Sacred Land

A powerful meeting, with themes of unity and unifying, took place last Thursday in Clinton. A gift of 30 acres from Liseli Haines of Clinton was presented to Oneida women from the three Oneida communities in New York, Wisconsin and Canada. The Oneida people once owned the land on Austin Road; however, due to "centuries of the U.S. government’s removal and impacts of colonization," a press release stated, their traditional homeland in Clinton was lost. At the beginning of the returning ceremony, an emotional traditional reading took place, spoken in the Oneida language. "I know our ancestors are watching over us, and it's a dream come true for them and us," Elder Otatdodah Homer said at the land-returning event. Gifts were presented by the Oneida women to Haines and vise versa. A traditional dance on the sacred land took place to conclude the ceremony.