An Incredibly Sad Time in Our Community: Newtown Longhouse Burns Down on Cattaraugus Territory
Efforts are underway to rebuild a Haudenosaunee longhouse more than a century old that was destroyed by fire on the Cattaraugus Territory.
The Newtown Longhouse, the center of spiritual and cultural life for members of the Seneca Nation of Indians, caught fire Tuesday.
“This is an incredibly sad time in our community and across all Haudenosaunee nations,” Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. said in a statement. “The longhouse is more than a building. Our people are spiritually, culturally, and historically centered in the longhouse. It is the Haudenosaunee people who come to the Longhouse who make sure that our culture and traditions remain vibrant and vital to who we are.”
Photographs on Facebook show a brick fireplace still standing after the fire at the longhouse, built in the 1880s.
“We are devastated by this loss, but we are resilient people,” Armstrong said. “That resiliency has carried us through unimaginable challenges throughout history.”
He said the Seneca Nation would work with leaders of the longhouse to rebuild “this vital cornerstone of our community.” A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to rebuild the longhouse.
“The longhouse is more than a building, it is the heart of our spiritual community. It is where all generations – from elders to young children – would gather to hear the Good Words and to carry out the ceremonies that sustain our culture, language, and spiritual being. In doing so, it ensures that our customs and traditions remain vital and vibrant today and for generations to come,” the fundraising page stated. The goal is $375,000.
“The Seneca community is determined to rebuild. Together as one community, we can help rebuild this vital cornerstone of the community,” the GoFundMe page said.
Please consider donating to our rebuilding fund. Nya:wëh.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-the-newtown-longhouse
