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The Oneida Nation of the Thames is an Onyota'a:ka (Oneida) First Nations band government located in southwestern Ontario on what is commonly referred to as the "Oneida Settlement", located about a 30-minute drive from London, Ontario, Canada.〔http://www.google.ca/maps?saddr=london+ontario&daddr=Oneida+Rd&hl=en&sll=42.847464,-81.3832&sspn=0.047825,0.111494&geocode=FUbQjwIdRkgo-ykLm42oDvIuiDGVawWaadfHKA%3BFfiKjQIdZbcl-w&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=14&z=14〕 The Nation counts approximately 5,209 band members, of whom 2,030 live on reserve. ==The Oneida Settlement== The Oneida, Haudenosaunee people often referred to colonialistically as an Iroquoian people, had a traditional territory that once covered a large section of the eastern part of North America. The territory of the Oneida Settlement is part of the traditional hunting area known as the Beaver Hunting Grounds, which was recognized in the 1701 Nanfan Treaty. The people who live there are descendants of much later migrants, a small group of assimilated/Christian Oneidas who relocated to Southwold, Ontario, Canada from New York state in the 1840s. The original settlers of the Oneida community were associated with two Christian denominations, Methodist and Anglican. One of the leaders in the migration was an ordained Methodist minister. Soon after their arrival in Ontario, the settlers built Methodist and Anglican churches. Since those early days, these two churches have had over half of the population as members. By 1877, some people began to join the Baptists. Old Methodist records show some families and individuals shifting from the Methodist to the Baptist church, and the reverse. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada designates the settlement as Oneida 41 Indian Reserve or simply as Oneida 41.〔(Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Reserve/Settlement/Village Detail )〕 The Oneida people who live or are descendants of people at the "Oneida Settlement" always insist that their lands be called a "settlement" because Oneida people purchased the relocation lands in Ontario. This is a distinction from having the lands "set aside" or "reserved" for them. Many other lands inhabited by indigenous people in North America are called "Indian reserves". Prior to selling their New York lands, the Oneida requested assurance from the Crown that should they remove to Canada, they would be protected and treated in every respect as their brethren who had always resided within the precincts of the province. Having received such assurance, they sold their lands in New York and selected the Thames River tract. They expressed a wish that their tenure to these lands should be precisely the same as that held by the resident tribes; the parties from whom the lands were purchased should surrender them to Her Majesty in trust for the sole use and benefit of the tribe and their posterity. In this way the people of the Oneida Settlement would be put on a footing with other tribes in the province, and be exempt from the taxation to which the white inhabitants of the country were liable by law. The circumstances of purchase and subsequent surrender of the land have led some present-day Oneidas to hold an equivocal position regarding the status of the communal lands. A number of Oneidas object to the term “reserve” in reference to the Oneida community. They prefer to call it the “Oneida Settlement” or "Oneida Community", claiming that the land is private property, having been purchased by their ancestors rather than given by treaty. They also contend that the Oneida have never surrendered the land to the Crown, therefore the government should not have jurisdiction over them. Nevertheless the government treats Oneida as a reserve. The Oneidas recognize, though often with protest, this ''de facto'' status of the community. Those who claim the land is still privately owned rather than held in trust do not press to establish this claim with the government. Several reasons are stated for letting the issue ride: the impossibility of getting all the special interest groups in the community to work together to prove their claim; lack of funds to fight such a case; and fear of losing certain advantages which reserve status brings them (Indian Act Governments). This latter is perhaps the most important reason. Those who deny that Oneida is Crown land held in trust for the Indians, fear that should the government accept their claim to its being privately owned land, then the Oneida might have to pay taxes. These would be delinquent since 1840. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Oneida Nation of the Thames」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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