The Buffalo Chronicle
Indian Affairs
-
Gillibrand bill would let Washington and the Seneca Nation end New York’s criminal jurisdiction on Seneca land
A Senate companion to Rep. Nick Langworthy’s bill would let the Justice Department and the Seneca Nation end New York’s 1948 criminal jurisdiction on Seneca land. Its broader definition of ‘territory’ raises…
-
Six Nations’ Haldimand Tract lawsuit is finally on trial, and its roots run through New York
Thirty-one years after filing suit, Six Nations of the Grand River is in court against Canada and Ontario over lost lands and trust funds, with potential damages estimated at $13.9 billion to…
-
Federal judge sends Buffalo’s Seneca One Stop lawsuit back to state court, denies emergency halt
Judge Meredith Vacca remanded the city’s case against Seneca Nation leaders to Erie County Supreme Court and said she lacked authority to grant a restraining order, leaving the Miami Street fight unresolved.
-
Tina Abrams wins Seneca Party nomination for President, poised to become first woman to hold the office
Longtime Council Member poised to become first woman to serve as Seneca Nation President SALAMANCA, N.Y. — Tina Abrams, a longtime councilor of the Seneca Nation of Indians and a member of…
-
Seneca Tribal Council could lease Niagara Falls Reservation to individual tribal members to boost development
The Niagara Falls Territory is only about 56 acres, but it is one of the most valuable pieces of restricted-fee land the Seneca Nation holds. It sits next to one of the…
-
Would reforming tribal member annuities ease the Seneca Nation’s drug crisis?
By Staff Reporter The trafficking problem on Seneca territories is documented by the Nation’s own leadership. Presidents have told Congress that non-Indian dealers use the reservations because jurisdiction is split and removal…
-
Robert Jones says Todd Gates is to blame for Seneca gaming compact debacle, as Tribal Council candidates trade throes
CATTARAUGUS TERRITORY, N.Y. — Two weeks before the Seneca Nation’s Sept. 18 caucus, the argument over who lost the gaming compact with New York has moved from Council chambers onto the campaign…
-
Losses at Seneca Holdings upend tribal elections, as members voice fury on social media
CATTARAUGUS AND ALLEGANY TERRITORIES, N.Y. — Two weeks before the Seneca Nation’s Sept. 18 Seneca Party caucus, the race to lead more than 8,500 enrolled citizens is no longer only about compact…
-
Abrams vs Porter: race for Seneca Nation presidency is too close to call
By Staff Reporter With the Seneca Party caucus three weeks away and the general election on Nov. 3, two Allegany Territory councilors — Tina Abrams and Odie Porter — have emerged as…
-
Chrissy Jacobs debunks Halftown’s ‘unpaid rent’ fallacy in violent eviction on Cayuga Reservation
By Staff Reporter February 27, 2026 In a recent, heartfelt Facebook post, respected Akwesasne Mohawk community advocate and former Salmon River Central School District board member Chrissy Jacobs (also known as Onientatahse) offered…
-
Tensions erupt in clash on Cayuga Reservation during eviction, amid ongoing tribal leadership dispute
By Staff Reporter February 26, 2026 Seneca Falls, NY – Chaos unfolded yesterday on the Cayuga Nation Reservation as a court-ordered eviction turned violent, resulting in injuries to police officers and multiple arrests.…
-
Jury delivers mixed verdict in Cayuga Nation’s civil suit against tobacco retailer
By Staff Reporter December 16, 2025 SYRACUSE, N.Y.—In a courtroom drama that laid bare the bitter fissures within one of New York’s smallest Native American nations, a federal jury on Thursday handed…
-
Looking to outdo Reagan, Trump considers an Indian Bank Regulatory Act to boost tribal economies
By Staff Reporter November 16, 2025 Washington, D.C. — President Donald J. Trump is channeling the spirit of Ronald Reagan with a visionary proposal that could redefine economic opportunity for Native American…
-
Mark Jonathan’s murder raises fear of crime on the Seneca Nation
By Staff Reporter November 3, 2025 – Salamanca, NY — In the quiet streets of Salamanca, a city uniquely straddled across the Seneca Nation of Indians‘ territory in western New York, the…
-
Did Oren Lyons play a role in the 1999 murder of Onondaga political dissident Ronald Jones?
Many Onondagas still suspect Oren Lyons played a role in fomenting the political climate that led to the 1999 murder of dissident Ronald “Burning Sky” Jones Sr. By Staff Reporter SYRACUSE, N.Y.…
-
Paula Hemlock calls for the removal of Sid Hill as Tadodaho, the most senior Chief of the Haudenosaunee
By Indian Affairs Correspondent October 23, 2025 — In a bold and vocal challenge to the leadership of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy—also known as the Iroquois Confederacy—a prominent Onondaga activist has demanded the…
-
Editorial Board: Poloncarz should give old stadium to the Senecas, rather than fund $40 million demolition
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Rather than funding a $40 million demolition of the old Buffalo Bills stadium — to accommodate a surface parking lot that will only be used eight days a year —…
-
Poloncarz may allow Senecas to repurpose old Bills Stadium for lacrosse rather than fund demolition
(January 7, 2022) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is considering adaptive reuse possibilities for the current Bills Stadium once a new stadium is constructed, whether in Orchard Park or near downtown…
-
Seneca Nation issues RFP for economic analysis of a Haudenosaunee Sports Center
The Seneca Nation was awarded funding from the Department of the Interior, BIA Office of Indian Economic Development, Tribal Tourism Grant Program to conduct a professional Economic Feasibility Study including Pro-forma/Market Analysis…
-
Amicus Briefs filed to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act in Brackeen v. Haaland
On Friday, 180 tribal nations and 35 Native organizations, 25 states and the District of Columbia, and Casey Family Programs and 10 child welfare and adoption organizations filed briefs to protect the…
