LETTER: Federal government’s nod to Halftown as leader is wrong – Finger Lakes Times

Feds recognition of Halftown is wrong

For the second time in two years, many of us are left frustrated by seeing videos and hearing reports of Clint Halftowns mercenary police carrying out another act of oppression against Cayuga Nation citizens trying to earn a living on their territory, while Seneca Falls and Seneca County police look on from the roadside.

As a scholar with lifelong ties to the area, researching governance politics and building relationships with Cayuga Nation citizens, I am disappointed to see these downstream effects of the federal governments wrongful recognition of Halftown as a representative of the Nation.

However, while social media reactions and local news coverage often focus on whether Halftowns mercenary police force is permitted by the federal government, and even suggest that local police should exercise jurisdiction, these analyses and solutions miss the point of why Clints police are illegitimate. The so-called Cayuga Nation Police and Tribal Court are illegitimate because they carry no authority under the Great Law of Peace. The rightful governing body of the Nation the Council of Chiefs and Clanmothers has removed Halftown from his role on Nation Council multiple times since the early 2000s. Their authority flows from their own law, the Great Law of Peace, while Clints authority flows only from his relationship to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Rather than calling for local police to intervene more actively, we should instead collectively call on the federal government to respect the Council of Chiefs and Clanmothers authority and removal of Halftown.

Ed. note: Wolkin is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington.

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LETTER: Federal government's nod to Halftown as leader is wrong - Finger Lakes Times