 This article is not part of the 1983: Doomsday canon because it was abandoned during the proposal process. If you would like to resurrect this proposal, please comment on the main talk page. |
People of the Longhouse | |||||
| Capital | Norwich | ||||
| Largest city | Cortland | ||||
| Language | English, Iroquois, French | ||||
| High Chief | Leon Shenandoah | ||||
| Area | 3628.573 km² | ||||
| Population | 73,346 | ||||
| Independence | from United States | ||||
| declared | 1984 | ||||
| recognized | 1985 | ||||
| Currency | New York Dollar | ||||
The Haudenosaunee Republic, or New Iroquois Republic is a small republic located in upstate New York, founded by the remnants of the Iroquois people and refugees from cities such as Syracuse that fled south rather than north to places such as Oswego. It is bordered by the Republic of New York to the south, and the New York Rangers Protection Zone to the southeast.
History[]
Pre-Doomsday:[]
The area where the Confederation would later administer was once part of a large apple farming region. In fact, a variety of apple, the Cortland, was named after a county in the region. Light industry and other forms of farming also were important to the region. The Iroquois people, specifically the Onondaga and Cayuga inhabited this region, and continued to do so, although their numbers were greatly eclipsed by white settlers.
Doomsday:[]
On Doomsday, the nearby city of Syracuse was struck, destroying a major metropolitan area, and sending fallout into the area nearby. The Onondaga Reservation, directly south of the city, was also affected by the blast, though not completely. The area south was also lucky, as fallout also mostly missed the area, as the winds were heading northeast, and the blast was not large enough to destroy some of the southern suburbs of the city. (Source here, and here.) Refugees, however, were another story. Due to the region emerging relatively unscathed, a horde of refugees that did not flee north to areas like Oswego, descended on the small, farming communities to the south. Leon. Shenandoah, leader of the Iroquois League, and Dennis Banks, leader of the American Indian Movement were two such ones.
Post Doomsday:[]
Chaotic Period:[]
Over the first winter, thousands perished, as many refugees could not be fed, despite the modest amount of agriculture in the region. Matters were made worse by Binghamton, which tried not to take in refugees. To survive the harsh winter, many turned to fishing in the southern reaches of the Finger Lakes of Otisco and Skaneateles, despite knowledge about the radiation that the lakes might harbor. Eventually, chaos descended over the survivors, with people turning to raiding each other for what little they had.
Many bands were formed within this period of time. One such band was formed by Shenandoah and Banks, and they fled east, hoping for less refugees and perhaps an area where they could sustain themselves. They, and several Iroquois and environmentalists formed the Children of Earth, a group dedicated to preserving what remained of the planet.
Children of Earth and Chenango County[]
The Children eventually arrived in rural Chenango County. They took over an abandoned apple farm, walled it off, hunted, and farmed what they could. They survived, and come next winter, they were prepared. Eventually, they contacted other groups of survivors in the region. The Children and the others eventually decided that it was in their best interests to unite under a government of some sort. They based it in the abandoned town of Norwich. Also, Shenandoah and Banks decided to have it based on the old Iroquois government to some extent. Efforts were made to contact survivors in the area. Many were holed up in Cortland, gradually starving.
Birth of The Nation[]
Eventually, all of Chenango County and the unclaimed area around it were under control of the Children, now called the New Iroquois. After the area was secure, the New Iroquois turned their eyes west to Cortland, which was still in chaos. The new government passed a law stating that any able-bodied and willing person will get free land to farm and work in Chenango and in the vicinity, as long as they would donate surplus to the government to feed refugees and non-farmers, and serve in the militia if needed. This turned out to be a very important law, as many Cortlanders and other refugees headed east to hopefully establish a permanent settlement, and have hope at survival. Those who stayed pledged their allegiance to the New Iroquois for the most part, and the whole area became de facto part of the "nation."
Soon it became clear that much of the surrounding area was obliterated, and many lost hope that the US remained. On September 26, 1985, second anniversary of Doomsday, the New Iroquois Republic officially was incorporated by Leon Shenandoah, High Chief of the New Iroquois.
After Founding[]
Little happened to the tiny nation after the founding. In the late eighties and early nineties, a linguist successfully merged the surviving Iroquoian languages into one. Iroquois. It began being taught in Iroquois schools in 1993, much like Gaelic is in OTL Irish schools. Like Gaelic, it is also used in the government.
In 1999, the name of the New Iroquois Republic was changed to the Haudenosaunee Republic, due to differentiate themselves from the old Iroquois Confederation, but at the same time, to state that they are an evolution of the old government, not a continuation or a totally new one. Haudenosaunee was also the true name of the Confederation, as "Iroquois" or "Irinakhoiw" was a name given to them by their rivals, the Hurons, and later picked up by French colonists. It meant "black adder."
In recent years, the Republic has expanded past its old borders. In fact, it claims half of the counties to the north, up to the ruins of Syracuse, but few live there due to the radiation. Much of the reason for the exploration and expansion is that the government is actively searching for "lost tribes," as most Iroquois in the nation are Onondaga. After Doomsday, all of the tribes were consolidated into Iroquois, one of the main reasons for a single Iroquois language, and they believe that the tribe must remain united.
The Republic was considered to be one of the states that formed the New York Republic in 2011. The nation narrowly avoided joining, due to voting. Voting will resume on December 19, 2013.
Government[]
Feel free to add to edit to your heart's content. Thank you.
The government and economy of the nation became highly socialized when it was first founded, due to it being in emergency. The people showed favor to the system, and it is not meddled with much. The economic model follows the cottage industry, where people mostly produce goods in-house. No major companies are in the nation, and people donate food to the government, who distributes it to non-food producing people who contribute to society, primarily in cities.
Due mostly to Shenandoah, many environmentally destructive activities such as clear-cut logging, excessive pollution, and over-development have been outlawed.
Economy[]
Like many American survivor states, the economy has been mostly ignored until recently. The economy is primarily a resource-based cottage industry. Most economic activities are done in-house or in the area, then the producers ship the products to markets at the cities, then they are either bought domestically or traded with other nations. Farming consists of the vast majority of economic activities, with crops such as apples and wheat taking center stage. Light industry continues to be important, as it was before Doomsday, with the manufacture of farming tools, firearms, and furniture existing in urban areas. Controlled logging is also practiced, as clear-cutting is illegal. Wine is produced, though there are very few vineyards, mostly surviving ones from before Doomsday. Maple syrup is produced for domestic use and trade, also.
Trade has been practiced with the Republic of New York and the Pennsylvanian states to the south, providing many manufactured goods to the nation. The New York Dollar is also used in the nation, although barter is more common in rural areas.
Culture[]
Traditions:[]
Despite many people being descended from non-Iroquois, many have adopted their lifestyle. Due to government policies, people usually provide much of what they themselves need. Many people live on the edges of civilization, and hunt, fish, farm, gather, build, and sell what they have in a trip to a city. This resembles much of colonial America. The only real difference between an Iroquois descended person, and a non-Iroquois descendent is that they can serve in the Iroquois League, a very different entity from the Haudenosaunee Republic, as it is mostly ceremonial. Many have also taken up Iroquois surnames, and are Iroquois in all but blood.
Sports:[]
The main sports in the region are lacrosse and ice hockey. Lacrosse, in fact, is the national pastime, as it was practiced by native tribes, and remains especially popular in the area. As in much of the rest of the nations in the northeast, ice hockey is popular. Other, less popular sports include gridiron football, baseball and basketball.
Music:[]
Ronnie James Dio survived Doomsday and the events afterwards, and played for a new band, or rather an evolution of his old band. Called Dio 2.0, it played heavy metal like the original. Dio died in 2010 of stomach cancer. Other genres include country, other forms of rock, and classical.
A statue of Dio in Cortland that was built after his death.
Foreign Relations[]
The Republic maintains excellent relations with the Republic of New York, despite the fiasco with Binghamton and the refugees directly following Doomsday, New York is the Republic's sole major trading partner, with many products being shipped to other markets through them. In fact, they both use the same currency, and they have been asked to join their nation when it was founded. Beyond that, little contact has been established with other nations. The New York Rangers are on friendly relations with them, as is Oswego, Lake Placid, and Vermont. The Haudenosaunee Republic is part of no organization. However, many hope for an eventual formation of a "Native American League," if other nations with a predominantly Indian culture can be found.
Military[]
No official military exists in the nation. However, the 2nd Amendment remains, and a militia protects the tiny nation. Weapons are primarily old, pre-Doomsday rifles and shotguns. Some trade, however, provides a few newer weapons to the nation.
A commonly used hunting rifle in the Haudenosaunee Republic. Also doubles as a military weapon.