Submitted by Stephanie John & Brittany Seneca

Stop down to the Allegany Senior Center or the Wini Kettle Senior Center and enjoy daily activities throughout the month of December. For more information call Stephanie John at (716) 945-8990 (for Allegany) OR Brittany Seneca at (716) 532-5777, ext. 5501 for Cattaraugus.

Please note: Calendars are subject to change.

Schedule of events listed below:

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Get ready to jingle and mingle! Join us for a Motown Holiday Party at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino Event Center. Registration starts at 10am, Doors open at 10:30am, and the Event runs from 11am-3pm.

RSVP & Bus Transportation – Please call 716-945-8414.

Dress in your most dazzling Motown inspired Holiday attire for a chance to win a prize.

• Enrolled Seneca Elders may bring on guest per household.

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• December 4th – Seneca Nation Birthday
• December 24 – Early dismissal
• December 25 – Christmas
• December 26 – Holiday
• December 31 – Early dismissal
• January 1 – New Year’s
• January 2 – Holiday

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What a night at the Indigenous Makers Faire!

Even with the first snow of the season, families, students, and community members filled Lake Shore Senior High School to celebrate Native American Heritage Month through art, culture, and community.

From live dance performances and Indigenous-themed crafts to bird exhibits and mouthwatering food from Bull Riders BBQ and The Falls Frying Group, the evening was full of creativity and connection.

Thank you to everyone who came out and to all the incredible makers, performers, and educators who shared their traditions and talents. You made this celebration unforgettable!

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The first Four Winds Great Miami Indigenous Fashion Show happened in The Tank inside the Dayton Arcade on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Conceived and spearheaded by published model and makeup artist Ruby Redfox Irwin, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, the show featured five designers, 25 models and 12 ladies from the Native American Women Warriors. The sold-out event also featured an artisan faire plus an immersive experience during intermission focusing on Native American traditions. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER.

Check it out: https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/photos-four-winds-great-miami-indigenous-fashion-show-at-the-dayton-arcade/56SIMEDQ2VBBXBB2SU57JZJWOI

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November 18, 2025 | Repost from Etsy Instagram

Creating is a way of life.  Seneca Nation artists Kathryn, @kittyhop7902, and Samantha, @samij102, create nature-inspired designs using traditional techniques passed down from their mother, Mary Jacobs, @wilmarjac5. Their work includes elaborate beadwork and traditional clothing and jewelry. As a family of makers, Mary’s artistry and teachings shaped Kathryn and Samantha’s creative journeys, inspiring them to open their own Etsy shops!

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SILVER CREEK — Each day in high school feels important at the time. Teachers stress the importance of every assignment and test, coaches emphasize every game on the schedule, and interactions on social media posts are as good as gold.

But years later, not many of those little moments that make up each day will leave a lasting impact. Last month, however, three Silver Creek students did something that will be hard to forget.

Amirya Warrior, Hailie Rybij, and Skyla Gates honored their indigenous heritage through a Civic Seal project as they organized a remembrance walk to teach the students of Silver Creek about indigenous boarding schools and the impact they had on their communities. With the support of the Seneca Nation of Indians and guidance from Silver Creek’s Seneca Language and Culture Teacher, Anne Tahamont, the students educated their fellow students about what boarding schools were, the forced assimilation that occurred, and how their lasting effects have impacted multiple generations of indigenous people.

Students of all ages filled the school’s gym, wearing orange shirts designed by Gates and provided by the Seneca Nation as part of the “Every Child Matters” campaign. There were several presentations throughout the day, with each tailored to the age group in the gym at the time.

“I was really proud because they all were able to tailor it for high school, middle school, and two separate groups from the elementary school,” Tahamont said. “They were teachers up there, through and through. They were able to tailor their language, how their mannerisms were, how they got down and sat at eye level with the little kids … they just did it automatically.”

Before the event was held, Tahamont brought the students before the Seneca Nation Council to present their proposal. The Council was so impressed that the students were offered support in a variety of ways, including poster boards with photos of indigenous boarding schools to borrow for the event, as well as funding for the custom shirts given to each student. Several members of the Council are Silver Creek graduates.

The walk was initially planned to be held outdoors on the track, but due to rain, it was moved indoors. The last-minute change did not impact the quality of the event. In fact, it might have improved it, as students were confined to a more intimate setting to learn about a part of history that many students are unaware of today.

Elders and officials from the Seneca Nation spoke about their experiences to students of all grades throughout the day, including Gates’ grandmother and uncle. Poster boards were set up throughout the gym to display what a boarding school looked like, from the facilities to the impact on the appearance of students forced to assimilate to Anglo-American culture.

Warrior, Rybij, and Gates are all indigenous students at Silver Creek. Warrior and Rybij are of Seneca descent, while Gates is of the Oneida tribe. Several members of Gates’ family attended indigenous boarding schools, including her grandparents and her uncle. Both her grandmother and uncle attended the remembrance walk to share their experiences.

Tahamont said that when Gates’ grandmother spoke to the middle school group, it was so quiet that “you could hear a pin drop in there.”

The students were first inspired to learn more about indigenous boarding schools after hearing differing experiences between when visiting with indigenous elders.

The Thomas Indian School, located on Cattaraugus Territory, was in operation from 1875 until it closed in 1957. This past May, state Gov. Kathy Hochul visited the site to issue a public apology to indigenous families on behalf of the state of New York. Tahamont and her students were in attendance for the monumental event, the first public apology acknowledging wrongdoing at indigenous boarding schools in New York State.

Years after many indigenous boarding schools have been closed, stories of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse throughout the schools became well-known. However, in some cases, students were unaware of the atrocities committed at the schools they attended.

Rybij noted some former students they encountered were not comfortable speaking about their experiences at boarding schools, while others were much more open and even took away positives from their experiences. Perspectives varied between students who were living at the schools and those who were only attending during the day in a schedule resembling a modern schedule.

Many former students of boarding schools were so uncomfortable speaking about their experiences that their only families now did not know they once attended the schools. Tahamont herself only recently learned that her grandmother attended the Thomas Indian School, and once she became aware, it began to make more sense why many members of her family are not outwardly affectionate. Tahamont spoke as a firsthand account of how the trauma inflicted upon members of boarding schools passed on through generations and still impacts indigenous culture through all ages.

However, that was not the case for everyone. Gates’ grandmother had a positive experience attending a boarding school. “She was on good terms with everybody there and she wasn’t treated badly,” Gates said.

While in most cases, indigenous boarding schools are closed, there are still a few schools still in operation across the nation. One former Silver Creek student attended a boarding school out of state, then returned to Silver Creek and shared their experience with Tahamont and several classmates.

“That should be eye opening to anybody, that it is still going on,” Tahamont said.

Tahamont said that in years past, students and staff would share facts pertaining to indigenous boarding schools to educate the rest of the school on the matter, but the impact was minimal. This year, with firsthand accounts from the various speakers at the remembrance walk, along with visuals paired with their accounts, the impact was much clearer.

“They were able to understand more of what happened,” Rybij said. “Instead of just reading facts, reading books or getting information online that isn’t always true, having speakers that were able to talk about their own experience actually brought it to life.”

All three students noticed the impact their presentations had on students of all ages, especially the youngest students. Rybij said the kindergarten through second grade group was the most engaged and curious to learn more. One elementary student raised his hand during the group’s presentation to speak, then proclaimed how what was being done was wrong and unacceptable.

Gates highlighted that students thanked them for their presentations in the Seneca language. “Knowing that our language is still getting out there to all of them that felt really good,” Gates said.

Warrior added, “It’s good that it’s being taught at the younger levels, not just when the kids get to middle school and high school. They are still being introduced to it at a younger age.”

Rybij remembered back to when she first learned about indigenous boarding schools. Now that she is deeply educated on the matter, it was a good feeling to pass on that knowledge to peers and even teachers. “I feel like it made an impact,” she said. “We’ve always talked about doing something, but we never were able to actually plan anything without this project.”

Warrior felt that it was clear to others how much hard work they put into their project. Rybij said teachers they had in elementary school told them how proud they were of how much work they put into their project. The students were invited to read to the elementary students as part of a boarding school unit.

“What is happening here is pretty remarkable,” Tahamont said.

Rybij credited the remembrance walk project and the Civic Seal initiative for helping her become more comfortable communicating with others. While she used to be shy, Rybij said she is now more open about what she thinks and feels.

The Civic Seal initiative is designed to inspire students to make a difference in their community through project based learning. The remembrance walk at Silver Creek not only benefited the students who designed the project, as they gained a deeper understanding of their own culture and what their ancestors faced; it also educated the entire district, across all age groups, about what indigenous boarding schools were and how traumatic the experiences were for many who attended the schools.

The students are not done trying to represent their culture throughout the school district they call home. As part of the next phase of their Civic Seal project, the students plan to hang Seneca Nation and Haudenosaunee flags outside of the school, with a Haudenosaunee flag also to be placed in the gym. The students are hopeful that a ceremony will be scheduled when Silver Creek hosts Gowanda, a division rival with a heavy influence of indigenous culture, during the varsity boys and girls basketball season this winter. More information will be made available at a later date.

“Everyone is always saying we’re doing big things,” Warrior said. “When we are graduated, when we drive by and see the flags up, we’ll know that we did it and we made a change.”

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“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances”. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

These are good words to remember and live by as we look forward to the upcoming holidays. We
have enjoyed a great summer and fall. Some of us can enjoy the harvest of our gardens and some
of us will enjoy the venison provided by our hunters.

November 30 begins Advent which is a time leading up to the birth of Christ – Christmas. It doesn’t seem possible that the year is coming to an end! Enjoy the holidays with friends and
family. Be thankful.

Join the Seneca Hymn Singers on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in our Fellowship Hall. This is an inter-denominational group that keeps our tradition of singing hymns in Seneca. Gatherings will be suspended for the winter months so watch the newsletter for those dates.

Pray for those in our community who are mourning, for those who are battling illness, and for those who are suffering from addiction, domestic violence and child abuse.

We look forward to welcoming you to our worship service on Sunday at 9 a.m. followed by refreshments in our Fellowship Hall. Peace.

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Love you, Gramzy!

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Some of you already know about my son but if you don’t you would love to! I would love to give a huge shout out to Luis Soto of the Snipe clan. The last 4 years have been such an experience watching him grow into such a talented young man. The first time he came home and told me he joined drama I was shocked, but I did say take me out of my comfort zone!!

He went to drama thinking it was where you talk about what you went through in life. He wanted to talk about the passing of his father, but the teacher handed him a script to Aladdin Jr, he memorized and got into character he also memorized everybody’s line little did he know from that moment forward his dream was to become an actor. His shows were Aladdin Jr, Lion King Jr, Into the Woods, Something Rotten, and Clue!

So, I signed him up for a Nickelodeon audition in February 2025. Among a hundreds of others my son got a call back!! We were going to head to New Jersey in August for his audition, but we had a family emergency. Where we lost his little cousin back in September. Now he is going to Atlanta Georgia in December for 4 days to work with a celebrity instructor for his commercials and monologues. He will be auditioning in front of several agents and managers so if you see him wish him luck!! Many NYA:WËH to all of those who donated towards his dreams! Love always, Mom & Step Dad Kellen Mateo

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