In their homelands in what is now New York state, the Iroquois have assumed a prominent role in public debate as residents of the region seek ways to resolve multibillion-dollar land claims. The initial dispute over territorial title has grown to encompass gambling, treaties, taxation, and what it means to claim Native sovereignty.
Written from an Iroquois perspective,
Iroquois on Fire
is an in-depth study of the historical and social issues raised during the Iroquois’ long struggle over disputed territorial titles. Douglas M. George-Kanentiio, a member of the Mohawk Nation and an activist for Native American claims, details the history of his nation from initial contact with the Europeans through the casino crises. As a key figure in the events of the last two decades, he uses his personal story to highlight issues of public interest: the land, family and community, geography, federal interference in tribal affairs, religion, political activism, land use/claims, and connections to organized crime. Though the story he tells is important in and of itself, it is rendered even more so because the interaction between New York and the Iroquois will surely affect the ways in which other states and the Natives who live in them address similar issues.
Douglas M. George-Kanentiio was born and raised in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. An award-winning writer and journalist, he has served the Mohawk Nation in numerous capacities, including as a land-claims negotiator, a cofounder of Radio CKON, and the editor of the news journal
Akwesasne Notes
. He is the author of the books
Iroquois Culture
and Commentary
and the coauthor of
Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois
.
Vine Deloria Jr. (1933–2005) is the author of more than twenty books, including
Custer Died for Your Sins
,
God Is Red
, and
We Talk, You Listen: New Tribes, New Turf
, available in a Bison Books edition.