Peace and Justice Events Calendar

This event took place
Sunday, May 20, 2007
at the
Tioga Trails Café & Grill
Owego, NY

Onondaga Land Rights: Our Common Future

Tioga Peace and Justice, a community group devoted to taking action on social justice issues, particularly those in Tioga County, is sponsoring a public meeting with Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON). 

NOON is a program of the Syracuse Peace Council and is dedicated to promoting understanding and healthy relationships between residents of Central New York and the Onondaga Nation primarily through education. 

The public meeting will be held on May 20, 2007, from 7:30 to 9:00pm at Tioga Trails Café, on Lake Street in downtown Owego, and will feature speakers from NOON and the Onondaga Nation. 

Specifically, the presentations will focus on providing information about the Onondaga Land Rights Action, which is currently moving through the New York State justice system.  The claim is the largest going through the U.S. court system, roughly 4000 square acres, a 40-mile wide strip stretching from the tip of Pennsylvania to the St. Lawrence River, and includes the cities of Syracuse, Fulton, Watertown and Binghamton.  Owego and most of Tioga County are also part of the disputed territory, which the Onondagas claim was illegally seized by New York State through a series of agreements in apparent violation of federal law at the time. 

The Onondagas are asking the court to declare they hold legal title to the land, though no moves will be made to displace current residents or businesses.  The goal is largely to reassert their moral stewardship of this territory.  As stewards of the land, the land claim will permit the Onondagas to take action to revive the environment, especially Onondaga Lake and its tributaries, considered sacred by the Nation.  

Through the land claim, the Onondaga Nation will be monitoring the pollution and health of the land, water and air, and help preserve these for future generations.  A discussion period will follow the presentations.  All are invited to attend.