Greetings,
As summer is whizzing by, I hope those of you who have elder family members, are remembering to stop by and make sure they are staying comfortable in this heat. If you are an enrolled Seneca, aged sixty years of age or older and reside on territory, you may be eligible to receive an air conditioner from our AOA Department. Please call Lindsey Cooper, Senior Support Specialist, at: (716) 532-5777, for more information. Also, our Tribal Advocate Office in Cattaraugus runs another program through H.E.A.P., where any SNI member, regardless of territory, may be eligible to apply – to receive an air conditioner unit. Please call Kerry Isaac at (716) 532-1028, X5056, for details about eligibility.
The traditional longhouse currently being constructed on the grounds of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum-Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center is coming right along. It is twenty-five feet wide by forty-feet long and is made from hemlock and hickory trees sourced from the Allegany Territory and the Allegheny National Forest. The outer walls are actually artificial tree bark, composed of a polyurethane elastomeric material, which is the most realistic and flexible faux bark available. The artificial bark will save time and money on the upkeep of the longhouse through the ages. Even though the faux bark used on the side walls isn’t real bark, if feels real. The project is approximately sixty-percent completed and the crew is currently installing additional roof supports to ensure the roof will be able to handle the snow load, common in our area. There have been about seventy different volunteers working on this project over the last year, with Rod Pierce and Mike “Smag” Crouse, being consistent volunteers on a weekly basis. As the project progresses, the plan is to be able to present a “livable setting”, which will include a garden. The hope is that this Longhouse will become a center point of interest for the cultural center and for our community. If all goes well, staff is planning to host an event to open the Longhouse this fall.
I hope to see many of our local elders at the Seneca Elder Summer Jamboree at the Seneca Allegany Casino on the 18th! They will be playing classic country music, giving away door prizes and having a contest for the elder wearing the best Country & Western outfit; so, get out your cowboy boots, vests and cowboy hats. There will also be a Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson look-alike contest. This sure sounds like a great time: good food, good company and good music!
Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr
