Opdamsland: Difference between revisions

Between 1800 and 1850 the government of Tussenland relocated between 30,000 and 40,000 Indians from the southeast and western great lakes region to west of the Mississippi bordering New Spain. This was done through a series of treaties between the Dutch government, their Iroquoian allies and private Dutch settlers and merchants as well as multiple incidents of forced relocation by the Dutch military. One most notable relocation occurred in 1812 at the aftermath of the [[Cherokee wars]] where the Dutch government gave the Cherokee nation 8 months to relocate to land in present day Opdamsland (known at the time as Tussenland Indian territory). By 1845 Amerikaans had been established as a lingua franca amongst the tribes of the area many of the tribes adopted Dutch cultural practices (if they hadn't already).

In 1936, the CherokeeShawnee politician and orator [[John White Owl]] was elected as the chief representative of the CherokeeShawnee and preceded to use the latent anti-Dutch sentiment to build a populist movement to replace the tribal council with a democratically elected chief executive of Opdamsland. By 1938 John White Owl was in control of a militia larger than the Opdamsland military and had complete political control of the CherokeeShawnnee tribe (the largest and richest tribe in Opdamsland at the time) as well as strong allies in the Sioux and Choctaw tribes. That fall, John White Owl forced the tribal council to step down and appointed himself the 1st president of the Confederation of Opdamsland. This coup caught Tussenland off guard. After some saber-rattling and threats to invade Opdamsland, the government of Tussenland reluctantly recognized the new Opdamsland government, fearing a second war with Mexico who might intervene on the side of John White Owl's government. John White Owl's new government immediately nationalized the oil industry and enacted a series of political and cultural changes and policies that sought to build up Opdamsland's military and remove the economic and cultural influence of Tussenland. During the Opdamsland government, all cities were given an 'Indian name' and all education and administration were conducted exclusively in CherokeeShawnee, Sioux, Choctaw, or any native language of a recognized tribe of Opdamsland. The cultural reforms went so far that in 1942, the government announced that the nation would be looking to rename itself, this never materialized due to a lack of popular interest and the inability to find a name that didn't favor one tribe over another. Opdamsland under John White Owl was criticized by other nations in North America for corruption in its elections and the fact that John White Owl won 75%+ of the vote for each of his three terms. During this period, relations with Mexico and South Tussenland improved, and a long standing agreement between Opdamsland and South Tussenland was made to allow Opdamsland to ship oil from S. Tussenland's ports. In 1949 John White Owl was found dead under suspicious circumstances in his Utrecht (Ayuhwa) home.