Welcome to the NOON e-newsletter for November 2023. Enjoy, and please share widely!
We thought we’d take some time this month to share some background information about NOON, including our history and goals.
What is NOON Anyway?
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a project of the Syracuse Peace Council (SPC), the oldest locally-based grassroots peace and social justice organization in the US. We support the sovereignty of the Onondaga Nation’s traditional government. We have advocated for Onondaga Land Rights and followed the Onondaga Nation’s lead in supporting the protection and restoration of Onondaga Lake, and other projects they prioritize. We join in the Onondaga Nation’s call for justice, reconciliation and healing. We believe that we, and the wider community, have a great deal to learn from the Onondaga People about living more peacefully with one another and more harmoniously with the Earth.
The Syracuse Peace Council has built relationships with people at the Onondaga Nation over many decades. SPC activists have worked in solidarity with Onondaga on a variety of issues, including sanctuary for American Indian Movement activist Dennis Banks (early 1980s) and support for the Onondaga Clan mothers blockade of illegal businesses on their territory (early 1990s).
Building on that history, NOON was formed in 1999, at a time when there were hostile public responses to land claims filed by the Cayuga Nation to Syracuse’s west and the Oneidas to the east. A group of Syracuse area community peace and social justice activists came together anticipating that the Onondaga Nation would soon go to court to seek justice, based on the same history of New York’s violation of federal laws, treaties and the US Constitution. We hoped to help create a different, more welcoming response in our community. We began by engaging in regular discussions and internal education and then began working on educational work in the broader Central New York community.
Our work has always been guided by the Two Row Wampum Treaty, made between the Haudenosaunee and Dutch settlers in the early 1600s. The treaty describes the two peoples as traveling down the river of life side-by-side in peace and friendship, maintaining our individual identities and collaborating in areas of mutual concern. Since the Earth supports all of us, environmental protection is a key part of that collaboration. Our primary role is educating people in our community and advocating for recognition of the grave injustices done to the Onondaga and finding ways to seek redress.
NOON’s Goals
- Support and collaborate with the Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in their initiatives to promote environmental healing and restore respectful relationships between the governments of our respective Nations.
- Promote understanding of and respect for the Onondaga Nation, as well as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and all indigenous peoples.
- Provide accurate information about the Onondaga Nation and their current issues of concern, such as the Onondaga Land Rights Action.
- Challenge racism towards the Onondaga, Haudenosaunee and all indigenous peoples through education, building relationships, and encouraging shared experiences between the people of our Nations.
- Support and collaborate with the Onondaga Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in their initiatives to promote environmental healing and restore respectful relationships between the governments of our respective Nations.
- Advocate at all levels of our government for just and fair treatment of the Onondaga and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, including clear recognition of their sovereignty.
- Work for the full implementation of the “UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
Click here for more on NOON’s accomplishments. Learn more on our website.
Upcoming Events:
Thanksgiving Circle of Peace and Hope
Thursday, November 23, 10 am
Willow Bay, north shore of Onondaga Lake
On Thanksgiving morning, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation gather with Onondaga people each year on the shore of Onondaga Lake. We come together to express thanks for the goodness of the Earth and to each other for our ongoing friendship, working side-by-side in peace and friendship for healing, justice, and environmental restoration. You are invited to join us.
.
Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival
Saturday, December 2, 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday, December 3, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm
Nottingham High School, 3100 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY 13224
Plowshares is Central New York’s premiere multicultural craftsfair, featuring over 120 local craftspeople and community organizations.
A beautiful community of activists, conscientious consumers and fair traders gather for a weekend of commerce and communing at the Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival. Plowshares is an opportunity to step into the kind of world we’re working so hard to create: a place of justice, of peace, of compassion, of environmental sustainability. Plowshares is a labor of love that comes together thanks to the help of many volunteers. Full details at https://peacecouncil.net/plowshares. Plowshares is the largest annual fundraiser for the Syracuse Peace Council.
Admission is $2-5 sliding scale (more if you can, less if you can’t)
Under 16 or Over 65 free
Masks are preferred and encouraged for everyone’s safety – and will be available.
Hodinöhsö:ni’ Art Show Exhibit
Saturday, December 2, 10am-4pm
Ganondagan is pleased to announce its sixth juried Hodinöhsö:ni’ Art Show to be exhibited at the Seneca Art & Culture Center – during our Indigenous Winter Arts Market on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023. Haudenosaunee artists in the six divisions of: Beadwork, Basketry, Traditional Arts, Fine Art 2D, Fine Art 3D, and Photography will have their artwork on exhibit for this one day event. All items in the show are available for sale.
The Religious Origins of White Supremacy: Johnson v. M’Intosh and the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Conference
Opening event Friday, December 8, 6-10 pm at the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center
The main conference will take place on the Syracuse University campus Dec. 9-10. Its main sponsor is the Henry Luce Foundation, which awarded the University a three-year grant to examine and challenge the theology and legal theory of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery.
National experts on racism, white supremacy and religious extremism will participate in the conference, as part of important global conversations that challenge the ongoing impacts of fifteenth-century Vatican policies on Indigenous, Black and brown people. Register here.
From the Earth Arts and Craftsfair
Saturday, December 16, 10 am – 5 pm
Onondaga Nation School, Rt. 11A, Onondaga Nation
A wonderful craftsfair to benefit the Onondaga Nation School PTO. This family friendly event features:
*Haudenosaunee Performers
* Traditional Dancers and Singers
* Beadwork *Leatherwork * Handmade Baskets, Jewelry, pottery and much more!!
Free Parking and Admission. Handicap accessible
For Vendor information, please contact: Sherri Hopper at Shopper@lafayetteschools.org, (315) 558-2987. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1171192850504232
Celebration of Collaboration – Haudenosaunee Social Dance
Saturday, December 16, 1-3 pm, Onondaga County Central Library, 447 S Salina St, Syracuse, NY 13202
A celebration of the collaboration between Onondaga County Public Library and Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation/Syracuse Peace Council to bring the Witness to Injustice Program to libraries across Onondaga County. The event features the Haudenosaunee Singers and Dancers sharing and leading traditional social dances, along with refreshments and door prizes of Haudenosaunee Crafts. Free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.
Monthly Events:
NOON Steering Committee Open Meeting. Next meeting Tuesday, October 24, 7-8:30 PM. Please contact Lee Cridland, Peace Council Staff, for more info.
Online Events:
We Are Still Here: An Interview with Julie Dye. Hosted by the Dominicans of Sinsinawa.
Tuesday, November 21, 8pm
In this wide-ranging interview with Native rights advocate and environmental activist Julie Dye (Potawatomi), we’ll delve into topics such as the truth of Thanksgiving, the recent repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, cultural appropriation, racist mascots and place names, and the past, present, and future of the Potawatomi.
“Justice Through the Eyes of Native Artists” virtual gallery
ONGOING
First Nations Development Institute’s annual intensive examination of Native truth and justice highlighting artwork and artistic productions.
Indigenous News:
Stand for Indigenous Land Justice: Stop STAMP – Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer calls on state and federal governments to stand behind their commitments to environmental justice, and stand with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation in their fight to STOP the STAMP. for the Big Woods, and for Indigenous land justice.
Cleaning Up? Staying Means Leaving – The Ramapough Munsee Lenape are fighting to demand the clean up of a Superfund site poisoning their community.
Lacrosse Is Coming to the Olympics. Will Its Inventors Be There? – The Haudenosaunee Team is not currently eligible for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Saved by seaweed: nuns and Native women heal polluted New York waters using kelp – Shinnecock women are working group of nuns to farm kelp on Long Island — restoring the waters, the land, and the sacred relationship between the Shinnecock and place.
Penobscot Nation to Reclaim Ancestral Land in North Central Maine – The Penobscot Nation has plans to reclaim more than 30,000 acres of their homeland in Maine from a national nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL).
U.S. Patent Office Launches Formal Tribal Consultation to Safeguard Indigenous Resources – The United States Patent and Trademark Office has announced a formal tribal consultation to protect tribal cultural resources, including genetic resources, cultural expressions, and traditional knowledge.
Places to Visit:
Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center, 6680 Onondaga Lake Pkwy. Liverpool, NY 13088. Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee Cultural Center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York. Now open from 10am-4pm Wednesday-Friday, and 11am-4pm on Saturday.
Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community, 4934 State Highway 5. Fonda, NY.
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564. Bark Longhouse open May-October.
Seneca Iroquois National Museum, 82 W Hetzel St. Salamanca, NY 14779.
Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road. Howes Cave, NY 12092.
About Us:
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a grassroots organization of Central New Yorkers which recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the traditional government of the Onondaga Nation. A program of the Syracuse Peace Council, NOON supports the right of Indigenous Peoples to reclaim land, and advocates for fair settlement of any claims which are filed. We are always looking for more folks to join our work in Central New York. Learn more here.
NOON works on the territory of the Onondaga Nation,
Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
We express our deep gratitude to the Onondaga Nation for caring for these lands, waters, and all our fellow beings since time immemorial.
We offer heartfelt apologies for the terrible violence that colonizers have carried out against the Onondaga People and Nation, including theft of land and attempted genocide. We are thankful for their perseverance and survival. We commit ourselves to working in solidarity with the Onondaga Nation to protect their sovereignty and create a shared, sustainable future for all life.
NOON Announcements is a communications vehicle to share information about the work of Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation. It is a low volume list, typically involving several messages per month. For further information about NOON’s work, see www.peacecouncil.net/noon.
