Honoring and Celebrating Seneca Women: Sandra Jimerson-Dowdy
By Seneca Media
Sandra Jimerson-Dowdy is a member of the Seneca Nation Hawk Clan and the current CEO and co-founder of the Ganöhsesge:kha:’ Hënödeyë:stha’ or Faithkeeper’s School located in Steamburg, NY. Sandy, or Gajehsöh made language preservation her life’s work. Her community impact has been immeasurable as she has worked to revitalize Seneca language and culture.
During Sandy’s childhood she was blessed to have a family who spoke to her every day in the Seneca language. Her family passed along deeply rooted traditional Longhouse language needed to conduct ceremonies. Sandy not only shares her knowledge with FKS students but actively educates the wider community on Seneca culture, language and sustainable living. For more than 30 years she has dedicated her efforts to teach and mentor students of all ages. She works tirelessly to mentor teachers and learners throughout the Seneca language departments on both the Allegany and Cattaraugus Territories in an effort to ensure that there will be speakers of the Seneca language for generations to come.
Recently, Salamanca Warrior Athletics, The Lady Warriors, Salamanca School District, Seneca Youth Council, and JCC has partnered to honor Gajehsöh, Sandy Dowdy (Akso:d) for her life’s work of preserving and teaching the Seneca language. We thank her, and celebrate Woman’s History Month by honoring someone who has truly made an impact on our community! #WEdraft2022
Check this link to learn more about the W.E. Draft https://youtu.be/nTkNKUSONZA
WomensHistoryMonth #SNCelebratesWHM
Honoring and Celebrating Seneca Women: Norma Kennedy
By Seneca Media
Norma Kennedy, Seneca, Heron clan was born in Coldspring, NY on June 23rd, 1928 to Loretta (Watt) and Ulysses John. Norma raised her children in Buffalo, NY. While living in Buffalo, she worked at Calspan Corporation, dealing with independent engineers and government contracts for the aerospace industry.
Norma was instrumental in developing social services within the Seneca Nation. In the 1980s, Norma chartered the first Seneca Nation Human Services Department to advocate tribal rights and assist members in dealing with a variety of support related programs including alcohol and substance abuse, child and women’s welfare, financial education and many others. Her passion for learning established her as one of the first Native American Credentialed Alcohol Counselors. She later moved to Syracuse to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a Tribal Liaison. Norma continued to give back to the Seneca community serving in tribal government roles as Clerk, Peacemaker Court Judge, and as a committee member of the judicial conference. Norma was one of the first Elder language mentors for the Seneca Language Department Master Apprentice Program. She spent many hours educating those who had a passion for the language.
She could never fully retire, even at the age of 91 because she always enjoyed learning. She would often say learning new things kept her young. Norma enjoyed her children, her family and the simple things in life. She was a caring and sincere friend to all. She was an amazing cook who also loved her plants, gardening, shopping, restaurants, laughing and car rides. Norma was beautiful, elegant and full of dignity. She was adventurous in her travels and she loved seeing how others lived. Sadly, in May of 2020, Norma and two of her daughters fell victim to Covid19. They are tremendously missed by all who knew and loved them.
Women in Construction Week
Allegany TERO Facebook page
Last week, March 6-12 was Women in Construction Week, and is a way to recognize the contributions and initiatives women have and continue to make in the construction industry.
Stevie Bucktooth, pictured below with Allegany T.E.R.O Director Christian Reiller (left), was recently hired on with RW Painting to hang vinyl at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino as they undergo renovations. Stevie plans to work the remainder of this job, and the contractor has already stated they will continue to give her a job off-territory.
Christian Reiller is happy to continue to support her in any way he can! Ja:goh Stevie!
Maria Monroe of International Operating Engineers Local 17, also pictured below with Councilor Eliot Jimerson and Allegany T.E.R.O. Director Christian Reiller, attended a Rebuild NY Now event organized by local labor leaders and elected officials.
Rebuild NY Now is a coalition organized to raise awareness of New York State’s infrastructure issues and the impact on the citizens of the state. Learn more at rebuildnynow.org.
Allegany TERO now has a Faecbook page! Check us out for new opportunities!
Allegany TERO Director Christian Reiller and Stevie Bucktooth. 
L to R: Councillor Eliot Jimerson, Maria Monroe, Christian Reiller
Ivy Santana – Full Great Women Great Danes Interview Transcript
UAlbany’s Great Women Great Danes is a new series that will be published during Women’s History Month. The series will feature Great Danes, past and present, and celebrate the women of UAlbany.
Published from: UAlbany Athletics Facebook page
Q: Can you talk about your student-athlete experience so far?
A: So far, I would say there are a lot of ups and downs, I would say, as a senior. I think it is important to talk about the downs as much as the ups. I feel like I just overcame a lot of adversity, a lot of challenges.
Q: You competed in the Pan American Lacrosse Association Sixes Cup in September 2021, can you talk about that experience?
A: Yeah, so for me, personally, it was really personal and heart-touching. As an indigenous woman, I always had some obstacle come in the way of me being able to actually fully compete in a tournament with team Haudenosaunee – whether it was with money or an injury. As I was walking out with my sister and my cousins and the girls that I grew up playing with and especially my coach. We walked out and I said ‘Guys, I’m tearing up right now, I can’t believe I’m actually about to play with this uniform and represent our people, especially as a woman.’ Everyone was like wow, that’s actually crazy, that we’ve been playing for this long together and they were also shocked because this was my first time. It was very heart-touching; being my first time as someone that has been a part of the team but actually able to finally put on a tee and step on the field.
Q: You spoke about how an injury has stopped you before, can you talk about that a little bit more?
A: In 2019, I believe, the Summer World Games, I made the team as an attacker and was the captain at the time. Then a couple of months later, freshman year around February-ish, I tore my ACL and a lot of other complications came up. The moment I went down the one thing that I just thought about was all this was just taken from me with the snap of a finger. I think that it really opened my eyes to realize that there’s more to life than a sport or just sports in general. That there’s so much more that … that makes me, me … so much more than just this game. I think the injury helped me realize that. Obviously, a lot of mental issues came with it, but I think that it made me stronger as a person and as an athlete.
Q: Can you talk about the journey back to competing after you tore your ACL?
A: It was challenging. Obviously, it didn’t come as quickly. It took a couple of months, another injury occurred and after that, it was a lot of sitting down and just talking to people and admitting that I wasn’t okay. I think that’s the first step; realizing that…just realizing that it was actually a challenge, instead of me putting on a smile every day and everyone thinking I was being so positive. I think when I opened up and said I’m struggling is when I started receiving the most help. Being vulnerable isn’t always a bad thing and that’s something I learned along with the injury. I think that being vulnerable gives you a chance to have others lift you up. I think with an injury that’s something I learned is that it’s okay to not be okay.
Q: You won the Tewaaraton award in 2018, how did it feel to receive that honor?
A: It was honestly really amazing, especially because my dad teared up a bit. It wasn’t just because it’s something that you win – a lot of people relate that to lacrosse and playing lacrosse and having these points and stats and whatever, but the other side of it is the academic side, the community service side, and he was really proud. He was just like … I mean lacrosse is lacrosse, but to see you win something and get acknowledged for your academics, community service and just being a good person is something a dad always wants to see. For me, it was like, it wasn’t that I won the award but it was that I made my dad really proud. I thought walking onto the stage was nerve-racking but being able to see him in the stands was just really relieving and calming to see, just like a proud moment for everyone.
Q: How have the women around helped make you the athlete and woman you are today?
A: Coming to UAlbany, I was always the oldest one on my previous teams. So coming here as one of the babies I…it was so weird because it was like I’m not the one that needs to make the calls. And it was so nice to have people that I can go to that are older than me. I know that the older girls really helped me a lot, Sam Tortora, J. [Jordyn] Marr, Imani Hedgeman, a lot of those girls really helped. I remember telling them one day when we were at CityLax and the younger girls were like what is something that you were sad about when you guys came to college? I was like, ‘I mean, yeah I left my lacrosse family at home, but I don’t think of it as leaving them’. I thought of it as I’m getting more sisters coming here now and everyone was kind of like, wow. Ever since I came here I’ve had so much more family added on to my family back at home and it just keeps expanding.
Q: What does it mean that people may be looking up to you because of your position and even just your experience with an injury?
A: Whenever I’m asked about how I want to be looked at as a lacrosse player, the one thing I always tell them is that I don’t want any girl, or even a guy, … anyone to ever look up to me just as a lacrosse player but off the field, too. That’s what I always want someone to do. If they’re looking up to me, I want them to also look up at what I’m doing academically, what I’m doing off the field that is helping me on the field. I think that’s something just as important.
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
A: To me, it’s just something that is so amazing to see. I was once the little girl looking up to all these women. I would always be like wow, I wanna do that and thinking that there’s someone else thinking that about me pushes me to wanna be better for them and for the next generation.
