PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2011
Contact: Joe Heath, General Counsel for the Onondaga Nation: 315-475-2559 /
(315) 447-4851 cell
WHEN WILL WE HAVE JUSTICE?
Onondaga Nation Questions United States’ Commitment to Justice and Abiding by Treaties
Onondaga Nation Territory—Tadodaho Sidney Hill issued this statement today on behalf of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs, the Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of cert today in the Oneida Nation Land Claim:
“Our hearts are saddened to see this denial of justice for our brothers, the Oneida. We ask – where can Native Nations seek justice?
“The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to scrutinize the unfair and creative legal interpretations the lower courts invented to justify their decisions. A different set of rules has been created for Indian Nations, that offers less rights than any other party. And so the United States’ long history of the subjugation of our Nations continues.
“Despite the challenges posed by today’s decision, the Onondaga Nation will continue to seek justice in our own Land Rights Action. Our goal continues to be to find a way to have the history and injustice acknowledged, so that relationships may heal, and to use our rights to the land as a legal and moral force for the environment and for the Earth.
“We do this not for ourselves, but for the seventh generation yet to come… for all of us who live here.
“We renew our call for the healing of relationship between our peoples, and the healing of the lakes, rivers, creeks, air, and land we all depend upon. We offer deep appreciation to those who have answered that call and are working with us to create change for the better, you give us hope.
“We know that the truth of history is on our side, and that justice will prevail someday.”
#####################################################################
The Onondaga Nation is a member of the Haudenosaunee (“People of the Long House”), an alliance of native nations united for hundreds of years by traditions, beliefs and cultural values. Also referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations, the Haudenosaunee consist of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. The Onondaga Nation Territory is located south of Syracuse, NY.