There really isn't a complete and definitive history of the Stockbridge Mohicans, but A Nation of Statesmen by James Oberly (University of Oklahoma Press, 2005) is arguably the closest thing to it. The book's subtitle, The Political Culture of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, 1815-1972, is a tipoff that Oberly's focus is on politics and I agree that politics was a huge focus of the Stockbridge people - more than religion was - during that period of time. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Stockbridge Mohicans were bitterly divided into a "Citizen Party" and an "Indian Party" for generations. It is a conflict that has been addressed by others before. But Oberly, a professor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, does a good job of fleshing out the bigger picture of how the Citizen Party leaders were allied with Democrats in Washington, while the Indian Party leaders were allied with Republican legislators.Something that I haven't mentioned yet, is that between about 1895 and the mid-1930's, the Stockbridge Mohicans were not recognized as a political entity. But thanks to their political leaders, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community was the first Native nation to re-organize under the Indian Reorganization Act. A Nation of Statesmen also chronicles that remarkable piece of history.
You can compare these maps from Oberly's book to the ones in my post "Wisconsin's Past and Present."
Oberly's book also has appendices which contain documents such as relevant treaties, acts of Congress, etc.
1 comment :
Congress Eliminated the Indian Party and Did Not Include It in the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA)
Background:
The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (IRA) was enacted to restore tribal self-government, reverse assimilation policies, and support tribal economic development. However, not all tribal factions or political parties were recognized or included in the reorganization process.
The Indian Party—a traditionalist group within certain Native nations, including factions within the Stockbridge-Munsee Community—was deliberately excluded from the reorganizational framework of the IRA. Congressional records, Bureau of Indian Affairs memoranda, and tribal historical accounts demonstrate that:
• The IRA required tribal members to vote on whether to adopt the IRA and a constitution under it.
• In several instances, factions like the Indian Party opposed the IRA, viewing it as a federal imposition that undermined traditional governance structures and treaty rights.
• In the case of the Stockbridge-Munsee, the Citizen Party and other non-traditional factions participated in creating and ratifying a new constitution in 1937, while the Indian Party either abstained or actively opposed the process.
Legal Implication:
Congressional and administrative action effectively excluded the Indian Party from tribal governance by:
• Failing to include their traditional authority and political structure in the federal recognition process.
• Authorizing constitutions and governments that did not represent all historic tribal factions, thereby eliminating their legal and political standing under the reorganized tribal governments.
This exclusion forms the basis for several possible legal and constitutional claims, including:
• Violation of due process and equal protection under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.
• Violation of treaty rights guaranteed under the Treaty of 1856, which predated the IRA and recognized specific band-level or family-level autonomy and land allotments.
• Failure of the federal government to fulfill its trust responsibility, by enabling or legitimizing tribal governments that excluded traditional leaders and legitimate tribal citizens.
Conclusion:
The exclusion of the Indian Party from the Indian Reorganization Act and from participation in the 1937 Stockbridge-Munsee Constitution constitutes federal malfeasance, and raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the reorganized tribal government—particularly regarding its enrollment decisions, governance authority, and eligibility to receive federal funding or exercise ICWA jurisdiction
Post a Comment