Six Nations Chief Arnie General stands on a mound of dirt in High Park, propped up by a cane.

“I feel very disgusted with the people here in this area,” he says. “Maybe not all are of the (same) mentality, but those who don’t care about my people.”

General, accompanied by Clanmothers and faithkeepers from the Six Nation, came to Snake (or Serpent) mound Monday evening to visit what many believe are ancient Iroquoian burial grounds dating back 3,000 years. As the group walked to the site, a clan of teenagers dispersed, taking their BMX bikes with them.

The teens and other bikers have been using the site, no bigger than a football field, for about six years now. It’s carved into rounded hills, ramps and dips. Tire tracks mark the dirt. For the many who believe the site is sacred, it’s the ultimate disrespect.

The Taiaiaiko’N Historical Preservation Society, led by executive director Rastia’ta’non:ha, is spearheading the effort to try to have the area protected. But the group says attempts to engage the city to intercede have been met with “puzzling indifference.” Attempts to reason with the bikers have been ineffective, they say.

There is a licensed archaeological site called Bear Mound in High Park, but Snake Mound is not registered yet. It can be a costly process, something the group is working on, say organizers. It's believed there are 57 separate burial grounds across the High Park.

“You wouldn’t want a BMXer riding over your ancestors in cemetery,” said Rastia’ta’non:ha.

The boys — between the ages of 14 and 16, all very polite — said they come to the site almost every day to ride.

“There’s a big fight between us bikers and them,” conceded Alex, 14, one of the boys who dispersed when the chief and his group arrived. The boys set up a jump on a nearby hill, away from Snake Mound.

The boys agreed that they wouldn’t want someone biking over the graves of their relatives but also said they don’t know for sure that it is indeed a burial ground.

“We respect the land. We don’t just throw garbage everywhere,” said Alex, adding that others do. The boys said they would happily ride somewhere else if a space was given to them. Other places to ride, like Wallace Emerson community centre, are too far away, they said.

According to Rastia’ta’non:ha, other bikers (many of whom are older) have been rude and confrontational. On Monday, an empty bottle of Smirnoff Vodka and beer cans lay strewn on the site.

“They thumb their noses at us and disrespect us,” said Rastia’ta’non:ha. “The younger ones lack the knowledge, so once we explain it to them they are very respectful,” added Laureen Waters, the administrator of the Society.

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They would like to see the ramps removed and plants restored back to the original habitat. In other words, they want the bikers to leave.

In order to bring more awareness to the space, The Preservation Society is holding ceremonial information sessions on the site. The first one is May 1. They’ll be feasting as well and drumming and singing in an attempt to honour the land and those buried there.