Reclaiming Ohi:yo'- Restoring the Altered Landscape of the Beautiful River Main Menu Welcoming Front page for this Digital Exhibit. The Seneca Nation of Indians We 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 Project Our elders fought for our land and sovereignty in the 1950s and 1960s. They fought to stop the construction of Kinzua Dam. The Allegheny Reservoir The reservoir has altered the landscape, ecosystem, and our interactions with Ohi:yo. The Allegheny Reservoir: A Visual Depiction of Water Levels At 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 People The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with the U.S. federal government built Kinzua Dam between 1960 and 1965. Kinzua Era Timelines This page provides two different temporal representations of the Kinzua Era (1956-1966). Kinzua Dam's Environmental Impacts The creation of Kinzua Dam has had lasting environmental impacts on our land and water. Learn more here. Ohi:yo' Restoration and Resiliency Projects Members 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 Department The 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 Resilience We will continue on. Access and Use Rights For our full statement on rights and use of our exhibit contents see this page. Additional Resources This page contains additional resources that can provide more in-depth information that is perhaps not included within our exhibit. This exhibit was published by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, 2018.

About this Exhibit

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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.

Nya:wëh (thank you)