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Canandaigua Marks A Treaty Anniversary

Ganondagan.org

Monday marked the celebration of the 219th anniversary of the historic Canandaigua Treaty between the Six Nations Confederacy and the United States. That anniversary is always a cause for celebration in Canandaigua, but this year, there was an additional dedication, as a statue honoring the Seneca Indian nation was unveiled at South Main Street and Eastern Boulevard. The sculpture, cast in bronze by local artist Wayne Williams, depicts an Iroquois family.

Peter Jemison is the historic site manager at Ganondagan where Senecas lived hundreds of years ago in what is now the Town of Victor, and he sees this new statue as an important symbol.

"It is the city's attempt to recognize the history of their city, that this is within Seneca territory and I think this is Canandaigua's way of acknowledging that earlier history of that town and this area. "

On the annual Canandaigua Treaty day, both Native Americans and people from Canandaigua gather to remember a treaty that  they say brought peace between the Six Nations’ tribes and the fledgling United States.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.