The period between the American Revolution and the middle nineteenth century dramatically changed New York State and the Iroquois. Upstate metropolises—Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo—were founded and soon witnessed a phenomenal growth, making New York State one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. This development led to the displacement of the Iroquois. Initially, state officials attempted to force the Indians west. In his book, Laurence M. Hauptman shows how state transportation interests, land speculating companies, and national defense policies worked to undermine the Iroquois. When forced removal of the Indians failed, Albany officials pushed for jurisdiction over the Indians, including attempts to tax them. Hauptman goes beyond simply recounting the tragedy that befell the Indians in New York. He includes memoirs and letters of gazetteers, travelers’ accounts, tribal records, personal correspondence, and Indian petitions to Albany and Washington—eloquent documents that reveal a rich culture in crisis.
To be stewards of the earth, not owners: this was the way of the Lenape. Considering themselves sacred land keepers, they walked gently; they preserved the world they inhabited. Drawing on a wide range of historical sources, interviews with living Algonquin elders, and first-hand explorations of the ancient trails, burial grounds, and sacred sites, Native New Yorkers offers a rare glimpse into the civilization that served as the blueprint for modern New York. A fascinating history, supplemented with maps, timelines, and a glossary of Algonquin words, this book is an important and timely celebration of a forgotten people.
The story of the Thomas Indian School has been overlooked by history and historians even though it predated, lasted longer, and affected a larger number of Indian children than most of the more well-known federal boarding schools. Founded by the Presbyterian missionaries on the Cattaraugus Seneca Reservation in western New York, the Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Indian Children, as it was formally named, shared many of the characteristics of the government-operated Indian schools. However, its students were driven to its doors not by Indian agents, but by desperation. Forcibly removed from their land, Iroquois families suffered from poverty, disease, and disruptions in their traditional ways of life, leaving behind many abandoned children. The story of the Thomas Indian School is the story of the Iroquois people and the suffering and despair of the children who found themselves trapped in an institution from which there was little chance for escape. Although the school began as a refuge for children, it also served as a mechanism for “civilizing” and converting native children to Christianity. As the school’s population swelled and financial support dried up, the founders were forced to turn the school over to the state of New York. Under the State Board of Charities, children were subjected to prejudice, poor treatment, and long-term institutionalization, resulting in alienation from their families and cultures. In this harrowing yet essential book, Burich offers new and important insights into the role and nature of boarding schools and their destructive effect on generations of indigenous populations.
This is the first major book to explore uniquely Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and specifically Oneida, components in the Native American oral narrative as it existed around 1900. Drawn largely from early twentieth-century journals by non-Indigenous scholar Hope Emily Allen, much of which was published in Oneida Iroquois Folklore, Myth, and History for the first time. Even as he studies time-honored themes and such stories as the Haudenosaunee account of creation, Anthony Wonderley breaks new ground examining links between legend, history, and everyday life. He pointedly questions how oral traditions are born and develop. Uncovering tales told over the course of 400 years, Wonderley further defines and considers endurance and sequence in oral narratives. Finally, possible links between Oneida folklore and material culture are explored in discussions of craft works and archaeological artifacts of cultural and symbolic importance. Arguably the most complete study of its kind, the book will appeal to a wide range of professional disciplines from anthropology, history, and folklore to religion and Native American studies.
The landmark Oneida Supreme Court decisions of 1974 and 1985 testify to the fact that the Iroquois' day in court has finally arrived. Although Indian petitions to regain their shrinking land base have generally caught the non-Indian public by surprise, land rights have been an issue for the Iroquois for the past two-hundred years. This book provides a balanced appraisal of the land claims made by several of the Iroquois tribes. By drawing upon the viewpoints of those who have a direct stake in the land claims' outcome-Iroquois, attorneys representing or defending against the claims, expert witnesses—and those who have extensive knowledge of the controversy, this book reveals the complexity of the issues. While there is no easy way to resolve these claims, the uniquely qualified contributors stress that a negotiated settlement is preferable to a litigated one. The fact that these cases have had to be brought to court, even to the Supreme Court, is evidence of the seriousness of the issues involved. This timely book strikes a balance among the various parties to the land disputes, proving an invaluable resource to academics, students, legal professionals, policymakers, and the public at large.
Although the Montaukett were among the first tribes to establish relations with the English in the seventeenth century, until now very little has been written about the evolution of their interaction with the settlers. John A. Strong, a noted authority on the Indians of New York State's Long Island, has written a concise history that focuses on the issue of land tenure in the relations between the English and the Montaukett. This study covers the period from the earliest contacts to the New York Appellate Court decision in 1917—which declared the tribe to be extinct—to their current battle for the federal recognition necessary to reclaim portions of their land. Strong also looks at related issues such as cultural assimilation, political and social tensions, and patterns of economic dependency among the Montaukett.
A vivid portrait of the Iroquois nation during colonial America offers insight into their formidable influence over regional politics, their active participation in period trade, and their neutral stance throughout the Anglo-French imperial wars. 15,000 first printing.