Seneca Historic Photo Collection Project

FAIN: PY-234482-16

Seneca Nation of Indians (Salamanca, NY 14779-0231)
Tami Watt (Project Director: June 2015 to November 2019)

In a multi-departmental collaboration lead by their Media and Communications Center, the Seneca Nation of Indians will coordinate the digitization and cataloguing of historic photographs, prints, and audio-visual materials at community events throughout western New York State, including the March of the Nation, the Marvin Joe Curry Veterans Pow Wow, and the Cornplanter Descendants Reunion. With the Nations’ knowledgeable elder population dwindling and in recognition of significant visual gaps in the historic narrative, the project aims to preserve history and produce community-driven content while also creating stronger relationships among community members and fostering collaborations. The resulting collection of digitized media will be exhibited at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum to promote community dialogue and interest in stewardship and history.

Native American communities traditionally rely on community activities for sharing of their cultural heritage and history. The Seneca Nation of Indians, in a multidepartment collaboration lead by the Media and Communications Center, will collect historic community photos. A digitization team will coordinate collection booths at community events throughout the year with digitization and cataloguing commencing on site during the events. The Seneca Nation of Indians finds great value in collecting and preserving visual records for the community, as each year there are fewer elders who lived during significant events in Seneca history. The collection will be exhibited at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum with the goal of promoting participants and the whole community as stewards of the Seneca Nation’s history. In the spirit of conversation based programming, this project will spark community dialogue and interest in history and stewardship.