Tuscarora Environment Program * Haudenosaunee Environmental Task … · 2019. 10. 7. · Seneca...
Transcript of 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
Page 2 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
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,
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.
Page 3 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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
Page 4 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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.
Page 5 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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
Page 6 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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.)
Page 7 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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 :)
Page 8 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2019
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.