Oneida Roulette

In this book, Harry Schüler discusses the interdependence of land claims, casinos, and identity. He demonstrates that it was predominantly illegal contracts that led to the loss of Iroquois land. The land history of the Oneida is filled with white tricks, contradictory laws, broken treaties, and a divide-and-conquer policy by the state of New York. Through Indian casinos that he approved, he pitted the legal land claims of the Iroquois against each other. In this gamble, federal courts ultimately upheld New York's bad faith policy by issuing controversial decisions that brought an end to all Indian land claims.