The Oneida Nation

   As a white outsider, I often think that I am practicing reflexive techniques that allow me to see the world through the Native American lens…only to step back and realize that I need to keep myself in check.  I found this article concerning the controversy over the Washington Redskins’ namesake.  The Oneida Nation is leading the campaign to influence the NFL team to drop the “R” word, a name that tribe leader and CEO Ray Halbritter considers derogatory, perpetuating centuries of Native American discrimination and persecution.  The football team’s owner Dan Snyder hasn’t budged, citing a poll claiming that nine out of ten Native Americans do not find it offensive, and actually take pride in the name.  When I initially read the results of the poll, I thought “ok, great, Native Americans are not offended, and the name can be preserved.” After all, it’s not as bad as the “Saltine Warrior” of Syracuse University, the former mascot depicted by costumes worn by fraternity brothers, etc.  After all, the Washington helmet logo is kind of nice right…wrong!!!  Feelings of guilt quickly took over as I remembered almost picking the team as my favorite, years ago…the reason I didn’t was because I had reservations about the name!  As if some skewed poll cleared that guilt?  Then I thought, well what about the 10% of people that are offended by the name?  Isn’t that enough to change it? After all, isn’t that what racial stereotyping and discrimination is all about?  That’s right; it affects the minority, not the majority.
   The reality is that no matter how much tradition and nostalgia clouds perception, we must understand what’s in a name, so to speak.  However, I preface this by pointing out that the mere use of an ethnic group as a team mascot, by a dominant culture, is going to be perceived as derogatory, no matter how blatant or implied.  Historically, Redskin referred to bounty hunters  who “would murder Native people then rip the skin from their bodies in order to receive payment” (Change para 2).  “The dictionary defines as “an offensive term” and the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office has refused to grant trademarks to products bearing the R-Word calling it a ’a derogatory slang word’” (Change para 3).  Ray Halbritter’s website lists the many reasons for changing the name, including research conducted on the psychological effects of racial slurs.  After reading the website and related sources, I find the argument against Indian-related mascots compelling.
   Ray Halbritter is a success story in his own right, rising from the poverty and despair of the Oneida Reservation in Central New York.  He tells of the story of how his Aunt and Uncle died in a fire on the reservation in 1976.  Their trailer was ablaze, but despite repeated calls to the town fire department, they had orders from the mayor not to go.  Apparently relations between  the tribe and local officials had become intense resulting in orders to stay off Indian territory.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until that fire, that the Department of Justice ordered the city of Oneida to provide emergency services to the tribe.  That experience inspired Halbritter to learn the ways of the white man to help his people, and earn degrees in business and law from Syracuse University and Harvard.  Then in 1993, he opened Turning Stone, which has grown from a Casino to a multi-million dollar resort.  He has led the Oneida Nation in various business ventures such as an animation company, the Indian  Country Today Media Network, and the chain of convenience stores called SaVon, which sell untaxed, Indian-made cigarettes.  As a leader of the Oneida Nation, Halbritter has been their savior, employing thousands of Indian and non-Indians, but he also runs a tight ship.  Payouts to tribal members are set at a certain amount so they will keep working, while the rest of the profits get reinvested into the Oneida Nation.  In fact, his integrity has been question by tribal members for dictator-like rule, and his appropriation of Oneida Nation funds.  Outsiders have questioned the fairness of the Oneida Empire’s right to tax-free status in respect to its many enterprises.  However, without knowing all details, it appears that his ways of leadership are for the better of the tribe, and the Oneida Nation did agree recently to pay New York State approximately $50 million a year.  Resolutions to land disputes are also included between the Oneida Nation and Madison and Oneida counties.  Since the Nonintercourse act of 1790, New York repeatedly violated its terms, which provides: 
“No sale of lands made by any Indians, or any nation or tribe of Indians within the United States, shall be valid to any person or persons, or to any state, whether having the right of pre-emption to such lands or not, unless the same shall be made and duly executed at some public treaty, held under the authority of the United States“ (Yale para 1).
The State of New York continued to purchase Indian Land, leaving the Oneida Nation virtually nothing compared to the six million acres it once occupied.  The Indian Removal act of 1830 led to half of the Oneida Nation to move to Wisconsin, while the rest stayed on reservations in New York.  Led by Halbritter, law suits were filed against New York to establish tribal sovereignty back to some 250,000 acres of land originally owned by the tribe.  Decades have past, with an agreement finally reached to cap 25,000 acres as the limit of land restored to tribal sovereignty.  The Oneida Nation has also agreed to charge sales tax equivalent to the current state rate on cigarettes and other goods. In exchange, New York has also agreed to preserve the Oneida casino monopoly in ten counties of central New York.  Governor Cuomo touted the multi-level agreement as “leveling the playing field.”  It’s hard to say who exactly benefited the most out of the agreement, however, I do find Halbritter’s work inspiring.  To take a tribe on the brink of despair to a revitalized powerhouse of a nation is nothing short of miraculous.



http://www.nyfedstatetribalcourtsforum.org/history.shtml
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/na024.asp
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/oneida-indian-nation-is-the-tiny-tribe-taking-on-the-nfl-and-dan-snyder-over-redskins-name/2013/11/16/10ef9290-4c88-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/02/nyregion/where-profit-tradition-mingle-oneida-nation-s-ceo-runs-new-york-s-first-indian.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.changethemascot.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ChangeTheMascotFactSheet2016.pdf
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-poll-finds-9-in-10-native-americans-arent-offended-by-redskins-name/2016/05/18/3ea11cfa-161a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-landmark-agreement-between-state-oneida-nation-and-oneida-and-madison