Tuscarora Environment Program * Haudenosaunee Environmental Task … · 2019. 10. 7. · Seneca...

AkenhaØkyehé:ßuØ 2019

Tuscarora Environment Program * Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force

Table of Contents Calendar ……………….….. 2

Fruit Fly Update ..……..….. 3

Friends&Family …………... 4

Building Habitats ……......... 5

Word List: FAMILY ....…… 6

Locally-Made Cartoon ...….. 7

SepticSmart Week ……....... 8

Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019

Volume 10, Issue 8

September 2019 Haudenosaunee Grand Council

Tuscarora Council of Chiefs

and Clanmothers

HAUDENOSAUNEE ENVIRONMENTAL

TASK FORCE (HETF)

Oren Lyons, Political Co-Chair

Henry Lickers, Scientific Co-Chair

David Arquette, HETF Director

TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT

PROGRAM (TEP)

Rene Rickard, TEP Director [email protected]

Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning [email protected]

Taylor Hummel, Env. Technician

[email protected]

Following the United Nations Earth

Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the

Haudenosaunee held a Grand Council to

discuss the environmental degradation of

our communities. In accordance with the

Great Law of Peace, the Grand Council

passed and agreed, based on

Haudenosaunee protocols and cultural

beliefs, to establish the Haudenosaunee

Environmental Task Force (HETF).

The SKARU:RE MONTHLY is the

official publication of the Tuscarora

Environment Program. You can submit

articles, artwork, photographs, editorials,

and letters of love and happiness to:

SKARU:RE MONTHLY

c/o: Tuscarora Environment

5226E Walmore Road

Tuscarora Nation

Lewiston, NY 14092

#716.264.6011

www.tuscaroraenvironment.org

or our Facebook page

“Tuscarora Environment”

September 14, 2019 - Talk: Restoring Indigenous Relationships with

Land, Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, NY. 2pm-4pm. Neil

Patterson Jr., Tuscarora, will describe how indigenous peoples have unique

relationships with the lands and water of what is now called New York

State. The Talk is free but entrance fees still apply for entry to the site.

FMI: www.ganondagan.org.

September 21, 2019 - Six Nations Authors Book Launch and Reading,

Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, ON. 2pm-4pm. Bookland Press

presents two new titles by two Six Nations authors. Marie Hess and Janet

Rogers will present their books Going Back Home and Tsi Niio:re

Enkarakhotenhseke the Mohawk language edition of Rogers’ poetry

collection As Long As The Sun Shines, respectively. FMI:

woodlandculturalcentre.ca.

October 8-12, 2019 - 50th Anniversary National Indian Education

Association Convention, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis,

MN. This year’s theme is “Celebrating 50 years of Building Education

Nations: Strengthening and Advancing Native Control of Native

Education.” The convention will recognize the role educators and

communities play in shaping the future leaders of Native education. FMI:

www.niea.org.

October 10-12, 2019 - AISES National Conference, Wisconsin Center,

Milwaukee, WI. This year’s theme is “Indigenizing the Future of STEM.”

A one-of-a-kind three-day event focusing on educational, professional and

workforce development. The Conference includes indigenous culture and

elder wisdom, STEM activity, Pamunkey’s Heritage Farming Project, local

college tours and more. FMI: www.conference.aises.org,

[email protected].

October 30-November 2, 2019 - The International Year of Indigenous

Languages 2019: Perspectives , Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort

Wayne, IN. The Conference seeks to celebrate UNESCO’s 2019 Year of

Indigenous Languages. Conference themes include, but are not limited to

the following: community achievements and indigenous languages,

education policy for language revitalization and maintenance, indigenous

languages in the 21st century, and indigenous voices in popular culture.

FMI: www.iyil2019perspectives.org.

November 2, 2019 - The 19th Annual Native American Music Awards,

Seneca Niagara Resort, Niagara Falls, NY. 7pm-10pm. The awards show

will be a gala ceremony with round tables and serving food. Tickets still

available. FMI: www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com.

ON THE COVER: Beautiful native PawPaw

tree saplings that were generously donated to the

Office for Tuscarora. We plan to plant them this

Fall and hopefully see some fruits of our labor in

about 2-4 years.


O ur TEP interns worked hard

this summer trapping the

invasive European Cherry Fruit Flies

(ECFF). So far, four of our 86 ECFF

traps returned with positive

identifications of the invasive fly.

Our office coordinated with the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

to perform laborious manual removal

of the ECFF larva-containing fruit as

an alternative to pesticide

application. This process involved

stripping the fruit, by hand, from all

potential host plants within a 200m

radius of the positive trap sites.

As the name suggests, the European

Cherry Fruit Fly likes cherries and

will lay its eggs inside the fruit.

However, there is another host plant

that is just as invasive as the ECFF:

bush honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is a

prolific understory plant in our

region and is prevalent throughout

the Nation. You’ll see it lining the

edge of our fields and along the

roads. Unfortunately, honeysuckle

was the host plant for the two

positive ECFF traps.

Though there are native species of

honeysuckle in addition to invasive,

all are potential hosts for ECFF.

another invasive species on our

territory. This could impact our

native flora here at Tuscarora and

impact the way our forests look in

the future and our ability to go

cherry picking! (Unless you like

wormy cherries…)

To help us remove invasive

honeysuckle, an ECFF host plant

with a sizable population on the

territory, here are some tips on

identifying the plant:

You’ll often find them in bush

lines on the edge of fields,

lawns, or along our roads

When you break a twig, the

center or ‘pith’ is hollow.

Though the flowers and fruit

have already come and gone, in

the spring and early summer they

have yellow and white flowers

and bright red to yellow berries.

They have an opposite leaf

arrangement and soft furry

texture.

NOTE: All honeysuckle, native and

invasive species, are mildly toxic and

should NOT be eaten.

There are over 16 varieties of

honeysuckle present in NY State but

most of the species are invasive and

outcompete the native varieties. The

invasive bush honeysuckles have

been observed to displace native

plants and change vegetation

structure of the surrounding

environment. Invasive honeysuckles

grow quickly, forming dense patches

which prevent other plant species

from growing. The shade produced

by these thickets reduces the light

and nutrients available to other

plants. The ground beneath a dense

patch of honeysuckles can be absent

of any other plant species, which is

not good for a diverse environment.

Because of their potential to

dominate an area, bush honeysuckle

are increasingly regarded as serious

pests. The most effective control

measure is to cut the plant near

ground level and burn it or remove it

at the root.

The larger problem for the Niagara

region is the spread of

ECFF. Currently, ECFF is

only found in one area of all

of United States: Niagara

and Orleans Counties. If we

can stop the spread of ECFF

here, we could potentially

limit the spread to other parts

of the United States.

So, essentially, we are seeing

an invasive species host

By Taylor Hummel


By Bryan Printup

The Niagara Falls Gazette Saturday, January 3, 1948

Chief Noah Henry Heads Temperance

Group; Indians Hold Hunt and Feast

TUSCARORA RESERVATION, Jan 3. - Chief Noah Henry

will head the Tuscarora Temperance society this year.

Others elected to office at the society’s New Year’s meeting

at the Tuscarora Baptist church were: David Roy, vice

president; Miss Carolyn Woodbury, secretary, succeeding

Edison P. Mt. Pleasant; Seymour Johnson, Sr., treasurer, and

Joan Greene, chaplain.

The society conducted the annual New Year’s feast in the

Church basement, serving more than 250, increased its

membership by 17 and started the year with $67.09 in its

treasury after the feast expenses were paid.

Chief Henry, recalled to occupy the post be held for several

years prior to 1947, said the society faces two major tasks this

year, conducting the 1948 New Year’s program and being

host to the Iroquois Temperance league convention here next

October 5-8.

The new president also headed the State Indian Temperance

organization for several years. He recently was installed as a

Beaver clan chief. A member of the Niagara Falls Industrial

club, he is also a Mason and a Baptist Church officer.

Chief Henry recently received recognition from the Niagara

county 4-H club organization for more than ten years of

voluntary leadership of the Tuscarora 4-H club. He has also

assisted the county 4-H program. He is an alumnus of the

Carlisle Indian Industrial school and a Marine Corps veteran

of World War I.

The society social committee received special mention from

visitors for excellence of the 1948 New Year’s feast, deemed

one of the best ever. In the annual “young” men’s and “old”

men’s hunting debate, a traditional feature of the final evening

program followed the feast, it developed that hunting is fading

as a timehonored Indian calling.

Chief Elton Greene, attorney for the “young” men, reported

that the total of all the game killed, including rabbits and

squirrels, numbered 13 for the youngsters, under leadership of

Glenworth Johnson. The “old” men, under Martin E. Johnson

Sr. were unable to account for a single animal or bird in the

annual contest. Chaplain Greene defeated the “old” men in

the debate.

ABOVE: Sarah Patterson and children.

ABOVE: John Gansworth.


L egumes, Non-legumes, and warm

and cool season grasses are

examples of plant alternatives that can

be used to either rejuvenate soils of

agricultural fields or to provide

suitable habitat for wildlife and

insects in over-used fields. These

plants not only return much needed

nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon

into the soil, but also provide

vegetation that attracts more wildlife,

important pollinators, and insects that

promote a healthy ecosystem. They

also can be used as natural pesticide

for unwanted plants and insects.

Legumes consist of red clover,

crimson clover, vetch, peas, and beans

to name a few. This family of plants

has a high-protein/low-fat content. In

addition to the nutrient content, they

also provide nitrogen into the soil.

Non-Legumes (like those used for

cereals) are rye, wheat, barley, oats,

triticale and forage grasses or annual

ryes, and also broad leaf plants such

as: buckwheat, mustards, forage

radish, and also brassicas (which

consists of broccoli, cauliflower, and

cabbage.)

Although both cover crops are very

beneficial to the have as a cover or

field recovery crop, legumes are

thought to be more beneficial of the

two on the basis that the legumes have

less carbon to them than non-legume

plants do. Having less carbon means

that they can be broken down by soil

microbes faster to be used as nutrients

for the soil. That being said, legumes

have a higher nitrogen to carbon ratio,

meaning that they produce more

nitrogen than carbon into the soil

providing a faster healthy resource.

Warm season grasses are grasses that

grow best when planted in mid-June

to late July. Examples of these native

grasses are switchgrass, little blue

stem, big bluestem, Indian grass, and

cord grass.

Cold season grasses can be planted

both in fall and late spring, utilizing

the cool moist weather. A couple

native cold season grasses are orchard

grass and timothy.

Both cold and warm season grasses

are good for providing suitable habitat

for wildlife and insects alike.

Grassland habitat restoration projects

often use these grasses to reestablish

native species to an area that may no

longer have them. Grassland

management projects are more long

term goal since they take a few years

to take, but have been found to have

favorable results.

The benefit of both cover crops

(legumes and non-legumes) and

native grasses is that they all bring in

wildlife that everyone from hunters to

nature admires can enjoy. The

wildlife not only has a reliable food

source to feed on, but also has shelter

and space to inhabit as well. No

specific cover crop or grass type is

perfect for any type of soil or

agriculture type, but an assortment of

each can create a beneficial effect to

the desired goal of the land.

All this activity is what’s going on

with our Tuscarora grassland

restoration project. We currently have

over 100 acres of land here at

Tuscarora to help build better habitats

and environments for our wildlife,

insects, pollinators, and fauna.

If you’re interested in participating,

please give our Office a call, #264-

6011.

By Angus Fischer


I love that we can define family in so many ways, and that we have many

families at Tuscarora with multiple generations under one roof. That’s wonderful! Here are some words you can use in the home that have to do with family :

The two of them formed a family - neyeçęhíhaØr Male adolescent (10-15 yrs old) - ruçhúhkhwer

My niece/nephew (mother’s clan) - kaØnuØnęØáh Twins - neyęØnúhsner I adopted a child - waØkaØnwirará:kuØ My cousin’s husband (husband of a cousin belonging to a different clan) - akaØnyuháh Brother/Sister-In-Law- uØnyúhçreh My grandchildren - wakaØré:çhęØ Your grandchild (referential) - sheyá:ØreØ Woman of the house - yéhnęw One’s parents - naØnahßkwaríhthaØ Our ancestors - yękhihsutkêhaØnęhk My grandma - áksu:t He is head of the family - rahwaçirakweØnï:yuØ My older sister - ákçiØ My paternal uncle - akhriØęháh His maternal uncle - ruhryá:tu:Ø My great grandfather - akhryahsu:tØúØy

Clan mother - ukuwanáØthaØ My child (referential) - wakaØnúØnęØ Their mother - kakúØę Extended family - uhwaçï:reh Whole family - nekakuçehakwé:kę My father-in-law - yaktihê:ßhuØ Big baby - utØahúØy My dad - akhríØę

BTW: Here is the pronunciation key to help

you with the letters. A good suggestion is to

say letters and words out loud to help your ear

become accustomed to the Tuscarora sounds. Tuscarora Pronunciation Key:* /a/ law; /e/ hat; /i/ pizza; /u/ tune; /e/ hint; /c/juice; /

ch/cheese; /h/ hoe; /m/ mother; /s/ same; /t/ do; /th/

too; /k/ gale; /kh/ kale; /n/ inhale; /r/ hiss (before a consonant or word final), run (trilled elsewhere); /

w/ cuff (before a consonant other than y or word-

final), way (elsewhere); /y/ you ; /sy/ fish; /θ/ thing; /Ø/ uh-oh; /:/ long vowel, /ˊ/high pitch; /`/low

pitch.*Adapted from Blair A. Rudes, Tuscarora-

English.

Tuscarora Word List:

FAMILY

Saturday, September 14, 2019, 2PM Neil Patterson Jr. - Restoring Indigenous Relationships with Land Neil Patterson Jr., citizen of the Tuscarora Nation, will describe how indigenous peoples have unique relationships with the lands and waters of what is now called New York State. This is a way of knowing that can serve as a guiding principle for the restoration of our shared planet. Patterson is Assistant Director of the Center for Native Peoples & The Environment at SUNY-ESF, located in Onondaga territory. Funded by a grant from Indian Affairs Committee, NY Yearly Meeting. Admission - FREE (Does not include admission to the Seneca Art & Culture Center Exhibits/Seneca Bark Longhouse.)


Nya:we to Lily Ann Truesdale, 11th grade, for

volunteering her time to provide us some

environmental-themed cartoons. We love your

work and we greatly appreciate it. Enjoy :)


Did You Know . .

According to the International Air

Transport Association (IATA) the

average person on a flight generates

3.1 pounds of waste per flight. This

figure also includes toilet waste but

the bulk of it is paper, cardboard

and plastic. *iata.org

Each year National Park visitors

generate 100 million pounds of

garbage each year. The bulk of

the waste is coming from outside

the parks and that the lion’s

share of the garbage is food

waste and plastic water bottles.

Also contributing to the garbage

is the 20% increase in attendance

to National Parks. *thestreets.com

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a

massive collection of floating trash in

the North Pacific Ocean, is currently

estimated to weigh about 87,000 tons

and spans about 617,000 square miles

(the size of two Texas’.) The Patch

contain more than 1.8 trillion pieces of

plastic, with about 94 percent of that

number being micropastics. But these

microplastics only account for about 8

percent of the total mass - with the

majority of the mass comprised of large

hard plastics like food containers,

bottles, buckets, and fishing nets.

*pbs.org

Do - Have your system inspected & have your septic

tank pumped out every 3-5 years.

Do - Test your well water for bacteria and

e.Coli, as needed.

Don’t - Flood the leach field! Use water

efficiently to avoid overtaxing your system. Fix

household faucet leaks, run the clothes

washer on full loads and consider installing high-

efficiency water fixtures.

Don’t - Park or drive on your drainfield (leach

field). The weight of the vehicle can damage

the drain lines making your system not work

properly.

Don’t - Flush non-degradable items such as

wipes, dental floss, diapers, coffee grounds, cat

litter, or feminine hygiene products, even toys.

FMI: https://www.epa.gov/septic/septicsmart-week

National

SepticSmart Week

September 16—20, 2019

During this week, the campaign is

focused on households with septic systems

and how to maintain them. Here are a

few tips that you can do to ensure that

your system is functioning properly.

Tuscarora Environment Program * Haudenosaunee Environmental Task … · 2019. 10. 7. · Seneca...

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