WISCONSIN ONEIDAS PROPOSE LAND CLAIMS SUMMIT WITH STATE, NEW YORK &
THAMES ONEIDAS AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
ALBANY, NY--The Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin today announced it had
delivered letters of invitation to the governor of New York , New
York and Thames Oneida leadership and the U.S. Department of
Interior Tuesday (10/8), formally requesting the governments commit
to a land claims Summit in the coming weeks.
The Summit's goal is to establish a "framework agreement" on the
major remaining issues delaying settlement of the Oneida's
250,000-acre land claim in New York state. According to the
Wisconsin Oneidas , there is a window of opportunity for the groups
to continue negotiations.
The land claim covers Madison and Oneida counties in central New
York state. Settlement of the land claim, the Wisconsin Oneidas
say, can positively benefit hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers
and Oneidas and will lift the cloud over the future of many
non-Oneida land owners in the claim area.
Negotiations over the largest Indian land claim in the United
States began 13 months ago when Gov. Pataki named Syracuse
attorney, Jan Farr as chief negotiator. A 1985 U.S. Supreme Court
decision found that the New York, Wisconsin and Thames Oneidas are
all successors in interest to the land their ancestors occupied in
New York state.
The Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin's General Tribal Council ("GTC"), the
ultimate governing body of the Tribe, voted on September 16, 1996
to begin acquiring land in New York state to advance stalled land
claim negotiations.
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Note to reporters: William Gollnick, director of Legislative
Affairs for the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin will be available today
and Friday to comment on the proposed Summit. To speak with Mr.
Gollnick or obtain background information about the Tribe or Oneida
land claim, please call 414.869.4033