The conference, "Haudenosaunee Under Siege
MNN. Nov. 19, 2005. The conference, "Haudenosaunee Under Siege",
was about the acceptance of the supremacy of colonial "federal Indian
law". The majority attending were traditionalists who adhere to
Haudenosaunee law. The fire within them was not given a voice. It
was like a Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien television late night show
format. Instead of discussing issues and passing them back and forth
between the people, speakers sat on chairs in the middle of the
stage. Robert Porter, the MC, sat at a desk to the right. The only
people who spoke were those on the speakers' list. Most of them were
tribal or band councilors – people who had accepted to act according
to colonial law instead of our own constitution,
Kaianereh'ko:wa.
Serious issues facing Haudenosaunee society were ignored. The buzz
in the audience was, "Federal Indian law is killing us. We'll never
go along with it". Good governance, exercising our rights and
powers, how our law protects the people and the environment were
shunted aside. We hoped a comparison would be made between
Haudenosaunee law and colonial law. But it was not to be.
Many came screaming out of the auditorium half way through the
meeting, "Robert Porter, we came, we saw and we left empty-handed and
empty-headed!", they said as they scrambled out door. They jumped in
their cars and drove to the "Sing" in nearby Onondaga and had a great
time.
The first speaker was Jim "Finder's Fee" Ransom, of the St. Regis
Mohawk Tribe. He talked about skenneh (peace). It was a smoke and
mirrors `Cirque du Soleil' performance. Ransom said, "We have become
media driven and price driven" (Speak for yourself!) Of course, he
didn't admit how much he'd been lining his own pockets by taking
money from casinos. His job is to make it look like the people were
in favor of land claims settlements in exchange for a few casinos for
someone.
"We have to survive for the next 500 years" (We hope this boring
conference doesn't go on for that long). "It's the loss of culture
and language." (Which he doesn't speak. He can't lose what he
doesn't have).
"What's the crisis of the day?" Ransom asked, as he looked at
himself. "We have the biggest IGA in the country on our territory"
(owned and operated by white people). He said nothing about how he
himself had been facilitating the use of our territories as tax
havens for non-natives. A written question was sent up on why
Ransom, a member of the school board, allowed the Salmon River school
to pull the Mohawk thanksgiving address. Also, why is he allowing a
few to use the rights of the people to enrich themselves in the name
of "Indian sovereignty". Since when has putting a brown face on the
white system amounted to respect for Indigenous rights?
Rob Porter had asked people who had questions to write them on cards
and send them up to him. Ransom's ravings incited hundreds of
questions. A huge pile collected on Rob Porter's desk. He never
answered, not a one!
There was no heckling from the audience as there might have been with
a presentation of bull shit in white society. We are still
traditionalists. We listen and wait our turn to speak. Rob knew
this about our culture. So he never left us an opening. That's how
we got controlled.
Ransom said that land claims achieved better relationships in the
community!! Yes, now everybody wants to sue him for lying to them.
What happened to accountability? He said the referendum favoring
the land claim was the highest ever, if you call 700 out of 15,000
people a majority. Relations with federal, state and local
governments have never been worse. They are all working with him to
kill us off and take everything we have.
In what was taken as a subliminal threat, Ransom also extolled the
work of the 19 police forces keeping an eye on our people. He said
he wants to deal with other (brain dead) leaders who are like him (A
very telling remark). Said a bystander, "There are 3 remedies for
what these traitors have done to us – impeachment, banishment from
this and all other territories, and eviction without ever being able
to come back".
Rob Porter announced that Syracuse University is going to give out
fully paid scholarships to Haudenosaunee people. So he can train
more sell-outs in his Governance Program! I am not sending my
grandkids there.
The next speaker was Brian "32 Acres" Patterson, of Oneida. "Segole"
he greeted. He speaks with a heavy Indian accent. But watch out
when he gets mad, he can sound just like a regular New Yorker. Then
he told some stories about his childhood long long ago and how he got
his nick name. He bragged, "We can now go to Albany with a hard face
and mill around with all those (crooked) politicians. We can hold
our heads up high, (when we hang out with those low brow racketeers),
that's how important we are now".
"But it's time now to stay home and deal with our own people" (if
there are any left). Brian, our question is why did you agree to pay
taxes to the white man and then say that this is the model for the
rest of us, you fink? We need to know what threats are coming our
way. Patterson began to sound like he was ready to throw in the
towel. (Don't, Brian. The Mohawks are still here. You don't have
our permission to do that. Listen to your older brothers.)
Next was Chief Angie "Where's my finder's fee?" Barnes of Akwesasne
council on the Canadian side. She was apparently good in sports in
high school. She said she is interested in traditional ways, but she
dropped the ball. Instead of turning to her own people she stumbled
across the poor Toltecs of Mexico and mangled whatever info she could
find about them. We don't know how she did her research, but some
pages were missing. According to her, the Toltecs have 4 basic
principles: (1) be impeccable with words; (2) don't make
assumptions; (4) try your best. She forgot what (3) was. It could
have been tell the truth or do your home work. Thank goodness there
weren't (5)! Barnes said she has been under siege for 500 years.
(These seizures are getting contagious. Actually, we are under
siege by the fraudulent tribal and band council governments). "We've
done the right thing and things could have been better", she said
(Don't strain yourself, Angie).
Barnes mentioned she was delayed because the bridge out of Akwesasne
was closed down due to 5 border guards badgering, belittling and
bothering a young 115-pound Mohawk girl. They became terrified of
her, especially when her grandmother showed up. She gave them a
backhand glance and they fled like cockroaches. Imagine if 10 of us
women showed up we could have gotten rid of 50 of them! Barnes was
told about this incident at her Alouette party and asked for a full
report. "I am going to do something about this", she said.
Randy "Who never got a finder's fee" Phillips, Oneida, was next. We
wondered if this guy was colonized yet. Then he said he would send
the government to the traditional council for treaty making as if any
of us wants to sign anything away.
Remember, don't send your kids to this program to be turned into
federal Indian law idiots!
R. Donald Maracle, Mohawk, talked about trying to get the Supreme
Court of Canada to hear a case dealing with garbage dumps
contaminating the water and the environment. He described how the
Canadian court system dealt with the case by refusing to hear it,
giving bureaucrats carte blanche to interpret the law any way they
want. Justice for them but not for us! This is what our
participation in the colonial system boils down to. Those who appeal
to the colonial system in good faith get shunned and ignored.
For the $35 conference fee, each attendee got a white T-shirt with a
clenched FU fist on the back. We women had our own little conference
and decided we will never allow Rob Porter and the University of
Syracuse to abuse us ever again.
Let's give the final word to John Cree of Kanehsatake. "No matter
how much money you make, Jim Ransom, it will never solve your
problem. Selling cigarettes is a way for our people to make a little
money to feed our families. You open the door to taxation and
control by outsiders. It's none of your business. Get it?" At
this point, Ransom recoiled in his seat.
By the end of the conference most of the disappointed audience had
left. There were angry caucuses in the hall. People were just plain
tired of having their intelligence insulted. Rumor has it that those
many that fell asleep in their chairs and stayed on to the bitter end
had a chance to see Rob being given an award – something only a
mother would do.
We are left with the question, when is there going to be a "real"
Haudenosaunee conference?
Kahentinetha Horn, MNN Mohawk Nation News, Kahentinetha Horn
Contents
December 2005 Reports
Last updated on December 17, 2005