Iroquois Land Claims

The landmark Oneida Supreme Court decisions of 1974 and 1985 testify to the fact that the Iroquois' day in court has finally arrived. Although Indian petitions to regain their shrinking land base have generally caught the non-Indian public by surprise, land rights have been an issue for the Iroquois for the past two-hundred years. This book provides a balanced appraisal of the land claims made by several of the Iroquois tribes. By drawing upon the viewpoints of those who have a direct stake in the land claims' outcome-Iroquois, attorneys representing or defending against the claims, expert witnesses--and those who have extensive knowledge of the controversy, this book reveals the complexity of the issues. While there is no easy way to resolve these claims, the uniquely qualified contributors stress that a negotiated settlement is preferable to a litigated one. The fact that these cases have had to be brought to court, even to the Supreme Court, is evidence of the seriousness of the issues involved. This timely book strikes a balance among the various parties to the land disputes, proving an invaluable resource to academics, students, legal professionals, policymakers, and the public at large.

Part of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Oneida Indians once controlled large areas of what is now upstate New York. Over the years they have lost their vast holdings to the state of New York, despite their protests concerning what they felt to be unjust seizures and sales of tribal lands. The Oneida Land Claims offers a forceful account of the long and ardent fight by George Shattuck, a partner in the law firm representing the Oneida Indian Nation from 1965 to 1977, to get the Oneidas their day in court. He describes his specific, legal strategy in winning a landmark judgment from the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974 that the Oneidas still owned land taken illegally by New York State in 1795. Because negotiations are still taking place, the Oneidas have yet to receive compensation; but Shattuck's legal battle has helped to create a new body of American Indian law that has affected subsequent Native American land claims cases throughout the eastern United States.

The landmark Oneida Supreme Court decisions of 1974 and 1985 testify to the fact that the Iroquois' day in court has finally arrived. Although Indian petitions to regain their shrinking land base have generally caught the non-­Indian public by surprise, land rights have been an issue for the Iroquois for the past two-hundred years. This book provides a balanced appraisal of the land claims made by several of the Iroquois tribes. By drawing upon the viewpoints of those who have a direct stake in the land claims' outcome-Iroquois, attorneys representing or defending against the claims, expert witnesses—and those who have extensive knowledge of the controversy, this book reveals the complexity of the issues. While there is no easy way to resolve these claims, the uniquely qualified contributors stress that a negotiated settlement is preferable to a litigated one. The fact that these cases have had to be brought to court, even to the Supreme Court, is evidence of the seriousness of the issues involved. This timely book strikes a balance among the various parties to the land disputes, proving an invaluable resource to academics, students, legal professionals, policymakers, and the public at large.

Whose land is it? Yours or mine. Ever since European contact in Canada the question of Native land ownership has been a hot issue. This paper will recall early European contact in Canada, their move westward, the resistance to the encroachment and land appropriation by the Europeans. Dolly discusses the recent settlements of the Native land claims in Canada and United States. She talks of how the government would like 95%%%% of the territory that is rich in natural resources. Dolly tells other Natives not to sign treaties that will extinguish right to the land and that each band member should benefit from royalties from thje extraction of their natural resources.

Two centuries ago, many hundreds of Iroquois – principally from what is now Kahnawà:ke – left home without leaving behind their ways of life. Recruited to man the large canoes that transported trade goods and animal pelts from and to Montreal, some Iroquois soon returned, while others were enticed ever further west by the rapidly expanding fur trade. Recounting stories of Indigenous self-determination and self-sufficiency, Iroquois in the West tracks four clusters of travellers across time, place, and generations: a band that settled in Montana, another ranging across the American West, others opting for British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and a group in Alberta who were evicted when their longtime home became Jasper National Park. Reclaiming slivers of Iroquois knowledge, anecdotes, and memories from the shadows of the past, Jean Barman draws on sources that range from descendants' recollections to fur-trade and government records to travellers' accounts. What becomes clear is that, no matter the places or the circumstances, the Iroquois never abandoned their senses of self. Opening up new ways of thinking about Indigenous peoples through time, Iroquois in the West shares the fascinating adventures of a people who have waited over two hundred years to be heard.

"The History of the Five Indian Nations of Canada. Which are dependent on the Province of New-York, and are a barrier between the English and the French in that part of the world" by Cadwallader Colden. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

In their homelands in what is now New York state, Iroquois and their issues have come to dominate public debate as the residents of the region seek ways to resolve the multibillion dollar land claims against the state. This initial dispute over territorial title has grown to encompass gambling, treaties, taxation, and what it means to claim Native sovereignty in a world experiencing fantastic technological change. New York's influence is such that the experiences of Iroquois interaction with the state will surely affect how Natives and other states deal with similar issues. This is an essential volume for those wishing to better understand these issues, written from an Iroquois perspective by someone who has taken an active role in tribal affairs and who is dedicated to preserving the philosophies of his people. Douglas George-Kanentiio, a member of the Mohawk Nation and an activist for Native American claims, details the history of his Nation from initial contact with the Europeans through to the casino crises. As a key figure in events of the last two decades, George-Kanentiio uses aspects of his personal story to highlight issues of public interest: the land, family and community, geography, federal interference in tribal affairs, religion, political activism, land use/claims, and connections to organized crime.

On 28 February 2006, the Six Nations of the Grand River blocked workers from entering a half-built housing development in southern Ontario. They renamed the land Kanonhstaton, “the protected place.” The protest drew national and international attention to the issue of Aboriginal land rights and sparked a series of ongoing events known as the “Caledonia Crisis.” Laura DeVries’ powerful account of the dispute links the actions of police, governmental officials, and locals to entrenched non-Aboriginal discourses about law, landscape, and identity. It encourages non-Aboriginal Canadians to reconsider their assumptions – to view “facts” such as the rule of law as culturally specific notions that prevent truly equitable dialogue. DeVries not only reveals the conflicting visions of justice held by various parties to the dispute, she also seeks out possible solutions in alternative conceptualizations of sovereignty over land and law embedded in the Constitution.