Description
Iroquois Land Claims is a collection of nine essays read at a symposium held at Colgate University in April, 1986 to explain the nature and scope of Six Nations Iroquois land rights issues in the United States. An introduction by Christopher Vecsey offers readers an overview of the issues that are the basis for Iroquois land rights. He also offers an overview of the papers presented at the conference. The papers discuss in readable style the history of Aboriginal title, traditional Iroquois land use, treaties such as Fort Stanwix and Canandaigua, the Cayuga land claim, the Seneca Nation - Salamanca lease, Oneida Nation land claims, and the sovereignty and land rights of the Haudenosaunee. This final presentation by Irving Powless Jr. presents a clear statement about the Haudenosaunee position on land. It stands in direct contrast to the presentation made by lawyer Allan van Gestel on behalf of the non-Iroquois landowners in New York. These papers provide an accessible introduction about Iroquois land rights and the overwhelming odds against their reconciliation. The book contains maps, an index, and an epilogue by William Starna. The presenters include Arlinda Locklear, William Hagan, Jack Campisi, Laurence Hauptman, and Chris Lavin.