Iroquois Nationals;We are a People we are a Nation
July 15, 2010
Always have been always will be…
After much effort and tens of thousands of dollars spent , hopes were high that the fourth ranked Iroquois Nationals** , representing the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy (the world’s oldest participatory democracy) . Would finally be on their way to the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships being held in England.
This after winning a concession from the U.S state department which would see the Iroquois Nationals traveling to the event using Haudenosaunee passport’s rather than U.S or Canadian Passports…
thanks to a one-time waiver from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton clearing the way for it to travel to the world championships in England using tribal documents instead of United States passports
But alas it was not to be…
Yet again it seems somethings will never change when it comes to relationships between settler government’s & Indigenous Peoples , i.e one side always get’s the short end of the stick !
“We were given a set of demands, and then we met those demands — and then they were switched…
Heard that narrative before, like a few thousand times.
….the British government was said to have refused to grant visas to the team, even with Mrs. Clinton’s waiver…@
The Iroquois were offered expedited U.S passports,of course the offer had to be turned down. To accept, would be to make a mockery of Iroquoian sovereignty,generations of activism and the long held & practiced tradition of refusing to accept settler authority(imposed) over Iroquoian/Confederacy sovereignty (creator/god-given).
The Iroquois refused to accept them, saying that traveling to an international competition on what they consider to be a foreign nation’s passport would be an affront to their sovereignty.
Perhaps one day, hopefully in the not so distant future, settler government’s will finally do right by the Two Row Wampum. A treaty that is not only valid under international law, but one which was negotiated in good faith & signed in good faith nation to nation.
One side is in violation, one side has forsaken not only its honor but the very rule of law that it holds to be sacred. Well supposedly,sometimes, just not when it comes to matters pertaining to Indigenous Peoples their lands, resources , nor even something as basic as ones creator-given identity as a People.
‘O’ arrogance… thy name is a European / settler.
Watch video interview with team members
And definitly watch Newsy for in-depth coverage of the issues surrounding this story.
And of course read the always informative Newspaper Rock … good background info & context.
Want more…
Seriously, these guys are ranked 4th in the WORLD, and they won’t be able to make it to a tournament to play a sport THEIR PEOPLE CREATED. It would be like stopping the Greeks from going to Brazil for the Olympics, or cutting off an American household’s cable right before the start of a football game so nobody can play armchair quarterback. It just makes no sense.Or maybe it does. It’s not as though the United States of America has a track record of screwing over Native Americans
Read more …@ Culture Shock
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**Iroquois Nationals are the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally.
