Oneida Tribe Research Paper

The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin is sovereign government with a long and proud history of self-government. As a part of the original five tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Oneidas were under the jurisdiction of the Great Law of Peace, originally recorded on wampum belts. The Confederacy dates all the way back to the 1500s. The Oneida have persevered in the face of adversity for centuries, and we proudly and passionately continue to protect and preserve our homelands. The Iroquois Confederacy originally held millions of acres of land in what is now the state of New York. After several treaties with the United States, the Oneida had lost much of their lands and one band decided to relocate west to what is now Wisconsin. After purchasing …show more content…
After allotment in 1887, tribal lands were reduced to just a few thousand acres. Since the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which provided a foundation for adopting a tribal constitution, the Oneida Tribe adopted our own Oneida Constitution in 1936. Since then, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin has taken the initiative to actively acquire ownership of land within the 1838 Oneida Reservation boundaries and today our reservation, located just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, totals 65,400 acres. Of that land, 23,122 acres are tribally owned, 12,208 acres are considered fee land, and 10,904 acres are considered tribal trust land. More importantly, the Oneida Tribe has strengthened its authority by the adoption, implementation and enforcement of tribal laws, as well as providing for its membership through governmental programs and services that meet the needs of the people. The Oneida Tribe preserves its sovereignty by exercising the inherent right of self-government over our lands and members within the Oneida Reservation