Building Better Care for Indigenous People

Calling any and all health care providers in the Finger Lakes region! Join the Indigenous Health Coalition on June 3rd from 6-8pm in Rochester (location TBD) to start the conversation about how we can provide better health care for the Indigenous communities in our region. See flyer below for more details and to register. Applications open for new membership on the Indigenous Health Coalition! See flyer below for details and how to apply.

Hayden Haynes and Kyle Dowdy Jr. Featured in Hodinöšyö:nih: Continuity, Innovation, and Resilience exhibit

at the Rochester Museum & Science Center The Permanent Art Exhibit Opened on December 6, 2024 By Alyssa Coustenis and Norah Stevens, Newsletter Reporters The Hodinöšyö:nih: Continuity, Innovation, and Resilience exhibit at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC), curated by Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan). Rather than portraying Native peoples as relics of the past, the exhibit showcases contemporary works alongside historical artifacts, emphasizing the ongoing vitality of Haudenosaunee traditions- they are still alive and well. This exhibit features Hayden Haynes (Seneca, Deer Clan), and Kyle Dowdy Jr. (Tuscarora, Bear Clan). Hayden Haynes Carvings Ganawödiyo Kyle Dowdy Jr. Cradleboard Hayden Haynes had an amazing

Todd Gates Rings Roswell Park Victory Bell!

May 22, 2025 | Repost from the Department of Indigenous Cancer Health FB Mary and Todd Gates have faced cancer together. They were hoping to ring the Roswell Park Victory Bell together in December, but learned that Todd would require additional treatment. “I waited for him to ring the bell,” Mary said today of her husband Todd, a former President and current Councillor of the Seneca Nation. “He’s cancer-free, I’m cancer-free. I’m on the survivor list. My five years was up in December – I went through all the treatment. “He stormed through ( his treatment) like nothing. I was proud of

Seneca Icon Honored at SBU’s 165th Commencement

Ja:göh Carson Waterman! May 18, 2025 | Repost from sbu.edu Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., was back on the stage she graced for more than a decade, giving sage advice to nearly 700 graduates of St. Bonaventure University. “Choose your navigational stars with great care,” she said. “Seek the steady light of the public servant — elected or appointed — who puts the common good ahead of personal gain. Seek the searing light of honestly reported news, honestly written history, honestly calculated data about our national life.” Sr. Carney, who was named president emerita in 2016 after serving 12 years as the university’s leader,

Six Nations Agricultural Society: Upcoming Golf Fundraiser

Indian Village at the New York State Fair Submitted by Mary Jacobs The Six Nations Agricultural Society is asking you to consider being a sponsor at our 7th Annual Golf Fundraiser to benefit the New York State Fair Indian Village. This event will be held on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Club in Lewiston, NY. Contributions will assist with provisions needed to operate during the fair, and the conservation of the village. Established in 1924 with the purpose of promoting agriculture to Haudenosaunee territories in NY State, the society began operating the Indian Village at the NY State

3rd Annual Seneca Caneadea Field Day

Mark Your Calendar: Saturday, July 5, 2025 This special event celebrates the shared history of the town’s residents and the Seneca Nation honoring the ancestors who lived on this land over 200 years ago. The day will feature native dance performances, lacrosse exhibitions, museum exhibits, hands-on children’s activities, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, and new this year - a focus on the agricultural history of our community. Join us for an educational day of activities on historic Seneca lands! When: Saturday, July 5, 2025Time: 10am-4pmWhere: Caneadea Town Park, Houghton, NY FREE ADMISSION! Pay to park.

Red Horizons: A Celebration of Indigenous Fashion & Arts

Friday, June 20th at 7pm| Artpark Mainstage Theater Ja:göh Karlene Familio, Red Horizons Spotlight Designer! Doors are at 5pm | Runway starts at 7pm Join us at Artpark on Friday, June 20 for an unforgettable evening of Indigenous creativity, style, and cultural resurgence. From bold textiles to visionary designs, witness the future of Native fashion on the runway. An Indigenous Fashion & Arts Showcase: On the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy history is being made: we are proudly presenting our first Indigenous-led runway show and gallery presentation, a powerful celebration of Indigenous excellence in fashion, beauty, and the arts—founded and produced by two visionary

Ja:göh Lorinda M. John!

Buffalo State Student Lorinda M. John Recognized with SUNY’s Highest Honor for Academic Excellence and Leadership May 5, 2025 | suny.buffalostate.edu | Headshot by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. has announced that 193 students from 63 campuses were awarded SUNY's highest honor for academic excellence and leadership. The 2025 Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence (CASE) recognize students for outstanding achievements throughout their SUNY experience in areas including academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, and the arts. This year’s recipients include a wide range of honorees including veterans, parents, policy issue advocates, and

RENEW Students Explain the ‘why’ of their Research at end-of-the-year Poster Session

May 2, 2025 | By Tom Dinki | Repost from arts-sciences.buffalo.edu For Alyssa Warrior, there’s no separating her research from her heritage. Supervised by Shannon Seneca, assistant professor of Indigenous studies, the first-year PhD student’s research analyzes the pollution of the very creek that she and other members of the Seneca Nation have used for centuries. The 68-mile-long Cattaraugus Creek runs directly through the nation’s Cattaraugus Reservation south of Buffalo, but has been threatened by upstream contaminants, including sludge left by a former animal glue factory. “The water is like our kin,” Warrior said. “We need to take care of it.” Such stories of personal

Ja:göh Rory Wheeler

He Recently Graduated w/his Juris Doctor & Indian Law Certificate from Michigan State University College of Law! Ja:göh Rory Wheeler, Onöndowa'ga, Hanyahdë:h, Dàdewahgëötgeh community, who received his Juris Doctor and Indigenous Law Certificate from the Michigan State University College of Law.Rory is also a descendant of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He is the son of Star Wheeler and grandson of Katy & Malcolm “Sonny” Wheeler. He serves as a Board Member for the Association on American Indian Affairs, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Seneca Gaming

Fort Pitt Museum Unveils Across,

a new Photography Exhibition Showcasing the Work of Seneca Artist DJ Huff On Saturday, May 17, the Fort Pitt Museum unveiled Across, a new photography exhibition showcasing the work of Seneca artist DJ Huff. The exhibit invites visitors to experience contemporary American Indian identity through Huff’s lens – offering a moving and personal reflection on Native life, memory, and presence. Huff, a member of the Seneca Nation from the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York, has long been a valued contributor to the Fort Pitt Museum as a cultural educator and historical interpreter. Across complements the museum’s current marquee exhibition, Homelands: Native Nations of

SBU’s Sackett Presents Documentary Work on Kinzua and the Senecas

Inside Bona's Archives May 16, 2025 | sbu.edu Scott Sackett, a documentary filmmaker, public media producer and Jandoli School of Communication lecturer, co-presented his documentary work on Kinzua Dam and the Seneca Nation of Indians at the Yager Museum of Art & Culture at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, on April 11. The screening and panel discussion were hosted by Dr. Quentin Lewis, museum curator. The story of Kinzua Dam and the Seneca people was documented by Sackett and his production partners Paul Lamont and Caleb Abrams in the 2017 national public television film "Lake of Betrayal." Built on the Allegheny River in