PASSPORTS

This section is geared more towards older students and adults because of the complexity of the issues discussed.

   

HAUDENOSAUNEE PASSPORTS In 1923, the first passport issued by the Haudenosaunee government was to Cayuga statesman Deskaheh. He travelled to the League of Nations headquarters in Geneva using that passport. In 1977, an agreement was made between the Iroquois League and the US Department of State, Canada, the United Kingdom and other nations, to accept the Haudenosaunee passport. In 2005, Japan allowed a delegation travelling on the Iroquois passport to visit that country for the World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions. Despite official Canadian acceptance of the document for entry into Canada, in early 2010 a delegation from Kahnawake to an environmental conference in Bolivia was unable to return to Canada on the passport, stranding the group in El Salvador for several weeks before they were allowed, under escort, to transit via the United States. In July 2010, the United Kingdom did not accept the Haudenosaunee passports of the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team for travel to the UK for the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship. Initially, it was unclear if the United States government would allow the team back into the US.The United States government offered to immediately issue United States passports to the team-members, and several days after this offer was rejected, issued waivers that would allow the team back into the US; the UK continued to refuse to issue visas. The Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team chose to forfeit their opportunity to play in the World Championships rather than travel on the passports of another country and therefore compromise this important symbol of Haudenosaunee sovereignty.