Local History connections in Syracuse

 

I had a nice local history moment during a recent visit to the Great Law of Peace Center in Syracuse.  What is this place you ask?  Let me just quote from their website https://www.skanonhcenter.org/:

The Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center is a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Heritage Center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York. The history is told through the lens of the Onondaga Nation and covers topics such as Creation, European Contact, The Great Law of Peace, and more. The Onondagas, or People of the Hills, are the keepers of the Central Fire and are the spiritual and political center of the Haudenosaunee.

Skä•noñh, is an Onondaga welcoming greeting meaning “Peace and Wellness.”

While the Husband and I enjoyed all of the exhibits, the item that caught my eye was in the European Contact section.  The Two Rows Wampum.  Let me just put in a picture of the text instead of trying to paraphrase - hope you can read it,

Did you catch where the agreement between the Mohawk and the Dutch traders was signed? South of present day Albany.  You know where that is?  Bethlehem.  Specifically, this meeting is said to have happened on the banks of the river we know as the Normans Kill.  Other names for the creek are Petanock,  Secktanock and Tawasentha. 

So, while learning history from a distinctly Native perspective, I had a little Bethlehem history moment. Nice.

Also at the Center is the impactful, and perhaps not so nice, exhibit "Tonto Revisited: Native American Stereotypes."  It is a room packed full of "Indian Kitch" and wow is it something. Appalling is the word that comes to mind.   As the description on the website says, "On their own, these items can seem harmless, however, when put together, the destructive nature of the imagery is apparent." And I would add the word powerful.  I'll never again look at this bag of corn meal the same. 

On a lighter note, of course our visit to Syracuse  included a stop at the Erie Canal museum, which was pretty cool. Literally, it was freezing outside that day. I think I got excited because the car thermometer indicated it got to 5 degrees! Anyway, inside the museum,  I enjoyed learning more about the Erie Canal, especially going through an actual canal boat and reading about passenger experiences in their actual journals.  Upstairs were some fun installations that recreated historic Syracuse places including a general store, limestone quarry and, the Husband's favorite, a local bar.  

If you travel to Syracuse, we had a lovely brunch/lunch at Oh My Darling, and a fun time that evening with family at Coleman's Irish Pub.