The President of the Seneca Nation of Indians is not very happy with President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America." In a statement on Friday, J.C. Seneca called Trump's action "the exact opposite of diplomacy" and noted the indigenous origins of the Lake Ontario name. He called for the rescinding of that executive order, says that Trump's "blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people...and other Indigenous people is unacceptable." Trump's renaming of the lake came amid the United States' trade war with Canada. He has claimed that Canada has treated the United States "very badly" regarding trade for many years.
Below is the full statement from J.C. Seneca:
Lake Ontario derives its name from Indigenous roots. In our traditional Seneca language, its name is sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning "beautiful lake." Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy.
The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world. His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable.
The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action. His order should be rescinded, and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake.
To us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn. It does not separate the countries of the United States and Canada. It is all Indigenous land, which has been occupied by Indigenous people since time immemorial.
In 1794, President George Washington and the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations signed the Treaty of Canandaigua, promising to live in peace and friendship with one another. The United States also promised our people the free use and enjoyment of our lands forever. President Trump’s aggression toward our culture with his Executive Order violates that peace, friendship and commitments of the Canandaigua treaty. This is the latest in a long history of willful attempts to disregard the United States' commitments to the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations. President Trump needs to be reminded of those commitments.
I would also remind the President of the tenets of the United States Constitution, where Article 6 clearly states that treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land," and need to always be honored as such.
We will always call Lake Ontario by the name derived from the language of our ancestors -- the name that, like the strength and influence of the Seneca people, will live on forever, long after the intrusive political tirades of individual men.
All Native Nations need to stand united to vocally and forcefully reject this change. We are also calling on all federal, state and local representatives -- regardless of political party – to stand with the Seneca Nation and oppose the President's Executive Order.
Photo by the Seneca Nation of Indians
