> the reason for the confrontation is more complex than the original
> report or even the statement above would indicate.
On another list, a member posted exerpts of a letter that purports to be
from "Women of the Iroquois Confederacy," and on yet another list I am
reading posts that suggest the need for Clan Mothers' support. I spoke on
the phone last week with one of the Clan Mothers, and today with one of
the Elders at Onondaga about this, to clarify my understanding. He asked
if I were "writing this down? You should get this out on your machine".
As I understand it from them, there is a "renegade" group, also known as
"Warriors," who have turned away from the Confederacy and Longhouse
traditions, and are trying to take over. The letter is from the women of
that group. Their interests are shared with the business owners: if an
agreeement is reached, and they do not maintain their tax free status,
they lose their profits. Instead of helping their own people with the
profitable tax free status, the profit benefits mostly the business
owners. This is not the way of the People, so they themselves are
violating the Great Law. Yet they state THEY represent the Confederacy.
Currently, traditional representatives of each of the Nations within the
Confederacy ARE TALKING about how to resolve this, leaning toward a
possibility of establishing a Nation tax, with money funding community
projects; and with NY agreeing NOT to tax. So violating sovereignty is
not really the issue, business owners having to pay a tax to benefit
their own community is what the Warriors are fighting about.
"We should follow this closely and support the Haudenosaunee Nation." was
the recommendation made on another list, and with that I strongly agree.
The problem here is, though, it is very difficult for an outsider to know
who the players really are, and whose interests they represent. As
the Elder told me today, within the Mohawk Nation, there are at least
FOUR different groups of people claiming to be the "true representatives."
How does one know who to support, when there is such internal dispute?
We must be cautious when we jump in to support, to be sure we know who we
are really supporting...
Oneh,
Laura
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