RahθeØkyeháh 2014 · designate where you were fishing. The fishing was best after darkness settled in. To reserve or ‘hold’ a particular dock for my father, who came down when

RahθeØkyeháh 2014

Page 2 Skaru:ręØ Monthly, September 2014

Volume 5, Issue 8

September 2014 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 Noah Point, Assistant Director TUSCARORA ENVIRONMENT

PROGRAM (TEP)

Neil Patterson, Jr. Director [email protected]

Rene Rickard, Office Administrator [email protected]

Bryan Printup, GIS/Planning [email protected]

Patti Fischer, Habitat Restoration [email protected] 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 Office. You can submit articles, artwork, photographs, editorials

and letters of admiration to:

SKARU:RE MONTHLY c/o: Tuscarora Environment

5226E Walmore Road Tuscarora Nation

Lewiston, NY 14092 Or call: #716.264.6011

www.tuscaroraenvironment.com

or our Facebook page

“Tuscarora Environment”

October 4, 2014 - First Peoples’ Festival, DeWitt Park, Ithaca, NY. FREE. 10am-5pm. Sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center and is

part of the annual Apple Harvest Festival. The event is featuring the

Akwesasne Women Singers. FMI: www.multicultural-resource.org

October 18, 2014 - Tuscarora Community Fair, Tuscarora Health and

Community Center, Tuscarora Nation. FREE. 12pm- Fair Opens; 1pm-TEP Corn Braiding Challenge; 5pm-Dinner Starts ($6/adults; $4/seniors;

$2/under 12yrs old); 7pm-Fair Auction starts. Interested in a table?

Contact Dorothy Chew for booths only, #523.0388. FMI: contact your

clanmother for more info or how to help out and volunteer.

October 18, 2014 - Native American Arts & Cultural Festival, Sanford Field House, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY. FREE. 9:30am-5:00pm.

Artist Demonstrations include lacrosse stick making, silverwork, antler

carving and more. Performances include Ayazamana, Dan Hill,

Haudenosaunee Singers & Dancers and Martha Redbone Roots Project.

FMI: #315.228.7184 or Carol Lorenz, [email protected].

October 21-22, 2014 - ‘Champions for Change’ Indigenous Education

Conference, Six Nations Polytechnic, Oshweken, ON. This 2nd annual

conference will profile Success in Indigenous Education with Honourable

Justice Gethin B. Edward, Dr. Lui K. Hokoana and Dr. Lori V. Quigley with a welcome message by Rebecca Jamieson. A showcase presentation

will include Herbie Barnes and Rick Hill to deliver two stunning

theatrical performances showcasing Indigenous life in two worlds. FMI:

www.snpolytechnic.com or Valerie O’Brien, #519.445.0023 ext. 236.

November 13-15, 2014 - AISES National Conference, Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center, Orlando, FL. The conference has become

the premier event for Native American science, engineering and math

professionals and students attracting over 1,600 attendees from across Indian country. Keynote speakers include Notah Begay III and John

Herrington. FMI: www.aises.org/conference.

Braids of Tuscarora corn hanging in our Office’s makeshift “barn.” This

fall we will be having our husking

bee at the Old Gym the week

following Community Fair, starting October 20th.


The Challenge: Given 60 ears of unhusked corn, a two person team will husk, clean and braid

a 30-ear braid of corn.

The winning team will be awarded a “Corn Basket” based on multiple components including best time, appearance, and strength.

*The teams may keep the remaining corn (30 ears) but it must be braided first.

Up to the Challenge?

Contact the TEP office at 264-6011 to enter

your two person team. You may bring your

own tools (loppers, spray bottle, knife, etc.)

or use TEP’s.

Entry deadline: Friday,

October 17, 2014 4:00 PM

Tuscarora Community Fair

Saturday, October 18, 2014

1:00pm - Outside the Senior’s Room


LEFT: Carrie and Frank

Farnham home on Moyer

Road before 1945.

LEFT: Printup family. Circa

1950s. Front row (l-r): Alvin

and Minnie.

S ometime towards the end of April, when the danger of rock slides from

the melting snows had ceased, this

seemed to signal the start of spear fishing

in the Niagara River.

About three-quarters of a mile from

Lewiston, we came to the most productive ‘docks’, or individual spots from which to

spear fish [along the Niagara River].

These ‘spots’ were referred to as the ‘boiler docks.’ The name stems from this

location at the start of the rapids, where

the water boils up close to shore and the

fish love to swim through the boiling action.

There were eight to ten docks in this area. Each year, being the first to fish here, we

had to rebuild the docks that were

damaged by erosion, high water and ice coming down the river. We would use

rocks to support a couple railroad ties

along the edge of the fast moving water.

After re-positioning rocks to form an

underwater wall six inches high and create

a channel passageway bringing the fish closer to shore, we would haul bags of red

shale to line the bottom of the channel.

This enabled you to see the fish much

better down in the three feet deep water.

Familiar names come to mind such as

long dock, rail, little boiler, big boiler, Belan’s hole and stump dock. These

names were given to the docks to

designate where you were fishing. The fishing was best after darkness settled in.

To reserve or ‘hold’ a particular dock for

my father, who came down when he got

off work at four-thirty, I was taken to Lewiston early in the morning.

* Excerpt from the memoir of Loren Greene, “Growing an Indian”. A true

account of his early life growing up on the

Tuscarora Nation in the late 1920s, early 1930s.

By Bryan Printup

RIGHT: 1906.

Hiram Green.

Spear Fishing along

The Niagara River


M any homeowners and renters don’t actually know where

their waste water goes once the toilet

is flushed or the kitchen sink is

emptied. Let’s put it out there, your wastewater goes somewhere and it is

called a septic system, which as a

homeowner you are responsible for the proper function and maintenance

of this septic system. If you are

lucky, you might know where the septic system is located in your yard

and better yet, how long it’s been

there.

What is a Septic System

Well the official term used is “a small scale sewage treatment system

or onsite sewage facility.” The

purpose of a septic system is to treat wastewater that leaves the household

plumbing from toilets, bathrooms,

kitchen drains and laundry. There are

two different types of systems: an underground conventional septic

system and an above-ground mound

system. Before designing/choosing the system a test is done (by a

qualified inspector) to identify the

soil type; depth to bedrock; and the

height of the water table.

Under-ground System

Today under-ground conventional

septic systems are typically installed

when the soil and bedrock conditions are optimal. So what does that

mean? Well the soil needs to be able

to handle and treat the waste water

which means there must be minimal clay or sand depth; and the bedrock

must be at least 6 feet or deeper to

protect contamination of the groundwater.

This conventional septic system is comprised of a septic tank, typically

made of concrete to collect and hold

the solids and liquids long enough to

allow solids to settle to the bottom of the tank to form sludge. During this

process lighter stuff like oils and

grease will float to the top of the tank. The tank will have a baffle,

which moves the liquids at a steady

rate to the drainfield with an outlet so

that the solids, sludge and oils don’t move into the drain field. The next

component to the system is the d-box

(distribution box), located between the septic tank and

the drain field. The purpose of the d-box is to distribute the liquids evenly

through the drainfield ensuring that

one area is not getting too much

liquid. Lastly, the liquid is then sent to the drainfield. This is where the

water is percolated through the soil

naturally removing harmful coliform bacteria and viruses.

The good things about an under-ground septic system is there is no

large mound in your yard; and it’s

less costly when it comes to installation and maintenance. The

bad thing about an underground

septic system is it can go for years

without any indication that the system is failing and polluting the

groundwater.

Above-ground System

An above-ground mound system is a

different type of system that Indian

Health Service (IHS) has been

installing at homes on the territory.

Though this system is more costly to

install and maintain, it is actually a

better system to use around

communities who depend on

groundwater as their primary source

By Rene Rickard

LEFT: An example of

an under-ground

septic system,

explaining the

components of the system.

RIGHT: This

example of an above

-ground septic

system includes a

pump and a notification system

to warn homeowners

of a failing system.

Continue to page 7


B ack in the fall of 2012, Bubs, Katie and I attended a

Pollinator Conservation course at

the USDA NRCS Big Flats Plant

Materials Center in Big Flats, NY. We were expecting to learn how to

become honey bee keepers but to

our surprise, we were educated on wild pollinators, with a focus on

wild bees.

Eric Mader, National Pollinator

Outreach Coordinator of the Xerces

Society was one of the presenters at

this course. His knowledge and enthusiasm was clearly evident as

he offered information on the

habitat and culture of native bees; how to tell the difference between

bees and wasps; and that 99% of the

pollinators in the United States and Canada are insects. Of the many

native bee

species

found throughout

the

continent, New York

alone has

over 100 native bee species!

We also learned how specific plants

have their own particular bees.

While Polylectic bees will gather pollen from many plants, oligolectic

bees will collect their pollen from

just a few kinds of flowers and monolectic bees from only one.

(Shepherd, Buchmann, Vaughan, &

Hoffman-Black, 2003) This means

a specific plant species is pollinated

more efficiently because the native bee is only going from flower to

flower of that same species, resulting

in larger and more abundant fruit.

There are several advantages of

native bee behavior over honey bees.

Less native bees are needed to pollinate the same area than imported

honey bees. For example, only 250

female orchard mason bees are required to effectively pollinate an

acre of apples where as

approximately 15,000 to 20,000

honey bees would be needed to perform the same task. Buzz

pollination, where the bee grabs onto

a flower’s stamen and vibrates its flight muscles releasing a burst of

pollen from deep pores in the anther,

is highly beneficial for the cross-pollination of tomatoes, peppers,

cranberries, and blueberries. And

finally, many native bees such as

mason and bumble bees, will forage in colder and wetter conditions than

honey bees.

It’s quite easy to promote habitat to

increase native bee populations.

Three critical requirements of native

bees are food, shelter and protection from pesticides. Bee food is the

pollen and nectar found in flowers,

so provide blooming native plants throughout the growing season.

Whether the bee is of a solitary or

social species, their nesting site will reflect this nature. Solitary native

species are wood-nesting (soft-pithed

twigs or beetle tunnels in standing

dead trees) or ground-nesting

(tunnels under bare ground) bees. Whereas social bees (ie. bumble

bees) are cavity-nesting species and

will make use of small spaces such as

abandoned rodent burrows. Although insect/weed control in a garden or

yard may seem important, remember

that insecticides are deadly to bees and herbicides may remove many of

the flowers needed for food.

Bees are our friends. How else would we have all the wonderful fruits and

vegetables we enjoy on a daily basis

if not for the wonderful pollinating

job they do? These few facts are only a small portion of the

information available on native bees.

“The Pollinator Conservation Handbook,” from The Xerces Society

provides in-depth detail and data

about understanding, protecting and

providing habitat for native pollinator insects. For additional information

check out their website:

www.xerces.org/poll/index.htm.

Pollinator Conservation:

Native Bees

&

Honey Bees

Word List: Bee - ruØtáhkę

Hive - ruØtáhkę yetihúØsthaØ Hornet’s nest - katyáØthas It flies - neká:ØnęØ Blossoms, many flowers - yuçiØçihskêheØ

By Patti Fischer

ABOVE: The Squash bee, a monolectic

bee that pollinates squash and pumpkins.


of water because the system has

alarms in place if it is not operating

correctly. The primary reasons an

above-ground septic system would

be installed are:

If there is less than 6 feet of

bedrock;

If there was a high water table in

the past;

And there is a presence of clay at

the site.

The mound system has a septic tank

that is buried underground, and a

drainfield. It differs from the under-

ground system because of a pump

chamber, that moves the liquids to

the drainfield via an additional

chamber. The chamber has sensors

and when the liquid level reaches a

certain level the pump is triggered

and it will release it into the

drainfield. The most noticeable

difference from under-ground

systems is that the drainfield is either

semi- or completely above ground

and allows percolation through the

mound, naturally removing harmful

coliform bacteria and viruses.

The good thing about a mound

system is that when the system is not

working the homeowner knows

immediately by an alarm and it

protects ground water. The bad is

that it is more costly to install and

maintain. The ugly is that for some

homeowners they don’t want to see

that huge mound in their backyard.

For more information about septic

systems check out the U.S. EPA

website. Or stop by our TEP office

for a copy of the “Residential Septic

System Handbook.”

We now have a full-time position open at

our TEP office for an environmental

technician starting immediately.

Qualifications:

B.S. in Environmental Sciences or

related field is desired

Be willing to work outside and within the Tuscarora community

Native American applicant preferred

The position is 40-hrs a week, full-time

with benefits. Salary is commensurate on

experience. Staff member works

independently to prioritize and complete

assigned tasks. Assignments are

periodically checked for progress by the

direct supervisor.

Please submit your CV and/or resume to

the TEP office until the position is filled:

Rene Rickard

Office Administrator

5226E Walmore Road

Lewiston, NY 14092

If you have additional questions please

call our office at: 716.264.6011.

Continued from page 5

Skaru:rèØ Monthly Tuscarora Environment Office 5226E Walmore Road Tuscarora Nation Lewiston, NY 14092

Skaru:rèØ Resident

Did You Know . . .

Each winter the deer lose their antlers, after the autumn rut. This is one of the

differences between cervids (deer) and bovids (cattle, sheep, antelope, etc.).

Deer have antlers, which are made entirely of bone, and are shed and regrown

each year, getting larger each time. Bovids have horns, which are permanent

structures with a bony core covered by a keratin sheath. In many bovid species,

both males and females have horns, but

only male deer have antlers. The single

exception to this is the reindeer (called

caribou in North America), in which

females as well as males have antlers.

Bury the hatchet is an English idiom meaning “to make peace.” The phrase

is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the

tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by the Haudenosaunee,

specifically concerning the formation of the

Confederacy. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace. The first mention of the

practice in English is to an actual hatchet-burying

ceremony. Years before he gained notoriety for

presiding over the Salem witch trials, Samuel Sewall

wrote in 1680, “I writ to you in one [letter] of the

Mischief the Mohawks did; which occasioned Major

Pynchon’s goeing to Albany, where meeting with the

Sachem the[y] came to an agreement and buried two

Axes in the Ground; one for English another for

themselves; which ceremony to them is more

significant & binding than all Articles of Peace[,] the

hatchet being a principal weapon with them.”

The Calvatia gigantea is also known as the Giant

Puffball, a mushroom with a white, fleshy interior

typically found in meadows and grasslands. The

puffball is a saprotroph, meaning it feeds on dead

organic matter. Yes, Giant puffball mushrooms are edible but there are two main concerns with

harvesting them: correctly identifying the

mushroom and picking it at the right age. Correct

identification is crucial. If you think you’ve found

a giant puffball the first thing to do is cut it open. It

should have thick, hard, white flesh inside. Don’t

eat anything with a brown, black, purple or yellow

interior. It

may be an

earth ball or

some other

gastric distressing

inducing

mushroom.

Documents

RahθeØkyeháh 2014 · designate where you were fishing. The fishing was best after darkness settled in. To reserve or ‘hold’ a particular dock for my father, who came down when