A Chief [View all]

Shortly after 9/11, I conducted the last in a series of four interviews with Chief Paul Waterman of the Onondaga Nation, the Fire Keepers of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy). Below are two questions and answers:


Q: What do you think about the backlash against Arab Americans and against Islam?
CPW: Look at what they did to my family, the Susquehannas? Sullivan went down the river to find Onondagas and Mohawks. He couldn't find any, so he killed people who looked and talked like the people he was after.
What do I think? I don't think that anyone who kills innocent people because of their language or religion is a hero. .......

Q: President Bush has referred to the "evil doers." What do you think about this?
CPW: Well, he's the same way. Those people in Afghanistan are poor and miserable. They suffer when bombs kill their parents, and hurt when bullets kill their children. So, even if Bush believes what he is doing is right, he has to commit evil acts to achieve his goals.
But he can't stop. The other guy won't. And when they do kill bin Laden, someone else will take his place. .......

Q: Speaking of land, what do you think of a homeland for the Palestinians?
CPW: They own land. They always have. There is nough land for them and the Jews. This conflict isn't just about land. It's about who controls the land that produces money. It's not about religion. The Creator isn't taking sides in a conflict over money.