Tag: Mohawk Nation

Ty Thompson Is First Athlete to be Endorsed by Major Lacrosse Company

Epoch LacrosseTy Thompson becomes Epoch Lacrosse's first endorsed athlete
Epoch Lacrosse
Ty Thompson becomes Epoch Lacrosse’s first endorsed athlete

 

Indian Country Today

 

Minneapolis, MN – August 12, 2014 — Two-time Division I All-American and Rochester Rattler rookie Ty Thompson has signed an agreement with Epoch Lacrosse making him the company’s first endorsed athlete. The pride of the Mohawk Nation, and the fourth all-time leading scorer at the University at Albany, will be representing Epoch Lacrosse at camps/clinics nationwide and providing Epoch’s engineers with real world feedback in the development of future products.

Thompson uses Epoch’s Dragonfly Gen.5 C30 iQ5 shaft with a Thompson i6 head tied up with Epoch’s Otter Mesh. “The first time I picked up one of Epoch’s shafts I was blown away by how perfect it felt,” Thompson said in a news release.

“Plus, Otter Mesh is one of the lightest, easiest to string and most durable pieces of mesh out there.”

RELATED: Watch: Ty Thompson Scores First Goal as a Major League Lacrosse Player

He went on to say, “When it came time to decide which company I wanted to work with it wasn’t a difficult decision at all. James and everyone at Epoch treated me like family. I am really looking forward to working with Epoch and Thompson Lacrosse to not only create the most advanced lacrosse equipment on the market, but products that honor the game of lacrosse and its heritage.”

Thompson finished his career at the University at Albany with 154 goals and will go down in history as one of the most creative scorers in Division I history.

He was acquired 28th overall in the 2014 MLL collegiate draft by the Rochester Rattlers and will also be playing for Team Adrenaline Lacrosse in the LXM Pro Tour this fall with Epoch equipment.

“Ty and his family’s heritage bring an authenticity to the game that other athletes can’t provide,” said Ryan Hurley, National Sales Representative at Epoch Lacrosse. “We are really looking forward to having Ty’s input into the development of our products and working with him to help grow the game of lacrosse.”

 

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/08/13/ty-thompson-first-athlete-be-endorsed-major-lacrosse-company-156385

Native Americans Say US Violated Human Rights

 

WASHINGTON April 14, 2014 (AP)

By JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press

A Native American group is asking the international community to charge the United States with human rights violations in hopes of getting help with a land claim.

The Onondaga Indian Nation says it plans to file a petition at the Organization of American States on Tuesday, seeking human rights violations against the United States government. It wants the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to declare that the U.S. government’s decision not to hear its lawsuit asking for the return of 2.5 million acres in upstate New York to be violations of international human rights agreements.

The nation has argued that about 4,000 square miles in 11 upstate New York counties stretching from Pennsylvania to Canada was illegally taken through a series of bogus treaties. More than 875,000 people live in the area, which includes Syracuse and other cities.

U.S. courts have refused to hear the lawsuit asking for the return of their land, with the Supreme Court turning away a final petition in October.

Onondaga Nation lawyer Joe Heath, left. ((AP Photo/Mary Esch))
Onondaga Nation lawyer Joe Heath, left. ((AP Photo/Mary Esch))

“The problem is that we can’t get the governor to sit down with us and the United States to live up to its treaty rights,” said the Onondaga Nation’s attorney, Joe Heath.

While in Washington, the group plans to display a belt that George Washington had commissioned to commemorate one of the treaties that was supposed to guarantee the Onondaga their land and “the free use and enjoyment thereof.”

The group says it is not seeking monetary damages, eviction of residents or rental payments. Instead, it wants a declaration that the land continues to belong to the Onondagas and that federal treaties were violated when it was taken away. Onondaga leaders have said they would use their claim to force the cleanup of hazardous, polluted sites like Onondaga Lake.

The petition against the United States was brought by the Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which is made up of the Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca Nations.

It could be years before the commission decides whether to hear the nation’s complaint, Heath said. Even then, there is nothing that could force the government to follow international recommendations, Heath said. The hope is that public pressure would bring state and federal officials to the table.

“Yes, they can just ignore it but there’s only so long we think can they do that,” said Heath.

Even if nothing happens, they will have made their stand, they said.

“We’re here, we’re speaking out and they know where we stand,” Onondaga Clan Mother Freida Jacques said. “Maybe you won’t write it in history, but we’ll know we made this effort and we’re not letting the people down.”

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Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland