MNN Editorial by Kahentinetha and Katenies, [MNN Mohawk Nation News]
This is a response to “The History of the Three Chiefs System and the Constitution of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe” by Darren Bonaparte and Russ Jock (August 28, 2006). We felt compelled to comment because the Mohawks and the general population do not know about this. The corporate entity known as the “St. Regis Mohawk Tribe” [Inc.], are spouting they are the “Nation” and have the sovereignty of the Mohawks to wheel, deal and lobby our rights and lands away for a private casino for themselves and their outside benefactors. Read on.
March 5, 2007. This report on the “history” of the “three chiefs system” at Akwesasne was done for the understanding of a federal judge named Peebles. After he reads this he’s going to be even more confused. The question being grappled with is how the Bureau of Indian Affairs BIA, the federal government and
At first glance it seems that the SRMT is putting in place agreements to tie everybody up and kill any independent economic means. They want everybody to become “welfare bums” so we become dependent on their casino and their agreements which they call “hand outs”. They know only too well the only true form of governance is the Longhouse traditional government of the majority of the people. Now they want to convince everybody, “We’re traditional and we’re going to put a steeple on the longhouse faster than you can say “God bless
In passing it acknowledges the Onkwehonewe who are original to the land and who have the rights that go with it. There is a complete denial of our great history and development of the world’s greatest democracy. The Peacemaker is “Dekanawida”. The leaders were not chosen by the “clan mothers”. They were nominated by the people and put up by the clan mothers.
The constant reference to the Mohawk Nation as “tribes” is demeaning. A “tribe” is a “barbarous group of animals ranking between genus and order”. In other words, it is a low form of human grouping. Maybe those who follow the orders of the colonial office find themselves in this category. The Mohawk Nation does not.
According to international law there has to be a vote by a “majority of the eligible electors” on a clear question. If everyone’s voice is equal, how can 600 vote and decide for 17,000 people? This is referred to as a “thorough community discussion” even though the voice of the majority (Longhouse people) is ignored. Why do they call 900 people voting in a referendum to decide on a form of government as being the “will of the people”? It is the will of a few “sell-outs”!
Page 3. Throughout the Mohawk Nation is constantly insulted by being referred to as “a “tribe” that is “federally recognized” for the portion that lies south of the 45th parallel”. In fact they speak for the minority who follow colonial laws that the colonial state chooses to listen to.
This is supposed to be a “non-partisan” chronology of key events. It does not tell us who paid for this study that is partial to the colonial view. Why can’t others with a contrary view get funds to present another side of the story? This project was probably funded by
Page. 4. The missionary based “Seven Nations” is an alliance of Christian communities on the
“It was not the creation of
Page 5. The Great Law history and evolution was brushed aside as “some form of leadership had guided them to that location in more ancient times”. What? How about for thousands of years?
The lie is perpetuated that the St. Lawrence Iroquois have “disappeared” so that the colonists can squat on our land and say that no Indigenous people were here. Jacques Cartier was not taken into the center of the village. No stranger was allowed in for the sake of security. Especially perverts like Cartier. They are taken into a visitor’s enclosed area. Cartier’s writing is romantic nonsense for Europeans he wanted to extort money from for his travels.
Page. 9. Mainly colonially approved documents are relied upon, such as federal Indian law and
P. 10. The Six Nations Iroquois never surrendered our land to anyone. Christian Indians cannot become treaty making entities as they do not have valid title according to international law. They are riding on the colonial ship helping their masters point their guns at us.
Page. 13. Everyone knows these deals and treaties signed by a non-Mohawk, Louis Cook, are scams. His father is Black and mother an Abenaki. [No racism intended here.] He was a lieutenant colonel in the British army. The other scoundrel is Joseph Brant, who was a British subject and captain in the British Army. He translated for the Confederacy. The British knew full well he could not make deals on our behalf. He was deposed as a “Pine Tree” chief [which is strictly ceremonial] in 1805 by the entire Confederacy and War Chiefs for his treachery.
“When the war was over, they [Cook and Brant] continued to harbor a personal animosity towards each other that almost brought the Seven Nations and Six Nations to the brink of war”. How? They were both British subjects! The Seven Nations were all praying Catholics!
“The modern St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council would not be far off the mark to consider Colonel Louis the “founding father” of their governments”. [Get us the barf bag, quick!]
Page 14. The Americans were not victorious. They wanted all of
Page 15. The descendants of this “breakaway” group would eventually be recognized as the “St. Regis Mohawk Tribe”. Louis Cook appears to be an agent assigned to create factionalism. This was the COINTELPRO [Counter Intelligence Program] of the day. He even left descendants behind who support him today.
Page 17. “Life Chiefs” of Ahkwesahsne and the other communities [made up of Christians of diverse nations, Algonquin, some Iroquois and others] of the Seven Nations were governed by a “traditional” council of chiefs that were loosely patterned after the councils of the Six Nations. They were trying to legitimize themselves under the direction of the priests. They asked the British to replace Cook. [So much for their sovereignty!]
Page 18. We are referred to as a “band”, a demeaning tag that some Onkwehonwe accept without question. It’s as bad as being called a “tribe”. The colonists want to deal with us as a “band of animals”. “Band” also means an organized company of men and robbers.
There was resistance to the Indian Advancement Act of 1884. The elective system is not for us. It is not legal and violates the Constitution of the Iroquois Government.
Page 20.
How about the meager payoff? [Their puppets still sell out for very little]. Those “administering” were given two silk suits, one with the arms of the
Page 21. Cook was working for
The “American St. Regis Indians” [Are they saying this with a straight face?] also submitted to the NYS legislature a declaration of allegiance, signed by 45 individuals. [The Confederacy did not authorize this!] [So the SRMT have their right hand glued over their hearts pledging allegiance to the
The Mohawks on the northern portion were called the “British Indians”. [Seriously, anyone who called us this would have to watch their backs].
Page 23. In 1888 the St. Regis Indians were “adopted” by the Iroquois Confederacy to succeed the Mohawks, who were considered to have abdicated their membership by moving to
Page 24. It is true that the trustees were inclined to having their “advice purchasable” [just like today].
Page 25. This report actually lays out the fraud. The trustees’ authority was always “poorly defined”. There is no explanation of how we were brought under
Page 26. The people never gave any consensus to bring in this foreign governing system. According to their own and international laws it’s illegal. It “evolved” into entrenched illegality.
Page 27. The Massena Observer in 1915 proclaimed that the St. Regis Indians are the first tribe to adopt a “Republican form of Government”. [Come on, is this a joke?] What is a republic? [It is a society of persons with equality between members. This is definitely not the hierarchical colonial systems being imposed in Akwesasne.]. It wasn’t self-determination. It was a municipal style government in which the colonial “Indians”, known as SRMT and its followers, gave up their sovereignty and flocked under NYS laws.
The elected tribal government evolved at a snail’s pace while the traditionalist movement caught everybody’s attention.
Page 30. The Mohawks never left the
Page 32. The traditionalists opposed the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. The women stopped most from voting on this act meant to exterminate us and our land holdings. John Collier was not our “great savior”. He reported to his superiors the Mohawks had accepted it even though only 46 had voted for it. Under no uncertain terms, he was told to “back off”. He did.
Page 35. The Phinney Report of 1942 suggested that the federal government take a “stronger [back] hand” with the Mohawks. “
Page 36. Most of the preliminary work on the constitution was being done in
Page 38. In 1947 councilors and Six Nations chiefs came from Caughnawaga to set up a central Mohawk Nation government. [Imagine the thunderous colonial knees knocking and shaking at that prospect.] Though well received by the people, the sell-out chiefs took the matter “under advisement”. A vote was taken in 1948 to decide on the form of government they wanted – elected chiefs, seven nations chiefs or the Six Nations. Six Nations got 83, the elected chiefs got one and the Seven Nations got none. [At this point the colonial breath was panting! There must have been hysterics! They had to undo this fast!]
The elective chiefs renounced all authority. On June 7 1948 Valois, a NYS employee, arrived with two State Troopers at the council house to conduct an election. The doors were padlocked and guarded by clan mothers. [Get the message, Val?] In September 1948
Page 40. “Despite the fact that Moses White represented a minority position among the Mohawks and that even many who supported the elected system opposed jurisdictional transfer, his testimony in 1945 was used to rationalize
Page 41. In 1947 masquerading under the high-sounding cover of “setting the Indians free” are a series of Bills which strike at the very roots of Indian economy. If passed would they reduce whole Indian populations to poverty and dependence. These bills which might to an unsuspecting friend of the Indians, sound like pro-Indian legislation because of the holy guise of “emancipation” wrapped about them, are actually being pushed by the big business interests who want to get hold of Indian property. [This sounds like 2007? Then it was grazing land. Now it’s the casino.]
“It is significant that the proposed legislation affects mainly those tribes still having valuable assets left to their own ownership. There seems to be no particular haste to “free” those tribes whose lands are worthless and who own no valuable property”. Shouldn't there be condemnation of these atrocities?
Page 43. There is a reference to the tactics used to force us to stop resisting the Seaway going through our territory. In the 1950’s “Although the two sectors of Ahkwesahsne faced a common threat in the Seaway appropriations, it was not a time of great unity between “American” and “Canadian” Mohawks. [Not true. My two grandfathers worked with our people from all the territories. It was the RCMP, Indian agents and our own elitists who made it look like there were divisions. They killed our economy. With their experience they are doing it again by criminalizing our trade on behalf of the “Great White Fadder”, i.e. their hands are always out for Homeland Security money to combat all the “criminality” they say exists among our people. We are all being targeted, young and old.]
“In 1954 the Tribal Council attempt to remove non-natives living on the reservation going so far as to appear to an outside court to have them evicted. In June of 1955, the [colonial] Supreme Court of Canada ruled that residents of the “Canadian” side of Ahkwesahsne had to pay duties on goods purchase in the
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe was unsuccessful in evicting Mary Tebo from the “American” side of the community. She was jailed for contempt of court for refusing to leave the land she was occupying. Don’t they remember the sacrifices of people like her?
Page 49. The “border” issue: “The Traditional Indian Unity Convention was held at the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reserve. At a meeting consisting of 62 Indian nations, bands and tribes held the 26th day of August, 1969, in our first day of the convention, we unanimously and strongly protest against the position that the government of Canada has been recently and illegally denying our North American Indian people of their inherit right to freely travel anywhere on this continent. The imposed border that has been recently and illegally been created by the
Page 50 shows all the “milestones” by the colonists such as a visit by Louis Bruce, the U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs, honors by
Church and state control of the community is sited in this report as “progress”.
Page 51. Still at this time theThree Chiefs system was running things. Two out of three chiefs called the shots, subject to a foreign style of elections. [Today they are wisked off on a private jet to
In 1979 another milestone. The Racquette situation was described as Loran Thompson and
In 1979 the “Raquette Point” standoff, the Seven Nations was used as a defense. Judge Pomadore said the St. Regis Indians cannot claim sovereign immunity. Only the Mohawk Nation is part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The St. Regis Mohawks were a Christian congregation. They cannot sign away sovereign Indian lands.
The turmoil of the 1980’s into the 1990’s was about civil conflicts started by outsiders and external legislation. A commission recommended that
The big fraud is that “there was a federal Indian law principle that all federally recognized tribes began their relationships with the
Page 58, the 1993 debacle. Tracy Terrance and Henry Flood drafted a constitution to replace the Three Chiefs NYS system. “There has to be 51% majority of those who show up and vote to win the vote, not on the number of “registered” or “eligible” voters.
Page 60. Phil Tarbell seems to be a big mover on this constitution. “I was frustrated last year as the rest of you were! And I saw what we can physically do as a group in this country. Everything is right there in front of us! We have to have a mechanism. And I’ll tell you personally, and Lincoln (White) will tell you, Norman (Tarbell) will tell you, and Charlie (Terrance) will tell you: we go into discussions with the State of
He did not tell us how to get rid of corruption or corrupt chiefs, written or unwritten. He wanted a top down system just like the white people.
Page 63, the tribal council of John S. Loran, Norman J. Tarbell and Philip H. Tarbell passed the Tribal Law Development, Interpretation and Codification Procedures Act of 1994, the Tribal Council Procedures Act of 1994 and Judiciary Act of 1994. After passing it, they decided to have a referendum on June 3, 1995.
Indian Time published by the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs put out a piece, “Tribe’s Constitution a threat to the People”.
Those who are legitimate residents of Akwesasne and consider themselves members of the Mohawk Nation are excluded from the constitution. Since they are not part of the Tribe they will not enjoy freedom of religion, may have their individual rights denied, will be excluded from any of the programs administered by the Tribe and will only enjoy “secure educational advantages and vocational opportunities” at the pleasure of Tribal officials. [This is so we can learn how corrupt their so-called government is. They do count our heads when they go for funds, but only give it to the few who voted for them.]
The Constitution Committee did clarify that the Longhouse people must still enroll to benefit. The “tribe” called itself a “federally recognized reservation” instead of a sovereign independent nation.
An illegality upon an illegality does not cancel out an illegality. In the referendum 463 people voted “yes” to the constitution (50.9%). 446 voted “no” (49%). The constitution provided that 51% of the votes of those present was needed to adopt the new constitution of the SRMT. Because of the closeness of the votes, they decided to officially certify that “anything over 50% is a majority”. [More diseased thinking from grade 2 math drop outs].
Page 71. The constitution was all for getting money on the outside and putting up our land as collateral, “Any person who is an enterprising person wishes to take a certificate to an outside investor, can now take the constitution to validate the fact that we have those kinds of credentials”. [We will decide who will take part in the big bake sale.]
Page 73. On July 1, 1995, the new dictatorship took power. Consultant Henry Flood clarified that “It stated in no uncertain terms that the separation of powers in the new form of government had ended the “Three Chief System” once and for all and replaced it with a single Tribal Chief Executive who sat at the top of the governmental hierarchy”. “Some of these laws, policies and resolutions will be initiated exclusively by the Tribal Council”. [So now we had two street gangs fighting for turf.]
Page 74. “The fate of a casino contract is still unclear since the tribal Council attacked the agreement between the tribe and a
Page 75. The Tribal Chief Executive appointed the Administrator, other officers and department heads who serve at the ”request” of the Chief. Christine Deom of Kahnawake became the Tribal Court Judge. She was set up by the so-called government on which she was asked to rule. Her decision was entirely illegal. She was appointed by an illegal council. So what does that make her? She was not independent. She was to work with the jurisdiction issue “which has always existed, and hardening it into the tribal court”.
The judiciary was being used to implement the dictatorship, just like on the outside. “The jurisdiction extends to the complete territory over all people. All wrong-doings on our territory under the Mohawk constitution are fit to be heard under the St. Regis Mohawk court. We can now hear what’s before us. I am the forum to be heard. I’m not a legal opinion”. [I am the boss and my word is final!]
Page 76. Clearly one person, not the people, has all the power. “The Chief Executive Officer is mandated by the Constitution .. to veto the legislation he disapproves of within a five day time limit with a statement of objections”. [Otherwise known as “Idi Amin” Kampf].
Page. 77. “The Tribal Chief Executive seemed to view the Tribal Council as little more than policy drafters, while the Tribal Council apparently saw the Tribal Chief Executive as little more than elected chief administrative officer whose decision they could approve or deny”.
What’s behind all this? No land could be sold and no land transaction is legal without the involvement of the whole Iroquois Confederacy. Land to be used by somebody else required unanimous consent. There is not a single legal transaction in all of Indian country.
The colonial government is taking another stab at legitimizing [or lobotomizing] the theft of our land without us noticing. They did not do it the first time around or subsequently. The response of the Confederacy is this is our mother and she is not for sale.
It is treason, conspiracy and espionage. These sell-outs are
What are the benefit of the Three Chiefs and Constitutional Government to our people? Nothing! Do we really need the outsiders to control us? They are making empty promises so that we will relinquish our title to our land.
The government setting up and paying imposters does not make it legitimate. They paid Joseph Brant and Louis Cook. They knew it was not legal. Today they’re trying to do it again. How many times does a crook have to be paid?
We are trying to fix a situation that is meant to destroy us using a foreign system. It’s like curing lung cancer by smoking cigarettes.
There are some people in Akwesasne and Kahnawake pushing for the Seven Nations. They are jumping in the ship and trying to keep a foot in the canoe. They think they can be saved if something goes wrong with the ship. When all is said and done they will fall in between the ship and canoe and drown. Do they think the
Today, the longhouse spends too much time on “spirituality”/religion. Not on politics as they should. They are becoming known as the “Cookhouse Indians”.
So what happened to the two councils? A campaign began with an anonymous document titled, “No to the Constitution”. They wanted the constitution repealed. The quandary: Something that is illegal in the first place cannot therefore be “repealed”. “The question presented is clearly one which seeks the opinion of the community and must be regarded as advisory entirely”. This means that the people’s opinions count for nothing!
They wanted to rescind the phony certification of the 51% referendum vote that put in the three chiefs system. Putting them in power was illegal. There was a demand for a new referendum. New chiefs were put in, Paul Thompson, Hilda Smoke and Alma Ransom. The other council refused to step down. Now there were two councils.
Both the three chiefs system and the constitutional government are fraudulent. This went to the phony tribal court to decide the status of the tribal constitution and who the true “leaders” were.
Carol Herne, the constitutional representative in frustration would not certify resolutions and was fired.
Then the constitutional government and tribal chiefs decided to abide by the final decision and demands of the colonial outsiders, the Department of the Interior!!! Isn’t any form of governance up to the people, according to international law? The BIA decided to recognize the constitutional government, even though it was not the will of the people. This is a violation of the fundamental principle underlying the constitutional system of government – ultimate decision-making authority rests with the people (p. 85). The BIA represents the colonial
In 1997 the BIA finally decided that “an elementary principle of sovereignty is that only one colonial sovereign can lawfully govern a defined territory or jurisdiction. [What are they talking about? There has always been the true government, the Kaianerekowa Longhouse government]. Conversely, two cannot govern the same territory or jurisdiction” (p. 86). The BIA was willing to accept tribal procedures and policy that they themselves set out!! Alma Ransom said of the BIA, “the animal has taken over” even though she was more than willing to jump in the cage with them and ape them.
The only legitimate governing body is the longhouse. Why didn’t this question go to an impartial third party agreeable to all?
Dozens of Longhouse positions were put out throughout this debacle. Why weren’t they considered for this report?
Another issue came up about three secret bank accounts – one in Massena and two in Canada, where they (constitutional government) divert funds for “their pet” projects (like casinos). (p. 90) [and into their pockets??]
Throughout there was fear that the people might want to decide something themselves and it would not be what these colonial institutions wanted. They are afraid of the people because they know they are smart enough to decide.
All in all, it’s a money issue. “Since your election into the Constitutional Government, you have continued to collect fees from the business people. We strongly feel it is now necessary to ask you to comply with the Tribe’s Public Finance Act that was adopted on July 9, 1995 as the keeping of separate accounts puts a further strain on the limited funds that the Tribe has to work with”. [Where is this money going? Not to housing, health and education!]
The Peoples Constitutional government is controlled by the BIA and the Tribal Chiefs are controlled for the most part by the state of
Those who live by the federal or state law shall die by the federal Indian law and state trustee system. “Although they rejected the right of the federal government to determine who should govern the Tribe, the leaders of the People’s Government had decided to take their case to the federal court, filing papers around the time of the June 1998 elections. (p. 93) [Running to the colonial courts again!]
Another false impression is that “sovereignty” is given to us. No one can do this. We either have it or we don’t. We do because of our being placed here by Creation.
Phil Tarbell also said that Ransom, Smoke and Thompson want to be recognized under the People’s Government by the Department of the Interior, even though they are also sworn in as members of the legislative government. (p. 93).
Another court action was taken, Ransom v. Babbitt, also known as the “Kotelly decision (U.S. District Court Judge). “the Court finds that Defendants acted arbitrarily, capriciously, and contrary to law in refusing to review for themselves the intensely disputed tribal procedures surrounding the adoption of a tribal constitution, in crediting unreasonable decisions of a seemingly invalid tribal court, and in refusing to grant official recognition to the clear will of the Tribe’s people with regard to their government”. (p. 96). [SRMT apparently did not pay too much attention to this.]
Judge Deom said that the ‘certification of the adopted tribal constitution is a special confirming act of the will of the people”!!! Just because a system has been put in at gunpoint doesn’t make it legal generations later. This illegal court cannot rule on the validity of a document which created it.
Why hasn’t the question of whether to follow the Longhouse system ever been put to the people? Outside forces and funds have been used to undermine the Longhouse majority in this community. This report is meant to make the colonial system “appear” to be legal. It was imposed by force and then propped up by the outsiders. Nobody liked the ‘constitution’, and there’s a lot of criticism of the ‘three chiefs’. (p. 102). Those generating these events know how to use all those colonial laws to create so much confusion that no one knows what’s going on.
Everyone knows that a wrong in the very beginning cannot be made right by a subsequent illegal election. The report in effect says a wrong was committed, so what!
Who is Judge Peebles to decide? Who are they to decide? This is a Two Row issue, plain and simple.
Passing a law onto themselves in order to interfere with another nation is colonialism, which is illegal. It is so passé! If they can interfere with us, the
What will we do? Not think about our future? Or dismantle this genocidal system. It is a big apparatus like a boa constrictor that squeezes us and we can't stop it. Deep inside the Kaianerekowa is a system that acknowledges our birthright.
Even the BIA says that “if we don’t resolve it, they will”. They have no right to do this or even think this! Presented are diversionary questions like “should we revive the tribal constitution or stay with the three chiefs system? Are they trying to drive us to collective “insanity”?
Kahentinetha & Katenies
MNN Mohawk Nation News