Iroquois passport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Iroquois passport |
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The front cover of a contemporary Iroquois biometric passport
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| Type | Passport |
| Issued by | Haudenosaunee Confederacy |
| First issued | 1923 |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Eligibility | Haudenosaunee nationality |
The Iroquois or Haudenosaunee passport is a special document. It's like a regular passport but issued by the Six Nations (also called Haudenosaunee). This passport shows that the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is a sovereign nation. It helps their citizens travel and identifies them.
Contents
A History of the Iroquois Passport
Early Travel and Recognition
The Haudenosaunee government has given out passports for a long time. The first known one was in 1923. It was given to a leader named Deskaheh from the Cayuga Nation. He used it to travel to Geneva, Switzerland. There, he spoke at the League of Nations, an early international organization.
The Iroquois passport has been used regularly since 1977. Its use came about after talks with the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Traveling with the Passport
In 2005, Japan allowed a group of Haudenosaunee people to visit using their Iroquois passports. They were attending a big meeting about the history of religions.
However, the Iroquois passport is not accepted for entry into Canada. In 2010, a group from Kahnawake was stuck in El Salvador. They could not return to Canada using their Iroquois passports. They eventually had to travel through the United States. In 2011, a woman's Haudenosaunee passport was taken at the Canadian border. She had to use a different ID card to cross. Canadian officials have confirmed they do not accept the Iroquois passport.
Challenges for Athletes
In 2010, the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team faced problems. They could not travel to the United Kingdom for a championship. The UK did not accept their passports. The United States offered them US passports, but the team refused. The US then offered special waivers to let them back into the US. Still, the UK would not give them visas.
In 2018, Israel accepted the team's passports. This was after Canada promised the team could return home.
Understanding Passport Validity
What is Sovereignty?
The question of whether the Iroquois passport is valid is connected to the idea of Iroquois sovereignty. Sovereignty means a nation has the right to govern itself. It also means it can issue its own documents, like passports. Some people believe only countries can issue passports.
Different Views on the Passport
The Isle of Man and the European Union do not see the Iroquois passport as a valid travel document. They call it a "fantasy passport." This means it's a document issued by a group that doesn't have official recognition from all countries. Because of this, people with Iroquois passports cannot enter the Schengen Area in Europe.
The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have not fully supported the document for international travel. It is also not on Canada's list of accepted IDs for crossing the border.
Despite these challenges, the Iroquois passport has been successfully used for international travel in many cases. The passports are also being updated to meet modern travel rules for entering the United States.
Passports from Other Indigenous Nations
In 1977, a Cree man named Fred Plains from Timmins, Ontario in Canada claimed to have entered Sweden using a Cree passport he made himself. This shows that other Indigenous groups have also explored issuing their own travel documents.
See also
In Spanish: Pasaporte iroqués para niños
