This year we are honoring 50 years since the first SNI Fall Festival Princess was crowned. It is with great excitement to announce the revival of the past Seneca Nation Fall Festival Princess Contest with new goals & new events for our young women in our community! Celebrating Confidence, Community and Culture.

• Lil Miss Fall Festival Showcase will take place on September 13th, 2025 following the Fashion Show at the Saylor at 5pm.
• 2nd Annual Every Child Matters – Wear Orange
• Youth Smoke Dance Special will take place on September 14th, 2025 following the FF Smoke Dance Contest.

We:so Nyä:wëh to those special individuals who’ve helped get this off the ground, you are truly appreciated!

The Fall Festival 2025 applications are now available online HERE!

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Submitted by Kathy Bloom

Get ready, kids! It’s time for Daily Vacation Bible School! The Great Jungle Journey is an epic cruise through the books of Genesis to Revelation! Don’t miss out!

WHO: All students entering grades K-5 this fall

WHEN: Sunday-Thursday, August 10^th-14^th  from 6:00-8:00pm

WHERE: Saylor Building on the Cattaraugus Territory

WHY: To equip kids for life through fun ways like crafts, games, music, and the Bible!

TO PRE-REGISTER OR MORE INFO: (585) 356-7106

If you currently don’t have a place of worship, we invite you to join us each Sunday morning for fascinating Bible classes for adults and teens at 10am complete with coffee and snacks! The worship service is at 11am. Junior Church for ages 4-9 is available each Sunday during the morning worship service as well.

Catch us live on Facebook each Sunday morning at 11am under Glenn Bloom’s profile!

Missionary Pastor Glenn Bloom III: (716) 471-6784.

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The Floyd & Dorothy John Family Reunion will be held Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Highbanks Lodge (1370 W. Perimeter Rd., Steamburg, NY 14783). Join us from 11am-4pm as we celebrate family!

See you there!

Please RSVP to Alana at 716-244-3201.

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Submitted by Stephanie John & Jennifer Whiteman

Stop down to the Allegany Elder Center or the Wini Kettle Senior Center and enjoy daily activities throughout the month of June. For more information call Stephanie or Jana at (716) 945-8990 (for Allegany) OR (716) 532-5777 for Cattaraugus.

Schedule of events listed below:

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Mark your calendars for some family fun with local live music and entertainment – Sunday, August 3rd at Logan Field Council House Rd, Basom, NY.

Enjoy the following events:

• Smoke dance competition
• Chicken BBQ
• Best homemade pie contest
• Best frybread contest
• Live music
• 5K run
• Cornhole tournament
• Masters lacrosse
• Fireball

Vendors call: 716-542-4244

See flyer below for details:

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Presented by The Department of Indigenous Cancer Health Grand Rounds

Friday August 1, 2025: 3pm-4pm – Research Studies Center Gaylord Cary Conference Hall, Room 122

Social afterwards: 4:30pm-7:30pm – Roswell Park Community Outreach and Engagement Center, 907 Michigan Ave, Buffalo, NY

See flyer for details:

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An event like no other, the annual Powwow reflects the beauty of the First Nations through captivating dance and storytelling. This year’s gathering hosted dancers from across turtle island, each with unique and powerful performances. From the performances to the stunning ceremonial wardrobes, the event also amazed with an ample amount of Native vendors and artists.

Nya:wëh to all who attended and participated! We hope to see you all back next year!

• Note: The official list of winners will appear in the next issue to be dated August 15th.

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The Seneca Nation Department of Transportation (SNDOT) is providing notice of a community meeting regarding the Broad Street-RC Hoag Drive intersection. The meeting will take place on August 13, 2025, from 5PM – 6:30PM at the Allegany Community Center in the Jo-Jo Redeye Room.

The meeting will be for the purpose of providing a status update on the Broad Street-RC Hoag Drive intersection and the safety concerns to the Seneca Nation community. Colliers Engineering & Design has been retained by the Seneca Nation Department of Transportation to assess the intersection and to provide potential measures to improve the safety of the intersection.

SN DOT was awarded a grant in the amount of $2,500,000 from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Broad Street-RC Hoag intersection was identified in the 2019 Transportation Safety Plan as priority safety improvement project location.

The post SNDOT PUBLIC NOTICE: appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Please welcome:
Bella Wolfe, Elias Printup, Ava Crane, Maxwell “Max” Scott, Fade Tallahassee, Samara Printup, Austin Maybee, Amelai “Ami” Cox, Camden Farmer, Jillian Rea, and Hayden Hoag.

The goal of the summer internship program is to provide meaningful and educational opportunities to Native American students through hands-on experience, mentorship, and professional development. Seneca Holdings strives to build an individualized program that meets the intern’s career goals and interests, building relationships and providing experience to prepare them for the workforce.

Let’s make this summer a season of learning, collaboration, and new ideas—together!

The post Seneca Holdings Introduces their 2025 Summer Internship Cohort! appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

ALLEGANY TERRITORY, SALAMANCA, N.Y. – The Seneca Nation hosted a large contingent of law enforcement agencies and officials on its Allegany Territory on Friday for a day-long meeting focused on combatting illegal drug activity and drug trafficking on the Nation’s sovereign territories.

The meeting included a delegation of federal officials from the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs, in addition to several state and local agencies, including the New York State Police, Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, and the City of Salamanca Police Department.

“The Seneca Nation will stop at nothing to eliminate illegal drug activity on our territories,” said Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca. “The drug trafficking activity, the drug dealers and those who support them are a threat to our people, our sovereign territories, and our neighbors. This gathering of top federal, state and local law enforcement agencies was focused on how we can all work together to put an end to this crisis and bring those responsible to justice.”

Throughout the day, the Nation and the law enforcement agencies in attendance discussed a number of issues, including the current drug trafficking activity taking place on Seneca Nation territories and the impacts it is having on the Nation and its people, as well as steps the Nation is taking to address the issue, and how federal agencies could potentially assist in combatting this public safety crisis.

Fighting the wave of illegal drug activity on its territories continues to be a priority issue for the Nation’s leaders. Earlier this year, the Nation presented and advocated for legislation amending Chapter 8 of New York Indian Law. The bill (S8127/A8289), which passed both the New York State Senate and Assembly, is aimed at strengthening state laws authorizing the removal of non-Native intruders from Nation lands. The bill is now awaiting the signature of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The Nation is also advocating for changes to federal law 25 U.S.C. 232, which the federal government used in 1948 to give New York State criminal jurisdiction over non-natives on Native Nation territory within the state’s boundaries, over the objection of the Seneca Nation. The amendments being proposed by the Nation seek to elevate federal law enforcement responsibilities on Nation lands by a compact with the Nation, and to modify jurisdiction as needed to allow growth of Nation law enforcement self-government.

In addition, President Seneca and his predecessors have issued multiple Executive Orders excluding known drug dealers from Nation territory and have moved to evict tenants at several properties on Nation lands where criminal activity is known and proven to have taken place. Earlier this year, President Seneca addressed the drug activity crisis in remarks before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in Washington, D.C.

“We are going to take back our territories and not allow our people and our territories to be targeted, terrorized and victimized by individuals intent on profiting from poisoning our people,” President Seneca said. “As our treaty partner, the United States has an obligation to protect the Seneca people. Together, the Nation and our law enforcement partners at every level of government can stamp out this crisis. We will not rest until our people are safe on our territories and our way of life is secure and protected.”

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