ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The President of the Seneca Nation believes U.S. President Donald Trump may be violating a centuries old peace treaty by renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.
J. Conrad Seneca says the President’s executive order disregards proper consultation protocols required under the Treaty of Canandaigua.
Lake Ontario has had its name far longer than the founding of both countries that border it. “The name comes from, it’s the beautiful water or the shining water really given it to by indigenous nations,” Seneca says.
The Seneca Nation is part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. “Our people traveled freely across and all around Lake Ontario and the great lakes for that fact,” Seneca says.
Following the Revolutionary War, promises were made to the tribes in this region. “As indigenous people, those commitments always go back to our treaty of 1794, the Canandaigua treaty,” Seneca said.
Lake Ontario is explicitly named in that treaty as a geographic reference point to define the boundaries of the Seneca Nation.
“Anything that is going to change or modify or take away any type of designation of an indigenous name or anything like that, has to go through a consultation process with the native nation or nations that it effects and that hasn’t happened so, really that’s a violation already in regards to the proper protocols between native nations and the United States,” Seneca says.
News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke asked Seneca if he had heard from anyone at the White House since the name change was made. “No, I haven’t heard from anyone directly with the White House,” he says.
In a statement, a White House spokeswoman told News10NBC, “The majority of the Great Lake’s volume sits in United States territory. Thanks to President Trump’s bold action, its name will now reflect its place in America and her heritage.” She did not address direct questions about the indigenous history or treaty.
Seneca is asking President Trump to rescind the order, “he could pull it back at any time I think, that’s a possibility and that’s what I’ve asked him to do,” he says.
At this point, there is no indication that President Trump is considering pulling back the name change. A group of lawmakers, including Rep. Joe Morelle, introduced legislation in the House to nullify the executive order and ban any federal official acting under presidential authority from changing the official geographic names of any of the Great Lakes.
Lake Ontario renamed Lake America: Seneca Nation President calls Trump executive order a treaty violation WHEC.com.
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