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When Ionah Scully went home to their native community in Alberta, Canada, they felt at home and “never wanted to leave.” Immersed in their people’s language and traditions, they said the daily pain they felt from their chronic illnesses seemed to go away for a second.

“I want that for all Indigenous peoples — access to land-based healings and our cultures and languages,” said Scully. “But capitalism and colonialism make that hard for many.”

Scully spoke at the Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Celebrate and Refocus on Onondaga Land event, which local groups hosted at Everson Museum on Monday. The event celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which President Joe Biden’s administration first acknowledged in 2021.

The celebration was in partnership with Central New York Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage (WISH-CNY) and the Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON), and included sponsors such as Black Artist Collective, SU Native Student Program and the Syracuse Peace Council.

Aside from a series of speeches, the event included Haudenosaunee dance shows and booths for Indigenous vendors selling items including beaded jewelry and woven bags.

Scully is a co-founder of the Resilient Indigenous Action Collective, which hosted a booth carrying pamphlets and mission statements for Indigenous people interested in joining the group. The main concern the group highlighted was the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue at Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse.

“Don’t think of activism as only fighting with other people to take down the Columbus statue, but as an action to create and build a space for our people to thrive,” Scully said.

Communities outside of the Haudenosaunee also attended the event and demanded for the removal of the statue. Alice “Queen” Olom, co-founder of the Black Artist Collective, said the group is in “complete and total solidarity” with the Onondaga people in their efforts.

“Indigenous peoples are the original peoples of this land and deserve to have land,” said Olom. “Living on it free of conditions, stipulation and restriction.”

Representatives from event hosts NOON and WISH-CNY were also present to discuss recent pieces of progress and efforts happening in Syracuse.

Sue Eiholzer, a co-founder of NOON, spoke to the audience about the organization’s start over 20 years ago. She said she hopes the efforts NOON made over the years contributed to the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day.

NOON currently produces a newsletter with a circulation of almost 3,000 people, Eiholzer said. The organization hopes outreach efforts like the newsletter have led to more awareness around the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across the country. NOON has also worked in conjunction with the Indigenous community on local environmental issues including the pollution of Onondaga Lake and the Tully Mud Boils.

Hilary-Anne “Hil” Coppola spoke on behalf of WISH-CNY, and rejected the “false history” of Christopher Columbus being an admirable figure for the Italian people.

Coppola also directly called out the Columbus Monument Corporation, which issued a lawsuit against Mayor Walsh for his efforts to remove the Columbus statue. Judges have delayed and denied the process of removal, but Coppola said WISH-CNY and its allies hope to receive a resolution after Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“We wish to continue to resist the false history produced as part of the oppression by white supremacy and colonization,” said Coppola. “We want to continue engaging in education, community outreach and solidarity action.”

Published on October 11, 2022 at 2:30 am

Contact Grace: gdkatz@syr.edu