Seneca Nation of Indians v. New York

• Decision Date: 21 June 2002
• Docket Number: No. 93-CV-688A.,93-CV-688A.
• Parties: THE SENECA NATION OF INDIANS, Plaintiff, The Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians, Plaintiff-Intervenor, United States of America, Plaintiff-Intervenor, v. The State of NEW YORK; George E. Pataki, Governor, State of New York; Bernadette Castro, Commissioner, Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Dr. Ronald W. Coan, Director, Erie County Industrial Development Agency; John Cahill, Commissioner, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; Joseph Boardman, Commissioner, New York Department of Transportation; John R. Platt, Executive Director, New York State Thruway Authority; the New York State Thruway Authority; Erie County; Moore Business Forms Corp.; Inducon, Inc.; Rado-Mat Holdings, U.S., Inc.; Ilona H. Lang; Robert W. Weaver; and Francis B. Pritchard; Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Western District of New York

206 F.Supp.2d 448

THE SENECA NATION OF INDIANS, Plaintiff, The Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians, Plaintiff-Intervenor, United States of America, Plaintiff-Intervenor, v. The State of NEW YORK; George E. Pataki, Governor, State of New York; Bernadette Castro, Commissioner, Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Dr. Ronald W. Coan, Director, Erie County Industrial Development Agency; John Cahill, Commissioner, New York Department of Environmental Conservation; Joseph Boardman, Commissioner, New York Department of Transportation; John R. Platt, Executive Director, New York State Thruway Authority; the New York State Thruway Authority; Erie County; Moore Business Forms Corp.; Inducon, Inc.; Rado-Mat Holdings, U.S., Inc.; Ilona H. Lang; Robert W. Weaver; and Francis B. Pritchard; Defendants.

No. 93-CV-688A.

United States District Court, W.D. New York.

June 21, 2002.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

Samuel C. Alexandra, Indian Resources Section, Washington, DC, Alexandra C. Page, Indian Resource Center, Washington, DC, Arlinda Locklear, Jefferson, MD, Jeanne Whiteing, Boulder, CO, Robert P. Isaac, Jr., Seneca Nation of Indians, Salamanca, NY, Michael A. Brady, Hagerty & Brady, Buffalo, NY, for Plaintiffs.

Peter B. Sullivan, Asst. N.Y. State Atty. Gen., Buffalo, NY, Frederick G. Attea, Jr., Asst. Erie County Atty., Buffalo, NY, Gus P. Coldabella, Goodwin Proctor LLP, Boston, MA, Michael B. Powers, Phillips, Lytle, Hitchcock, Blaine & Huber, Buffalo, NY, for Defendants.

DECISION AND ORDER

ARCARA, District Judge.

                Table of Contents
                I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 453
                 II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND ....................................................... 454
                III. CLAIMS OF THE PARTIES ....................................................... 455
                 IV. STATEMENT OF FACTS .......................................................... 455
                     A. Historical Sources ....................................................... 455
                     B. The Niagara River Region ................................................. 456
                         1. The Niagara River .................................................... 456
                         2. The Channels and the Islands ......................................... 456
                         3. The River Boundary ................................................... 457
                     C. The Aboriginal Inhabitants of the Niagara Region ......................... 457
                         1. The Neutrals ......................................................... 457
                         2. The Wenros and the Eries ............................................. 457
                         3. The Senecas .......................................................... 458
                         4. Defeat of Wenros, Neutrals and Eries by the Senecas .................. 458
                     D. French Control of the Niagara Region ..................................... 459
                         1. French Plans to Control the Niagara Region ........................... 459
                         2. The Fur Trade ........................................................ 460
                         3. From La Salle to Denonville .......................................... 460
                         4. Denonville's Expedition Against the Senecas .......................... 460
                

                         5. The First Fort at Niagara ............................................ 461
                         6. King William's War (1689-1701) ....................................... 461
                         7. The French Return to Niagara (1701-1710) ............................. 461
                         8. Joncaire and Queen Anne's War (1702-1713) ............................ 461
                         9. French Use and Occupancy of the Niagara Region Extended .............. 462
                        10. The French Fortify Niagara ........................................... 462
                        11. British Reaction to Fort Niagara ..................................... 463
                        12. King George's War (1745-1748) ........................................ 464
                        13. Fort Little Niagara .................................................. 464
                        14. The Ohio Expedition and the French and Indian War .................... 464
                     E. British Rule of the Niagara Region ....................................... 465
                         1. British Indian Policy and the Royal Proclamation of 1763 ............. 465
                         2. Pontiac's Rebellion and the 1764 Treaties of Peace ................... 466
                         3. Daniel Joncaire-Chabert's Claim to the Niagara Islands ............... 469
                         4. The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix ...................................... 469
                     F. The Niagara Region during the Revolutionary War .......................... 470
                     G. The United States' Early Mechanisms for Dealing with the Indians ......... 471
                     H. The Articles of Confederation ............................................ 471
                     I. Recognition of New York's Boundaries ..................................... 473
                     J. The 1783 Treaty of Paris Ending the Revolutionary War .................... 473
                     K. The 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix .......................................... 474
                         1. Proposal for Treaty between the United States and the Iroquois ....... 474
                         2. New York's Attempt to Treat with the Iroquois ........................ 477
                         3. he Confederal Treaty of Fort Stanwix ................................. 478
                     L. Seneca Discontent with the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix ................... 480
                     M. The 1786 Hartford Compact ................................................ 481
                     N. The 1789 Treaty of Fort Harmer ........................................... 481
                     O. The Constitution and the Nonintercourse Act .............................. 482
                     P. Geographical Error in the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix .................... 483
                     Q. Continued Seneca Dissatisfaction ......................................... 484
                     R. The 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua ........................................... 486
                     S. New York Advised that Federal Approval Required for Purchase of
                          Indian Land ............................................................ 494
                     T. New York's 1802 Purchase of One-Mile-Wide Strip .......................... 494
                     U. New York's 1815 "Purchase" of the Niagara Islands ........................ 495
                     V. ICC Proceedings .......................................................... 498
                  V. DISCUSSION .................................................................. 501
                     A. Summary Judgment Standard ................................................ 501
                     B. Elements of Plaintiffs' Nonintercourse Act Claim ......................... 502
                     C. Law of Indian Land Tenure ................................................ 502
                     D. Canons of Indian Treaty Construction ..................................... 506
                     E. The 1764 Treaties of Peace ............................................... 508
                         1. The 1764 Treaties Extinguished Seneca Title to the Niagara Islands ... 508
                         2. The 1764 Treaties Did Not Simply Recognize Great Britain's Right
                              of Preemption ...................................................... 510
                         3. The 1764 Treaties Did Not Violate the 1763 Royal Proclamation ........ 511
                         4. The Land Grants in the 1764 Treaties Were Not Revoked by the 1768
                              Treaty of Fort Stanwix ............................................. 514
                         5. Great Britain's Title to the Niagara Islands Passed to New York
                              upon the Revolution ................................................ 515
                         6. The Court's Conclusions are Consistent with Thos e of the ICC ........ 515
                     F. The 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix .......................................... 516
                         1. The 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix Extinguished Seneca Title to the
                              Niagara Strip and the Niagara Islands .............................. 516
                         2. As a Result of the 1784 Treaty, New York, Not th e United States
                              Obtained Fee Simple Absolute Title to the Niagara Strip and the
                              Niagara Islands .................................................... 517
                

                            a. The 1784 Treaty Did Not Pass the Senecas Right of Possession to
                                 the United States ............................................... 518
                            b. The 1784 Treaty Must Be Construed Consistently with the Articles
                                 of Confederation ................................................ 518
                            c. The Continental Congress Did Not Intend to Infringe or Violate
                                 New York's Preemption Rights or Preexisting Title by Entering
                                 into the 1784 Treaty ............................................ 521
                         3. Removal of the Senecas Was Not Required in Order to Effect an
                              Extinguishment of Aboriginal Title under the 1784 Treaty of Fort
                              Stanwix ............................................................ 524
                         4. The Constitution's Supremacy Clause Does Not Affect the Proper
                              Construction of the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix .................... 527
                     G. The 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua ........................................... 528
                         1. The 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua Cannot be Interpreted to Have
                              Included the Niagara Islands ....................................... 529
                         2. New York Retained Its Title Because It Was Never Paid Just
                              Compensation ....................................................... 533
                     H. New York's 1815 "Purchase" of the Niagara Islands ........................ 537
                     I. The Interests of Justice Support the Court's Conclusion .................. 540
                 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ...................................................... 542
                

MAP APPENDICES

I. INTRODUCTION

This action involves an Indian land claim under the Trade and Intercourse Act, 25 U.S.C. § 177 (the "Nonintercourse Act" or "Act"). Plaintiff Seneca Nation of Indians (the "SNI"), and plaintiff-in...