A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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Resentments abound in Seneca power struggle What opponents call Robert Odawi Porter’s dictatorial style is at issue as bitter controversy surrounds tribal leadership By: Dan Herbeck – reprinted with permission When Robert Odawi Porter, an eloquent lawyer with a Harvard education, was elected president of the Seneca Nation of Indians last year, many people in the outside world welcomed him as a breath of fresh air. A year ago, influential government leaders flocked to his swearing-in ceremony, hoping that Porter’s presidency would be a big s...
On Monday, October 17 the US Supreme Court dealt the deathblow to the litigation part of the land claims brought about by the Oneida Nation of New York. In reality, the decision by the Court to not hear an appeal from a lower court removes any chance that any Iroquois government will receive legal remedy for the theft by New York State of millions of acres of our aboriginal land. However the fault lies less with the courts but with the complete and utter failure of the Haudenosaunee to act in concert or to prevent the Oneida Nation from gamblin...
When Skennenrahawi, the Peacemaker, walked among the Iroquois over 800 years ago his plan was to create the world’s first united nations entity dedicated to the idea that human beings may live in a world without war. To accomplish this he created a set of rules called the Kaienerakowa or the Great Law of Peace. This code provided the Iroquois not only with a constitutional form of government but also directed them to reach out to other nations to present them with an opportunity to join the league. The resulting Haudenosaunee Confederacy w...
On July 19, I gave a lecture at the Kanatakon Recreational Centre regarding the events that caused the War of 1812, the War of the Rivers. That conflict had a profound effect on Akwesasne since it affirmed the international border now dissecting our community, provoked conflict among the Mohawk people and provided New York State with an opportunity to remove additional territory from the original reservation while establishing the “trustee” system as a colonial administration despite vigorous internal opposition. I traced the origins of the...
Folksinger and environment protector Pete Seeger, 92, joined Oneida performer Joanne Shenandoah to pay homage to the late Ray Fadden-Tehanetorens as one of the great teachers of the 20th century. Fadden was acknowledged as one of the early environmentalists who inspired generations of Mohawks as a teacher, writer and outspoken advocate for the rights of the natural world. Seeger said he had visited with Fadden a number of times beginning in the 1940’s when the Mohawks had a performing group w...
During this time of changes it is helpful to take a look back and recall who we were as Native people. Much of what we believe has been somewhat distorted by the media, formal educational systems, books, movies and popular music. We now identify with symbols of our Indian status rather than actually living according to our ancestral values. But it was only a generation or two ago when the American Indian defined life by its beauties rather than its material potentials. An important book to read which summarizes Native society was written by...
Two of the most creative Mohawk artists of our generation have now passed into the spirit world but not before leaving a powerful legacy of their life’s work. Peter Blue Cloud Willams-Aroniawenrate and Salli Benedict-Kawennotakie were exceptionally creative and gifted individuals whose writings and communal work deeply affected their generation and brought honour to the Mohawk Nation. Both exercised their skills in many mediums but it was through their poetry that they were able to express the e...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has an ideal opportunity to create a new relationship with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, one built on partnership, mutual respect and an affirmation of the unique status of the region’s native nations. The governor can begin by appointing a permanent Native American liaison to advise him on issues relevant to the Iroquois. This individual would be nominated by the Iroquois and act as an ambassador, insuring that the governor has direct access to the leaders of the confederacy and is given accurate, reliable i...
The owners of the Twin Leaf convenience stores need to have the active support of all Akwesasronon in their struggle to regain active Mohawk jurisdiction in an area which is clearly part of our territory. As a former land claims negotiator for the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs I was an outspoken advocate for the assertion of our territorial rights as I felt it was a mistake to leave this critical matter to a legal system which has had little sympathy, and even less understanding of, the need for our people to have our stolen lands returned...
My wife, Joanne Shenandoah, and I were preparing to attend the annual Midwinter Ceremony at Akwesasne when we were told of the passing of Ernie Benedict, one of the most venerated of Mohawk elders. Ernie had reached his 92nd year and lived through the greatest social, technological and political changes in human history. He was born in the second decade of the 20th century when Akwesasne was a community intimately tied to its natural environment, its residents self reliant from harvesting the crops they had planted and the fish hauled from...
On November 11 of this year a large delegation of Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois) gathered at the New York town of Canandaigua to commemorate the one and only legitimate treaty entered into between their ancestors and the United States in 1794. That treaty committed the US to respect the sovereign status of the Confederacy and to respect its territories while making a formal pledge to live in mutual peace, undisturbed by intrusions from each signatory. Although the treaty has been violated many times by the US and its subsidiaries (such...
On August 18 delegates from the Haudenosaunee and other Iroquois entities met in Rochester to discuss how to respond to New York’s plan to impose taxes on tobacco sales to non-Natives even if such transactions take place on Native territory. A vague public statement was issued by the delegates affirming our treaty status and standing as Native nations but no explanation was given as to the inclusion of those who had previously taken a harsh stance against the Confederacy. Specifically, the so-called “Oneida Indian Nation” and Seneca Natio...
A couple of weeks ago I gave a lecture at the Nor’wester in Williamstown, Ontario entitled “How the Mohawks Saved Canada”. The presentation was meant to remind Canadians that their very existence as an independent country would not have been possible without the military, economic and political contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy, and, more specifically, the Mohawk Nation Our mutual history began in 1664 when England assumed control over the Dutch colony of New Netherlands, renaming it New York. The English authorities knew that if they...
The era of big time tobacco sales is coming to an end. There are simply too many forces now aligned against the Iroquois to win this fight. With the recent setbacks in the US courts, the resolve of New York State to tax the wholesalers and the complete failure of the Iroquois to come up with a cohesive, collective response it is clear the days of freewheeling tobacco are over. It was in the early 1970’s when Bob Satiacum,a traditional leader of the Puyallup Nation in Washington State, took a page from the Iroquois book of political activism, d...
With the election of Randy Hart and Shelley Jacobs the St. Regis Tribal Council has new opportunities to create policies, which will benefit all Akwesasnorons. First, the incoming leaders should reexamine the Monticello casino deal. As an astute business owner Mr. Hart is well aware of the risks involved in any kind of economic venture. He has been successful in large part because of the unique legal status of Akwesasne a place which offers a distinct advantage for businesses because of our rights to engage in commerce free from external...
There are dates in every person’s life by which they mark the passage of time and events. Some are wonderful: the birth of a child, a birthday, graduation and marriage. Others are far less pleasant: the death of a parent, an accident or a natural disaster. There are also dates which have communal importance. It may be a spiritual gathering, a political rally or an athletic contest while others are controversial and may be so traumatic as to cause us discomfort, even anguish. May 1 across the world is “Worker’s Day” in which the labor of thos...
When we hear the terrible news about two Mohawks suffering serious injuries as the result of their boat being rammed by the US Coast Guard on Akwesasne waters we must do more than react with anger. We have to know not only how this happened but why. And then we have to demand the leadership act quickly to address this crisis before the external police agencies either bring more harm to the people or cause someone’s death. The “how” of the boat ramming will come out in time but the community must have hard facts before rumors and half truth...
If the Iroquois are to defeat New York State’s efforts to impose taxes on sales to non-Natives they must have not only credible people defending our rights but have to present a rational alternative to Albany’s plans. Last week the New York State Supreme Court held a session in Syracuse to hear arguments for and against the collection of sales taxes on Native territory. Outside the hearing chamber a group reported to consist of 150 anti-tax people carried placeards and beat a large drum. A group of speakers addressed the crowd with some of the...
Taylor Matt was an energetic teenager who had endured chemotherapy at age 12 and was entering her senior year at Cazenovia High School where she planned to carry on playing field lacrosse while studying hard for college and perhaps becoming a nurse like her mom Debra. She was also a role model for her younger sister Jessie and much admired student to her many friends. Taylor’s dad, Jeffrey, is a carpenter who coaches lacrosse, a game with deep roots within the Onondaga Nation. Jeffrey has p...
Haiti is a place of angry spirits yet to be released from the agony of their passing. This land was called Ayiti by its Arawak-Taino Native peoples who may, according to some, be the relatives of the Iroquois. We do have a place of common origin in the American south but while our ancestors migrated to the cool woodlands of the northeast others elected to enter the rich tropical waters of the Caribbean and gradually populate its islands before reaching the South American coast. Haiti was populated by hundreds of thousands of Natives at the time...
Thanks to a free and open media at Akwesasne we have had an opportunity to read or listen to the issues surrounding the proposed Sullivan County casino deal. This will all lead to the January 30th referendum at the Tribal Council as to whether to move ahead with the plan. I am deeply concerned that the Mohawk people are in danger of becoming entangled in a project in which vital information has been deliberately withheld from them. Instead of hard facts and open contracts we have been told to put aside our doubts and place our land and our...
The movie Avatar is a painful experience for Native people because we know the ending after the first minutes of the film. The plot describes the attempt by humans to exploit, by mining, a mineral called unobtanium from a moon which circles a planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. The moon, called Pandora by the humans, is inhabited by ten foot tall indigenous people who refer to themselves as the Na’vi. They are blue skinned, have cat like eyes, are tattooed and are graced with long tails. They live in and near a large, oak like tree c...
The St. Regis Tribal Council is holding a January 30th referendum, which will, hopefully, bring a permanent end to the Sullivan County casino project. The Tribe nullified a previous vote because the members were not given enough time between the public notice and when the actual ballots were cast but in light of recent information about the casino investors the vote against the project should be more decisive and without doubt. Empire Resorts, the casino company which is at the heart of this deal, is once again in a state of chaos. Empire was...
On December 2nd at 3:30 Am Maisie Shenandoah, the Wolf Clanmother of the Oneida Nation, breathed her last and passed into the spirit world. She had been selected by her clan as a kontiianehson in 1977 when the Oneidas were beginning to return to their ancestral homelands and eager to restore a traditional council. They knew the first step was to find a female leader, one who exhibited qualities which have long been honored by the Haudenosaunee: honesty, humility, generosity, kindness, wisdom and patience all wrapped up in a blanket of humor....
No Mohawk, wherever they live, should assume that the assault on Steve Barnes was isolated or of no concern to them. The Canadian Border Service Agency has been trained as to how to bring crippling physical force on any Mohawk who dares to defy their commands and assert their rights as Onkwehonwe. They have the mace, the steel cuffs and the firearms. They have the paramilitary uniforms and are hyped up on their own myths. They see the Mohawks as the enemy and have been conditioned to respond to us not as human beings but as cartoons. For this...
