It is with great regret that we have decided to cancel this year’s Doctrine of Christian Discovery (DoCD) conference “Christian Domination and the Failure of ‘Truth and Reconciliation.’” It has been rescheduled for 22-23 August 2020. Of course we will fully refund everyone who has registered for the conference.

As all of you know, our sponsoring organizations—the Indigenous Values Initiative (IVI) and the American Indian Law Alliance (AILA)—are deeply involved with the work of revealing and dismantling the DoCD and we do not want this cancelation to slow any of the momentum that has been built around this issue over the last few years. However, our small volunteer organizations have been involved in some new and exciting directions that require our undivided attention over the next few months. This week we all decided that missing one year of the DoCD conference was unavoidable and that this postponement would not be too disruptive.

In recognition of the 100 year anniversary of the Women’s right to vote, one of our initiatives for 2020 is to focus on the Haudenosaunee influence on the Women’s Suffrage Movement (following Sally Roesch Wagner’s work and new book on the topic). Our 2020 DoCD conference will likely focus on Women and their roles in traditional matrilineal societies and how that has been systematically disrupted by religion. If you have other ideas on this topic or others we would like to hear them.

We will be refunding you the ticket amount here shortly. Unfortuantely we are unable to refund the eventbrite.com fee.

Instead we would like to offer you the following options to covery the eventbrite processing fee:

A coupon to the Indigenous Values store.
A check for the processing fee amount mailed to you. if you would like us to do that please email info@indigenousvalues.org and give us your mailing address

Thank you for your patience with us and, again, we are sorry to miss seeing you all again this year.

Phil, Betty, Sandy, Gail, Joe and Adam

A conference in Onondaga Nation Territory, at Syracuse University and Skä·noñh—Great Law of Peace Center

Saturday and Sunday, 17-18 August 2019.

Description:

This conference continues discussions between religious communities and Indigenous Peoples about the Doctrine of Christian Discovery (DOCD) so that real healing can occur. “Truth and Reconciliation” efforts in settler-colonial states have the appearance of resolving the history of conquest and domination but often do not result in a healing of Indigenous Peoples and their lands. Using words like reconciliation, repudiation, domination, discovery, conquest, missionization, colonialism and settler-colonialism, or referring to Indigenous Peoples in the singular or as populations, issues or groups, has consequences. Noam Chomsky, George Lakoff, and Steven Newcomb remind us that word choice matters and, although these concepts appear benign, they actually perpetuate and give cover to a violent past. The DOCD continues to be a matter of urgent concern for Indigenous Peoples around the world. It has emboldened trans-national corporations to further their extraction practices everywhere forcing standoffs and migration of Indigenous Peoples. Our lineup of speakers will address international migration issues and the connection between the DOCD and the destruction of Mother Earth.

• The event is co-sponsored by the American Indian Law Alliance and Indigenous Values Initiative.
• Religion News Service Press Release.

Confirmed speakers:

• Oren Lyons (Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs)
• Tadodaho Sid Hill (Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs)
• Beverly Jacobs (Law, University of Windsor)
• Betty Lyons (American Indian Law Alliance)
• Sandy Bigtree (Indigenous Values Initiative)
• Joe Heath (General Council for the Onondaga Nation)
• Phil Arnold (Religion, Syracuse University)

Conference fees:

• Early-bird registration $125 until 30 June 2019
• Regular registration $150 until 31 July 2019
• Late registration $175 until 15 August
• Walkup registration $200

Scholarships:

There are a limited number of scholarships available to cover the registration fee.

If you need a scholarship, please send an email to info@indigenousvalues.org and briefly tell us who you are, why you would like to attend and any work you do connected to dismantling the ‘doctrine of discovery’ and why you are applying for a scholarship. Please put ‘scholarship request’ in the subject of the email.

If you want to contribute a scholarship for others to attend the conference you can donate to the conference.

Hotels

Book your group rate for SU Religion.

Draft Schedule

(draft 26 June 19)

Saturday 17 August

• 8:00 AM — Onondaga Lake Water Ceremony – at Onondaga Lake
  • Meet at pier near Salt Museum
  • Opening address by Tadodaho Sidney Hill
  • Water Ceremony conducted by Betty Lyons and Eve Reyes-Aguirre
    • (Bring waters from your home territories for this event)
• 9:00 AM — Haudenosaunee breakfast — at the Skanonh Center
  • Orientation to the Skä·noñh—Great Law of Peace Center, Sandy Bigtree and Phil Arnold
• 11:09 AM — Registration — at Falk College, SU
• Noon-1:30 PM — Lunch — followed by the film “The Doctrine of Discovery” (1 hour) and a talk with Steven Newcomb.
• 1:30-3:30 PM —  International work panel — Grant Auditorium, SU
  • Panelists: Betty Lyons, Tupac Enrique Acosta, Eve Reyes-Aguirre, & Jake Edwards
• 4:00-6:00 PM — Law Panel — Grant Auditorium, SU
  • Panelists: Joe Heath, Steve Newcomb, Dana Lloyd
• 7:00-9:00 PM — dinner — Falk College, SU

Sunday 18 August

• 8:00 AM—light breakfast (Falk, SU catering)
• 9:00-11:00 AM—Religion panel  — Grant Auditorium, SU
  • Panelists: Philip P. Arnold, Adam DJ Brett, Eglute Trinkauskaite, Sandra Bigtree
• 11:30 AM-1:00 PM—Listening circle on what people are doing about the DoD — Falk College, SU
  • Facilitated by Gail Bundy
• 1:00-2:30 PM—lunch —Falk College, SU
  • During lunch the Onondaga youth will perform social songs
• 2:30-4:00 PM—Oren Lyons Keynote, “Truth and Reconciliation” — Grant Auditorium, SU
  • Followed by a discussion
• 4:30-5:30 PM—Final thoughts and concerns, “Value Change for Survival” — Grant Auditorium, SU

• US Lacrosse Adopts Native American Advisory Council. [magazine] [online]
• Making Wooden Sticks. [magazine]

Thank you to all the wonderful people who attended the Deyhontsigwa’ehs Lacrosse Weekend, which was comprised of the Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Lacrosse Festival and Randy Hall Memorial Masters Tournament at Onondaga Lake Park. Attendees to the festival were treated to traditional Native American Arts & Crafts , traditional wooden lacrosse sticks, and some exhilarating master’s level lacrosse along with plenty of time and space for people to shoot around and play lacrosse together.

Festival attendees were excited to visit with world-renowned wooden stick makers like Alf Jacques (Onondaga Nation), and Tionatakwente Travis Gabriel (Mohawk Nation) were on hand. Alf Jacques showed off his collection of Lacrosse sticks from all over Turtle Island, especially from the Indigenous Peoples of North and Central Americas. He demonstrated the wide varieties of sticks and styles of play for the game of Lacrosse as well as showing off some of his own handiwork. Three festival goers were excited to pick up their sticks from Alf Jacques after having waited several years. Tionatakwente Travis Gabriel, another highly sought after stick maker, brought some of his sticks to sell and promises next year to bring wooden and leather balls, as well as many attendees, were asking him about these items.

Thanksgiving Address

Tadodaho Sid Hill of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy opened #laxweekend18 with the Thanksgiving Address or the Words that Come Before All Else. The Address thanked the Creator, the earth, and all the animals for their many gifts and outlined humanities responsibilities to care for the animals and the earth. Tadodaho Sid Hill spoke of the importance of Onondaga Lake as a sacred site of the Onondagans and for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and pointed out the tragedy of the lake’s polluted status. The polluted nature of the lake heightens the importance of the Creator’s Game (Lacrosse) being played with wooden sticks and a leather ball here at the lake.

Master’s Tournament

The Masters Wooden Stick Tournament served as a reminder that the world is sick and in need of healing. Players, referees, and attendees shared their excitement that the Creator’s Game (Lacrosse) was being played traditionally at such a prominent location. The wooden stick tournament while not a medicine game reminded all those who attended the earth and humanity’s need for medicine and healing. Three teams participated in the inaugural Randy Hall Memorial Tournament, the Onondaga Old Sticks, The Kanehsatà:ke Rez Dogs, and the Buffalo/ Cattaraugus Old Sticks. The games were played with a good mind and close intense competition. It was exciting to see players using multiple different types of wooden sticks from a wide variety of eras. In a fitting tribute to Randy Hall the Onondaga Old Sticks placed Randy’s old jersey on a chair throughout the games and spoke about how they could tell that Randy’s Spirit was with them throughout the games. Wooden stick maker Travis Gabriel, lead the Rez Dogz to second place, and Buffalo/Cattaraugus team played very well and came in third place.  Beautiful First-place trophy and Second and Third place plaques were designed by Tuscarora Woodworks.  The game leather ball was also awarded to the Onondaga Masters team.

Speakers

Johnson Jimerson

Johnson Jimerson (Cattaraugus/Seneca Nation), a defenseman for the 2018 Iroquois Nationals team, spoke about his unique journey to making the team and going to Israel for the FIL World Lacrosse Championship and being on the Bronze medal team. Jimerson spoke about what it means for him to be a traditional Haudenosaunee Confederacy man and how the Great Law of Peace has been a guiding force in his life. He remarked that one of the hardest parts of playing international lacrosse is being pressured to play with a plastic stick. A stick which is not traditional and is dead and lacking in spirit. Jimerson noted that the thing about a wooden stick is that it is alive and has a spirit. You are connected to the stick, and the stick is connected to you. You play better with a wooden stick.

Oren Lyons

As Faithkeeper Oren Lyons spoke an eagle circled over the lake and the lacrosse field where the Championship game was taking place. Lyons delivered a stirring call to the audience to understand the origins of lacrosse, why it is much more than a game, and how it can bring healing to one’s life. Lyons noted that by playing with wooden sticks and a leather ball the players were honoring the Creator, while also being respectful of Haudenosaunee Confederacy tradition. To paraphrase Lyons, when you play lacrosse with a Wooden Stick you play with all the trees and animals in the world. That’s why you carry it with you. Plastic sticks are dead sticks and don’t have spirit. Lyons went on to connect the how the skills necessary to excel at lacrosse are intimately connected to traditional indigenous ways of knowing in general and Haudenosaunee ways in particular. One example, Lyons utilized was seven-generation thinking. He pointed out that one common aspect of indigenous peoples today is thinking seven generations into the past and seven generations into the future. A generation is not just ten years as some people might think but more like seventy to eighty years, the average span of a person’s life. Lyons called on the audience to think with a long view about the ancestors and the future and he asked: “where are the US and Canadian leaders who thinking seven generations?” Lyons concluded his talk by asking the audience to embrace thinking with the good mind and to understand just how interconnected all life truly is.

Social Dancing

Dancers from the Onondaga Nation, led by Sherri Waterman-Hopper, appeared at the Wooden Stick Festival on both Saturday and Sunday.  Their social dancing was one of the highlights of the Festival.

Thank you

Thank you to our sponsors (Syracuse University, Nike, Gannon’s Ice Cream, and Summit Credit Union) and the many excellent crafters and vendors, especially Potato Skins Express for serving up a delicious variety of potato skins throughout the events. Finally thank you to the broader lacrosse community for talking about the Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival on their sites, blogs, podcasts, and social media.

Next Year

Come out and join us next year at Onondaga Lake for a celebration of Haudenosaunee culture, traditional lacrosse, and traditional lacrosse sticks. We look forward to having even more teams in the tournament, and we are planning on having a lake team (house teams but at the lake) for those who want to play in the tournament but can’t put together a full team. We would love to have traditional indigenous peoples teams, and teams made up of lacrosse players of all backgrounds.

We also hope to have some pick-up scrimmages for players of all ages. Everyone will put their sticks in the middle and then sticks will be sorted into piles, and those will be the teams for some fun lighthearted pick-up game excitement.

Join us September 28-29, 2019 for the Haudenosaunee Woodenstick Festival and Randy Hall Memorial Tournament.

Skä·noñh—Great Law of Peace Center, 6680 Onondaga Lake Parkway, Liverpool, New York 13088.

• Learn More about Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery: What are our Next Steps?
• Book Your Hotel

“That’s one thing they have never been able to do,” Ms. Lyons said. “Destroy us.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/nyregion/cicadas-return-onondaga-nation.html