Heyhey Nya:wëh Sgë:nö’,
September is recognized as “Remember the Removal Month” in the Seneca Nation. As we do every year, we are taking time throughout September to remember one of the most profound tragedies and betrayals the Seneca Nation has ever suffered – the Kinzua Removal.
Many of our people remember the heartbreak and loss we suffered more than 60 years ago when our land was taken from us, our homes were bulldozed and burned, our sacred sites were destroyed and more than 600 Senecas were forced to leave their homes in a blatant and disgraceful violation of The Treaty of Canandaigua. Even if you are too young to remember, or if you were not born at the time, all of us – every Seneca living today – has been impacted by what happened. The trauma from the Kinzua betrayal, like that from other horrifying experiences throughout our history, has shaped our Nation, our community and our families for generations.
As we remember the painful events surrounding the Kinzua removal and reflect on all that was taken from us, let us ask the Creator to always look over us and to forever strengthen our resolve to ensure that nothing like that happens to the Seneca people ever again.
The violation of our treaties was again brought to the forefront recently, when U.S. President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to rename Lake Ontario. The name Ontario has Indigenous roots. In our language, we call it sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning ‘”beautiful lake.”
Throughout history, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. President Trump’s actions are the exact opposite of diplomacy. His aggression toward our culture with this Executive Order violates the peace, friendship and commitments of the Treaty of Canandaigua and disregards the United States’ commitments to our people. Everyone – Native and non-Native, Republican and Democrat – needs to stand united to vocally and forcefully reject this change.
In other dealings with outside governments, I recently announced to our community that the Seneca Nation reached an agreement in principle with New York State on key terms for a new gaming Compact. From the day I was elected President, I held steadfast to my commitment to create and deliver The People’s Compact that puts our people and our priorities first.
Our agreement in principle delivers on the promise of the People’s Compact and puts us in control of our own destiny. There is still a lot of work and several steps in front of us and we will be sharing more details with you regarding the Compact as we move forward.
Finally, we are ready to celebrate the character and connectivity of our community this weekend at our annual Fall Festival in Cattaraugus! Starting today and continuing throughout the weekend, the Fall festival will feature three days of fun, food, live music, events and time for families, friends and neighbors to connect and celebrate. Fall Festival is one of our great community celebrations and traditions, and I hope this year’s festival is the best yet. See you there!
Until next time,
J.C.
