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A sacred lake, a Columbus statue, and an Indigenous people's long struggle for land
The Onondaga Nation seeks to restore sacred lakeshore land amid stalled talks involving tax disputes and a nearby Columbus statue controversial since 1934.
- Recently, land-transfer talks between the Onondaga Nation and Onondaga County stalled due to disputes over taxes, Onondaga Lake's cleanup, and a nearby Christopher Columbus statue.
- Before white settlers established Syracuse, Onondaga Lake was a sacred site for the Onondaga Nation tied to the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, but 19th- and 20th-century industries heavily polluted the lake and county lawmakers considered returning land since 2011.
- Negotiators have flagged tax liability and cleanup lawsuits as central sticking points, with Joe Heath citing the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua to exempt some land from taxes while Ryan McMahon demands tax payments and a no-suit pledge.
- The Columbus statue remains, despite the Onondaga backing its removal, while an aide warns removal clashes with a 'symbolic gesture of healing,' and supporters see it as Italian American pride.
- With only a small piece of land left, Onondaga leaders say they are 'not going anywhere' and stress the need to practice ceremonies on the lake's shores.
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29 Articles
Associated Press News+27 Reposted by 27 other sources
A sacred lake, a Columbus statue, and an Indigenous people's long struggle for land
Before white settlers came to Onondaga Lake and the city of Syracuse grew along its shore, it was a sacred place for the Onondaga Nation.
·United States
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‘Beyond insulting’: Syracuse’s offer to erect a Hiawatha statue instead of tear down Columbus met with disbelief from Native leader
Before white settlers came to Onondaga Lake, before the city of Syracuse grew along its shore, before the pristine waters became one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States, it was a sacred place for the Onondaga Nation. Local officials aware of that history have expressed a…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources29
Leaning Left12Leaning Right1Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Left, 48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources lean Left, 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 48%
C 48%
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