Study: Indigenous Dispossession & Sovereignty Charting the Path of Educating the Seneca Nation of Indians

Abstract

In 2013 and 2014 almost half of the Seneca and Tuscarora students enrolled in Buffalo, Evans-Brant, Gowanda, Niagara Wheatfield, Niagara Falls, Salamanca, & Silver Creek did not graduate. Faircloth & Tippeconnic III (2010) claimed that Native American students who dropped out of high school had “difficulty with classes and with reading” (p. 28). According to 2013 - 2014 New York State exam data in English Language Arts, 75% of the Seneca & Tuscarora students in grades 3 - 8 were not proficient in reading and writing. This study examined historical events that might cause Seneca and Tuscarora students to give up on schools predominately run by non-Native Americans.

Findings
1.) Members of the Seneca and Tuscarora nations were dispossessed of their land and sovereignty by a series of treaties and acts of Congress.

1. February 10, 1763 - Treaty of Paris - the Iroquois had become partners in Britain’s American empire.
2. September 3, 1783 - Treaty of Paris - the US acquired political sovereignty and ownership of all Indian territory
3. September 22, 1783 – Proclamation of the Continental Congress - The United States government did not allow white settlers to settle on Indian lands without consulting with the state of federal government first
4. October 22, 1784 - Treaty with the Six Nations - the Western boundary of Six Nations territories was established
5. July 8, 1788 - Treaty of Buffalo Creek - the Hartford Treaty of 1786 gave Massachusetts the preemptive right to buy and sell land from the American Indians in NY. In order to pay off Revolutionary War debt, the state of Massachusetts sold their preemptive right to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gotham. This purchase enabled surveyors to divide up the land so it could be sold to settlers.
6. November 11, 1794 - Canandaigua Treaty - the United States government set boundaries for the Seneca Nation. The Seneca Nation must also allow people of the United States free passage through their lands, free use of the harbors and rivers on their land
7. May 28, 1830 - The Indian Removal Act - the United States government reserved the right to remove American Indians from their territory if the occupied land was wanted by settlers of the United States or the government
8. January 15, 1838 - Treaty with the New York Indians- the Haudenosaunee were provided land west of the state of Missouri even though other American Indian nations were living there
9. July 22, 1790 - Indian Trade and Intercourse Act - American Indians were not permitted to sell their land unless the government of the United States intervened
10. March 3, 1819 - The Civilization Fund Act - The United States government set aside money to hire teachers to “civilize” American Indians
11. February 8, 1887 - General Allotment Act (Dawes Act) - the US Congress reserves the right to enable companies to place railroads, highways, telegraph lines etc. on lands allotted for American Indians
12. September 21, 1887 - Use of English in Indian Schools - the United States government required English to be spoken in American Indian Boarding Schools in order to make American Indians more civilized
13. April 16, 1934 - Johnson-O’Malley Act - American Indian nations became dependent on the United States Government for their welfare.
14. June 23, 1972 - The Indian Education Act - The US government provided financial assistance to American school districts to help American Indian students attending those schools.
15. January 4, 1975 - Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act - The US government promises to give American Indian leaders a voice when it comes to making decisions about services provided to American Indians.

[Link to Presentation]