Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Excerpt from The Nifkin Voice Article

Long ago, on the glittering blue shores of Lake Onondaga, the Peacemaker arrived in a stone canoe. Sent by the Creator, he brought a message of peace and democracy to the five nations that had been warring for decades. Once his message had reached all of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk peoples, the 49 leaders of the nations met again at the lake. A great white pine tree was dug up, and all of their weapons were thrown into the hole. The Tree of Peace was then replanted, and an eagle was placed on top to remind the people to uphold the message of peace.

Unfortunately, the peace of that pristine landscape has been broken. Where the once great Tree of Peace’s roots stretched out into the clay of the lakeshore, now they are choked with pollution and debris. It was said that any person seeking peace and democracy could take refuge under the tree, but the shade is not as bountiful as it once was. What happened to the environment around Onondaga Lake to disturb this peace?

Onondaga Lake is now one of the most, if not the most polluted lake in America. We, with of industrial pollution, tourism, and sewage waste, have tarnished a great symbol of the principles which our country was supposedly founded on--democracy.
 

 

We single-handedly destroyed one of the most notable figures of Iroquois spirituality. In Native American culture, spirituality and religion are rooted in place. A connection is instilled between a human being and an aspect of nature, whether that be a specific mountain, plateau, water body, or the like. Indigenous people will not simply leave their homes in order to create a life in a new location, similar to how Europeans left their churches behind to build new churches. The land is the church; therefore, the annihilation of Onondaga Lake is comparable to the burning of a cross in Catholicism, except crosses can be replaced.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Recently,  we sent out an online survey attempting to gauge what people know and do not know about Onondaga Lake. The results were as follows:


  • 54% of respondents have not been to Onondaga Lake, and 46% have.
  • The vast majority of respondents (54%) were aware of the pollution at Onondaga, but did not know the extent of it. 
  • A whopping 62% of respondents were unaware of the Onondaga Nation’s historical connection to Onondaga Lake.
  • 54% of respondents said that the state of Onondaga Lake was relevant to their life.  38% said that it was “maybe a little” relevant, and 8% said that the state of the Lake was not relevant to their lives at all.
  • 77% said that they cared about the state of Onondaga Lake. 15% said they cared “a little” and 8% said they did not care at all.
  • 54% were not aware of any cleanup projects put in place to help clean up the Lake. 46% were aware, and when asked to comment, all respondents aware of the projects wrote something along the lines of “honeywell” or “dredging”.88% said the Lake could be cleaner, 0% said the Lake was perfectly clean, and 12% had no opinion.
  • In order of decreasing interest, respondents stated that they would like to participate in the following activities at Onondaga Lake: Kayaking, canoeing, and boating, running, walking the dog, swimming, group and community activities, and fishing.


We decided that a survey would be a wise choice for our first element in order to assess the the knowledge people already have about pollution at Onondaga Lake and its relation to the Onondaga Nation. We can safely conclude from the survey that our main issues are awareness of the state of the Lake in general and also of its importance, not only to the Onondaga Nation but also to members of the Syracuse community and beyond. Onondaga Lake should be held very close to a Syracuse resident’s heart because of the natural recreation it provides in an urban city. People visiting the park are able to run, walk their dogs, take their children to the playgrounds, etc., at the lakeshore, and keeping this environment clean is a must. Over the summer months, the smell of the lake might be displeasing to some because of the amount of raw sewage being dumped over decades. After Honeywell’s dredging project, the odors could be expected to diminish, but it is still very important to maintain the native flora recently planted in the area. Endangered species of birds and insects are returning to the lake, and their habitats cannot be littered with trash. 

Our survey findings have assured us that our next element in this project must be one that reaches out to the public and really draws attention to this issue.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Onondaga Lake Survey

Hello everyone! Please take a moment to complete this survey on the state of Onondaga Lake, and how it may relate to you.
Link: (x)

Saturday, March 14, 2015

The Seventh Generation Tumblr

Check out our tumblr blog, the-seventh-generation!

We will be posting pictures, quotes, videos, and information related to the lake, SUNY-ESF, and the Onondaga Nation.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Welcome to The Seventh Generation Blog!


The Seventh Generation, the concept that decisions should be made consciously within the context of generations to come, is the idea behind this project. We will be researching Onondaga Lake pollution, and how it has affected Native people, along with the constantly fluctuating flora and fauna in the area. We will be posting articles, photos, our own findings, and the ways in which we are getting the community involved with this issue. Stay tuned!