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To conclude, the Catawba Tribe's historic reservation claims were unaffected by the Division of Assets Act. should be prosecuted without further delay.

They

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Footnote 175/ continued.

The

automatically barred by the enactment of the Treaty. Stockton rule would not be applicable to the Catawba Tribe's historic claims but would be applicable to disputed transactions involving individual Catawba Indians with respect to their share of the 3, 383 acre reservation which, under the specific terms of the Division of Assels Act, they received free of all restrictions on sale.

THE GRAND COUNCIL OF THE HOUDENOSAUNEE

THE SIX NATIONS IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY
ONONDAGA NATION

February 14, 1982.

Greetings Brothers:

The Hodeyianeyshonh of the Houdenosaunee extend to you our hand in friendship. We would like to make you aware of pending action on the part of the United States Government which is of extreme concern to the indigenous people of this land.

Enclosed please find a copy of the position paper sent by the Houdenosaunee to the President of the United States. It states our unanimous opposition to the legislation entered in the U.S. Congress which if enacted would extinguish the treaty rights of native people of this land.

It is the position of the Houdenosaunee that the United States Government has entered into honorable treaties with many nations, and that this legislation would violate these treaties including the Helsinki Accords of 1975.

We request your consideration in supporting the position of Native Peoples in our struggle to retain our basic human rights of survival.

THE GRAND COUNCIL OF THE HOUDENOSAUNEE
THE SIX NATIONS IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY
ONONDAGA NATION

February 14, 1982.

Honnahdahguyuss

President Ronald Reagan

The White House
Washington, D.C.

Greetings Brother:

The Hodeylaneyshonh of the Houdenosaunee extend to you a greetings and thanksgivings on behalf of our people. It is on behalf of our people, and the future generations of our member nations, that we have gathered together to consider a problem that is arising between our two Nations. We have become aware of the legislation that has been introduced by Congressman Gary Lee entitled: "Ancient Indian Land Claims Settlement Act". H.R. 5494 - S. 2084

It is our intention to inform you that all of the member nations of the Houdenosaunee are united in their opposition to this bill, in its entirety. We would specifically like to bring to your attention:

1) that the bill would destroy present Indian legal rights
to land and would violate ratified treaties made with the
United States. Our treaties were the first ones made by
your government and the bill would dishonorably violate
the most basic Indian rights. We remind you that in
Madrid, Secretary of State, Alexander Haig stated:
"...All signatures of the Helsinki Accords should live
up to the agreements and it should not be treated as
just another piece of paper".

Your support of the "Ancient Indian Land Claims
Settlement Act" violates articles 7 and 8 of the
Accords.

We would also remind you that on February 3, 1982
you informed President Hosni Mubarak that the treaty
between the United States and Egypt was not a treaty
made between men but a treaty made between Nations
and that the United States would honor it's treaties.

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2) The Indian rights extinguished would include all Indian legal claims for loss of land, minerals and other natural resources, and for trespass and waste. It would also extinguish Indian water rights and hunting and fishing rights on Indian-claimed lands now in the possession of non-Indians. All Indian claims to land in New York, Connecticut and South Carolina would be summarily wiped out.

3) Through this bill Congress would "substitute" an "exclusive monetary remedy" for the extinguished right of Indians to recover their lands by court action and by negotiation. In exchange for the taking of Indian land rights Congress would offer Indians only a right to apply for some money damages from the federal government.

4) The bill would deny Indians due Process of Law.

5) The bill is discriminatory and denies equal protection of the law because it is aimed solely at taking land rights from Indians for the benefit of others.

6) The bill will lead to many more years of litigation and may result in multi-billion dollar liability on the part of the United States for the taking of Indian lands.

7) This bill would suddenly close the courts to Indian Tand rights cases and unfairly change the rules in the middle of on-going cases which Indian people have only recently been able to bring to court after generations of being barred from legal remedies.

8) The bill would violate fundamental human rights of Indian people. Your sanction of this current attack on the Human and Legal Rights of Indian Nations with the concurrance of David Stockman of Management and Budget, and James Watt, Secretary of Interior indicate that your administration willfully continues the policy of ethnocide and genocide that has been the history of the United States.

9) The bill will not settle the Indian claims involved.

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Please understand that the intent of this letter is to bring our views to your attention for the purpose of initiating a dialogue between our Nations. These are complicated matters that have long histories to them, and as such are not quickly remedied through legislation, or court rulings. The United States has made over 379 Federally Ratified Treaties with Indian Nations and every single one has been broken by the United States, some within months of the agreement.

Instead, it is our firm position that the only way fully equitable restitution can be achieved is through discussions that could lead to negotiations. Once again, we offer the opportunity to open meaningful, and constructive discussions that hopefully will achieve such an equitable resolution. We request that you communicate to us, the name(s) and telephone numbers of the appropriate White House staff people with whom such a process can begin.