More than a thousand years ago, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was established on the shore of Onondaga Lake, bringing together the Five Nations, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga and Seneca. In 1712, the Tuscarora made it Six Nations.
The Haudenosaunee central prayer, the Thanksgiving Address, reflects their gratitude for life and the world around us. The Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois) open and close every social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address. It’s also said as a daily sunrise prayer.
This single simple prayer is so important to the Six Nations that it’s often described as “Words Before All Else.”
In simple and direct language, the prayer praises nature, honors the wisdom of elders and calls for unity and peace.
For instance, here’s how the prayer praises the four winds:
“Greetings to the natural world!
“We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.
“Now our minds are one.”
Willow Bay gathering
The Thanksgiving Prayer’s message is especially hopeful in the face of stark divisions currently plaguing the American people. The ancient anthem embraces all people everywhere as family. Diversity, like all wonders of nature, is truly a gift for which we should all be thankful.
At 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 24, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation and Onondaga citizens will gather at Willow Bay on the north shore of Onondaga Lake to express thanks for the goodness of the earth and to each other for our ongoing friendship. The event is free and open to the public.
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a grassroots organization of Central New Yorkers who promote understanding of and respect for the Onondaga Nation as well as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and all indigenous peoples. This annual event is part of the group’s work for peace, healing, justice and environmental restoration, according to NOON spokesman Andy Mager.
“The gathering takes place on the shore of Onondaga Lake because that’s where the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was founded more than 1,000 years ago,” he said. “Despite significant efforts to clean up the lake, much work remains and NOON supports a much more thorough clean-up of the lake than is currently planned.”
For information, contact Mager at [email protected], or 559-7058.
Great Law of Peace
This month, the Onondaga Historical Association asks the community to #GivingThanks to support the Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center, at the old Ste. Marie Among the Iroquois site, 6680 Onondaga Lake Parkway. This campaign is in honor of Native American Heritage Month and will culminate on #GivingTuesday, Nov. 29. Contributions will help the center continue to share the stories of the Haudenosaunee.
The exhibits at Skä•noñh (pronounced SKA-no) are well worth your time. Most are augmented with audio and video which vividly explain the worldview and values of the People of the Long House.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 453-6767; skanonhcenter.org.
Uriah’s rises
Drinks, dinners and dance music are served up again at 7990 Oswego Road (Route 57), next door to Suburban Hardware in Clay, where at least eight different restaurants have opened and closed over the years.
Now known as Uriah’s — the middle name of co-owner Jason Rieth — the new restaurant boasts three talented chefs and a big banquet room.
Rieth and his partner Greg Hacker are going the extra mile to make the place family-friendly. They’re also catering to nighthawks by presenting live music.
Songwriter Greg Hoover will host an open mic at Uriah’s at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, and the versatile rock trio Hold the Air perform from 9 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Nov. 25; 622 2250.
Name changes
How many of these clubs do you remember at that location? Dublins lasted from 2014 to 2016. Meghan MacMurphy’s from 2005 to 2013. Kelly Cole’s opened around 2000 and closed in 2005.
Before that it was called Jagger’s Bar & Grill, Baha Beach Club, and years before the Gin Mill, Salt City Diner and the Other Side.
The columnist can be contacted at [email protected].
