Dr. Robert Venables' lecture on Indian land claims.

Historian, Dr. Robert Venables is professor and Director of American Indian Studies at Cornell University and a well respected member of the New York Native community. Dr. Venables' lecture discusses the cultural differences between European and Indian concepts of land and land ownership. These differences, coupled with the illegal and unjust taking of Indian land have over the years led to many Indian land claims against the United States government. In 1946 Congress created the Indian Land Claims Commission to adjudicate the overwhelming number of cases Indians had filed and were continuing to file. By the time the commission expired thirty-three years later more than a half billion dollars had been awarded. Nevertheless many cases remain pending and many others have yet to be filed. Dr. Venables explains this complicated history and examines both the historical and contemporary issues and the legal relationship between the tribes and U.S. government. Although the primary focus is on the Haudenausaunee (Iroquois) his talk includes issues concerning all tribes specifically, citizenship, Indian-to-Indian relationships, and the government's relationship with the tribes today. The American Indian Community House (AICH) is an urban Indian center that services the needs of the Native people living in New York City and welcomes Native visitors to the city. AICH was founded in 1969 and has become a de facto neighborhood serving as a meeting place for the diverse Native community of the New York City area. The Community House offers a variety of services ranging from substance abuse and HIV counseling, to career assistance. It is also home to the only Indian owned and operated art gallery in New York City. The AICHs Performing Arts Department has become an important resource for Native visual and performance artists. Through its programming, performance has become an important educational vehicle, both for the Native and non-Native NY community. The Badger's Corner, initiated in the 1980s, is an education-via-entertainment vehicle for the AICHs visual and performing arts department programs. Taking its name from the Pueblo legend of the four-legged creature who led the Pueblo people out of the underworld after the great flood, the intent of its programming is to inform and challenge people to rethink their concept(s) of Native American people and customs. All performances at AICH are presented under the auspices of the Badgers Corner. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics