The Oneida Nation and New York

Today and tomorrow we are going to learn about the disputes between New York State and the Oneida Indian Nation.

Day 1: Review Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) and Learn About the Oneida

I know that in the past you have learned about the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). For a review you can watch this short 15 minute movie about the Haudenosaunee or review the guide below about the Haudenosaunee. Pick out 5 things that you learned using one or both of these sources. (5 total)

Source: The "Iroquois" Confederacy, Historia Civilis

You can also review this guide in writing about the Haudenosaunee. It is a guide created for teachers that has great information for students.

https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/HaudenosauneeGuide.pdf

Please write five facts you learned from the video and the guide.

Think about it...

The Oneida Indian Nation is an indigenous nation of Native American people whose sacred and sovereign homelands are located in Central New York. Land disputes between the US Government and its citizens and the Oneida Indian Nation and its citizens have been going on for a long time.

Knowing what you know about Westward Expansion, why do you think the Oneida Indian Nation's land in Central New York has shrunk over time?

What methods do you think the US government used to gain Oneida land?

Vocabulary:

Indigenous: native to a place.

Sacred: considered to be holy and deserving respect, especially because of a connection with a god.

Sovereign: land free from external control.

Disputes: disagreements, arguments, or debates.

Methods: system, strategy, or way of doing something.

Day 2: Using a Video and Timeline to Learn More About Oneida Indian Nation History

Task 1: Video

Watch the video below until 4:00 minutes and answer the questions below using the video.

Source: Oneida Nation, Discover Wisconsin

While you watch the video think about the following questions:

Where did Oneida Nation originate? (1:37)
What impact did European settlement have on the Oneidas? (1:42)
Where are the three factions of the Oneida? (1:48)
What are the six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy)? (1:57)
What role did the Oneida play in the American Revolution? (2:47-3:10)
What happened to Oneida land after the American Revolution? (3:10-3:33)

Task 2: Timeline

Oneida Indian Nation has created a timeline of major events in their Nation's history.

Pick six events that you think are the most important in history from the timeline. Write down the year of the event and a short title or description. You may use this later in the

If you are having trouble picking events think about picking one event per 100 years, or pick out the events that caused the Oneida to gain or lose land.

More Learning: Recent Developments

The current Oneida Indian Nation has had land disputes with New York State and towns surrounding their territory. They have also come to resolve some of those disputes by signing agreements.

You can listen below to a discussion between the Ray Halbritter, the Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Former Governor Mario Cuomo (Yes, current Governor Andrew Cuomo's father) about the impact of New York's relationship with the Oneida Nation.

Source: Compact-Anniversary-Oneida Nation and New York, The Oneida

In 2013, Oneida Indian Nation and New York State signed a Settlement Agreement about tax issues related to the casinos and land claimed by the Oneida Indian Nation.

Under the settlement, Oneida Indian Nation will pay New York State and specific counties a percentage of its casino revenues. They will start charging the same sales tax as the state, to be used by the Oneida Indian Nation.

Under the settlement, the Oneida Indian Nation will agree to a permanent cap of approximately 25,000 acres of land they claim is theirs. They will not be able to claim any more land is theirs. Oneida and Madison County will drop their legal claims concerning land disputes against the Oneida Indian Nation, currently in the courts, and the State of New York will stop paying for those legal claims. The Nation expressly waives its rights of sovereignty over any land over the cap amount. What this means is that Oneida Indian Nation is giving up some of its rights to claim more land in the region they originally held.