Onondaga Nation

April 4, 2017 - 11:45am
The dredging phase of the lake wrapped up in 2014, but as the process of capping the lake bottom nears completion, Onondaga Nation still has concerns about the cleanup.

The Onondaga Lake cleanup has moved on to the next phase in the project.

The dredging process – where tons of contaminated sediment from the lake bottom are moved to another location in the lake to ease coastal erosion, was completed in 2014. The work on capping the lake, which involves covering 579 acres of the lake's bottom with a layer of sand to keep the underlying mercury and other toxins in place, is still underway. However, not all parties are satisfied with the cleanup process.

May 6, 2015 - 2:57pm
Stickmaker and lacrosse player Alf Jacques carves world-renowned sticks for players using the tools in his Onondaga Nation shop.

Alfie Jacques, his black shirt freckled with wood chips and sawdust, tipped his workbench down from its side and examined a bent piece of wood.

“Every stick is unique,” Jacques said, eyeing the grain of this particular piece of Hickory. “There’s no two alike, even from the same tree.”

December 15, 2014 - 3:33pm
The Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival, held Dec. 1, allowed community members to get a glimpse of the full mission of the Syracuse Peace Council.

On a gloomy, rainy, winter Saturday morning, the large parking lot of the Nottingham High School on East Genesee Street was packed with cars. People from all walks of life flocked to the annual Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival organized by the Syracuse Peace Council, which formed in 1938 and is one of the oldest grassroots-level peace and social justice organizations in the country. The fair, now in its 44th year, has become one of the oldest and most celebrated crafts fairs in the city.

September 30, 2013 - 8:31pm
The first annual Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Expo featured exhibition lacrosse games, Native American craft vendors, stick-making demonstrations, and social dancing.

Seneca Nation member Todd Gates was heartbroken when a hip replacement surgery in 2009 forced him to stop playing lacrosse for 10 years. But it was lacrosse that helped him recover.

“It was really depressing at the time,” said Gates, 53, of Buffalo and former tribal council leader for the Seneca Nation. “Lacrosse brought me back into being the guy that I thought I could be.”

September 16, 2012 - 6:34pm
Hundreds attended the Water Is Life music festival on Saturday Sept. 15, where performers and speakers stressed the importance of unifying as a community to fight hydraulic fracturing.

At the Water Is Life music festival on Saturday, Sept. 15, the event's energy didn’t just come from the musicians’ and speaker’s anti-hydofracking messages; it also came from the feeling of community that the event generated. 

May 25, 2010 - 4:36pm
Whether it's the traditional wooden stick or the latest model, SU's lacrosse team members and nearly every player has a preference.

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. One of the most important components in the game is the stick itself. Like the game, the stick has evolved over time. Until the late 1980s traditional wooden sticks were commonplace. Today, companies like STX, Brine and Warrior issue new models on an annual basis.