Sovereignty with Oren Lyons Pt. 2

We continue to celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Part 2 of the history and guidance brought to us by Oren Lyons. About: This story of colonization was a universal story before it was a local story. Every tribal nation confronted the same challenges to their sovereignty, from the Haudenosaunee on the east coast to the tribes and nations here in Washington State. To be Native American and alive today is to have survived attempted genocide. Oren speaks to the strength of the people and government of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. He attests to the endurance and power of his people’s sovereignty, and does so without ever mentioning the word. “Sovereignty is the state of existence as a self-governing entity. Like the individual states of the United States, each member nation of the Haudenosaunee retains the authority to govern its own internal affairs. Within the framework of the Great Law and its own specific laws, each individual nation reserves the right to adjudicate internal disputes, pass laws for the welfare of their own community, assess fees, regulate trade and commerce, control immigration and citizenship, oversee public works, approve land use, and appoint officials to act on its behalf. Every member of the Haudenosaunee has the authority to defend its citizens against internal and external dangers and to advocate for the peaceful resolution of conflict and the equitable distribution of collective resources.”