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Non-Native Discourse About The Goals Of The Onondaga Nation’S Land Rights Action, Sarah Wraight

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On March 11, 2005, the Onondaga Nation became the last nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to file suit against New York State for what it claims was the illegal seizure of the vast majority of its aboriginal land between 1788 and 1822. The Nation is asking for a declaratory court judgment condemning New York’s actions and recognizing that the Onondagas still bear legal title to their homelands. (Onondaga Nation v. State of New York et al., [2005]:12-14). It argues that the suit is not possessory, but rather is an attempt to regain certain rights to the land. The …