Reclaiming Ohi:yo'- Restoring the Altered Landscape of the Beautiful River Main MenuWelcomingFront page for this Digital Exhibit.The Seneca Nation of IndiansWe call ourselves Onödowá'ga:' (oh-non-doh-wah!-gawh!), which means "People of the Great Hill". We are one of six other nations that collectively call ourselves Hodinöhsö:ní (hoh-dee-nonh-sonh-neeh!), meaning "People of the Longhouse".Ohi:yo'Ohi:yo', our Beautiful River, has always been our home and source of nourishment.The Kinzua Dam ProjectOur elders fought for our land and sovereignty in the 1950s and 1960s. They fought to stop the construction of Kinzua Dam.The Allegheny ReservoirThe reservoir has altered the landscape, ecosystem, and our interactions with Ohi:yo.The Allegheny Reservoir: A Visual Depiction of Water LevelsAt times of water storage the water depth of the river channel is approximately 26 feet, with as little as 6 to 8 feet of water during the winter months.The Significance of Kinzua to our Seneca PeopleThe U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with the U.S. federal government built Kinzua Dam between 1960 and 1965.Kinzua Era TimelinesThis page provides two different temporal representations of the Kinzua Era (1956-1966).Kinzua Dam's Environmental ImpactsThe creation of Kinzua Dam has had lasting environmental impacts on our land and water. Learn more here.Ohi:yo' Restoration and Resiliency ProjectsMembers of the Seneca Nation's Watershed Resources Working Group are involved in various restoration and resiliency projects for our Ohi:yo'. The Seneca Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department in particular engages in projects related to building artificial habitat, repopulating our river's Walleye population, and building trenches to help land locked fish.Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife DepartmentThe Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department engages in restoration and resiliency projects related to Ohi:yo'.Fighting for the Water: Fracking Wastewater in Ohi:yo'In 2016 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) began deliberating a 1,000-barrel/day of unconventional gas drilling wastewater (Frack Wastewater) disposal facility in Potter County proposed by Epiphany Allegheny LLC. In response to the news of these fracking plans, our Seneca people again fought for our people, our communities, and our Ohi:yo'.A Legacy of ResilienceWe will continue on.Access and Use RightsFor our full statement on rights and use of our exhibit contents see this page.Additional ResourcesThis page contains additional resources that can provide more in-depth information that is perhaps not included within our exhibit.The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum663b8929f7a99e6bad2d94d8e2c4f4c0dbfcfc0fDana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e0This exhibit was published by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, 2018.
About this Exhibit
12018-07-31T01:55:33-07:00Dana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e03086121This page contains information about our intra-Nation departmental collaborations and exhibit acknowledgements.plain2018-08-27T01:24:55-07:00Dana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e0
This digital exhibit was guest curated by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum intern Dana Reijerkerk as part of a joint internship between the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum and the Seneca Nation Archives Department in the summer of 2018. Dana is a second year Masters of Information Science student at the University of Michigan, with a B.A. in American Indian Studies. This exhibition is part of the permanent exhibits on display by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum and is meant to be an interactive, more-detailed extension of the permanent Kinzua Dam exhibit on display in the Onöhsagwë:de' Cultural Center.
Acknowledgements
This exhibit was a collaborative effort across our Allegany community, with information, resources, and expertise pulled from many different Nation departments and individuals. We would like to thank and acknowledge the following Seneca Nation Departments and entities as well as external organizations for making this exhibit possible: Seneca Nation Council Presidents Office Treasurers Office Seneca-Iroquois National Museum Seneca-Iroquois National Museum Board of Trustees Seneca Nation Archives Department of Fish and Wildlife Planning-GIS Department Seneca Nation Health System-Environmental Health Unit Watershed Resources Working Group Bradford Landmark Society Seneca Nation Department of Justice
We would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the following individuals for their time and expertise in making this exhibit possible:
David George-Shongo Rebecca "Becki" Bowen Johnna Crouse Sally Blacksnake Daniel Lips Shane Titus Gerri Jimerson Todd LaQuay Angela Schöpke Shannon Seneca Rosalind Ground Molly P. Lindahl Sally R. Costik Karla General
In addition, we wish to thank and respectfully honor those who came before us who fought to stop the construction of Kinzua.