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. About this Exhibit This page contains information about our intra-Nation departmental collaborations and exhibit acknowledgements. This exhibit was published by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, 2018.

Reaching out to the American Public

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On April 14th, 1958, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania received approval in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to take our land on our Allegany Territory to build Kinzua Dam. Soon after this ruling, the Seneca people, including the Seneca Nation, engaged in various outreach efforts to the American public to stop the construction.

In addition, to our voices, our elders had support from the American public in the form of news reporters, Hollywood stars, Congressman, engineers, the Society of Friends, and other local citizens who also saw the injustice in taking our land for the dam. 

All of the photographs seen below can be viewed in full by clicking on the image. 

 

This page has paths:

  1. The Legal Battle for Kinzua Dana Reijerkerk
  2. The Kinzua Dam Project Dana Reijerkerk

Contents of this path:

  1. Johnny Cash, "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow"
  2. The Religious Society of Friends
  3. American Indian Day, Sept. 15, 1962
  4. President Seneca's Mass-Mailing Campaign
  5. President to President Correspondence
  6. "Silent" Protests

Contents of this tag:

  1. Cornplanter Grant Visit, Stop at Kinzua Dam
  2. The President John F. Kennedy Letter (pg 1 of 2)
  3. Kinzua Vigil, 1961
  4. "Seneca Ceremony Mourns Land Taken by U.S. Despite Treaty" (Page 1 of 2)
  5. Merrill Bowen Letter to JFK
  6. "Critic at Large: The Senecas Being Forced From Their Lands are Bitter with Good Cause"
  7. "Second Look at Kinzua" Editorial
  8. "Kinzua Dam Upheld: Suggested Alternative is Declared Economically Impractical"
  9. "Seneca Indian Area Becoming a Happy Tourist Ground"
  10. "Tourist Approach to the Kinzua Dam"
  11. "Pittsburgh a Key to Senecas' Fight: City Presses Bid for Dam on Reservation Lands-Cities Flood Danger"
  12. President Cornelius Seneca Public Outreach Letter (pg 1 of 4)
  13. Senator Joseph S. Clark's Editorial Response
  14. Robert Haines Reply, Kinzua Project of the Indian Committee, 1963
  15. Kinzua Project of the Indian Comittee Report, 1963
  16. "Kinzua Dam Protested: Morality of Flooding Seneca Indians Land is Questioned"
  17. NCAI President's Reply to "Second Look at Kinzua"
  18. Memo to SNI President George Heron from Arthur Lasarus, Jr.
  19. George D. Heron Speech, Nov. 22, 1963 (1 of 4)
  20. "Quaker Booklet Urges Quick Action on Seneca Indian Bill"
  21. Senator Robert Haines Becoming an Honorary Seneca
  22. Last-Ditch Protest on Dam Launched by 16 Quakers