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Iroquois Chiefs Condemn Pataki's Proposal

ALBANY, New York – As reported by the Albany Times-Union: "The traditional chiefs of the six Iroquois nations condemned on Monday Gov. George Pataki's proposed gambling compacts with tribes looking to build casinos in the Catskills.

"The opposition added to a challenge the Assembly has faced in reviewing the governor's deals: trying to figure out who really represents the various tribes.

"…Federally recognized leaders of the five tribes included in Pataki's plan have endorsed the proposal. In exchange for allowing the casinos, the state would settle long-standing Indian land claims and reap billions of dollars from its share of slot machine revenues.

"…But three weeks ago, the 50-chief Haudenosaunee Council of Chiefs concluded the deals would not serve future generations. The council is the traditional leadership panel for the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Iroquois Confederacy.

"A strongly worded anti-casino letter from the council was officially entered into the record Monday at the Assembly's fourth and final hearing on Pataki's proposed legislation to settle tribal claims to about 300,000 acres in New York.

"…The council was not the only tribal voice to challenge the deals. Mike Myers, representing traditional Oneida chiefs, testified at the hearing that the tribal leaders who negotiated with Pataki are strictly administrative governments without the authority to dispose of land rights…"

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