Acknowledging
Indigenous Lands
Jacob’s Woods is located on the traditional homelands of Onöndowa’ga:’,
or Great Hill People (Seneca Nation), the largest of the Six Nations in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Hodinöhsö:ni’, or People of the Longhouse). The Confederacy includes the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora.
As shown in pink on the map, above, Jacob's Woods is located in traditional Seneca territory, which historically extended throughout the Finger Lakes area in central New York and the Genesee Valley in western New York.
Seneca Nation has a historic and contemporary presence on the lands in this region. Renowned for sophisticated skills in diplomacy and oratory, the Seneca were instrumental in bringing together the Nations that form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and shaping its early participatory democracy. Settlers from Europe brought many challenges to the Six Nations.
The Revolutionary War split the Haudenosaunee, with some Nations siding with the British and others with the Americans. There were no winners among the Native people. The war left the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and culture shattered, and their lands and villages destroyed. People from many villages migrated north to Canadian lands. While the passage of time has helped, the Haudenosaunee carry many wounds from that time that have yet to heal.
Today Seneca Nation joins other Native communities in remaining committed to making the world a better place—for the present generation and for generations yet to come.
You can honor Seneca Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy by making a personal commitment to social justice and racial equity. Also consider supporting a Native-led nonprofit organization that is working to create positive and systemic change for all Indigenous people.
To learn more about the history of Indigenous communities on the land where you now live, see Native Land.