Marking the one-year anniversary of their occupation of a piece of land in Caledonia, Ont., Six Nations protesters staged a brief march Wednesday morning.

About two dozen protesters waved flags and marched on Hwy. 6 for about 10 minutes near the place where the dispute began.

Calling their march a celebration, protesters briefly shut down the roadway as Ontario Provincial Police cruisers escorted them along Caledonia's main thoroughfare.

The occupation began when a small group of people blocked the entrance to the Douglas Creek Estates housing development. Construction came to a halt at the site. The protesters claimed the land as their own, saying it was wrongfully taken from their ancestors 200 years ago.

During a morning press conference, negotiators for the Six Nations Confederacy said they have presented proof to federal and provincial representatives that the land was taken illegally.

"The Confederacy believes that we are now beyond the point of waiting for proof that doesn't exist that would support the Department of Justice's legal opinion," negotiator Allen MacNaughton said Wednesday.

He added the group is disappointed that a federal negotiator "has yet to arrive" to find a new way to resolve the dispute. But MacNaughton believes they are on the cusp of a resolution "if Canada's political will is there."

Displaying a map from November 1844 that the group obtained from federal government archives, they laid out their negotiating position for the media. They say the map show the nearly 10,000 acres of land had been sold at that time.

According to negotiator Leroy Hill, the government's position today is that permission to sell was obtained in December of that year.

"The point that we're making is that the lands were being sold even before the government is claiming to have gotten a surrender. And that's their own document on display here," Hill said.

He added that land was being sold as early as July of that year.

"We know it's been a challenging year and it's frustrating because we're dealing with someone who can't substantiate the claims they're making ... Right now, it's time to move to how do we remedy this?" Hill said.

The negotiators said winning a big cash settlement from the government is not their objective.

Hill said they want to return to the "respect and friendship" that they have with the community and find a settlement that gives the Six Nations the ability to provide for their people's needs.

Tense moments

Several altercations have erupted between locals and aboriginals during the past year. At the height of tensions, protesters barricaded the roadway through Caledonia, effectively cutting off the community's link to the outside world.

The provincial government purchased the disputed land from the developer to be held in trust until a negotiated settlement could be reached between the Six Nations, the federal and provincial governments.

Tensions eased as a result, but a barricade at the entrance to the disputed property has remained in place.

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has said negotiations still have a long way to go, suggesting that a resolution may be a long way off.

With files from The Canadian Press