OVERDOSE AWARENESS PLANTING CEREMONY: Please join the Seneca Nation Prevention Unit and Seneca Strong for an Overdose Awareness Planting Ceremony at the Cattaraugus Health Center Pond. Event starts at 11am on Thursday, August 29th. For more information, call the Prevention Unit at 716-532-8223, ext. 5688 or Seneca Strong at ext. 5523.

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL: Join CIRVFD Fire/Rescue for an evening of remembrance for those whose lives were lost to overdose, for those whose lives were shattered by overdose, and for those who survived and lit the way for others to do the same. You may RSVP, call / text Chelsea at (716) 801-1526 and/or direct any questions, concerns or suggestions.

NIGHT OF HEALING: Remember loves ones gone too soon at the Allegany Clubhouse for their overdose awareness event on Saturday, August 31st from 7pm-8pm. There will be cornhusk remembrance flower making, words of HOPE and a lighting ceremony. For more information, contact Carrie Brown at 716-945-8413, ext. 3549 or via email cdbrown@senecahealth.org.

See flyers for details:

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Voting runs now until August 26!

NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK: (July 29, 2024) –Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino is back in the national spotlight.

Seneca Gaming Corporation announced today that, for the second consecutive year, Seneca Niagara has been named a finalist in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The area’s premier gaming and entertainment resort destination was chosen by a panel of industry experts and editors as one of 20 nominees for “Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas.”

“We’re thrilled to be nominated again and that the experts and editors at USA TODAY continue to recognize the world-class atmosphere and excitement we deliver at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino every day,” said Seneca Gaming Corporation President & CEO Kevin Nephew. “There is only one Seneca Niagara, and it stands out for so many reasons, from our gaming floor and live entertainment venues to our luxury hotel, restaurants, spa and more. We hope people who love visiting us will vote for us and let everyone across the country know what a special and exciting place this is.”

Voting for the award is now active, and continues until Monday, August 26 at 11:59am EDT. All voting is digital. Individuals aged 18 and older are eligible to vote once per day throughout the voting period by going to https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-casino-outside-of-las-vegas-2024/seneca-niagara-resort-casino-niagara-falls-new-york/. Winners will be revealed on Wednesday, September 4 at Noon EDT.

Nominees for the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards are chosen by a panel of experts. The nomination panel for the “Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas” award included: Steve Bourie and Matt Bourie, author and editor, respectively, American Casino Guidebook; Marla Cimini, award-winning travel writer and owner of marlacimini.com; Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic, publisher and editor-in-chief, Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines; Karen Wong, media professional and owner of karenwongvegas.com; and USA TODAY 10Best editors.

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For more information, please visit TheBest8hours.com

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The fourth World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference (WISPC) took place in Niagara Falls from July 22-24. Hosted by the Seneca Nation at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. This year’s conference theme was ‘Reclaiming Indigenous Resiliency and Hope’.

The Seneca Nation welcomed over 780 attendees belonging to many different nations and organizations from around the world including the Māori, Indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (Aotearoa), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from Australia. It was also the first time the world conference has been hosted in the United States.

The World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference (WISPC) was created to address the high rates of suicide among Indigenous communities worldwide. Throughout the week Indigenous peoples, mental health professionals, researchers, educators, and community leaders gathered to share knowledge, experiences, and strategies towards suicide prevention.

Indigenous populations face obstacles rooted in colonization and western suicide prevention approaches are not working. WISPC emphasizes a cultural approach to suicide prevention that is rooted in the traditions, values, and practices of Indigenous communities.

This approach recognizes that communities have unique cultural identities and experiences and effectively addressing challenges related to mental health starts by indigenizing the lense used to view these issues.

Ansley Jemison, the Cultural Liaison at Ganondagan State Historic Site, who was originally invited to WISPC to participate with the Cultural Committee served as emcee for the event.

He thought about ways to incorporate customs from the Seneca culture to be able to address the topic surrounding suicide with a good mind. The Edge of the Woods Ceremony came to his mind. Traditionally, this protocol is used to help those who are in mourning after the loss or passing of leader.

It calls on the principles of the Haudenosaunee Condolence and focuses on 3 Matters: Wiping away the Tears, Unstopping the Ears and Clearing the Throat. It was practiced to restore one’s ability to see and hear clearly, and to be able speak and express themselves. He stressed the importance of using our cultures to clear and combat any obstructions to see and hear the beauty of the world. It allows us to reconnect with what’s most important to our hearts and values.

Nizhoni Kennedy, Seneca Leadership Coordinator, thought that WISPC was a great experience and opportunity to meet new people and learn from others. She felt so proud to see her own people there sharing our stories and experiences.

Seeing her fellow community members and leaders who work at different Nation departments like Seneca Strong, Crime Victim Services, and the Behavioral Health Unit all there working towards the same common goal made her feel prideful and hopeful of what the future holds as a community and Nation.

Aubrey Domres, a Seneca Leadership Participant spoke about her time at WISPC and said “It felt good to be someone that represented the youth in our community. Being able to learn and share with my peers was amazing because prevention needs to start young, so it was honor I got to experience a glimpse of that.” She went on to say “I learned a lot from the three days I was there. Although suicide prevention being such a sensitive topic, the speakers taught and spoke with such respect for it, and for others making their lesson clear to learn. I learned the traditions of different cultures from all over the world. I learned other’s song and dance, but the most important things I took away were what they do to spread awareness and help for those who struggle in their own community, because it’s important we implement help here as well.”

The next World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference will be held in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Hosted by the Māori September 3-5 2026.

Nya:wëh to all the Volunteers for your commitment and for going above and beyond to support this event. WISPC is incredibly grateful to have had such a fantastic team of committee members, volunteers, presenters, educators and performers.

A huge thank you to the many sponsors for all their support as well as Kevin Nephew and the SGC board for hosting the conference space for this unforgettable occasion.

A special thanks to Karlene Familo, Natalie Stahlman, Councillor Arlene Bova, Councillor Presley Redeye, Peter Wilson, Chelsea Snow, Stephanie Timblin, Elissa Parker, Corbett Seneca, and the Seneca Nation executives and Council Office.

Kotatu (Healing Stone)
Host: Te Runanga O Ngāti Pikiao Trust
Location: Rotorua, Aotearoa

The name of the kohatu (healing stone) is Kaitiaki (spiritual guardian). It is made out of Oamaru stone and carries the mauri (energy). Its birth was from the 2016 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 for healing and to uphold the spirit of the conference wherever it goes.

The Stone will be on display for two years at our Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center. It will be secured but also available to be touched by the community. On the second year, it will be returned to New Zealand by Seneca Nation leadership.

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Marks 1st-Ever Use Of Tribal Energy Program

August 3, 2024 | By Rosana Francescato

A contract announced Aug. 2 by the General Services Administration (GSA) has led to a seven-figure deal with a tribally owned energy firm, marking the first use of a decades-old program aimed at prioritizing tribal energy sources.

The $1.7 million contract with Seneca Environmental Solutions, a tribal enterprise of the Seneca Nation, calls for the tribal firm to provide Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) that verify 349,108 megawatt-hours of carbon pollution-free electricity. This clean energy matches the net annual usage of 185 federal buildings across 12 states, supporting the Biden administration’s goal of transitioning all federal operations to 100% carbon-free energy by 2030.

Seneca Environmental will source the EACS from existing energy projects managed by private-sector partners that are already generating power for a range of communities, according to the energy firm’s vice president, Matt Renner.

GSA’s purchase of EACs through Seneca will supply power equivalent to roughly 32,000 homes, serving as a good “interim step” for Seneca Environmental as it builds its own energy operations, Renner told Tribal Business News.

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“It made perfect sense for us to bid on this contract,” Renner said. “Part of building renewable energy projects is understanding how to move that energy to market. This contract is a great example of a way to build capacity for participating in power markets as a company.”

The GSA’s purchase saves $800,000 compared to last year’s purchase of a similar number of EACs, according to a statement from the federal agency. These purchases are part of a Biden administration goal to run the federal government on clean energy in the future.

In April 2024, the US Department of Energy (DOE) finalized the Clean Energy for Federal Buildings rule that aims to reduce fossil fuel use in federal buildings and major renovations. The rule requires a 90% reduction in fossil fuel use by 2029 and a complete elimination by 2030 for projects started between 2025 and 2029. The DOE estimates that the rule will save $134 million and reduce carbon emissions by 2 million metric tons by mid-century.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan called the contract with Seneca Environmental “a breakthrough” for taxpayers, and for tribal nations hoping to sell energy in the wake of historic federal funding for renewable energy projects throughout Indian Country.

“Dispelling the myth that buying from Tribal enterprises would come at a premium, this award shows that a clean energy future is all the brighter with partnerships in Indian Country — and demonstrates our commitment to building a clean energy economy that works for everyone,” Carnahan said in a statement.

The contract also marks the first-ever use of the Indian Energy Purchase Preference (IEPP) since its inception in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. GSA collaborated with the Department of Energy on implementing the IEPP and making good on the Biden administration’s commitment to carbon-free energy.

Wahleah Johns, director of the DOE’s Office of Indian Energy and a member of the Navajo Nation, said the move to use the IEPP broke through “red tape and bureaucracy” to open up new opportunities for tribes to generate revenue. The announcement, she said, “sets up a new partnership model between Tribal energy businesses and the federal government in achieving our country’s clean energy goals and solving the climate crisis.”

Seneca Environmental sees the contract as the first of many new opportunities for selling energy to the federal government, Renner said.

“This is the first exercise of this preference since it’s been on the books, and it’s allowing us, on behalf of our company and the wider tribal energy movement, to show that tribal enterprises can be producers and sellers of power,” Renner said. “Seneca Environmental exists as part of this tribal energy industry that people before us have been working on for 30 years. We know there’s a number of other tribal efforts to sell energy underway, and we’re really looking forward to those coming online as well.”

The DOE is working with other agencies on how to employ the IEPP down the line, per the GSA press release. Julie Ramey, GSA tribal liaison in the Office of the Administrator, said the contract was a “historic milestone” that would open up doors for tribally owned enterprises in other sectors of the federal government.

“As part of this Administration’s renewed focus on Native policies and programs, GSA was empowered to take on the complexities of implementing this provision,” Ramey said in a statement. “This is a historic milestone that we hope will inspire even more progress across the federal community, including with our partners such as DOE and DoD, to create further opportunities for Tribally-owned businesses.”

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Reprint from Buffalo News | By Scott Scanlon | Jul 22, 2024

Pictured above: WISPC Committee Members L-R Corbett Seneca, Councillor Arlene Bova, Elissa Parker, Natalie Stahlman

Presley Redeye has seen a lot of tragedy in his 18 years with the Seneca Nation Fire Department.

Medical emergencies. Serious motor vehicle crashes. Drug overdoses.

Those rescue calls sometimes end in death, but another kind of call often leaves a more lasting impact: suicides.

Redeye recently recalled the aftermath of a domestic dispute several years ago that ended in the kitchen of a home on Seneca territory.

The husband had died a few minutes earlier from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“Those things you don’t forget,” said the former fire chief, who continues to handle emergency calls on the Seneca Nation and has also served the last eight years on the Tribal Council.

“Suicide still is somewhat of a taboo subject here,” he said.

That needs to change, Redeye and other leaders say. They aren’t sure what the suicide rate may be for the Seneca people, but strongly suspect it reflects U.S. and international trends.

Elissa Parker helped the Seneca Nation bring the fourth World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference to Niagara Falls. She lost two friends and a classmate to suicide while in her teens.

Native Americans and Pacific Islanders have the highest suicide rates in the world.

It is why the Senecas have worked so hard to bring the fourth World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference to Niagara Falls this week.

More than 800 Indigenous people, and allies who support them, will come together to better understand the causes of these losses, as well as strategies to support those at risk and who grieve for lost loved ones.

Conference organizers aim to address ways to cut through the shame, stigma and cultural challenges, as well as share ideas with openness, understanding and a will to advance more effective ways to save lives.

“Westernized medicine and approaches, they don’t work for us anymore,” Redeye said. “Suicide rates continue to rise, and they’re astonishing, and what we have to do is figure out why.”

Troubling numbers: Suicide death rates 2011 to 2021
The U.S. suicide rate climbed 33% from 1999 to 2019.

Indigenous people had highest rate by race. It soared 139% for American and Alaska Native women and 71% for men, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Age-adjusted suicide rates among American Indian or Alaska Native people in 2021, the latest year for which data is available, was 28.1 per 100,000 population, a 26% jump from 2018, and the greatest percentage change of any race for that period, according to a CDC report.

Age-adjusted rates also jumped significantly among Blacks – from 7.3 to 8.7; a 19.2% increase – and Hispanics, from 7.4 to 7.9; a 6.8% increase.

Non-Hispanic whites showed a 3.9% decline, from 18.1 to 17.4 per 100,000.

“Research indicates that suicide is preventable,” the report concludes, “through a comprehensive public health approach that relies on data to drive decision-making, multisectoral partnerships to expand reach, and implementation and evaluation of multiple culturally relevant prevention strategies.”

“Too many of our people, especially young people with so much light ahead of them, have fallen victim to darkness,” Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. said. “Too many families and communities have been forever scarred by unexpected and unexplained loss. We want to join our Indigenous brothers and sisters from across the United States and around the globe to help each other heal and to find solutions to prevent further tragedies.”

Traditional practices will help Indigenous people heal from centuries of forced assimilation and intergenerational trauma, says Nicole “Nicky” Thompson, a Seneca spiritual leader who works both on and off the Allegany and Cattaraugus territories.

The challenges

There is no word or phrase for “suicide” in Seneca and many other Native languages.

That begins to explain the way many Indigenous people react to related attempts and deaths, said Arlene Bova, a tribal councilor who co-chairs the latest conference with Redeye.

Native tradition frowns on autopsies, which can lead to incomplete data on suicides as a cause of death in Indigenous communities, the two said.

Data sovereignty – the belief that health, population and other information gathered to address community needs could be misused – clouds the true extent of the damage.

So, too, Redeye said, does “white coat syndrome,” a mistrust of the medical community borne by many racial and religious minorities who have endured centuries of institutional bias.

Seneca healing circle to focus on generations of boarding school trauma

J.C. Seneca, owner of Native Pride Travel Plaza in Irving, will host a health and healing expo Saturday, which starts with a talking/healing circle to explore healthy ways to address addiction, mental illness and race-based intergenerational trauma.

During the last century, Native life has transformed from the Longhouse, where family generations lived together, to “HUD boxes,” where they became separated from their traditional support systems, Bova said.

Social isolation grew as a result, intensified during the Internet Age and hit a critical stage during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Drug abuse, violence and mental illness – piled atop generational trauma that has long burdened Native communities – helped set the stage for the growing suicide crisis, she said.

The latest conference aims to build on joint work that started in 2016 in Rotorua, New Zealand, and continued two years later in Perth, Australia. The last conference operated virtually in 2022 from the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, two years later than planned because of the pandemic, said Nicole “Nicky” Thompson, who lives on the Seneca Allegany Territory and has been on the conference board for all four events.

The majority of conference attendees have come from those four countries and have been affected in some way by suicide, said Thompson, an Indigenous spiritual leader.

“The thing that we have in common, oddly enough, is British colonization,” she said.

That has included population removal from traditional lands – as recently as the 1960s to make way for the Kinzua Dam in northwestern Pennsylvania and New York Power Project in Lewiston – and forced assimilation in boarding schools, which didn’t all close until the mid-1990s.

“What’s happening through this conference is the sharing of knowledge as we reclaim the ancestral knowledge that’s in our DNA,” Thompson said. “Waking it up to those teachings is what’s going to save us.”

Elissa Parker wears an Indigenous-made skirt sewn with the symbol of the Seneca Bear Clan depicted in a fabric of strawberries, which Parker said are considered medicine in her culture. She sees a holistic approach to life as critical to Indigenous well-being.

The personal toll

Elissa Parker, 31, lost two friends and a classmate to suicide during her time at Lake Shore and Silver Creek high schools, and in the months after she graduated in 2011. Her father has been mostly absent in her life, she said. Her mother and stepfather have done their best to help keep her on a good path.

Parker began to struggle with depression and anxiety at age 15.

A weekend retreat in 2016 at the Buffalo Native Resource Center reawakened Elissa Parker to her Native roots and toward healing from childhood and intergenerational trauma.

“I had thoughts about cutting myself and doing harm to myself a lot,” she said. “There were multiple times where I was feeling very hopeless. I feel like we don’t discuss when people feel like that, because we’re so ashamed of having to get that low to realize that we don’t actually want to die.”

Her journey toward healing started in 2016, during a weekend retreat at the Buffalo Native Resource Center. By then, Parker said, she had also weathered domestic and sexual violence and recently landed a job as a Seneca marshal.

“I needed to heal my traumas and the things that I had been through before I brought it to the job,” she said, “because there were things that I knew I was going to witness that I wanted to be able to handle emotionally.”

An awakening involved a return to traditional values that included exercise, healthier eating and a more spiritual approach toward understanding life.

“Something that we’ve talked a lot about within Haudenosaunee culture is having a good mind,” Parker said, “and realizing that having a good mind means accepting decisions and accepting that you may make mistakes, but being able to see past them and know that good things are going to come. You just have to continue to work on it.”

Her culture’s Gano:nyok, or Thanksgiving Address, is among tools she uses to feel gratitude and part of a greater whole.

“I think it’s extremely important as Indigenous people that we remember who we were prior to colonization,” she said. “A very large part of our culture was honoring our ancestors and knowing that decisions we made here were going to continue the bloodline.”

“I’ve been able to learn about my Native identity. That’s something that I didn’t have growing up,” says Corbett Seneca, an organizer of this week’s World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference in Niagara Falls.

Corbett Seneca, another conference organizer, looks forward to sharing his lived experience.

“I have a Ph.D. in life,” he said.

Seneca was born in Buffalo and spent much of his first decade there. He smoked crack cocaine the first time at age 8, with a babysitter.

“I can remember a lot of sexual assaults,” he said. “There was a sex trafficking. We were in and out of domestic violence shelters in various parts of the country when I was a child.”

At 11, his family moved to Talaqua, a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, in a Bible Belt state with which he was unfamiliar and began to understand that he was gay.

He made his first suicide attempt at age 16 as he struggled to find acceptance. Seneca and his family moved to Seneca territory in 2008. He weighed 600 pounds when he arrived and discovered Zumba at the Cattaraugus Territory community center.

He’s lost 200 pounds since.

“I’ve always been a dancer,” he said. “I’ve always been this eccentric character. And when I started becoming more comfortable with myself, and as soon as I came out to my mom, is when everything else kind of started to fall into place. And I started to have these conversations with her about what it was like growing up, and the things that I faced growing up. I started working on myself and I had to take accountability for what part I actually played.”

Now 34, Seneca has spent most of the last three years working in the nation’s Crime Victims Services Program. He recently took a job in the Seneca Visitors and Economic Management Office.

“I’ve been able to learn about my Native identity,” he said. “That’s something that I didn’t have growing up. I’m learning the language more. I’m learning our traditions and our culture. Whenever I hear somebody speak, I get really emotional, and I know that’s, like, my spirit just feeling safe…

“I get to create my life going forward,” he said, “so I take the good and the bad.”

Holistic gathering

The first conference in the U.S. will include more than 60 speakers, 30 panel discussions and five keynote programs from Tuesday to Thursday at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino.

“Reclaiming Resiliency and Hope” is the theme.

It will focus on traditional practices that provide tools for wellness that emphasize prevention of unhealthy habits.

“As we’ve been traveling Indian country, one of the things I find interesting is wherever we go, we’re similar,” said Natalie Stahlman, a projects facilitator for the Seneca Tribal Council who has led conference logistics. “Same sense of humor, all have trauma. A lot of the approaches that are starting to be formed are based on not just the individual who’s suffering from suicide, but anything that’s going on with family based approaches.”

“Unfortunately,” Bova added, “we’ve had to learn some of this from dealing with the opioid crisis.”

Conference participants can start each morning with yoga or Zumba classes.

Activation rooms – for those who get overwhelmed and need to talk to someone trained in “safe talk” – will be available throughout the conference, Stahlman said.

A wellness room and exhibitor and artisan market also are part of the conference. Registration and other information can be found at TheWISPC.com.

Panel topics:

• Decolonising Public Health
• Storytelling Is Teaching; Storytelling is Healing
• Creating a Tribal Boarding School Toolkit for Healing
• Circle of Strength: Diversity, Inclusion and Fostering Resiliency
• Addressing Mental Health Care for Indigenous Military Veterans and their Families
• Supporting the Well-Being of the First Nations Mental Wellness Workforce
• The Medicine Wheel of Growth and Understanding
• Nothing is more cherished than our children

The conference is part of a larger effort the Senecas and other Indigenous nations in the Americas have undertaken during the last two decades to advocate for more federal resources to help strengthen health and well-being on their territories.

Funds from the Seneca Gaming Compact – which allows the nation to operate casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca – have helped support a diabetes center, a growing number of health services, an indoor lacrosse and wellness facility, and food is medicine garden.

The efforts matter among a people who also struggle with higher rates of chronic conditions that endanger their health and stem from the same forces that raise their suicide risk, conference organizers said.

It is why the Senecas were among nations several weeks ago to advocate before Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to recognize and reimburse Indigenous holistic health efforts.

“Western medicine isn’t working for us,” Stahlman said, “and we’re noticing that traditional ways are.”

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.” To reach the Native and Strong Lifeline, call “988” and press 4.

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Submitted by the Seneca Nation Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center

This archiving workshop is an exciting opportunity offered as part of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) conference this upcoming November.

As the collections partner, the Seneca Nation Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center (SNOCC), will provide a workshop with 200 non-sensitive audiovisual (AV) materials from their collections and historical archives to be digitized. Curator Randee Spruce and Collections Database Manager Brianna Lyman will work alongside professional AV archivists and workshop participants to digitize all 200 of the AV.

At the end of this partnership, the SNOCC will acquire new-found expertise in the processing and preservation of AV materials. In addition, the 200 digitized items will eventually be added to the new SNOCC online database. The database is set to launch in fall of 2024, and will allow the sharing of non-sensitive collections materials with the public which include digitized reel-to-reels, photographs, VHS, and much more.

Image description: (From left to right), Mike Johnny-John, Brian Mohr, Kevin Johnny-John, Bill Crouse Sr., Richard Johnny-John (Ggwë:de’), Sandy Crouse, Lori Redeye, Sherri Ingersoll, Sandy Kenyon, Jacquie Crouse, unknown. Photo taken at the Cattaraugus County Fair, in Little Valley, NY. Circa 1975. From the photographic collections of the Seneca Nation Onöhsagwë: de’ Cultural Center

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Beginning at 9 a.m. yesterday morning, the Seneca Nation in partnership with the City of Salamanca began the removal of multiple illegal vagrant encampments across the Allegany Territory. These encampments present a risk to community health, safety, environment, and are in direct violation of Seneca Nation Laws and Ordinances. A taskforce comprised from several agencies have identified over 14 active and inactive sites throughout the Nations Territory, within the City, along wood lines, and in areas less traveled. Removal began along the Pennsy Trail system and will continue throughout the Territory.

Operational Task Force Members include:

• Seneca Nation Allegany Conservation
• Seneca Nation Marshals
• Seneca Nation Department of Public Works
• Seneca Fire & EMS
• Seneca Nation President Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.
• City of Salamanca Police Department
• City of Salamanca Mayor Sandra Magiera

Update: 2 p.m. EST (8/8/24): Thank you to everyone for your engaging and thoughtful comments. We welcome open dialogue and are eager to maintain clear and transparent communication on our social channels. This initiative, led by President Armstrong, has been planned with a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts over an extended time period, with careful consideration given not only to the well-being of first responders at the forefront of this operation, but also for those affected by today’s operations. The Seneca Nation and the Executive Office, along with cooperation from the City of Salamanca, have worked diligently to provide care to those in need and to offer humane and fair treatment across the Territory.

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