For more information, call the Allegany AOA Office at 716-945-8990 OR the Cattaraugus AOA Office at 716-532-5777.

See flyers below for details:

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Pictured above: Participants learn how to make corn husk dolls from mother-daughter duo Antoinette Scott and Mary Denea.

During the program “Being Alive Well” members of indigenous tribes presented their holistic conception of well-being among others at the Doane Art Gallery in the Henderson Campus Center last week.

“We basically just invited indigenous people of various kinds and left it to them to decide what to do,” said organizer and Visiting Associate Professor Steven Farrelly-Jackson about the program.

The event on Feb. 14 was divided into several talks from members of the local Seneca Nation, and also included workshops as well as an indigenous lunch. The thought behind the diverse program was, according to Farrelly-Jackson, to represent the interrelation between community, nature and food by having multiple dimensions at the event.

Addressing Allegheny students in the first place, the program was intended to “introduce students to the richness of indigenous culture” and to fight against the “lack of knowledge” and ignorance of indigenous living and the challenges it poses.

Besides the invited speakers who stayed throughout the whole event and supported their colleagues, mostly students attended the event. On Friday around 50 people gathered for lunch, but after the first talk the majority left. With the remaining 15 people, there was a pleasant family atmosphere.

Lorinda John, a member of the Seneca Nation, opened the event with a speech addressing thanksgiving for the served food and presenting the menu with a proud smile.

She prepared steamed broccoli, chicken spiced with ginger, vanilla and cacao and a wild-rice pilaf. As a vegetarian option she served a Bolognese containing beans, tomato sauce and different kinds of pasta. Initially thinking about presenting the three main indigenous ingredients corn, wheat and squash, she had to improvise a bit in the end.

“Unfortunately I burned it (the spaghetti squash) this morning and you guys get pasta instead,” John said.

The origin of “Being Alive Well” was a short course called “Native American, Health and Social Justice” founded in 2017 by Farrelly-Jackson and Caryl Waggett, associate professor and chair of the Global Health studies program. Originally this year’s event was built around Kyle Powys Whyte, who serves as George Willis Pack professor; university diversity & social transformation professor; professor of philosophy; Tishman Center faculty director at the University of Michigan, quickly expanded by various speakers from mostly the local Seneca Nation, but also from the Hawaiian tribe Kāne’ohe represented by Kaleialoha Froning, ’24.

Even though the module could not take place this year due to a lack of enrollment, Farrelly-Jackson is pleased that at least the event could take place and is looking forward to meeting the participants in person.

Besides Farrelly-Jackson and Waggett, Professor and Philosophy Program Chair Eric Palmer helped with organizing the event. Together they reached out to mostly existing contacts collected through the organization of the module over the last years. Unfortunately, they had to deal with some last-minute changes since Powys Whyte and a member of the Cherokee nation had to cancel their talks due to difficult weather conditions and urgent family matters.

Following the lunch, Tyrone Bowen-Collateta, a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, talked about lacrosse and its meaning for him as a member of the Seneca Nation and a passionate player.

He was supported by a large part of the men’s lacrosse team and some of the women’s team, too, which came for his speech and helped John to set up the food.

The next activities were more craft oriented. Antoinette Scott and her daughter Mary Denea prepared a workshop for corn-husk doll-making. During the workshop she and her daughter went around and helped every person individually. Some people also used the intimate atmosphere to get to know them and their culture in a more personal way.

“We used to make corn-husk dolls when I was growing up,” said Erin McGee, ’28, who was most excited about the food and the doll-making workshop. Together with Rachel Statsick, ’28 they visited the event out of curiosity and thought that it was a “great opportunity” to learn something new about the local indigenous population which they didn’t know much about.

After the workshop an exhibition of beadwork was presented by Karlene Familo, a member of the Seneca Nation and the Hawk clan. The dress and purse she introduced to the remaining 15 people were worn by a model for the winter 2024 issue of the “First American Art Magazine.”

It took her one month to finish these two art pieces. The dress is constructed of beans and corn and is like a real person to Familo. This was followed by a talk about environmental justice by Jason Corwin and another workshop for crafting a community dream catcher led by John.

Hoping that the event could inspire students and open their eyes for alternative ways of living, Farrelly-Jackson is already planning new events to hold.

Source

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Gabriel Tallchief, Seneca, Bear Clan of the Cattaraugus Territory is the son of Shantel Burning and grandson of Sheila Cooper. On February 19, 2025 participated in the Order of the Engineer Induction Ceremony. The Order of the Engineers an organization dedicated to upholding the standards and dignity of the engineering profession. The ceremony includes brief remarks on engineering professionalism and ethics, recitation of the Engineer’s Obligation and the acceptance by the inductees of a stainless- steel ring to be worn on the little finger of the working hand. Gabriel will be graduating, summer 2025, with a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Fredonia State and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo as well as studying Fundamentals of Engineering for Engineering in training certificate. Gabriel is also the President for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society at UB. Ja:göh, Gabriel!

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Submitted by Marilyn Anderson

On Tuesday, March 4 we celebrated “Fat Tuesday” at Four Corners with delicious cakes, pies and chili. Our friends from Gowanda UMC and Hamburg UMC joined us for the eve of Lent. On March 5 we celebrated Ash Wednesday with our friends at the Gowanda UMC. The next few weeks symbolize Jesus last days before his crucifixion on April 18, Good Friday. On Sunday, April 20 we will be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection at our Easter service at 9 a.m. Following the service we will be having a potluck brunch. Please join us for this special service and meal.

SENECA HYMN SINGERS:
The Seneca Hymn Singers are inviting everyone to come and join this interdenominational group. The Hymn Singers have a long history and tradition in our community. Hermie and Richard Logan, Kate and Ray Waterman, etc. were some of the original members. The Baptist church, Big Church and Four Corners were well represented. Over time the group has lost members who have passed on and the group is much smaller. On Tuesday, March 28, the group will hold an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. in the Four Corners fellowship hall. Come and ensure that this tradition will continue. You will enjoy the singing and fellowship.

GRANT MONIES:
The Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) is part of the United Methodist church. CONAM announces that it will provide an annual grant of up to $2000 for community organizations that address issues confronting Native people such as, but not exclusive to – elder abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, missing and murdered Indigenous women. For more information contact Marilyn Anderson at 716-388-3458.

Continue to pray for healing in our communities. Pray for those battling addictions. Pray for those who are mourning. Pray for those who are struggling with illness. But also, give thanks for all the many blessings that we have in our lives.

On Sunday mornings join us for inspiring words and songs beginning at 9 a.m. After the service we have coffee time and refreshments. We look forward to welcoming you and your family. Peace.

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Shawn serves as the Manager of Curriculum Design at the Close Up Foundation. Among his many responsibilities, Shawn oversees the curriculum design of Close Up’s annual program on Native Youth including the United South and Eastern Tribe (USET) Youth impact Summit in Washington, D.C.

Prior to Close Up, Shawn was employed at the ECLC Program in Irving. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, Aria Shavelson, a producer on CBS Sunday Morning. Shawn is the son of Jim and Jean Ralston of Irving (who are both so proud of his accomplishments).

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The Silver Creek School Board had been looking into the idea of student representation for some time. NYS released information not long ago that starting July 1, 2025, New York State is requiring all school districts to have an ex-officio student board member. The Silver Creek district was a bit ahead of the times because they had been planning to have a student representative, so they were already prepared to roll the process out. Superintendent Dr. Ralston, and the Board of Education members are all very excited to add this seat to the table and to have Molly bring the student perspective to the table.

Molly is an avid track athlete. She spends a lot of time volunteering & planning community events, and participates in activities such as Knights Against Cancer. She has some colleges in mind but plans to attend college based on their track program. She plans on becoming a Nutritionist & Dietary Specialist and also plans on opening her own practice someday.

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Ja:göh Keagan VanEvery, Hodae’ö:ga:’ (He is Heron Clan), Onödowa’ga:’, trombone player, and Jaelyn Nelms, Godae’ö:ga:’ (She is Heron clan), Onödowa’ga:’, bass drum player. They recently had the opportunity to showcase their musical talents with the Iroquois Indian Concert & Marching Band at the Albany FireWolves lacrosse game on February 15th for Indigenous Celebration Night!

The all-Haudenosaunee band featuring twenty-seven dedicated members, including an honor guard and color guard proudly represented the Tuscarora, Tonawanda, and Seneca Nation territories that evening. Since 1991, the band has been actively performing at events including the New York State and Erie County Fairs, and the Fall Festival. Band membership is always open and welcomes musicians ages 13+ of Haudenosaunee descent.

Keagan is a high school student and Cecil (banner carrier) is a middle school student, both are the sons of Jennifer Montour & Kurt VanEvery. Jaelyn is a middle school student and the daughter of Alana Montour. They are the grandchildren of Teresa & Leroy Montour.

For more information on the Iroquois band, call (585) 356-7106.

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Submitted by Kathy Bloom

Several people turned out for the Hope Challenge youth event at the CCC on Saturday, March 1st! Students in grades 6-12 from the Cattaraugus territory attended as well as a group from Tuscarora and Lockport! There was a 3v3 basketball contest, foul shot contest, bar bell hanging contest, and dodgeball. Gift cards were awarded to the winners.

Buffalo-native rapper, NYS trooper, and born-again Christian, Demetrius Garrett (aka Whoz Meech) held the kids’ attention (and the adults) with his rap lyrics and encouraging words. You can google his name and also find his music on Spotify and other sources. Representatives from Seneca Strong and Crime Victim Services made appearances and did their part in helping our native young people make better choices. We are grateful for them and everyone else who supported this event. The Hope Challenge team will plan another event like this one in the fall so keep an eye out for that!

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The 2025 USBOXLA Six Nations Regional Qualifier championship was held at the Gil Lay Memorial Arena earlier this month. Winners of Regional goes onto Nationals!

Congrats to Western Woodsmen (pictured above) who defeated Roots Lacrosse in championship to punch there ticket to Nationals.

Coach: Dakota John
Coach: Herbie John

Frankie John
Herb John
Colin Bova
Hudson Jimerson
Keenan Johnson
Ace Washburn
Marty Jimerson III
Stubby Jimerson
Braxton Sanchez
River Hallett
Derren Skatulski
Rockee Poodry
Anthony Abrams
Leroy Hill
Ricky T Thompson
Royce Redeye
Kash Printup
Coltyn Leroy
Elijah Freeman
Myles Locke
Kyson George

Six Nations Regional Qualifier Results:

Grade 5/6
1st – Akwesasne Lightening
2nd – Roots
3rd – Wolfpack

Grade 7/8
1st – Woodsmen
2nd – Roots
3rd – Akwesasne A1A’s

Grade 9/10
1st – Jr. Lakers
2nd – Kahnawake Club 24
3rd – Hellbenders

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