"Before white settlers came to Onondaga Lake, before the city of Syracuse grew along its shore, before the pristine waters became one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States, it was a sacred place for the Onondaga Nation. Local officials aware of that history have expressed a desire to transfer a parcel of lakeshore land back to the Onondagas,"
"Onondaga Lake is revered as the place where a figure known as the Peacemaker, helped by Onondaga leader Hiawatha, brought the warring nations of Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Onondaga to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Many people believe the confederacy influenced the drafters of the U.S. Constitution. The nation eventually lost its foothold on the lake, which became polluted in the 19th and 20th centuries as industries dumped mercury, salt and other contaminants into the water."
Onondaga Lake holds deep spiritual significance as the site where the Peacemaker and Hiawatha helped form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Industrial pollution in the 19th and 20th centuries severely contaminated the lake with mercury, salt and other toxins, prompting long-term cleanup and restoration efforts that have improved water quality but still carry fish-consumption warnings. Local officials have sought to transfer a parcel of lakeshore back to the Onondaga Nation, but the proposed transfer has been stalled for 14 years by disagreements over taxes, cleanup obligations and recent disputes related to a nearby Columbus statue.
Read at Fortune
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