KawéØkye & Kęnêhteh 2019
Tuscarora Environment Program * Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force
Table of Content Calendar ……………….….. 2
The Earth and You ……..…. 3
Friends&Family …………... 4
PawPaw: Fruits of Labor ...... 5
Roadside Review ……..…… 6
Coloring Page for Kids ….… 7
Throwback - 1999 .………... 8
Page 2 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
Volume 10, Issue 1 & 2
January/February 2019 Haudenosaunee Grand Council
Tuscarora Council of Chiefs
and Clanmothers
HAUDENOSAUNEE ENVIRONMENTAL
TASK FORCE (HETF)
Oren Lyons, Political Co-Chair
Henry Lickers, Scientific Co-Chair
David Arquette, HETF Director
TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAM (TEP)
Rene Rickard, TEP Director [email protected]
Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning [email protected]
Taylor Hummel, Env. Technician
Following the United Nations Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the
Haudenosaunee held a Grand Council to
discuss the environmental degradation of
our communities. In accordance with the
Great Law of Peace, the Grand Council
passed and agreed, based on
Haudenosaunee protocols and cultural
beliefs, to establish the Haudenosaunee
Environmental Task Force (HETF).
The SKARU:RE MONTHLY is the
official publication of the Tuscarora
Environment Program. You can submit
articles, artwork, photographs, editorials,
and letters of love and happiness to:
SKARU:RE MONTHLY
c/o: Tuscarora Environment
5226E Walmore Road
Tuscarora Nation
Lewiston, NY 14092
#716.264.6011
www.tuscaroraenvironment.org
or our Facebook page
“Tuscarora Environment”
February 14-16, 2019 - 6th Organicology Conference: The Study of a
Sustainable Food Future, Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, Portland,
OR. The Conference will seek to bring all of the stakeholder groups to the
table to not only develop skills in their own areas of activity but to gain
exposure to the challenges in other areas of the trade and movement.
Keynotes include Winona LaDuke (White Earth Land Recovery Project),
and Patrick Holdon (Sustainable Food Trust.) FMI:
www.organicology.org, [email protected].
March 1, 2019 - Educator Development-Farm to School Program Day, Agriculture Discovery Center, Hamburg Fairgrounds, Hamburg, NY.
8:30am - 2:30pm. Registration required. Erie County Agricultural Society
in cooperation with Seeds of Living Education Organization want to grow
Farm to School education for kids. The day will offer 4 workshop sessions
with experienced and fun instructors sharing lessons that can be brought
back to your classroom or program. Enjoy a day learning and networking
with other programs and districts. Breakfast refreshments and lunch will be
provided. FMI: www.the-fairgrounds.com/fairgrounds/ag-education/,
March 16, 2019 - 3rd Annual “Skaru:re Rez Life” Conference,
Tuscarora Nation House, Walmore Road, Tuscarora Nation. FREE. Open
to the Public. Hosted by the Tuscarora History Society. The Conference
provides an opportunity for our community to come together and share
what we know with one another. There will be display tables, speakers,
food for sale and stories to share. FMI: FB page, “Tuscarora History
Society.”
March 23, 2019 - 2nd Spring Boutique at Tuscarora, Tuscarora Nation
House, Walmore Road, Tuscarora Nation. 12pm - 6pm. FREE. All vendor
tables are sold out but if you’re still interested, you can contact them to be
put on the waiting list. Kim Kraft will be serving food in the kitchen. FMI:
FB page, ‘2nd Annual Spring Boutique.’ Gahadineh Greene, #990.8724.
April 26, 2019 - Arbor Day Tree Tours & Tree Planting, Buffalo
Botanical Gardens, Buffalo, NY. FREE. 12:30PM and 2PM. Celebrate
Arbor Day 2019 by visiting some of their trees in their outdoor collections
while learning the basics of tree identification. Tree planting with staff and
volunteers, 3:30PM. FMI: www.buffalogardens.com.
June 7-8, 2019 – Plant Based World Conference & Expo, Jacob K.
Javits Conference Center, NY, NY. The only event bringing the plant-
based movement to a mainstream audience. Learn from leading health
experts about the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet and how it
prevents and reverses disease. FMI: www.plantbasedworldexpo.com.
ON THE COVER: Some of the calico corn seed
we have available in our Office for Tuscarora. Let
us know if you’re interested in some for your
garden this 2019 planting season (limited quantity
available.)
Page 3 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
N u:ya:! Nu:ya:! Many of us make new year resolutions committing to better health, to save money or change a bad
habit. But have you ever thought about an environmental priority for making Mother Earth a better place? These
4 steps are simple and easy to incorporate into your everyday living:
Use LED - Using an LED light bulb will not only help the environment but it will also help you keep a few dollars in
your pocket over the life span of the light bulb. Comparison: 60W incandescent light bulb costs about $1.50 - $3.00
and will work for 1,200 hours. A 7W LED light bulb (which gives off the same number of lumens) costs about $4.00 -
$5.00 and will work for 25,000 hours. You would need 21 incandescent light bulbs (60W) to last as long as one LED
light bulb (7W). The cost to operate the LED for 25,000 hours is $30 where as the cost to operate the 21 incandescent
light bulbs is $169. The purchase cost difference between the LED and the incandescent light bulb is about $2.00-$3.00.
The operating cost difference is $139 dollars in savings over the term of that light bulb. Who wouldn’t want to have an
extra $130 in your bank account by just investing $5.00 for an LED bulb?
Use Less Stuff – Consuming less stuff will not only help save the environment, but will also put more money back in
your pocket. Shopping seems like a fun past time, but did you know there are people from different parts of the world
having to live with the effects from a person’s shopping habit. Some of the items we buy use finite resources from dif-
ferent parts of the world where there are no laws in place to protect the air, water or humans. These companies will trash
the plant to make a profit (to meet our demands), leaving the local communities to suffer from the extraction of their
natural resources. In some cases, these items you use could be leaching toxic chemicals in your home without you even
knowing it. It’s recommended, to buy used before buying new (and Bonus if this saves you money and puts dollars back
in your bank account!)
Always Use Reusable Grocery Bags – Why is this one important? A single-use plastic bag that we get from the store is
only used for 12 minutes, on average, before it’s tossed away. These bags have become a source for global warming,
found in the stomach of ocean fish and polluting our ecosystem, and we need to address their effects immediately.
Americans use 100 billion bags annually, and the average household will use about 1,500 bags per year. Did you know
it takes 12 million barrels of oil to make all these bags and it will take them 500 years to eventually break down. Spend-
ing $6.00 for six reusable bags is definitely worth your grandkids future. So next time you shop, don’t forget your reus-
able bags!
Eliminate Fast Foods - We always hear about the poor food quality that fast food companies sell. What if we also said
that many fast food companies create waste that contribute to the growing landfills throughout the world. Stop and just
think of all the garbage created by one visit to any fast food joint. Cutting down on your visits will reduce the number of
pounds of waste entering the landfill and the amount of garbage entering the oceans. If you can’t cut down your number
of visits, then please choose to eat in - that will reduce the amount of take-out materials needed for your order. (Bonus -
bring your reusable bottle of water with you and cut down on wasted cups and straws.)
So, next time you have to shop, I hope that you can start incorporating these environmental priorities into your every day
life. If we all made just made small changes we can ensure that we are leaving the earth a better place.
By Rene Rickard
Page 4 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
By Bryan Printup
The Niagara Falls Gazette Tuesday, June 5, 1945
Tuscarora Reservation Honor Roll Dedicated
at Impressive Ceremonies
Tuscarora Reservation, June 5. - Impressive honor roll
dedication services honoring the memory of Tuscarora Indian
community servicemen and women were held Sunday afternoon
and evening at the Tuscarora Baptist church grounds.
Kinsmen of the 641 residents of this community in service so
memorialized are: Sidney and Wallace Anderson, Paul, Charles
and Joseph Bissell, Silas Chew, deceased; Carroll, Harold,
Norman and Edward Chew, Burton Farnham, Alfred Garlow,
Albert, Elmer and Richenda Gansworth, Emerson, Leslie, Mary,
Donald, Richard, Thomas and William Greene, Harrison Henry,
Arnold and Calvin Hewitt, Daniel, Gordon, Howard, Stanley,
James and John Hill, Donald Jack, Ansley, Clyde, Leonard,
Wilson, and Harry Jacobs, Victor, Seymour, Martin, Glenworth
and Truman D. Johnson, Adolphus and William Jones.
Also Peter John, Paul Kulik, Chester and Albert Lederhouse,
Edison, Howard and William Mt. Pleasant, Sandy Maracle,
George, Gary, Titus and Wesley Patterson, John Pembleton,
Alfred, Alvin, Abraham, Earl, Lafayette, Franklin, John,
Kenneth, Louis, Lloyd, Lawrence, Orasmus, Murray, Porter and
Vincent Printup; Kenneth Printup, deceased; Clark and Kenneth
Rickard, Cecil Reed, John Williams, Jr., Oscar Sylvester, Ray
Wilkinson, Jr., Walter Zomont, Findley and Wilmer Wilson,
Stanley Moses, Floyd Gilbert, Robert, Herbert and Albert
Seloff.
The Rev. Charles Rufus Osborn, Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Chaplain
J.D. Allen, Fort Niagara; Miss Helen A. Wayne, Buffalo, N.Y.
NYS Social Welfare Dept Indian Affairs Superintendent;
Cornelius Seneca, Seneca Nation of Indians President; Chief
Norman L. Parker, Basom, N.Y.; were among the guest
speakers.
Over 750 visitors attended the afternoon and evening programs.
Taps in memory of Silas William Chew and Emmet Kenneth
Printup were sounded. Noah Henry, Alvin Printup Jr., and
Orasmus M. Printup presided at the roll call and flag services.
The Rev. Emery Kocsis, Tuscarora Baptist church pastor,
unveiled and dedicated the honor roll board located in the
church yard.
Members of the Tuscarora Baptist Ladies’ Aid served
refreshments to members of the large assembly in the
intermission between the 4 and 7:45 p.m. services. The Austin
Street Baptist church band, of Buffalo; the Parker vocal quartet,
of the Tonawanda Seneca Indian reservation, and the
Tonawanda Seneca chorus were heard in the musical portion of
the program. In addition a large group of local vocalists and
instrumentalists took part in the program which ended at 10 p.m.
ABOVE: Circa 1940s. Jerry Gansworth, Anne Meness,
Julie Meness, and Ann Dumont. Courtesy of H. Hill family.
ABOVE: 1951. Girls chorus Champion singers, NY State
4-H Club, NY State Square Dance Champions. Courtesy
of R. Farnham family. (l-r): Dorothy, Elise, Caroline,
Jean, Rose, Donna, and Ann.
Page 5 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
the only places to find them
around here are at farmer’s
markets or special nurseries. Soon
however, I hope we can
reestablish pawpaw and maybe
even develop our own Tuscarora
variety! We’ll keep you updated :)
withstand colder climates and in
fact actually require a period of
colder temperatures to germinate!
This is called ‘stratification.’
We got our hands on some fruit
this past year and we started the
stratification process on the seeds.
To mimic winter, we chilled fresh
nyeʔe ·we seeds in the refrigerator.
They will be ready to plant by the
end of March.
This past fall our office also
received six pawpaw saplings,
each about two years old. Don’t
get too excited though, they will
not produce fruit for at least
another 4-6 years. We planted
them in the fall and although they
just look like sticks in the ground,
we have high hopes they’re going
to be winners!
Nyeʔe ·we can be eaten as-is or
they can be made into jam, ice
cream, pies, and other
baked goods! You
won’t find these fruits
at the supermarket
though because they
bruise easily and ripen
quickly once off the
tree - so
commercialization of
nyeʔe ·we hasn’t really
taken off. Currently,
N yeʔe ·we (also known as
Pawpaw [Asimina Triloba])
is a small, deciduous tree
(meaning its leaves fall off in the
autumn) native to North America.
The trees produce a sweet, tropical
tasting fruit with a flavor some
describe as a cross between a
mango and a banana.
Nyeʔe ·we is the largest fruit
indigenous to North America and
its native range includes Western
New York.
It is often found as an understory
tree, and along streams and
floodplains - preferring shaded
and moist soils. However,
development and intensive
agriculture over the past century
have wiped out many stands,
making pawpaw rare in the region.
Pawpaws - despite looking and
tasting tropical - have evolved to
By Taylor Hummel
ABOVE: Taylor with the new pawpaw
saplings at Tuscarora.
Page 6 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
T he forward pass changed the way
football was played forever. Most
people, however, don’t know there’s a
Tuscarora connection. Frank Pierce Mt.
Pleasant, Jr. played football at Carlisle
from 1905-1907 as a quarterback and
halfback. He was one of the first people
throwing spirals down the field, some
even say he invented the forward pass.
So, while you’re watching the Super
Bowl this weekend, remember the game
we watch today would not be possible
without a husky Tusky!
Kayęʔnhekwθe hte ʔ - They are going to
play a game
Ce·nę· - Catch it!
Kahne·ʔ kakuthne hstayęʔ - Who has the
ball?
Uthne hsteh - Ball
Wahraʔθęht - He dropped it
Wahrarahse ·thuʔ - He kicked it
Yęʔnatkyerhanęh - Defender [“one guards
another’s body”]
Wahraʔteyaruhcręʔ - He gathered group
together
Unaʔcuhkweh - Helmet
Waʔkayętkwe·niʔ - They won
Ruthnęhstaye·nę· - He has caught the ball
Raʔnęchu·thaʔ - He kneels
Yawęhraʔrhę· - It touched ground
Naʔna·ʔnęʔ - One handed it to another
Kwihstet - Run fast!
Awęʔnhe·kwęʔ - Game
Wahrukweraʔnihahk - He twisted his
ankle
θkuhe – Go get it!
Ratkweʔne ·tyę - He moved
Wahraʔthweʔne ·tiʔ - He charged
Haʔ rahθkyenhahs - Competitor
Naʔnye·nę· Yuthreʔahst - Holding
penalty
Eθeθatkahthuʔ - Look again!
Nęʔnayęʔnatkyerhęht - He tackled him
BTW: Here is the pronunciation key to help you with the letters. A good suggestion is to say letters and words out loud to help your ear become accustomed to the Tuscarora sounds. Tuscarora Pronunciation Key:*
/a/ law; /e/ hat; /i/ pizza; /u/ tune; /e/ hint; /c/juice; /ch/cheese; /h/ hoe; /m/ mother; /s/ same; /t/ do; /th/
too; /k/ gale; /kh/ kale; /n/ inhale; /r/ hiss (before a
consonant or word final), run (trilled elsewhere); /w/ cuff (before a consonant other than y or word-
final), way (elsewhere); /y/ you ; /sy/ fish; /θ/
thing; /Ø/ uh-oh; /:/ long vowel, /ˊ/high pitch; /`/low
pitch.*Adapted from Blair A. Rudes, Tuscarora-English.
I n 2018 we responded to 26
roadside dumpings at Tuscarora.
We categorize the illegal acts into
five categories (for our own
recording purposes):
Refuse (garbage)
HHW (Household Hazardous Waste)
Tires
C&D (construction & debris)
E-Waste (electronics)
The majority of our responses last
year were to tire dumpings (43%)
while HHW is a far second (23%).
Our least responded to dumping is E-
Waste (8%).
These numbers differ from our 2017
statistics. We responded to 53 illegal
dumpings at Tuscarora that year.
Tire dumpings were the largest
percentage that year too (30%) but a
close second was E-Waste dumpings
(28%). Our least responded to was
HHW dumpings (8%).
Why this change in E-Waste
dumpings in one year? And why the
change in HHW dumpings too?
We’ll continue to gather more data
about these illegal acts to better
understand the situation so we know
how to react and respond better.
Although we do our best to react to
these dumpings, it’s everyone in our
community’s responsibility to help
clean up. There’s nothing wrong
with cleaning along the roads and in
fields by our homes all-year round.
H i Kids! And Fun Adults! We
like this cute coloring page
(to the right) and we thought you
should give it a color!
When you’re finished, snap a pic
and share it to our Facebook page
wall ‘Tuscarora Environment.’ All
those who share one will be en-
tered to win 1 of 5 gift cards. (Only
one entry per person allowed.)
The winner will be drawn on
March 1st and notified via Face-
book. Prizes will be by pick-up
only.
Mother Earth gives us everything
we need to live a happy, healthy
life … but sometimes we don’t
know how to say nya:we for every-
thing she give us. Say thanks by
keeping her clean and doing your
part to look after her :)
Tuscarora Word List:
GAME DAY!
Page 7 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
Page 8 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, January 2019
Did You Know . .
The National Geographic Society
cites about 500 million plastic
straws are used every DAY in the
U.S. alone. Science Magazine states
about 8.3 billion plastic straws
pollute the world’s beaches.
*www.nationalgeographic.com
A watershed is a land area that
channels rainfall and snowmelt to
creeks, streams, rivers and eventu-
ally to outflow points, and the
ocean. Tuscarora is in two water-
sheds - Lake Ontario and Niagara
River/Lake Erie Watersheds. Our
creeks affect watershed acreage too:
Cayuga Ck. (10,899), Gill Ck.
(9,853), and Fish Ck. (10,314). *www.researchgate.net/the-watershed-
areas-of-niagara-county
Automotive fluids are harmful to
the environment if they’re leaking
from your car: Engine Oil - leaking
oil will vaporize when it hits hot
engine components contaminating
the air and groundwater; Coolant -
contains ethylene glycol a chemical
that damages the nervous system
and can affect humans when it leaks
from your car and gets in our
ground water; Transmission Fluid -
is a thicker fluid and is harder to
clean up and stays on the ground
longer, and will eventually contami-
nate the ground water and air as the
sun breaks down the compounds. * www.barsleaks.com
T hanks to Joe Rickard for
stopping in the Office and
sharing some history about
snowsnake and the last time
Tuscarora called a throw - January
16-17, 1999.
It was a brisk wintery weekend -
just 40 degrees on Sunday. Yet
there was plenty of snow to help
build a track over in Wit & Ports
field on Upper Mountain Rd.
15 first class teams and 17 third
class teams showed up from across
the Confederacy (The number of
second class and mudcat teams are
unknown.) It was the first time (in a
long time) that so many teams
showed up for one throw - a true
testament to the teams’ support for
Tuscarora.
The track started out with soft ice
and it shot harder as the day went
on. The first class track
was 940 yards long made
by Pete Bissell, Fillmore
Rickard and Joe Rickard.
Joe R. threw for Tuscarora
in first class and both
snakes went 810 yards - he
shot Fillmore’s K-9
Bloodroot snake and
Pete’s black snake.
Other than Joe, the others throwing
for team Tuscarora were Marty S.
for second class and Mouse H. for
third class. They were all throwing
Fillmore R. and Pete B. snakes. And
the others there for Tuscarora were
Bubs, Kevin and Bubby.
There were so many teams that
weekend it took all day to finish the
games. Team Porter (Six Nations)
won the first class. We don’t
remember who won the other
classes. The day ended with a meal
provided by the hosts.
