Ganondagan Celebrates 20th Annual Native American Winter Games

BY SUZIE WELLS

On Saturday, Feb 18, 2023, from 10am-4pm, with or without snow, the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan will celebrate winter and the Seneca ways through traditional Native American activities.

According to organizers, “During the long harsh winters in Western New York, the Seneca nestled in their bark longhouses to repair clothing, make tools, and prepare for the spring. Despite the winter weather, Senecas remained active throughout the season. Many of the winter activities that traditionally occupied them outdoors are still in practice today.” is free event welcomes the public to experience a variety of indoor and outdoor activities at the center and across the grounds. e Kindred Moon Kennels dog sled team will demonstrate racing, and Tuscarora demonstrator Belinda Patterson will show how the Seneca processed maple sap into sugar.

Snowshoe on the beautiful Ganondagan grounds or try Snowsnake, “a Haudenosaunee sport steeped in tradition.” Or try racing a snow boat down a snowy hills’ channels similar to today’s Pinewood Derbies. A few loaner boats will be available to try at the event, and plans and instructions are available on Ganondagan’s website for anyone interested in making your own to bring on the 18th.

Inside the center, join Ronnie Reitter of the Seneca, Wolf Clan for the traditional winter activity listening to Haudenosaunee stories at 12:30 and 3pm. Seneca Bill Crouse demonstrates and facilitates traditional games from 10:30am-12pm and again at 1:30-3pm.

From 10am-3:30pm check out the Gi of the White Tail Deer Learning Center, in which you’ll learn how the Seneca used every part of the white tail deer. Wasting nothing, they used the antlers, bones, sinew, hide, fur, hoofs, eyes, brains, and internal organs to create tools, jewelry, clothing, hair ornaments, cra ing notions, and more, as well as for food.

While you’re at the Winter Games, explore the Wampum Learning Center. And, of course, if you haven’t had the opportunity to see the award-winning short lm, the Iroquois Creation Story, or tour the Seneca Center’s Gallery, check them out throughout the day.

Visitors to Ganondagan may enjoy three marked trails of the state historical site from dawn to dusk year-round. Illustrated signs along the trails teach visitors about the signi cance of plant life to the Seneca as well as Haudenosaunee customs and beliefs. e Trail of Peace details bits of Seneca history and oral tradition. e Earth is Our Mother Trail identi es plants and explains their uses for the Seneca. At Fort Hill is the Granary Trail, where visitors relive a day in July 1867 through journal entries from the Denonville campaign, when a large e workshop on Onondowa’ga:’ : People of the Great Hill, gives educators a deeper understanding of the Hodinohso:ni’ Confederacy and the formation of the Six Nation’s League of the Iroquois, its clan systems, social life, stereotypes, and current issues. is workshop is highly interactive and most productive when participants o er questions prior to the workshop, organizers say.

French army attacked and destroyed Ganondagan. Or check out the self-guided Tree Tour or Medicine Walk. Download the tour directly to any GPS device. All trails are hikable year-round, though visitors should be cautious in icy and snowy conditions. Be on the lookout for animal tracks while hiking. Field guides to local animals, birds, and plants are available at the Center.

Year-round, the Seneca Art & Culture Center hosts school and community groups from across the region for a variety of workshops and educational experiences. Most common is the Life of the Seneca, featuring the formation of the Haudenosaunee culture, construction of the Bark Longhouse, and everyday life in the 1600s. Students immerse themselves in the longhouse life, making connections to life today.

In other workshops, Native American Interpreters tell traditional stories to educate and excite learners of all ages. For the youngest of visitors, A Bag of Stories workshop helps children experience the value of storytelling and make their very own felt storyteller’s pouch. In another available workshop, volunteers and sta show the importance of corn to the Seneca people and demonstrate uses of cornhusks. Visitors hear the story of e No Face Cornhusk Doll and construct their own doll. Still another tour focuses on the Hodinohso:ni’ Women, who selected their clans’ chiefs for centuries before American women won the vote. Virtual tours are available for groups too far to visit in person.

Check out the Winter Games on February 18th or stop by during their open hours. For more information, visit ganondagan.org or stop by Seneca Art & Culture Center, 7000 County Rd. 41, Victor, NY.

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