Onondaga Land Rights

 

This event is free and open to the public! Come commemorate the 20th anniversary of Onondaga Nation’s Land Rights Action and learn from our panel of guest speakers: Jake Haiwhagai’i Edwards, Jeanne Shenandoah, and Joe Heath.
Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible and Communication Access Realtime Translation will be available. Please invite others and share the Facebook event page and the post on Instagram.

 

AILA and NOON will have tables so you can connect and get involved, and Ongweoweh crafters will be selling their creations before and after the program. Stay after the program for a reception with light refreshments. A recording will be made available after the program, hosted on YouTube.

 

We encourage donations supporting the Onondaga Nation Volunteer Fire Department. Their needs have increased since the Nation regained caretaking of over 1,000 acres of land in the Tully Valley. Cash and check donations can be made at the event- make checks out to Indigenous Values Initiative with “ONVFD” on the memo line.

 

The Onondaga Nation’s Land Rights Action (a case which the Supreme Court refused to hear) and subsequent filing with an Organization of American States court are recent developments in the Nation’s efforts to protect their unceded lands, water, and sovereignty. These efforts have continued since New York State claimed Onondaga land over a 20-year period in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, violating treaties made between the Hodinöhsö:ni’ (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy and the United States.

 

 

 

In 2011 and 2016, the Onondaga County Legislature made a commitment to return a portion of land on Onondaga Lake’s shoreline to the care of the Onondaga Nation. We ask our supporters to make sure the County keeps that commitment.

 

 

The Onondaga People’s effort to heal Onondaga Lake and restore our caretaking relationship with our lake has been ongoing for over 200 years. The lake and much of the shoreline remains polluted with toxic chemicals from exploitive industries which began operations in the late 1800s, often dumping waste directly into the water. The restoration of Indigenous caretaking relationships means cleaner water, air, and lands for all beings. We work for a future in which the next seven generations may live safely and freely with Mother Earth.

 

American Indian Law Alliance | aila@aila.ngo | aila.ngo