Tribes confer over land claims

Thursday, March 31, 2005 | 9:49 a.m.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A day after the Supreme Court dealt a potential blow to the fortunes of the Oneida Indian Nation, more than 40 leaders and representatives from five tribes met Wednesday to support negotiated resolutions to Indian land claims.

The meeting, an attempt to show unity among the tribes, involved leaders of the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York, the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians and the Akwesasne Mohawks. They discussed pushing for passage of a proposal by Gov. George Pataki to settle longstanding Indian land claims in the state. The governor's offer would allow the tribes to build five casinos in the Catskills.

Tribal leaders also discussed Tuesday's ruling by the high court, which stated that an Indian tribe cannot expand its tax-exempt holdings by buying up property that has been outside its reservation for generations.