Letter: Name island in New York in honor of a Great Clan Mother

Changing the name of Squaw Island is important to me because I’ve been exploring the deep history of Buffalo-Niagara for the past 25 years. The proposed name, “Dedyo’wenoguhdoh,” is a Seneca word that means “island divided.” This division refers to the creek that runs clear across the island, from the Black Rock Channel to the Niagara River. Prior to the dredging of the channel, the island was connected to the mainland by a thick marsh through which the Scajaquada Creek flowed all the way to the Niagara River, on the western side of the island. The island is divided by the original mouth of the Scajaquada Creek, where it flowed prior to the dredging.

So, the Seneca name “divided island” derives from the Scajaquada Creek. The word “Scajaquada” had 76 variations among Native American tongues. There’s a good reason for this fertile naming of the creek. The original tribe was called the Squawkiho, and the creek and the island are named for them. The Squawkiho were believed to be the oldest living descendants of the first human being, the Great Clan Mother named Jekohnsasa. She was the first lawgiver on Turtle Island. This is the greatest story, which people have forgotten in their torrid affair with modernity.