July 26, 2012
For Immediate Release
For More Information: Lindsay Speer, 315-383-7210 or Jack Manno, 315-391-5959
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation
Bork Edwards, Onondaga Nation Communications Office, 315-952-0412
Syracuse Peace Council, 315-472-5478
Onondaga Nation and Allies Prepare for Historic Trek Down the Hudson
On Tuesday, July 31 thru Friday, August 3, 2012, citizens of the Onondaga Nation and allies from Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) will travel in canoes and a sailboat on the Hudson River from Saugerties to Bear Mountain as a “trial run” of the Symbolic Enactment planned for the 2013 Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign.
The campaign is an ambitious statewide effort marking the 400th anniversary of the first treaty between the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Europeans. The Two Row Wampum Treaty outlined a model of friendship and peace, of living side by side forever and working together to protect the natural world. The campaign aims to bring this historic and inspirational treaty to the forefront of peoples’ minds as a model for right relationship between our peoples, emphasizing the importance of honoring treaties with Native Nations.
“Our trial run down the Hudson begins our effort to share this important treaty with fellow New Yorkers and appeal to the people of our state to uphold it,” noted campaign organizer and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry professor Jack Manno.
In this treaty, “our ancestors agreed that you could live together with us on our land so long as you followed the natural laws,” Onondaga Nation Chief Irving Powless Jr. explains. “It means to not pollute the water, nor the air, or the plants and medicines. We want our grandchildren to have these things too.” Working together to address environmental concerns will be a key focus of the campaign.
The full symbolic “enactment” of the treaty with canoes (representing the Haudenosaunee) and boats (representing allies) traveling side-by-side down the Hudson River will start near Albany, NY in late July 2013. It will stop along the route for educational and cultural events and arrive in New York City on Friday, August 9 to participate in the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.
The campaign, organized as a partnership between the Onondaga Nation and NOON, already has over 30 co-sponsors, including universities, environmental organizations, social justice groups and faith communities. The campaign's Honorary Advisory Committee includes indigenous leaders such as Oren Lyons, Suzan Harjo and Leonard Peltier; Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor; folksinger Pete Seeger; internationally-acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall and others.
For further information or to donate to support the full enactment in 2013, contact NOON, 315-472-5478, see www.HonorTheTwoRow.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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Background Information
Trial Run Schedule
-Tuesday, July 31 start at Tina Chorvas Park, Saugerties, NY at 2 pm to Kingston Point Park, Kingston*
-Wednesday, August 1, from Kingston Point Park, Kingston at 2 pm to Waryas Park , Poughkeepsie*
-Thursday, August 2 from Waryas Park , Poughkeepsie at 2 pm to Denning’s Point, Beacon
-Friday, August 3 from Denning’s Point, Beacon at 2 pm to Fort Montgomery State Historic Site, Highland
* For the first two days we will have a sailboat with us to show the Two Row concept on the water. This will offer particularly stronger visuals of the trip.
The Onondaga Nation
The Onondaga Nation has served as the central Firekeepers, or capital, of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy for over a thousand years. Their present-day sovereign territory is approximately 7,300 acres just south of Syracuse. Between 1788 and 1822, the Onondaga Nation lost possession of approximately 95% of its land through a series of illegal takings by New York State. In March 2005, the Onondaga filed a Land Rights Action in federal court seeking acknowledgment that the taking of their land violated the US Constitution, federal law and treaties, and to work with their neighbors to protect the Earth. They wrote in part, “The Onondaga people wish to bring about a healing between themselves and all others who live in this region.” The Onondaga suit was dismissed in September 2010 and an appeal was filed on February 28, 2012.
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a grassroots education and advocacy program of the Syracuse Peace Council, the oldest local grassroots peace and social justice organization in the United States (founded 1936). Started in 1999, NOON has carried out a wide range of educational and advocacy work in support of the sovereignty of the Onondaga Nation. NOON believes that the wider community has a great deal to learn from the Onondagas about living more harmoniously with the Earth and living more peacefully with one another.