Susan had an accident at home while saving her husband from dying as he fell down a flight of stairs. She damaged both her knees, had emergency surgery, and is unable to independently walk. The doctors said it would take a year for her to heal and walk normally again. Provided she heals properly, she’ll need to be eligible for knee replacement surgery. She is seeking help for a chairlift, and other modifications to make her home handicap accessible.

Stop out and show your support at her upcoming fundraiser! To be held Saturday, June 21st, 2025 from 11am-7pm at the Cattaraugus Firehall. There will be a Chinese auction, 50/50 raffle, baked goods auction, live music (Band & DJ), food & drinks – spaghetti dinner, cold plates, strawberry shortcake w/ice cream.

Donations appreciated! Call Julie Mohawk at 716.435.0784.

The post Susie Abrams Fundraiser appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

As we celebrate not only the game, but the incredible journey of four remarkable young women who played their final regular season home game as members of our Girls Lacrosse team. These seniors—Aubrey Domres, Summer Downey, Lauren John, and Mikaela Tennity—have poured their heart, time, and talent into building a program rooted in commitment, teamwork, and pride. Through every practice, every game, and every challenge, they have led by example and left a lasting impact on their teammates, coaches, and the entire school community.

Their dedication, leadership, and passion for the sport have helped elevate our program to new heights, and their legacy will be felt for years to come.

Let’s give a loud and heartfelt round of applause as we honor Aubrey, Summer, Lauren, and Mikaela—thank you for everything, and congratulations on a phenomenal career!

The post Salamanca Girls Lacrosse Seniors Honored appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Pictured above: Pictured w/Jianna Lazore, Wolf Clan, Akwesasne Mohawk Nation – women’s recipient

WHAT AN HONOR!!! Congratulations to Gowanda standout Winter Rivera on his selection and acceptance of the Tewaaraton Award last night in Washington DC. (The Tewaaraton Outstanding Native American/Haudenosaunee Scholarship)

Winter Sky Rivera is a member of the Wolf Clan within the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. He will graduate from Gowanda Central High School, having attained the honors of USA Lacrosse All-American and USA Lacrosse All-Academic. Winter will matriculate at The Ohio State University this fall and will be joining the Buckeyes Men’s Lacrosse team.

Each year, the Tewaaraton Foundation awards the Tewaaraton Native American Scholarship to one male and one female student. The scholarship honors high school students of Haudenosaunee heritage who achieve academic excellence, and exemplify high character and leadership both on and off the lacrosse field. Winter’s commitment to athletics, academics, and his community have been unrivaled and we are beyond proud to call him a Panther!!!

Read more: https://www.tewaaraton.com/tewaaraton-scholarships

The post Winter Rivera Receives Tewaaraton Outstanding Native American/Haudenosaunee Scholarship appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

This special event celebrates the shared history of the town’s residents and the Seneca Nation honoring the ancestors who lived on this land over 200 years ago. The day will feature native dance performances, lacrosse exhibitions, museum exhibits, hands-on children’s activities, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, and new this year – a focus on the agricultural history of our community. Join us for an educational day of activities on historic Seneca lands!

When: Saturday, July 5, 2025
Time: 10am-4pm
Where: Caneadea Town Park, Houghton, NY

• FREE ADMISSION! Pay to park.

The post 3rd Annual Seneca Caneadea Field Day appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Nya:wëh to Mrs. Redeye’s 8th grade Seneca Language students for helping us plant our Three Sisters garden. It was a beautiful day.

The post Mrs. Redeye’s Class Plants Three Sisters Garden appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Long before ‘entrepreneurship’ was a cool buzzword, Indigenous communities were innovating, creating, and thriving on their own terms. Today, that spirit lives on in a generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs in Upstate New York, who blend tradition with modern business savvy.

From artisans preserving ancestral crafts to filmmakers spotlighting important community stories, here’s a look at eight trailblazers who are reclaiming narratives and inspiring the next wave of changemakers:

Hayden Haynes

Belonging to the Deer Clan, Seneca Nation, Hayden Haynes is an antler carver who sells his artwork through his website, Hayden’s Antler Creations. He lives and works out of the Seneca-Allegany Territory in the Southern Tier, and also serves as director of the Onöhsagwë:de (pronounced: oh-noh-sa-gwun-denh) Cultural Center (OCC) at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum.

His journey as an artist started 15 years ago, when he saw the antler carvings on exhibit at the old location of the Seneca Record National Museum. Haynes’ art is inspired by the prehistoric and historic antler carvings of his ancestors.

With no formal training in the field of antler carving due to a lack of teachers, Haynes studied items on display in various museum collections and the forms that they took, like antler combs, antler ladles and antler figurines. He aims to help people be more involved in the practice, and has been teaching his contemporary take on this historic art form for four years now.

“I’m one of a few antler carvers that are Seneca. And I really just hope that my work can inspire others the way other people’s work has inspired me so that there can become more antler carvers,” Haynes said. “It’s an ancient practice and so I’m hoping my work is really about revitalizing carving in our Seneca communities.”

Peter B. Jones

Originally from the Beaver Clan, Onondaga Nation, ceramist Peter B. Jones lives and operates the PBJ Pottery studio and workshop on the Cattaraugus Indian reservation in Western New York.

Jones’ work reflects the issues that have impacted the Haudenosaunee, and is made in traditional, pit-fired style Iroquois pottery. He prefers using a potter’s wheel rather than hand-building, and draws inspiration from past effigies and motifs on similar pottery.

With over 60 years of experience under his belt, Jones now experiments with “using different clays from different areas near different reservations” to test the kind of pottery he can make and how it matches up with museum collections from the bygone eras.

He also conducts pottery workshops, demonstrations and classes for schools and colleges, communities, and various organizations.

“A long range goal is to teach our people how to make pottery, because it was a lost art to us from about the 1600s,” Jones said. “Right now, I’m teaching apprentices to take over and keep this art alive. It started with maybe three of us in New York State. Now we have probably at least 20 people.”

Randee Spruce

Randee Spruce is a multi-medium artist from Heron Clan, Seneca Nation. Based in the Allegheny territory in Western New York, she runs an eponymous online store through which she sells her artwork. She also serves as the curator for the OCC at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum alongside Haynes.

A graduate in studio arts and museum studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Spruce started out designing tattoos. She is now an established artist, working with mediums such as graphite, pen and ink drawings, watercolor, acrylic, gouache, beadwork, quillwork, textiles, and most recently, graphic design. Spruce draws inspiration from and reinterprets traditional Haudenosaunee designs and symbolisms in all forms of her art.

“I like to think I started from when I was first able to hold a pencil,” Spruce said, speaking of her artistic journey. “I remember being like four years old, maybe even younger, and I would create my own paper dolls and draw their clothes. I had all these toys, you know, but I chose to make something instead. Even as a young kid, I could see myself doing this long-term.”

Ansley Jemison

Ansley Jemison belongs to the Wolf Clan, Seneca Nation, and is the host and producer of the Original Peoples Podcast. He is originally from the Seneca-Allegany Territory and now lives in Victor, New York, a 20-minute drive southwest of Rochester. Jemison also serves as the Cultural Liaison at Ganondagan State Historic Site through the Natural Heritage Trust of New York State.

His journey in podcasting started during his time working at Cornell University, through the ‘Engaged Cornell’ grants made available to the university’s faculty- and staff-led projects. On his podcast, Jemison talks to Indigenous community members about what it meant to be a contemporary Indigenous person with complex backgrounds and histories.

“Oftentimes, Indigenous people’s stories tend to be couched in a historical context. And for me, being a contemporary indigenous person, I was like, ‘well, hey, we’re still here’,” Jemison said. “There’s a very much alive and vibrant culture that’s existing despite colonization and all the other things that have happened. I wanted to sit with people and have them, in their own words, explain those stories to claim that identity – the indigenous identity, the native identity.”

Jemison also runs a production company, Original Peoples Productions LLC, through which he produces documentaries and stories about the Indigenous culture.

Jemison’s podcast is available to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Audible.

Source: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/entertainment/2025/04/8-indigenous-entrepreneurs-from-upstate-new-york-you-should-know-about.html

The post Indigenous Entrepreneurs from Upstate NY You Should Know About appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

June 3, 2025 | Repost from Gowanda Central School District FB

FUTURE PLAN: Attend Bowling Green State University for aviation opportunities and technology.

HOBBIES & INTERESTS: Lacrosse, art club, and Indigenous Youth Organization.

FOND MEMORY: Winning our lacrosse sectional championship game junior year. I’m grateful for my high school experience and can’t wait for what’s to come.

STAFF SHOUT-OUT: I would like to thank Ms. DeSantis for always being a place to go when I needed support no matter what.

ADVICE FOR FUTURE GRADS: Respect your teachers, please.

LOVED ONES: I would like to thank my mom for shaping me into the person I am today and for always being there when I faced my most challenging struggles throughout my high school and life. I couldn’t have done it without her! Ja:göh, Hannah!

The post Congrats Hannah Valentine! appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Mr. Tomaszewski’s field biology class welcomed local medicine woman, Yolanda Smith, into their classroom. Yo shared her extensive knowledge of plants to make a plantain salve. She shared various medicinal plants and their properties that students found right outside the school. We appreciate Yo coming to share what she knows. This was a partnership with Ms. Tahamont and the Indigenous Language Grant Initiative.

The post Local Medicine Woman, Yolanda Smith Shares Her Knowledge of Plants w/Silver Creek Field Biology Class appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

It Takes a Village: The Preservation Journey of The Turtle

The Native American Center for the Living Arts — affectionately known as “The Turtle”—stands as a powerful symbol of Indigenous culture and heritage. Completed in 1981 and designed by Northern Arapaho architect Dennis Sun Rhodes-Hinono’ei / Northern Arapaho: Wind River Nation, The Turtle was built to celebrate Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere through art, history, and culture.

Its unique architectural design is deeply symbolic: inspired by the Haudenosaunee Creation Story, where the world rests on the back of an ancient sea turtle, the building’s striking features include large “eye” porthole windows gazing toward the Niagara River Rapids and a geodesic dome crowned with an eagle-shaped skylight over a circular 250-seat theater. The Turtle is a rare and powerful example of postmodern architecture that blends symbolism with function, making it not only a cultural landmark but also a significant architectural treasure.

However, after 30 years shuttered and under minimal maintenance, the building faced severe deterioration. Enter Friends of the Niagara Turtle, a passionate community group dedicated to “Reawaken the Turtle.” By December 2024, they had secured 63 architectural drawings documenting the building’s original construction and initiated an economic analysis to chart a path forward for restoration and revitalization.

The building’s cultural and historical significance was formally recognized in September 2024 when the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) declared The Turtle eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Further elevating its status, in May 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named The Turtle one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

For their tireless dedication to preserving and revitalizing this living symbol of Indigenous culture and architectural heritage, we proudly present Friends of the Niagara Turtle with the 2025 Preservation Award for Neighborhood Preservation Organization.

Congratulations to everyone who made this happen! Your hard work doesn’t just save a building—it helps keep an important cultural story alive, bringing strength and pride to our whole City.

Please follow the Friends of the Niagara Turtle’s journey to Re-Awaken the Turtle: https://niagaraturtle.org/about-us.

The post 2025 Preservation Award Winner: The Friends of the Niagara Turtle appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.

Submitted by Marilyn Anderson

June is here and hopefully warmer temperatures as well! June is the end of the school year and some students are looking forward to the break from school and others are looking forward to graduation from high school. Our prayers are with all the students for a safe and happy summer and for the graduates our prayers are for a successful future. Congratulations go out to all the students and parents for completing the school year.

June is also a time to celebrate fathers. Our community needs strong male role models to build strong loving families. We all have one father – the Creator – who shows us his love every day of our lives. We can be thankful for our earthly and heavenly Father.

Don’t forget to check out the Seneca Hymn Singers to see if you might enjoy singing hymns in Seneca. They meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall. This is an interdenominational group open to all ages. Join for fellowship and songs.

Continue to pray for our communities – for peace, for those battling addictions, for those dealing with illness, for those who are victims of child or domestic abuse, for those who are mourning, for those who are lonely and for those who have lost hope. Prayers are powerful.

Our members hope that you will accept our invitation to join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 9. You just might hear a message or song that will speak to your heart. We enjoy light refreshments after the service. We look forward to greeting you. Peace.

The post News From The Four Corners United Methodist Church appeared first on SNI Official Newsletter.