Healing Stone From World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference On Display At Onöhsagwë:De’ Cultural Center
Public Invited To View, Touch Stone As Symbol Of Healing
ALLEGANY TERRITORY, SALAMANCA, N.Y. – As the United States observes National Suicide Prevention Month in September, the Seneca Nation is sharing a moving and powerful item with the community.
Nation officials announced that the Healing Stone presented to the Seneca Nation as host of the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference in July is now on display at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, 82 W. Hetzel Street, Salamanca, on the Nation’s Allegany Territory. Visitors are invited to view and touch the stone.
“Every community, Native and non-Native, has been impacted by and has felt the terrible pain and loss associated with this truly global crisis,” said Seneca Nation Councillors Arlene Bova and Presley Redeye, Co-Chairs of the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference. “Along with our shared pain and grief, every community also shares the need for healing.”
The name of the Kohatu (healing stone) is Kaitiaki (spiritual guardian). It is made out of Oamaru stone and carries the Māori (energy). Its birth was from the 2016 World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference, where the carver could feel the wairua (spirit) of the conference as he carved onsite. He could feel the mamai (hurt and pain) from the kōrero (sharing of stories) i te ao tawhito me ao katoa (from the old world across the globe). The stone was blessed by the Ngāti Pikiao elders (kaumàtua). Its purpose is to heal and to uphold the spirit of the conference wherever it goes.
“We are honored to share the Healing Stone with all who visit the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center,” Hayden Haynes, Director of the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, said. “We hope the stone brings a sense of healing and peace to anyone dealing with loss or searching for hope.”
In July, the Seneca Nation welcomed more than 800 visitors from around the world for the 4th World Indigenous Suicide Prevention, which was held on sovereign Seneca territory in Niagara Falls, NY. It was the first time the conference was held in the United States.
Themed “Reclaiming Indigenous Resiliency and Hope,” the conference featured three days of programming, conversations, and presentations to help educate and inform Native communities in an effort to combat and prevent the suicide crisis among Indigenous people. In the United States, Indigenous communities see the highest rate of suicide compared to other populations, with the highest rate of occurrence among people between the ages of 15-24.
“Hosting the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Crisis was a reminder that we are not alone – not as individuals, nor as a community,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “We were surrounded by and engaged with people from every corner of the globe, sharing a common experience and all looking for ways to protect our communities and bring light to those looking for help.”
In addition to the Healing Stone, the Nation received additional gifts as the conference host, including traditional artworks, medicines, tools, instruments, carvings, blankets, stones, shells and other items presented by the hosts of the three previous World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference gatherings.
The Healing Stone will remain on display at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center for the next two years, before it is returned to New Zealand so that it can then travel to the next World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference and be presented to the conference host. The other gifts received by the Seneca Nation will remain with the Nation and will be put on display at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center in the near future.
Measuring 33,000 square feet, the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center is inspired by Native oral history and designed to guide and immerse visitors with a variety of exhibits, collections, educational programs, and special events. The center is currently open six days a week. For information, visit senecamuseum.org.
The Onöhsagwë: de’ Cultural Center (OCC), is offering free classes for youth, and elders
The classes are being led by Rosy Simas (Seneca, Heron Clan), and Sam Aros- Mitchell (Yaqui).
