By: Shahd Al-Juwhari (M.R.P. ’25)
For the CRP 5072 Land Use and Environmental Planning Workshop, Professor George Frantz organized a field trip to the Allegany Territory and the city of Salamanca in coordination with the Seneca Nation of Indians. This class focuses on addressing some of the issues underlying the longstanding and contentious relationship between the Seneca Nation of Indians and the City. As a Palestinian, I grew up being very familiar with the concepts of colonialism, indigeneity, and land ownership. However, growing up outside of the US, the stories of Indigenous Americans are rarely mentioned, and their struggles are often overlooked.
I had many eye-opening experiences on this field trip, starting with the panel that Donielle Heron Lovell, PhD, and Professor George Frantz organized for us. The panel addressed concerns among the city, led by some city officials, in addition to members of the Seneca Nation tribal council. Listening to them speak, I noticed a clear contrast between what the city wants and what members of the Nation want. From there, I concluded that Indigenous communities, including the Seneca Nation, traditionally practiced communal land stewardship and collective resource management, which contrasts with the Western capitalist system based on private property. Some of the city’s concerns revolve around the lack of tax revenue, which stems from Salamanca’s location on Seneca land. The city faces unique challenges due to its financial reliance on land that belongs to the Seneca Nation, particularly concerning the renewal of land leases. In contrast, the Seneca Nation members focused on the need for communal spaces and preserving their history, reflecting their long-standing cultural values.
The Seneca Nation members then introduced the Land Back movement, which is a campaign focused on reclaiming their ancestral lands and restoring indigenous sovereignty—a concept that I am very familiar with, under a different context. A point that struck me was how the Natives explained that, in their beliefs, historically, land was never owned by people, but it existed to serve its inhabitants and was meant to be shared by those who are on it. However, the European colonizers’ introduction to the land created confusion for indigenous communities because they considered land as property and weaponized it to segregate Native American communities. Through the introduction of concepts such as land ownership and violence, their ways of life were heavily compromised. To this day, their Land Back movement is focused on reclaiming their ancestral lands and restoring Indigenous sovereignty. While revitalizing their culture and communities is a major goal, it also involves decolonization, which means challenging the systems that have oppressed them. Although their communities have faced violence and aggression, they aim to reclaim their land through peaceful efforts and comprehensive plans, rather than using violence to dismantle the system.
Historically, the Seneca Nation did not have a written language, so they shared information through storytelling, and they love telling stories. A phrase that held so much power for me at the Seneca Nation Tribal Council Panel was, “We can’t bring back these communities, but we can bring back people to live on this land.” This statement not only showed resilience but also so much strength and acceptance, where despite the hardships Native Americans have faced, they are still standing, spreading their stories, and reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.
Their resilience is reflected in every aspect of their lives. We were generously served Indian tacos for lunch and learned the story behind the fried bread. As many Natives were displaced with little access to their traditional foods, the government provided them with rations, including ingredients like white flour, sugar, salt, and lard—none of which were part of their traditional diets. They had to use these ingredients to create fried bread, a food born out of necessity and survival. Their fried bread signifies resilience and serves as a reminder of the hardships that their communities have endured.