Солтүстік Американың ірі тайпасы – Онейда тайпасы

Indigenous tribe of North America

The Oneida Indian Nation (OIN) or Oneida Nation (/oʊ/'/n//aɪ//d//ə/ ohNYEdə /audio=LL Q1860 (eng) Flame, not lame Oneida. wav/) is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in the United States. The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, where the tribe originated and held territory prior to European colonialism, and continues to hold territory today. They are Iroquoian speaking people, and one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee. The Oneida are known as "America's first allies" as they were the first, and one of the few, Iroquois nations to support the American cause. Three other federally recognized Oneida tribes operate in locations where they migrated or were removed to during and after the American Revolutionary War: one in Wisconsin in the United States, and two in Ontario, Canada. The OIN was a party to land claim suits against the state of New York for treaties and purchases it made after the American Revolutionary War without ratification by the United States Congress, as required under the US Constitution. The litigation covered complex issues related to trust lands, Class III gaming, property, and sales tax collection. The 2013 landmark agreement entered into on May 16, 2013, between Madison and Oneida Counties, the OIN, and the state resolved these issues. Today, the Oneida Indian Nation maintains sovereignty over roughly 18,000 acres of land in Madison and Oneida County, New York where they operate a number of businesses under the 2013 landmark agreement between the OIN, the State of New York, and Madison and Oneida Counties. These businesses include a resort with a Class III gambling casino.

The tribe is headquartered in Verona, New York, and the Nation Representative is Ray Halbritter. Halbritter has led the OIN since 1985, alongside Richard Chrisjohn; an additional leader. In 1993, the United States government formally recognized Mr. Halbritter as the OIN leader. The tribal council consists of 8 clan members. Traditionally, the male council members are responsible for daily decisions. The Clan Mothers make long term decisions. Tradition also requires Nation leaders and Members to consider the impact on the next seven generations when making decisions. The Court is governed by its own Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rules of Evidence, Rules of Debt Collection, and Rules of Peacemaking. The Court operates under the guidelines on traditional Oneida values of peaceful mediation and reconciliation.

The OIN has its own police department that coordinates with New York State, Madison and Oneida County, and local law enforcement. "Deputized by federal authority, the Oneida Nation Police Department was the first tribal police force in the U. S. to receive accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and is a professionally trained law enforcement agency empowered by the sovereign authority of the Oneida Indian Nation."

The tribal council of the OIN has established the rules for citizenship: it requires documentation of at least 1/4 blood ancestry (equivalent to one grandparent) through the maternal line. The OIN and other Iroquois nations have had a matrilineal kinship system, with descent and inheritance through the mother's line.

The OIN consists of three clans: Turtle, Wolf, and Bear. Each Nation member belongs to one of these clans. A child is considered born into the mother's clan, and takes social status from her people.

The Haudenosaunee people are made up of several Nations. Among these nations are kinship groups called clans. While Nation members have their immediate family of parents and siblings, they also have an extended family of fellow Clan members. As a matrilineal society, each clan member is born into their clan by their mother. The three Oneida Nation clans are named after animals, the turtle, wolf, and bear. Each animal is considered to have certain positive characteristics or attributes. The turtle teaches patience, as well as the importance of never giving up. Turtles are also seen to be representative of strength and solidarity. They are thought to be old and wise, and are well respected. The wolf teaches the importance of using your ears, listening and being watchful. They embody a strong sense of family. Finally, the bear is seen as gentle and strong. Bears are seen as having strength in knowing that it takes more strength not to raise your hand and strike, than to give into the impulse to strike.

The tribe set up Oneida Nation Enterprises, through which it operates a number of businesses in Central New York. As of 2013, it was the largest employer of the area, with approximately 5,000 jobs total. Business interests include:

In the early 1990s, the OIN opened a bingo hall. Ray Halbritter (Oneida), opened a gas station known as SavOn across the street. The cheaper gasoline made the gas station popular among the community. Eventually the OIN bought SavOn and expanded it into multiple locations within the area. Today SavOn (or SāvOn) is a chain of gas stations and convenience stores in Oneida and Madison counties, owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation.

The OIN opened several casinos. The first was the Turning Stone Casino & Resort, in 1993. After the 2013 landmark settlement, the OIN opened the Yellow Brick Road Casino in June 2015. And on March 3, 2018, OIN opened the Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, NY.

The tribe's most profitable business is the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, which has been expanding continuously since its opening in 1993. The current game space is approximately Begun as a bingo hall, it has been developed as a large, Class III gaming facility and resort. The entertainment site includes nationally ranked hotels and restaurants. Many shows are performed throughout the year. The resort is the host for a fall Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) tournament. Some parties have challenged the tribal state gaming compact between the OIN and New York state. The 2013 agreement between the OIN, Madison and Oneida Counties, and New York resolved all challenges to the casino. In 2016, the casino and resort underwent a $20 million upgrade and renovation project to provide better smoke free areas on the gambling floor, improve ventilation facilities, add a cafeteria, and add/upgrade rooms.

In June 2015, the OIN opened a casino based on themes from the popular book and film, The Wizard of Oz, indirectly honoring writer L. Frank Baum, who was from Central New York. The facility is located in Tops Plaza, 800 W. Genesee St., Chittenango, NY and contains of gaming space with over 400 slot machines; open 24/7. Table games are open Sunday Thursday from 10am to 12am, and Friday & Saturday from 10am to 2am. Other Native Americans have criticized this choice, as Baum was noted for supporting genocide against the Sioux Nation. The Washington Post noted that their choice was a problem, as Mr. Halbritter led the effort to force the Washington Redskins to change their name by dropping the reference to Native Americans because Mr. Halbritter believes it is derogatory to all Native Americans. In recent years, the casino has since been renamed to the YBR Casino & Sports Book, as the company is making efforts to move away from the Wizard of Oz theme. New renovations include additional table games, a six lane bowling alley, an indoor virtual driving range by Topgolf, and a large sportsbook area.

Located at 450 NY 31, Bridgeport, NY, this facility contains of gaming space. It is the newest casino the Oneida Nation Enterprises operates and it is entirely smoke free. Visitors can choose from over 500 slot machines and 20 classic table games. Table game hours are Sunday Thursday 10am 12am and Friday Saturday 10am 3am. The NCAI has continued to publish Indian Country Today online.

Since the 1970s, the OIN have been involved in several lawsuits involving real property. In the 70s, the OIN filed suit seeking recovery of the original land grant contained in the 1794 Treaty of Canadaigua arguing the land was improperly transferred in violation of federal law and the US Constitution. As time progressed, the OIN began purchasing real property within this original grant as it became available. The OIN asserted its limited sovereignty status to claim the properties exempt from county and state property taxes. This culminated in several additional suits preceding the 2013 landmark agreement.

The OIN has purchased lands which had been part of its historic reservation, as established by treaty with New York State. These had later been sold to the state and subsequently to non Indians. For some time, the OIN and the state believed that the OIN's purchase of the land restored the property to its status as Indian Territory under Oneida possession. State law prohibits Class III gaming facilities. The OIN developed its resort and casino on what was understood to be its federal reservation, where that action was authorized under tribal sovereignty. The city of Sherrill challenged the OIN by trying to collect property taxes on the land the tribe bought in that jurisdiction, where it developed its casino. In City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation, US Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg determined that the land the casino is on was part of the original tribal lands. But, Justice Ginsburg held that although the land may be part of an ancient reservation land grant, as the OIN had not controlled it for more than 200 years, during which time it was non Indian territory, the tribe could not re establish its immunity (from state law) over those lands. Comments on the court decision varied. The issue in Sherrill was whether the city could levy property taxes on OIN's re acquired tribal lands. The US Supreme Court determined that the City of Sherrill could levy property taxes. But the court failed to overturn the Second Circuit's finding that the land qualified as Indian Territory. OIN supporters argued that Sherrill stands only to say that the OIN cannot re instate its tax immunity, but that the land is Indian Land. UCE and its supporters disagreed; they countered that the Sherrill ruling provided a blanket approval for the jurisdictions to foreclose on all OIN property that owe back taxes. Some UCE members interpreted the ruling as making the OIN casino operation illegal under state law, and speculated that it should be closed until the state and the OIN reach a new agreement on gaming.

In 2013, the OIN renewed a campaign to compel the Washington Redskins to change their team name and mascot. The OIN leader Halbritter launched the website "Change the Mascot." On July 13, 2020, the Washington Redskins team ceded to public pressure and announced its decision to retire the team logo and change its name.

The OIN has both internal and external opposition. Internally, members of the Wolf Clan in particular protest Halbritter's assumption of power and dissolving of the traditional Oneida government, which was based on hereditary leaders for life.

Shenandoah v. United States DOI was a lawsuit that challenged the legitimacy and authority of Ray Halbritter to act on behalf of the OIN.

External opposition comes from organizations such as Upstate Citizens for Equality (UCE), a now disbanded group that opposed Haudenosaunee land claims in upstate New York. UCE also opposed the OIN being able to operate its enterprises tax free on land it asserted sovereign status. These issues were resolved by the 2013 landmark agreement.

Disputes have arisen with the state over the OIN's economic advantage of operating the Class III gaming facility without having to collect or pay state taxes on retail sales at the resort. The tribe does pay a portion of the revenues to the state under the gaming compact, (essentially in lieu of taxes). The OIN and other parties believed operations on property it controlled were tax free. City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation. Vernon Downs opened a casino to try to compete with Turning Stone. Prior to February 2008, the racino was heavily taxed under state law. Vernon Downs struggled to operate and, in late 2007, many of the original investors pulled out of the venture. The Upstate Citizens for Equality and supporters attributed to the OIN being able to operate its casino tax free. OIN supporters attribute Vernon Downs's troubles to the state collecting a total of 54% of the revenue in taxes (50% to the state education fund and 4% sales tax), making profitability difficult. He was trying to make the state decrease its rate of taxation of the facility, to enable it to be more profitable. [8] This period of closure cost the state approximately $1.5 million in lost tax revenues. (The state has earmarked revenues from gambling for education, which was part of the original campaign to have voters approve the state's authorization of gaming activities. )[8] Many argued that the state should not call this "lost revenue." Building the track created the revenue; without the track, there would be no revenue. The track was facing insolvency. The OIN asserted that it made up for this lack of land tax by donating to local schools in amounts that exceed the taxes which the county would normally receive from the land plots, in a program known as the Silver Covenant Chain Education Grants. As tensions increased between the various local governments, the state government, and the OIN, the OIN decreased or stopped the donations. Stockbridge Valley School has several OIN children as students, but the OIN has discontinued grants to the school because it disapproved of the views of one teacher. In late fall 2003, an OIN representative contacted the Stockbridge Valley Community School District and advised that it would not make the Silver Covenant unless a particular teaching assistant was fired. Cayuga Indian Nation of New York v Gould is a case brought on the issue of whether federally recognized Indian Tribes, such as the OIN, have to collect state sales taxes from retail sales to non Indian consumers made within their reservation. According to the Court of Appeals in Gould, the Indian Tribe is not subject to State tax law. The Oneida County Board of Legislators and the State legislature would have had to approve this pact within the next 60 days. If this pact had been approved, the OIN would have paid $55 million to Oneida County over the next 10 years, beginning with a $30 million lump sum payment the same year. Additionally, the OIN would have made make Silver Covenant Grants for the next five years, in order to apply for more trust land without county opposition. In return for this, the county would have agreed to drop its lawsuits and satisfy all pending tax lien and tax foreclosure proceedings. The OIN would have agreed to impose a sales tax on all businesses situated on its lands equal to Oneida County's sales tax rate. This OIN sales tax would have been imposed on all non Indian patrons as well as tribal members. The pact would have required the Oneida County Sheriff and the OIN Police Department to negotiate a law enforcement pact to settle questions of jurisdictional authority and operations. At the time of the 2013 Agreement, 4,366 acres of land were held in trust for the Nation. However, given that the State and Madison and Oneida counties agreed to withdraw their objections to the OIN's land trust applications as part of the settlement, the OIN's applications were granted, therefore, the agreement effectively transferred an additional 13,004 acres of land to trust for the OIN, bringing the OIN's total trust land to 17,370 acres. As of 2022, the OIN has roughly 18,000 acres in trust. The OIN will have a 10 county (Oneida, Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Herkimer, Oswego, Cortland, Chenango, Otsego, and Lewis counties) geographic gambling monopoly. The OIN will implement a sales tax system to tax products sold to non Indians on Indian Territory, such as cigarettes. And the agreement would terminate all related litigation between the OIN, the state, and Madison and Oneida Counties. This agreement required the State Legislature, the Oneida County and Madison County Boards of Legislators, the US Department of the Interior, and the Judiciary to ratify this agreement. On May 28, 2013, the Oneida County Board of Legislators approved the agreement in a 16–13 vote. On May 29, 2013, New York State, through Governor Cuomo, signed the agreement. On May 30, 2013, the Madison County Board of Supervisors approved the agreement in a weighted vote of 847–653. On January 1, 2014, the US Department of the Interior approved of the agreement. On June 22, 2013, both the state Senate (48 11) and the state Assembly (83 44) approved the agreement. The final entity to approve the agreement was the Judiciary. On March 4, 2014, US District Court Judge Kahn approved the settlement agreement. On September 4, 2014, the of OIN real property was formally transferred into US trust. On August 19, 2013, the Towns of Vernon and Verona jointly filed a lawsuit to oppose the ratified settlement, citing a violation of their freedom of speech and equal protection. On October 30, 2013, US District Court Judge Kahn remanded the lawsuit to the state court system because the towns lacked standing. On June 27, 2014, Albany County Supreme Court denied and dismissed the lawsuit.

Oneida County offered an OIN revenue sharing agreement with at least five municipalities affected most by the 2013 landmark agreement. The five municipalities offered this deal are the City of Sherrill, Town of Sylvan, Town of Verona, Village of Vernon, and Town of Augusta. On May 29, 2014, the Vernon Village Board unanimously agreed to receive annual payments of $60,000 from Oneida County in exchange for the current board and future boards waiving their right to challenge the settlement. On June 7, 2014, the Town of Augusta accepted an agreement with Oneida County. By a 3–1 vote, the town will receive $107,500 a year as compensation for lost property tax revenue based on OIN trust lands. Since then, several other municipalities and school districts have requested to become part of the OIN revenue sharing agreement. However, to do this, Oneida County is trying to undo its agreements with the prior municipalities in order to do a new agreement that covers all of the affected municipalities. This has drawn strong opposition from the original municipalities that accepted the initial agreement.