Iroquois passport
Encyclopedia
The Iroquois passport is a form of identification and an “expression of sovereignty" used by the nationals of the Iroquois League
(Iroquois
: Haudenosaunee).
sovereigntist
organization voiced its opposition to the validity of the passport, saying that a passport should only be issued by a country
, not a nation
. The Isle of Man
has issued public warnings rejecting the document as a valid form of either identification or nationality, and regards holders as U.S. or Canadian citizens and the European Union
does not recognise it as a valid travel document and has issued guidelines stating that visas cannot be affixed to the passport, barring holders from the Schengen area
. Both list the Iroquois passport as a "fantasy passport", a document issued by a minority, sect, population group or private organization, which according to the Isle of Man have "no authority and to which no official recognition has been given".
The governments in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have refused to endorse the document as valid document for international travel. Additionally, the document does not appear on the list of acceptable identification to cross into Canada. The Iroquois passport has, however, been successfully used for international travel, like the novelty passport of the "Conch Republic
" micronation
.
The passports do not currently meet the requirements put forth by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which went into effect in 2008, although upgrades are in the works.
to travel to the League of Nations
headquarters in Geneva
. In 1977, an agreement was made between the Iroquois League and the United States Department of State
, Canada
, the United Kingdom
and other nations, regarding the acceptance of the document.
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 tribal passports of the Iroquois Nationals
lacrosse
team for travel to the UK for the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship
, initially as 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 passport
s 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.
On June 18, 2011, yet another incident has occurred at the Cornwall, Ontario
, port-of-entry into Canada where an Akwesasne
Mohawk woman's Haudenosaunee passport was confiscated and a Certificate of Indian Status card had to be used to cross the border.
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
(Iroquois
Iroquoian languages
The Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
: Haudenosaunee).
Validity
The validity of an Iroquois passport for various purposes has been questioned, and the issue is entangled with the larger issue of Iroquois sovereignty. In July 2010 the Bloc QuébécoisBloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
sovereigntist
Souverainism
Souverainism , or sovereigntism is a doctrine which supports acquiring or preserving political independence of a nation or a region...
organization voiced its opposition to the validity of the passport, saying that a passport should only be issued by a country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
, not a nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
. The Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
has issued public warnings rejecting the document as a valid form of either identification or nationality, and regards holders as U.S. or Canadian citizens and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
does not recognise it as a valid travel document and has issued guidelines stating that visas cannot be affixed to the passport, barring holders from the Schengen area
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement signed in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, in 1985...
. Both list the Iroquois passport as a "fantasy passport", a document issued by a minority, sect, population group or private organization, which according to the Isle of Man have "no authority and to which no official recognition has been given".
The governments in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have refused to endorse the document as valid document for international travel. Additionally, the document does not appear on the list of acceptable identification to cross into Canada. The Iroquois passport has, however, been successfully used for international travel, like the novelty passport of the "Conch Republic
Conch Republic
The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West from the United States on April 23, 1982. It has been maintained as a tourism booster for the city since...
" micronation
Micronation
Micronations, sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects, are entities that claim to be independent nations or states but which are not recognized by world governments or major international organizations...
.
The passports do not currently meet the requirements put forth by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which went into effect in 2008, although upgrades are in the works.
History
The Iroquois government has issued passports since around at least 1923, when Haudenosaunee authorities issued a passport to Cayuga statesman DeskahehDeskaheh
Levi General, commonly known as Deskaheh, , was a Haudenosaunee statesman noted for his persistent efforts to get recognition for his people. Raised and educated as a traditional Cayuga, he became hereditary chief of the Cayuga with the title "'Deskaheh'"...
to travel to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
headquarters in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. In 1977, an agreement was made between the Iroquois League and the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and other nations, regarding the acceptance of the document.
In 2005 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
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
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
was unable to return to Canada on the passport, stranding the group in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
for several weeks before they were allowed, under escort, to transit via the United States.
In July 2010 the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
did not accept the tribal passports of the Iroquois Nationals
Iroquois Nationals
The Iroquois Nationals are the national lacrosse team of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League that competes in international competition. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation in 1990 and is the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport...
lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team for travel to the UK for the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship
2010 World Lacrosse Championship
The 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championship was held between 15–24 July 2010. The premier international men's lacrosse tournament took place in Manchester, United Kingdom...
, initially as 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 passport
United States passport
United States passports are passports issued to citizens and non-citizen nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides issuing passports , also limited use passport cards are issued by the same organization subject to the same...
s 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.
On June 18, 2011, yet another incident has occurred at the Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, port-of-entry into Canada where an Akwesasne
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the intersection of international and provincial borders on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River. Most of the land is in what is otherwise the United States...
Mohawk woman's Haudenosaunee passport was confiscated and a Certificate of Indian Status card had to be used to cross the border.
See also
- Tribal sovereignty in the United States
- United States passportUnited States passportUnited States passports are passports issued to citizens and non-citizen nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides issuing passports , also limited use passport cards are issued by the same organization subject to the same...
- Camouflage passportCamouflage passportA camouflage passport is a passport issued in the name of a non-existent country that is intended to look like a real country’s passport.Such passports are also often sold with several matching documents, including an international driver’s license and similar supporting identity papers.Camouflage...