President Hunter Rawlings receives a traditional Iroquois headdress from Hazel Thompson, a clanmother of the Bear Clan of the Seneca Nation, who also bestowed on him a Seneca name at ceremonies during Indian Day at the State Fair in Syracuse Aug. 29. Looking on from right are Norman Jimerson, superintendent of the Indian Village at the fair, and Lloyd Elm, president of the Six Nations Agricultural Society. At left are Brian F. Chabot, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations. Robert Barker/University Photography
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Old ties were remembered and new links were forged by the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, Cornell and New York state at the State Fair on Friday when their representatives joined in a celebration of dance and gift-giving to reaffirm long-standing partnerships.
The ceremony on the Turtle Mound in the Indian Village included the dedication of living trees given to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) by Cornell, the bestowing of a Seneca name on President Hunter Rawlings and a Victory Dance performed by members of the Six Nations Agricultural Society, which manages the Indian Village at the fair.
Cornell's formal relationship with the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, which includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora nations, began in the 1920s when Cornell established an Indian Extension Program that emphasized agricultural and home economics training for Native peoples in New York. That effort was spearheaded by Dr. Erl Bates, who was fondly remembered at Friday's ceremony by Lloyd Elm, current president of the Six Nations Agricultural Society.
"When I was 5 years old and growing up on the Onondaga reservation, Dr. Bates arrived at our house and brought little chicks, Rhode Island reds, that were developed at Cornell. Everyone on our reservation and all the reservations of the People of the Longhouse received chickens, pigs and bags of seeds from Cornell. This was during the Depression, and these were sorely needed. That began a relationship that is almost sacred to many of us. Cornell has been an important part of our efforts to renew agriculture on the reservations."
Rawlings also spoke of Cornell's long relationship with the Haudenosaunee, and emphasized its mutual exchange. Over the years Cornell has provided education in livestock husbandry, crop cultivation, 4-H and youth programs; Bates even set up a revolving loan fund so Indians could purchase seed, stock and equipment. In return, Rawlings said, the Haudenosaunee taught the scientists traditional methods of agriculture, some of which they adapted.
"We are grateful to the people of the Six Nations for helping us at Cornell understand the value of their culture and traditions," Rawlings said. These include, he said, respect for the land, the recognition of women as equal members of society a tradition reflected by Ezra Cornell when he established the university and the Haudenosaunee's political philosophy of separate nations governed by common laws and dedicated to peace.
Cornell's American Indian Program grew out of Bates' efforts. Established in 1983, it is one of most respected in the country. Extension programs on the reservations have been ongoing.
Elm indicated to the crowd of onlookers two young white pine trees that were newly planted near the Turtle Mound and said, "The new life here represents the renewal of our relationship with Cornell and New York state."
The planting of white pines has special significance. When the State Fair Indian Village was dedicated in 1930, Cornell provided trees in a special ceremony that marked the partnership between the university and the Iroquois confederacy. Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt attended that ceremony and gave the Six Nations permanent title to the parcel of land on which the Indian Village sits.
The white pine has great symbolic importance for the Haudenosaunee, since it is the Tree of Peace, which is used to represent the formation of the confederacy. Planting two white pines side by side represents the spirit of friendship and trust between the Haudenosaunee and non-Indians, while asserting the Iroquois commitment to sovereignty and cultural identity. A white ash and a hickory tree were also dedicated.
Before Rawlings was presented with his Seneca name, he participated in a symbolic "inspection" by women of the Six Nations, who traditionally select the chiefs. Escorted by Hazel Thompson, a clanmother of the Bear Clan of the Seneca nation, Rawlings was introduced to women who stood in four directions on the mound. After he met with approval, Thompson declared that Rawlings' Seneca name would be Ha ya do Shä yë dih, which means "he knows his books." He was also given a traditional feathered cap, as well as other gifts.
Jane Mt. Pleasant, director of the American Indian Program, spoke of Cornell's role as the state's land grant university and presented gifts of cornmeal from traditional white flour corn grown and packaged at the university. Other gifts were exchanged by representatives of each of the Six Nations and Daryl B. Lund, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS); Brian F. Chabot, associate dean of CALS; William Lacy, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension; David L. Call, dean emeritus of CALS; Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for university relations; Mark Alger, deputy state commissioner of agriculture; and Peter Cappuccilli, director of the state fair.
In interviews, Cornell officials expressed their commitment to the American Indian Program and ties to the Haudenosaunee.
"We're continuing with the strong support that Dave Call and others started," Lund said. "We see this as an extremely important program, and not just a CALS program but one that will involve our sister colleges also."
Lacy described current extension programs on the reservations and said, "We're looking to open up new opportunities, especially in economic development and community programs."
"Cornell is a facilitator and conduit for the ongoing partnership between Native and non-Native peoples in New York state," Mt. Pleasant said. "This event honors both past and future ties."
Elm has joined the recently established national advisory board for the American Indian Program. Asked what his priorities in that role are, he replied, "The needs of indigenous peoples, not only in New York state but across the country, have changed over the past 20 years. I may add some vision to what Cornell offers Native peoples to help them meet the needs of modern times." Today's needs, Elm said, include developing methods of decision making that represent the will of the people.
The spirit of the day's event was captured in the dances, when participants joined in a traditional Friendship Dance, walking as couples in a circle around the top of the mound. After that dance, Elm declared, "One of the most important things we can do is celebrate victory over ourselves. In New York state, and around the world, there is a need for victory over ourselves if we are to survive as a species. When we can break down walls and join in a circle of friendship, as we have today, it deserves a Victory Dance."
At that, members of the Six Nations, clad in traditional clothes with feathered and beaded headgear, broke into spirited whirls around their guests. It was a moment of high energy and hope for the future.