Haudenosaunee chiefs march on Canandaigua Treaty Day in 2011. From left to right, Chief Clayton Logan (Seneca), Chief Sam George (Cayuga) and the late Chief Stuart Patterson (Tuscarora). Photo by Syracuse Peace Council via Flickr
European settlers tried to burn out the Haudenosaunee people but they remain on their ancestral lands in New York, observes Charles Kader, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe:
For example, turning my attention to similarities closer to home here in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, I will draw notice to the “burned-over” region of western and central New York State. It was said of this land that was to have been burned-over because so much evangelizing took place there were no more souls to be saved there. As I was mostly unaware of this connection myself, it was an era in the 19th century blending religious fervor with geographic location. Influencing the historical Chautauqua Movement of public discourse, to establishing the spiritualism capital of Lily Dale and even to the heart of women’s suffrage represented by the Seneca Falls-located Women’s Rights National Park, American passions ran high here. The Latter Day Saint movement also had its origins nearby. Even further back, the Revolutionary War military campaign of General Sullivan which had burned the stored corn foodstuffs of the Seneca and Cayuga people living there set the tone in the region. The raid was a way of depopulating the area, in spite of its Indian title. These exceptional regional facets were tightly bound by protestant beliefs and strict codes of living. However, the inconsistent aspects of murder followed by religious salvation were bound to stain these Native territories long after they had become the burned-over district.Get the Story:
Charles Kader: 'Burned Over' Region of Upstate New York Still Indian Territory (Indian Country Today 2/9)
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