Buffalo, NY – The Iroquois Nationals, prevented from competing this week at the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships in England because of a passport dispute, will be recognized today at the Empire State Games in Buffalo. The Seneca Nation of Indians will present a $10,000 check to team officials at 1:30 p.m. at the Rev. James M. Demske S.J. Sports...
The Iroquois Nationals are being honored today at the Empire State Games in BuffaloBuffalo, NY – The Iroquois Nationals, prevented from competing this week at the 2010 World Lacrosse Championships in England because of a passport dispute, will be recognized today at the Empire State Games in Buffalo.
The Seneca Nation of Indians will present a $10,000 check to team officials at 1:30 p.m. at the Rev. James M. Demske S.J. Sports Complex on the Canisius College campus. The athletic center is the venue for men’s lacrosse at the Empire State Games.
The money is intended to help defray the legal and travel expenses the Iroquois Nationals accumulated last week as the team unsuccessfully fought to travel to the world championships using passports issued by the six Haudenosaunee governments.
Nationals members insisted on using the Haudenosaunee passports as a matter of national identity. The British government, citing year-old rules requiring passports capable of being scanned, insisted that the team and its entourage carry U.S. or Canadian passports
The Senecas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas and Tuscaroras comprise the six Haudenosaunee governments.
See prior stories, reader opinions, video and photos on this ongoing story.