Upcoming Seneca Land Back Meeting

Join us as we share updates and outline the next steps in the Seneca Land Back movement. Saturday, October 4th, 20259am-12pmat the Cattaraugus Saylor Building For more information or if you have questions, please reach out to: admin@senecalandback.org. See flyer for details:

World Premiere of Turtle Island Performance

Premiering at Ganondagan - Thursday, October 2nd, 11AM (Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41, Victor, NY) ALSO Showing: Dates: 10/3/2025Theatre: TurnPark Art SpaceG. Peter Jemison and Plasticiens Volant 2 Moscow Road, West Stockbridge, MA Outdoor Performance – All Ages WelcomeStep into a world of story, sky, and spectacle with Turtle Island - a stunning new outdoor performance that brings the Haudenosaunee Creation Story to life through a giant inflatable puppet, traditional dance, and live performance. Created by internationally renowned French company Plasticiens Volants and guided by G.Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan) - artist, historian, and educator - Turtle Island features choreography by Sky Woman

Senecas Join St. Bonaventure University Officials For Flag-Raising Ceremony on Campus

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2025 — Seneca Nation representatives will join university officials at 10 a.m. Friday for the ceremonial raising of the Seneca Nation flag outside the university Administration Building. The flag was first raised in early May, adjacent to the U.S., state and university flagpoles, but with Commencement and final exams approaching, the ceremony was delayed until the fall semester so students could participate. Members of the campus community are welcome to attend; the ceremony should take no longer than 15 minutes. Since the university formed a friendship committee with the Nation in 2023, efforts have been made to more

Amethyst Rae Renaldo

The Most Precious Gem Born February 26th, 2017, she came into this world with complications that gave us a scare. She was diagnosed with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, or HIE. The Doctor told her Mom she only had 6 months to a year to live. A year had passed and she still had the strength to keep over coming all the doctors odds. From that moment forward we could see for ourselves what a miracle she really was. But on September 3rd, 2025, she was given her wings. Just like in spiritual and metaphysical practices, amethyst is believed to promote peace, emotional stability, and spiritual

Seneca Designer and Models Take On the Inaugural Indigenous New York Fashion Week

Indigenous fashion graced the runways of New York City in the Inaugural Indigenous New York Fashion Week from September 11 to 15. Indigenous designers, models, hair and makeup artists gathered from valleys, peaks, deserts and waterways of Turtle Island to converge in Indigenous excellence and resilience by taking on the mainstream world of fashion. For the first time, twenty-five Indigenous designers held their own along major fashion brands and top designers in CFDA’s New York Fashion Week. Designers were able to thread traditions and perspectives while showcasing their culture and blending into contemporary spaces. Karlene Familo (Seneca, Hawk Clan) a Seneca

Marie Watt Receives Prestigious 30th Heinz Award for the Arts

Depicting Deep and Personal Commitments to Identity, Community and Storytelling: Heinz Family Foundation Names Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt Recipients of the 30th Heinz Awards for the Arts PITTSBURGH, September 16, 2025 — The Heinz Family Foundation today named Jennifer M. Packer and Marie K. Watt recipients of the prestigious 30th Heinz Award for the Arts. As part of the accolade, Ms. Packer and Ms. Watt will each receive an unrestricted cash award of $250,000. Blankets, which in many Indigenous communities are gifted to mark milestone events, play a central role in Ms. Watt’s practice. Her “Blanket Stories” sculpture series comprises towering

Waterman Immersive Exhibition To Be Unveiled at QCA Sunday

ST. BONAVENTURE - Artist Carson Waterman, a cultural icon of the Seneca Nation, will be featured as the centerpiece of the Laine Immersion Arts Exhibition at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts’ 30th anniversary season launch. The event at St. Bonaventure University will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, marking the official opening of the Quick Center’s 2025–2026 Exhibition and Performing Arts Season. The event will feature the premiere of the Laine Immersion Arts Exhibition, which honors Indigenous culture through Waterman’s powerful digital work, blending traditional Haudenosaunee themes with contemporary artistic expression. All five of the Quick Center’s galleries

Jimersontown Presbyterian Church 64th Annual Native Foods Dinner

Saturday October 18, 202512pm to 2:30pm at the Seneca Nation Administration Building - Grand Hall90 Ohi:yo’ Way, Salamanca, NY 14779 MENU: Roast TurkeyRoast VenisonFry BreadBoiled Corn BreadHulled Corn SoupFried Salt PorkMashed BeansGreen BeansButtered SquashCole SlawMashed Potatoes/GravyCranberry SaucePumpkin PieCoffee/TeaWater or Soda MUST PREORDER – CONTACT THE FOLLOWING TO DO SO:Marilyn George (716) 474-6387 - marilyn_george@yahoo.comGloria Heron(Vendors) (716) 307-6672 - gjheron@hotmail.comSue Blacksnake (716) 801-1540 - sblacksnake65@gmail.com

The Original Peoples Podcast with Ansley Jemison

The Original Peoples podcast just dropped 5 New Episodes on Spotify on September 18. There's enough posted to keep you all busy for a few days!! As always, I appreciate your support and kind words!! The Original Peoples Podcast has been a fun project to be a part of. All respect and gratitude go to the Guests, Ganondagan State Historic Site, the Friends of Ganondagan, my wife Amanda Jemison F. Paul & Friends @f.paulyorio Seneca Media & Communications Center Suzanne Blacksnake and anyone else who shares and talks about the podcast. Don’t miss the episodes from 50th Fall Festival featuring Lance Hemlock,

Growing Together & Reaping Accolades

A raised-bed garden project outside at Gowanda Middle School is causing pride to blossom on and off campus. The agricultural project is the result of a brainstorm between a few educators looking for a way to create a collaborative project to give students a hands-on opportunity in understanding how food is grown and where it comes from. Renee Seneca, the Seneca language teacher at the middle school, wanted to tie an actual garden into her curriculum when discussing the cultural significance of the Three Sisters – corn, beans, and squash – with students. And Michael O’Rourke, who teaches Health and Nutrition at

An Everlasting Brave Journey: Grief Support Group

Join us in October this fall for an evening of instructional painting. As ever changing are our seasons, so are are lives. Thursday, October 9, 2025 starting at 5pm at the Four Corners United Methodist Church, located at 1586 Route, 438, Irving, NY 14081. For more information, contact Franchesca Jones at 716-708-0180.

Pleasant Valley Baptist Church Update

Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 6pm, The Pleasant Valley Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 12557 Route 438 Irving, NY 14081 will be hosting a viewing of the film, The Forge. With Free Popcorn and Snacks! The Forge is a faith-filled, inspirational, and heartfelt motion picture you won’t want to miss! Isaiah Wright recently graduated high school with no direction and no job. His single mother offers him an ultimatum – either step up or move out. Isaiah has an unexpected encounter with a successful businessman and is hired at a fitness center. Find out how the prayers of his mother and the new

Native American Heritage Month Speakers Series at Anderson-Lee Library

Anderson-Lee Library, located at 43 Main Street in Silver Creek, will hold their annual Native American Heritage Month Speakers Series in November. Please join us for the following speakers! More information will be forthcoming, and updates may be found at www.andersonleelibray.org, or by calling the library at716-934-3468. Saturday, November 1 at noon: Whitney Nephew (children’s program)Tuesday, November 4 at 6pm: Hayden HaynesThursday, November 6 at 6pm: Flip WhiteThursday, November 13 at 6pm: Women’s Forum with Agnes Williams and Wendy HuffSaturday, November 15 at noon: Bernadette Scott and Marcie KaneTuesday, November 18 at 6pm: Richie SasalaThursday, November 20 at 6pm: Zed Williams

Seneca Filmmaker Caleb Abrams Premier’s The Burning of My Coldspring Home

at Ray Evan's Theater By Norah Stevens, Reporter With the upcoming premiere of “The Burning of My Coldspring Home” - a film Directed and Produced by Caleb G. Abrams at the Ray Evans Seneca Theater (10 Main St., Salamanca, NY 14779) on September 19, 2025, SNI Newsletter reached out for an interview. Caleb G. Abrams, a local Ohi:yo’ hometown native, has shared some insight into his film about the late Stephen “Steve” Gordon. Producing this film was not an easy journey, his evolution as a filmmaker reflecting in this cinematic endeavor. He knew that he had an important message he wanted to convey

A Legacy That Lives On: Marcella LeBeau Elementary Opens Its Doors

By Sharon LeBeau Francis “It was the greatest honor of my life to serve.” These words, attributed to my grandmother Marcella LeBeau, feel like the essence of who she was. Whether spoken aloud or simply lived through her actions, they reflect the heart of a woman who dedicated much of her life to her community, her country, and her people. This fall, the Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota opened its 24th elementary school: Marcella LeBeau Elementary. It is a rare and powerful moment. Across the country, very few public schools are named after individuals, and even fewer honor Indigenous people. For