Speech of Lee M. Redeye, Seneca Attorney, Delivered at The Ceremonial Courthouse in Buffalo, NY
For The Posthumous Bar Admission of Ely Samuel Parker
November 14, 2025 | Buffalo, NY
Good morning, honorable judges of the Fourth Department. My name is Lee M Redeye, and I stand before you today in support of the Application for Posthumous Admission, nunc pro tunc, of Ely Samuel Parker. May it please the court…
Though the filings that bring us here were submitted by myself and the Honorable John G. Browning, we did not forge this path alone. We were brought here by the relentless efforts of many who came before us, chief among them, the Parker family. Today is Ely’s triumph… but it is all of ours too, for we stand victorious over the prejudice of the past. We honor Ely, but we also honor Al, Melissa, and the entire Parker family. Today is also a day for all of Indian Country to rejoice. It will shine for all time like a beacon of hope, proclaiming to every Native person that the legal system can indeed deliver on its lofty promise of justice for all.
As this Court prepares to posthumously admit a Native American to the bar for the first time in the history of the United States, we now stand on the precipice of history. Behind us stretches a shadowed past, stained by prejudice, ignorance, and unrepentant inequity. But ahead, a glorious new era unfolds. Unblemished. And built upon a foundation of compassion, understanding, and unyielding justice. And we do not simply bear witness to this transformation. All of us here today shall be the architects of this new age.
The 1800s were a time of great upheaval for the Seneca people. Ely was born into this storm of Seneca turmoil in 1828, nearly half a century after the Sullivan Campaign ravaged the Haudenosaunee civilization. By the age of 10, he witnessed the fraudulent 1838 Buffalo Creek Treaty strip away all Seneca lands in New York. At 14, he saw the 1842 compromise treaty return the Cattaraugus and Allegany Territories. But at the devastating cost of his own home on the Tonawanda Territory. Despite these tragedies, Ely never lost hope. He refused to be merely a passive spectator during those tumultuous times. He was a mutual combatant, fighting for his lands and his people.
And between 1856 and 1858, Ely had quite a run. Despite not being admitted to practice law, Ely helped John Martindale win two cases at the United States Supreme Court. This duo’s first victory was Fellows v. Blacksmith in 1856, which protected the right of the Tonawanda Senecas to remain in their ancient occupation on the Tonawanda Territory. After that case, in 1857, through Ely’s efforts and the efforts of many others lost to history, Ely witnessed the return of the Tonawanda Territory. And in 1858, just two years after Fellows v. Blacksmith, Parker’s and Martindale’s efforts again produced a successful result at the High Court in Ex rel. Cutler v. Dibble, which upheld a state law that permitted the removal of non-Indian intruders residing or settling in Indian country. 167 years later, that law is still being invoked by Native Nations to protect their territories and their people from invaders. Ely’s efforts all those years ago continue to pay dividends.
The speakers before me have masterfully illuminated why Ely S. Parker deserves this posthumous admission to the New York State Bar. He studied the law diligently with the firm of Angel and Rice from 1847 to 1849, as was the custom of his day. And through the vivid recounting of his extraordinary achievements—from his service in the Civil War to his role as the first Native American Commissioner of Indian Affairs—his character and fitness to practice law appear as self-evident truths. There is nothing left to debate. Ely Parker is certainly worthy of this posthumous admission.
So, I will devote the balance of my time today not to repeating what has already been said, but to etching into the record one Seneca’s perspective on the meaning of this ceremony. After today, Ely’s legacy will no longer appear as a mere footnote in the story of Ulysses S. Grant. No! From this moment forward, Ely’s life will stand tall on its own merits, an example for all Native people aspiring to do great things.
It is my hope that Ely’s life will serve as a lesson for all Haudenosaunee people, and for every Indigenous person that can hear my words. It teaches us that no barrier, no limitation imposed by society, can hold us back. Within each of us lies the ability to achieve the impossible. But no matter where we go, no matter what we accomplish, we must never forget our roots. We must remember where we come from. We must honor our people. We must honor our Nations. For there is unbreakable strength in unity. There is unstoppable power in the collective.
I wish I could declare that the battles Ely fought in his lifetime are relics of the past. But even now, in this so-called modern age, Indigenous people face a relentless onslaught from external forces determined to erase our way of life. We still battle intruders on our sacred lands. We still rage against assaults on our sovereignty. Though we were the first stewards of this continent, we remain as unknown to the body politic as we were in 1492. And when those in power have been forced to examine our history and status, they have cast us as existing in a state of pupilage, as wards in need of guardians.
Yet, where once we were deemed diminished and dependent, we now stand proud and undaunted in the face of adversity. The full force of history’s mightiest nation arrayed against us was not enough to defeat our spirit. But we fight a siege war, whose duration is without parallel. We must now sharpen our minds to defend our heritage, to protect our homelands. With every new Seneca attorney, or Native attorney who joins the bar, we gain a fierce warrior in this fight for survival. Today, we have gained allies on the bench. Every Native lawyer is a brother or sister in arms, charging into the war against our oppression.
We must refuse to let the embers of our sovereignty grow cold and fade to ash. Instead, we must stoke them into a roaring blaze, a fire that warms and empowers every Native Nation across this vast continent. We need every soldier and ally we can muster, for the Indian Wars have not ended. They have merely evolved, grown more insidious. Gone are the overt military campaigns and bloody skirmishes on open fields. Today, the courtroom is our battleground. The report of rifles has given way to the sharp thud of filed documents. Battle cries have been replaced by oral arguments. But let us not be deceived by these changes in tactics: the stakes are as dire as ever. Native Nations and Native people continue to fight for our very existence…for our sovereignty, our sacred ways of life, and our right to endure as distinct and independent people. Rise up, my brothers and sisters and let us meet our fate head-on!
The history of relations between Native Nations and the states, between Native Nations and the federal government, drips with shame. State aggression, driven by an insatiable lust for control over our lands and our lives, marks one chapter. Broken treaties and genocidal intent characterizes the other. It is said that the wheels of justice grind slow, and too many aggrieved souls have left this world without ever glimpsing the justice they deserved, denied their rightful relief. Ely was one. And Al another. And, sadly, countless others. But, today, at least, the Parker family will no longer see justice delayed, they will see justice delivered.
If there is one lesson to be learned from this history, it is that Ely’s journey reminds us: Do not be afraid to follow the path the Creator sets before you, even if, in that moment, you are not wanted there. Push forward with courage, with conviction. For in so doing, you honor not just yourself, but all who came before, and all who will follow.
From this day forward, we will honor Ely Samuel Parker not as a victim of history, but as its victor. Let this ceremony move us together toward a future where the legal system is not satisfied simply by giving the appearance of justice but, instead, demands that true justice prevail. Let our future be one where Native voices echo in every hall of power across the United States. And always remember…We are resilient…We are sovereign…and together…We are unbreakable!
Thank you.
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