To all Kahnawakeron:non
 
 

Wa’tkwanonhwera:ton,
 
 

The attached is a discussion paper only on the Citizenship of Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Peoples.
 
 

It consists of a proposed declaration that can be passed by all nine Kanienkehaka communities in order to move back towards a traditional standpoint on citizenship within the Mohawk Nation. It is a document that if used properly will allow the traditional use of citizenship upon all Kanienkehaka people regardless of political or religious affiliation in order to unite the Mohawk Nation on one common front. That we are all citizens of the Mohawk Nation even if we so choose to take part in our laws, constitution or true cultural identity.

I hope that if people are concerned about the future of there children and the next seven generations they will consider the following for discussion.
 
 
 
 

Tonsakwanonhwera:ton
 
 

Kahon:wes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Why I wrote this?

For our Creator I wrote this because we owe our thanks for the things you’ve given us as people here on earth.

For our women I have written this document because it is you who bear our children, it is you whom our identity come from, and it is you the woman who were the first to recognize the great law, and it is the women whom should have their respect given back to them in our society.

For our men I have written this document because we whom are supposed to be the warriors, the people to look up to, the ones whom might be a chosen as a chief one day, the ones whom also inherit the identities of our mothers.

For our children because it will be you whom will be born with no identity, no clan, no voice, and eventually nothing left to be born to.

For the next seven generations because if we ever stop thinking about them we will cease to follow our duties here on earth,

For my Nation because it is the people within this Nation that I owe my identity to, I owe the respect I’m learning, the language, and the culture I’m slowly learning, it is you the people I’ve written this for..

Because one day I see in my mind the potential of our Nation to once again be the first United Nations, a model for all people, and gain the respect and integrity it once had as a Nation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Contents
 
 

Definintions
 
 

Grandmother & Grandfather - Introduction
 
 

Mother - Rights and Responsibilities
 
 

Father- Removing Blood Quantum
 
 

Brother - Marriage & Lineage

Internal Marriage - Female

Internal Marriage - Female

External Marriage - Male

External Marriage - Male
 
 

Sister

Adoption
 
 

Cousin

Identification

Issuing Identification

Personal Identification

Passports
 
 

Grandchild

Installation of this Law

Stage 1. Calling the People Back

Non - Citizens Married to

Stage 2. Creating National Identity

Stage 3. Clans and Lineage

Stage 4. Deadlines

Stage 5. Great Law, The Story

Stage 6. Lost People, Lost Lives
 
 

Mother Earth

Problems to Consider
 
 

Citizenship: the status of a member
 
 

Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk: everyone whom is a member of the Mohawk Nation
 
 

Blood Quantum: a racist genocidal policy that was designed to wipe out the "Indian Problem"
 
 

People: all the Haudenosaunee, band members, C-31’s and anyone with 1% to 100% BQ
 
 

Adoption: a process where one is accepted into our Nation……
 
 

Whereas every Member of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation, in conformity with the Great Law, should respect the maintenance of the sovereignty, right’s and citizenship it bestows upon all Haudenosaunee people.
 
 

Whereas every Member of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation, shall be forever recognized as a Citizen of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy until she/he either passes from this world or commits a grievous act against the structural, moral and personal integrity of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She or he will be removed of his citizenship in accordance with the either the People of the Haudenosaunee or the Great Law.

Whereas every Member of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation shall respect, everyone, everything, hence forward…
 
 

Reaffirming, the lineal descent of the people of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation shall run in the female line. Women shall be considered the progenitors of the Nation. They shall own the land and the soil. Men and Women shall follow the status of their mothers.
 
 

Reaffirming, "Should any person, a member of the League of the Five Nations, especially esteem a man or woman of another Clan or of a foreign nation, he may choose a name, bestow it upon that person so esteemed. The naming shall be in accord with the ceremony of bestowing names. Such a name is only temporary and shall be called "A name hung around the neck". A short string of shells shall be delivered with the name as a record and a pledge.
 
 

Reaffirming, "Should any member of the Five Nations, a family or a person belonging to a foreign nations submit a proposal for adoption into a clan or one of the Five Nations, he or she shall furnish a string of shells, a span in length, as a pledge to the Clan into which he or they wish to be adopted. The Chiefs of the Nation shall then consider the proposal and submit the decision."
 
 

Reaffirming, "Any member of the Five Nations, who through esteem or other feelings, wishes to adopt an individual, a family, or a number of families, may offer adoption to him or them, and if accepted, the matter shall be brought to the attention to the Chiefs for confirmation and the Chiefs must confirm the Adoption."
 
 

Reaffirming, that all other articles of the Great Law apply to all Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk people who are considered as citizens within the context of the Great Law of peace. Regardless of discrimination based age, sex, race, color and religion
 
 

Rights and Responsibilities

In reaffirming the citizenship of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation people shall be free from discrimination based on age, sex, color, race and religion. Everyone shall be granted equal respect, equal rights, and equal privileges within all the territories of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation until she/he either passes from this world or commits a grievous act against the structural, moral and personal integrity of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
 
 

It is the responsibilities of the People of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation to enforce equal rights, equality and equal footing within all the territories. The responsibilities of the People also include the next seven generations to come and seven generations past.
 
 

Removing Blood Quantum

The blood quantum system shall be used one last time in order to figure out everyone who is between 1% and 100% Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk. Everyone within these percentages shall from this day forward be declared a citizen of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation. People from this day forward shall consider blood quantum dead and bring it up no more.

Citizens of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation not bearing clans will from this day forward be adopted into clans, regardless of religious affiliation. In doing so they will from this day forward be accorded the same rights and responsibilities as every other member of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation.

The Clan system within the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nations shall be completely installed and fixed so that everyone within the nation shall have a clan. Regardless of political, religious or personal differences the re-installation of the clan system will from this day forth be the uniting factor for the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation. Again returning the respect we owe to the women of this Nation.
 
 

Note: This is the first process in the re-uniting of the Mohawk Nation. It is the process where we are to gather all out people and grant them the right to their citizen ship.
 
 

Reaffirming the traditions and customs of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy for the next seven generations to come, and the Great Law. Once again the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nations shall be a entirely matrilineal society according women the responsibility, and respect of being the progenitors of the Nation.

From this day forth the Lineage of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nations shall be reverted back to a 100 percent matrilineal society with women as progenitors of the Nation.
 
 

Internal Marriage - Kanienkehaka Female

Females marrying males within the Haudenosaunee shall pass on clan to their children and the males shall pass on no clan. This shall happen regardless or race, religion or color. The female shall be the progenitor of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Nation and be accorded such respect and a place within Haudenosaunee Society
 
 

External Marriage - Kanienkehaka Female

Females marrying males from an foreign Nation shall pass on their clan to their children and the males shall pass on nothing to the Nation. The male will inherit no rights what so ever except for their children. The female shall be the progenitor of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Nation and be accorded such respect and a place within Haudenosaunee Society.
 
 

Internal Marriage - Kanienkehaka Male

Males of the Haudenosaunee Nation marrying any female from the Haudenosaunee Nation shall not pass on any clan to his children. The female shall be the progenitor of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Nation and be accorded such respect and a place within Haudenosaunee Society.
 
 

External Marriage - Kanienkehaka Male

Males of the Haudenosaunee Nation marrying foreign woman shall forever be recognized as Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation. The males children along with the wife shall remain members of the foreign Nation. The female shall be the progenitor of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Nation and be accorded such respect and a place within Haudenosaunee Society.
 
 

Adoption

The members of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation shall be allowed to adopt anyone into the Nation. The rules of adoption in accordance with the Great Law of Peace shall prevail on everyone on this matter.
 
 

Issuing Identification

The issuing of Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation Identification shall only be only issued to citizens of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation. For no reason what so ever should anyone ever issue identification to anyone not of Haudenosaunee Nationality.
 
 

Personal Identification

Identification cards for people of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation within all of the Nine territories and future territories to come shall all bear the same marks. Identification shall bear no political affiliations, religion, race, percentages, so that everyone may benefit in the use of National identity.

Identification shall bear the citizens name, age, clan, address, signature, date of issue and an agreed upon stamp of authentication. It shall also bear the words "HAUDENOSAUNEE - IDENTIFICATION OF THE SIX NATIONS IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY OF NORTH AMERICA" and a listing of treaties in order to only represent a persons citizenship and allegiance to that Nation.

The agreed upon identification shall be issued by all governing bodies within the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation on all Nine Territories. Identification shall not differ in any governing bodies throughout all of the nine existing territories or future territories.
 
 
 
 

Passports

Passports shall be issued by the Onondaga Nation to all individuals of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation upon birth. Issuing of Passports shall be issued regardless of age, sex, race, color, religion, or any discriminatory vices that might be used to keep a citizen of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation from obtaining a Passport.

Passports having being issued by the Onondaga Nation shall only be used only for international travel, either between Indigenous Nations or Foreign Nations and not within the boundaries of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy or any other Nation who joins the Confederacy. Neither should it be used within the boundaries of the United States and Canada due to treaty obligations.
 
 

Stage 1. - Calling the People Back

First duty of this law will be to gather the Nine Territories and future territories of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation in one house. The use of blood quantum/genealogy one last time for the Mohawk people will be used to do this. A massive blood/genealogical search for every Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk between the 1% and 100% range will be done to gather everyone in one house.

After every woman, man and child are found, then everyone accounted for the clan system will be restructured until everyone in the Nation is given a clan. This will begin the process of leaving the system of blood quantum for ever.
 
 

Note: The purpose here is Unity in numbers, respect for all people regardless of race, sex, creed or color.
 
 

Non-Citizens Married to

The questions of Non-Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawks married to people in the territories will also arise. This problem will be dealt with in much the same way as the above. All of the whites both male and female for this one time only will be given the option of obtaining citizenship and respecting our constitution the Great Law. They will be given a date to either agree or reject and if accepted will be granted citizenship.

Upon obtaining citizenship she/he will have to renounce her/his previous citizenship in accordance with the Great Law. Upon rejection of obtaining citizenship she/he will from then forward have no claim to the Great Law. Though she/he shall be still allowed adoption in the future.

Everyone after a pre-agreed upon date shall then follow the guidelines the Clan System and the Women shall from that day forward again be the progenitors of the Nation.
 
 
 
 

After the people have been called back a restructuring of the Clan system shall begin. Everyone of within the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation will be granted a clan regardless of age, sex, color, race, or religion.
 
 

Following the re-structuring of the clan system everyone living either on or off the territories of the Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Nation shall be granted Passports and Identification. No discrimination based upon age, sex, color, race, or religion in the territories shall be the basis for denying the issuing of passports.

After this is done every Nation in the world shall be notified of our now reasserted sovereignty. Every Nation shall be notified of our un-ending commitment to our identity, culture and commitment to respecting people.
 
 

A deadline shall be set to do all these things and get them done within reasonable time. It should be a deadline not set by white calendar standards but by the time of the earth, human time. Time to give people the opportunity to both understand, implement, agree and do what is necessary to create a strong Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawk Identity based upon sovereignty, citizenship and unity.

A deadline shall also be set in the event this draft ever gets off the ground where at which time everything shall end. Where all previous wrongs done with previous systems of cataloging people shall be forgiven and forgotten. Where all people will clear there minds of the past and look into the future. A future as one Nation.
 
 
 
 

Stage 5. - Great Law, The Story

The guidelines in the great law regarding the progenitors of the Nation shall be explained to the people as has always been done. It should be done by all parties of the Nation regardless of religions so that people understand how the matrilineal society will work from then on.
 
 

Note: Example: clan system, adoption, and marriage rules everything else will eventually follow.
 
 

Stage 6. - Lost Peoples, Lost Lives

A procedure shall be set in place in case people within the 1% and 100% margin have been lost in the shuffle. A procedure which does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, color, race or religion to get them back into the Nation if the wish to become a part of the Nation again.
 
 

There are several reasons why this document will never come about, two are mentioned here within this document. One is our inability to overcome the 200 plus years of racial discrimination people have for whites and what the have done to the Indian people of North America.

Over all Iroquois people have always accepted people as humans for who they are, humans. People whom over time will learn to speak, hear and enjoy Iroquois culture for what it is, was and continues to become.

Remember, if you succumb to racist values you to will be just like the people who seek to destroy you, no better. It is the one who overcomes the notions of racism and accepts people as people who will win. The people who look at each other as Mohawks without regard to race, creed or color.

This document is about welcoming people as Mohawk people, forgiving forgetting and moving on as a Nation. Not as a week municipal city with the rights of Canadians but with the rights of Haudenosaunee Kanienkehaka Mohawks.

Its your decision….
 
 
 
 

Kahon:wes - Unite or get Conquered