher, General is breaking new ground.
“What he is talking about is quite novel and unique,” said Usher. “I am not aware of any such claim ever being made in Canadian law regarding Aboriginal rights and freedoms (in regard to notaries.) He’ll have to make his argument in court.”
Court documents request that General be ordered to “deliver up to the Society of Notaries Public any stamps, seals, stationery, or other materials in his possession or under his care and control which, describe, depict, or otherwise suggest that Sino General is a Notary Public.”
The content hearing is scheduled in Vancouver court on Friday, February 27 where General will represent himself. If found guilty he faces 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Ultimately, he hopes the case will raise awareness and set a precedent for future generations.
“Our nations will stand up and we will create our own notary society,” he ended.
@songstress28
