Haudenosaunee
Development Institute

History

The HDI was formed in 2007 as a response to the growing number of outside development requests on Haudenosaunee lands. Around that time, developers had begun approaching the HCCC directly, due in part to legal decisions in Canadian courts and due in part to the Crown’s failure to properly address Haudenosaunee treaty rights.

Historically, land on Haudenosaunee territory was never sold. A marked increase in environmental damage and instances of disrespect for sacred spaces pushed the HCCC to create an officially sanctioned institution whose primary purpose was to handle development responsibly.

HDI’s core mission is to build a consistent and long-lasting framework for land-use decisions that, when taken as a whole, will serve to protect the interests of the Haudenosaunee Nation for many generations to come. This is an ongoing and ever-adapting process, but one that is guided by both the traditions of the past and a deep commitment to the future.

Since its inception, HDI has overseen the application process for land use agreements, either withholding or granting approval for new building projects, and ensuring that all proposals pass through traditional governance systems.

Products Services

HDI oversees a broad and evolving set of guidelines that determine how land development occurs on Haudenosaunee lands. At the heart of this framework is a careful review process—all new proposals are scrutinized to make sure they are undertaken with ecologically friendly policies and in accord with the cultural integrity of the Haudenosaunee Nation.

A cornerstone of HDI’s approach is strict observance of the Haudenosaunee Green Plan, a progressive set of principles that champions sustainability through projects like renewable energy ventures, habitat conservation, and responsible watershed stewardship. HDI also enforces the Haudenosaunee Development Protocol, which requires all developers to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from the community surrounding their proposed projects and to carry out detailed assessments of any potential impacts. This includes plans to identify, acknowledge, and take meaningful steps to protect all culturally significant locations nearby, such as sacred spiritual sites or traditional fishing, hunting, and gathering zones.

Alongside enforcing the Green Plan and the Development Protocol, HDI also keeps a close watch on all manner of other environmental risks, especially those that have the potential to threaten fragile ecosystems within Haudenosaunee lands, including wetlands and habitats for at-risk plants and animal species.