The Oneida Nation Inc.:An Occupied Territory in Upstate New York

Transfered from old site <!--break--> The Oneida Nation Inc. &nbsp;<BR>An Occupied Territory in Upstate New York &nbsp;<BR>By Jesse Lenney &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>A few month ago I had received an email about what was happening on the Oneida territory. It said people had been illegally evicted off native land by a hired police force. Reading it, I remembered the images of burning tires on route 90 when Pataki's administration tried violating indigenous &nbsp;<BR>sovereignty by taxing gas and tobacco sales on the territories. So this past weekend a friend and I stopped in to see what was going on. Christian Peace Maker Teams had asked Kathleen Kern to stay on the territory to provide support to the residents so we knew someone who could introduce us to the families there. There are 32 acres near the town of Oneida that are the only undisputed land of the Oneida people. Seven native families still live on the territory. 1100 other Oneida live outside of the territory. 12 homes have been demolished already. They were inspected as part of a "beautification" plan and then demolished. The families who lived in the homes had been denied benefits from the Oneida nation due to their involvement with demonstrations against the BIA supported administration of the Oneida Nation, so they were left to fend for themselves after the evictions. The latest demolition was the home of Danielle Shenandoah and her two children. Danielle along with her sisters and mother had organized a group called the Oneidas for Democracy who have been resisting the administration of Ray Halbritter who is supported by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and who has ended all traditional practices of Oneida governance and profited greatly from the economic development of the territory. The situation on the territory is complicated, but in noticing the casino, the gas stations, the convenience stores, and the museum, it seems plausible to me that someone has decided that these people are in the way of progress and that their desire for a traditional form of democracy is not acceptable in the vision of their millionaire representative. An inspector came the day before we arrived and was not allowed to enter the homes. The state police, who had forced their way into Danielle's home, were not with the inspectors this time so they did not get in. The residents live modestly in homes that reminded me of the white rural poor communities where I grew up. They offered us hospitality, their story and prayer. It isn't clear to me yet what we could do from the outside, but the families have invited people to visit them to learn more and in the hopes that the presence of outsiders will make Halbritter less likely to demolish their homes and they ask that we contact our member of Congress and the BIA to tell them about our concern for the rights of the residents on the Oneida territory. I would encourage you to check out their website and call the number there if you're interested in finding out more about this situation. &nbsp;<BR>www.oneidasfordemocracy.org &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>

<p>Transfered from old site</p> <!--break--><p>The Oneida Nation Inc.<br />  <br />An Occupied Territory in Upstate New York<br />  <br />By Jesse Lenney<br />  <br /><br />  <br /><br />  <br />A few month ago I had received an email about what was happening on the Oneida territory. It said people had been illegally evicted off native land by a hired police force. Reading it, I remembered the images of burning tires on route 90 when Pataki's administration tried violating indigenous<br />  <br />sovereignty by taxing gas and tobacco sales on the territories. So this past weekend a friend and I stopped in to see what was going on. Christian Peace Maker Teams had asked Kathleen Kern to stay on the territory to provide support to the residents so we knew someone who could introduce us to the families there. There are 32 acres near the town of Oneida that are the only undisputed land of the Oneida people. Seven native families still live on the territory. 1100 other Oneida live outside of the territory. 12 homes have been demolished already. They were inspected as part of a "beautification" plan and then demolished. The families who lived in the homes had been denied benefits from the Oneida nation due to their involvement with demonstrations against the BIA supported administration of the Oneida Nation, so they were left to fend for themselves after the evictions. The latest demolition was the home of Danielle Shenandoah and her two children. Danielle along with her sisters and mother had organized a group called the Oneidas for Democracy who have been resisting the administration of Ray Halbritter who is supported by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and who has ended all traditional practices of Oneida governance and profited greatly from the economic development of the territory. The situation on the territory is complicated, but in noticing the casino, the gas stations, the convenience stores, and the museum, it seems plausible to me that someone has decided that these people are in the way of progress and that their desire for a traditional form of democracy is not acceptable in the vision of their millionaire representative. An inspector came the day before we arrived and was not allowed to enter the homes. The state police, who had forced their way into Danielle's home, were not with the inspectors this time so they did not get in. The residents live modestly in homes that reminded me of the white rural poor communities where I grew up. They offered us hospitality, their story and prayer. It isn't clear to me yet what we could do from the outside, but the families have invited people to visit them to learn more and in the hopes that the presence of outsiders will make Halbritter less likely to demolish their homes and they ask that we contact our member of Congress and the BIA to tell them about our concern for the rights of the residents on the Oneida territory. I would encourage you to check out their website and call the number there if you're interested in finding out more about this situation.<br />  <br /><a href="http://www.oneidasfordemocracy.org">www.oneidasfordemocracy.org</a><br />  <br /><br />  <br /><br />  <br /></p>