President Rickey Armstrong at Remember the Removal – Spanning the Generations 2023
We were hoping for and got this beautiful day as we gather as a community today as we reflect upon and remember what happened to our Nation here, and what was taken from us more than half a century ago.
As clearly as we can see on this beautiful day, we can see and recall what is gone just as clearly. We can see in our minds the buildings, the homes, and the school that used to stand in Red House.
We can see the hundreds of people and families who made their homes and lives here. We can see their faces; we knew them and they were our relatives. We can see their way of life – before the Dam. Before the loss of use our lands.
Today, we remember the neighborhoods that were and will always be ours. We can see them and hear their names – Coldspring, Quaker Bridge, Shongo, Onoville, Red House, SunFish, Bay State, Old Town, and Bone Run. These places are part of our homelands and are forever part of us. The homes may be gone, but we still remember how it was then.
And, just as clearly, we can still remember the bulldozers and smell the fires. And we can still feel the sadness and outrage.
Ten thousand acres of our land along the Ohi:yo’ were taken. Everything below the 1,365-foot elevation level was taken against our will. Hundreds of Senecas were forced to move from their homes and move to relocation areas on our territory.
Nearly 60 years have passed, but time cannot dim that trauma and betrayal by the very government who were supposed to defend us. The years cannot heal the wounds. It cannot restore what was taken – including our homes, our fields, our sacred sites, our way of life, and a piece of our very identity.
But, for everything they took from us and destroyed, floods and fires and machines can never destroy us, can never destroy who we are, and will never destroy our spirit.
With the pain of the United States’ betrayal of our treaty rights still clear in our minds, we are setting a clear vision for the future of what can be here at Allegany, in the area so appropriately called the “Take Area.”
Last week, our Council approved a resolution to establish a 1365 Resettlement Committee. This committee will work to identify livable lands in the Take Area and develop a comprehensive plan for their resettlement.
We are going to actively and vocally take our message to Washington, to the Army Corps of Engineers, to members of Congress and even to the White House in a clear and strong voice – these are Seneca lands and they must be restored for the use and benefit of the Seneca people.
The Treaty of Canandaigua guarantees our people the free use and enjoyment of our lands forever. That promise to the Seneca Nation was broken.
But our spirit and our commitment did not die here. The removal of the past will not dictate our future.
Today, we renew our commitment to always remember, to never forget, and to forever ensure that no such attack on our people or blatant violation of our treaties will ever happen again.
We are Senecas and we are still here. This is our home: our home then, now, and forever.
Recap of Remember the Removal 2023
On September 30th, the last Saturday of the month has always been the day we Remember the Removal, our forced relocation from our ancestral lands to pave way for the Kinzua Dam in 1964. This event was a turning point in Seneca history, something survivors will never forget.
This year the Remember the Removal Committee gathered about 200 walkers to the Red House Bridge. Built in 1931, it was one of the oldest structures still standing from the pre-Kinzua era. In the next few months, the bridge will be torn down and replaced due to major deck issues and injuries over the years. The commemorative shirt is of the Red House Bridge, a drone shot done by filmmaker Maurice John, Jr.
Caleb Abrams (Lake of Betrayal) gave a short history on all of the bridges that connected our communities; Red House Bridge, Quaker Bridge and Onoville Bridge. Red House Bridge is the only one still standing. “There is a lot of history here. I remember being here at an RTR event with my grandmother and mother. My grandmother Rovena was able to see masses of Seneca people dressed in regalia and outfits… we realized she was envisioning our ancestors, she could see them and they were here with us that day.”
Tyler Heron, son of George Heron, spoke about the commradery and dedication that iron workers put into building bridges and structures. Iron working was a profession held by many Senecas back then, many traveled to NYC and across the country to earn a decent living.
Becky Bowen is a survivor of the removal, her family was relocated from the Red Houses area to Jimersontown. Daughter of Ralph and Annabelle Bowen, her and her siblings Dennis and Jacquie were moved to a new neighborhood and school but never forgot who they were or where they came from. Becky read her sister Jacquie’s (then Clerk) address from 2007. “We shall always remember the Seneca way of life that was permanently destroyed. I will always see Red House as it once existed. I look to the east as I see the Costello Grocery Store, the Post Office, Skinny’s Gas Station, the Red House Indian School, the playground, the cemetery behind the school, the Red House Baptist Church, the old railroad station, our ball field, the old swimming hole, the skating pond, every house, and the beautiful faces of the Seneca families that gave life to our Red House community. I can hear their voices and see their smiles.”
Becky ended with “The Survivors of the Removal harbor more than just memories because the memories perpetuate emotions and we feel sorrow and grief for what we have lost. Today, we are gathered on this old Red House Bridge with the spirits of our Seneca ancestors and their spirits walk with us as we remember the Removal.”
Brenda Kindt, a removal survivor, placed a corn husk wreath with the help of her family in the Allegheny River.
A luncheon was held after at the Allegany Community Center. A panel discussion with young and elder community members was held in the arena. Caleb Abrams previewed a clip of his upcoming documentary with the late Steve Gordon. Copies of his book, Coldsprings: Our World is Changing.
