Nationality or citizenship?

Do you know the difference between nationality and citizenship? A lot of people use these words to mean the same thing — but they don't.

The word "citizen" comes to us from Latin civitas, meaning "city". The French took that word centuries ago and made the word citeain — someone who lives in a city. Today, a citizen is a person who has a legal relationship to a political entity, such as a state.

"Nation" comes to us from Latin as well — from nasci, or natio-, meaning "born". A nation is a body of people who share a common history, culture or language.

In some countries, like Japan, nearly all citizens belong to the same nation. But other countries tell a different story. The United Kingdom, for example, is one country, but four nations: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The situation in America is even more complicated. Until very recently, people spoke of the different nationalities who lived there: Polish-Americans, Irish-Americans and so on — groups who carried on some of the traditions of their ancestors abroad. It can also be said that America itself is one nation, formed by all the immigrants who came and built it.

Native Americans say they belong to their own nations — the Seneca Nation, the Mohawk Nation, and so on. Many say they are citizens of these nations as well.

This led to a problem in mid-July, when the Iroquois National Lacrosse Team tried to travel to the United Kingdom to play in a tournament. They were carrying passports of the Iroquois Confederacy, which Britain refused to recognize.

"Like all those seeking entry into the UK, they must present a document that we recognize as valid to enable us to complete our immigration and other checks," the UK Borders Agency said.

The Iroquois say that getting American passports would compromise their identity. However, no country recognizes Iroquois sovereignty — and that includes the United States, which made a one-time exception to let the team return.

"We [the Iroquois Confederacy] have been around for over 1,000 years. We've certainly pre-empted the American government... We have a right to self-determination. We have a right to present our own passport," Percy Abrams, the team's executive director, protested.

Curiously, though, he added: "Let me just tell you, we have been traveling for over 30 years with this document. We have traveled to Great Britain numerous times."

So the issue is not so much one of sovereignty as it is one of security.

The Iroquois are only one of many Native American nations whose territory extends into Canada or Mexico. Members often cross the border in order to work, visit family or attend ceremonies. Until January 2008, they could do this using their tribal identity cards. Then new rules came into effect, requiring everyone entering the United States to show a passport. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has been negotiating with the U.S. federal government to try to resolve this matter.

The NCAI says the United States recognizes 562 tribes, representing 1.7 million people. But the travel question proves that nationality and citizenship are not the same thing.