Alicia Hoppes

Here First

The Erie Canal cuts through the heart of the Haudenosaunee homeland and inspired one of the many illegal land grabs that changed life forever for upstate New York’s first inhabitants. But the Haudenosaunee remain, enriching upstate New York communities while fighting to retain their land and their traditions.

Bald eagles take up to four years to start growing their iconic white head and tail feathers. February 26 2025, Syracuse NY. Photo by Maddi Jane Brown.

The return of the eagles

Story by Sofia Abdullina

After white settlers turned Onondaga Lake into one of the most polluted in the nation, something remarkable happened: the eagles returned.

A Oneida Indian Nation flag on display at the Mary C. Winder Community Center in Oneida, New York.

An American triumph; an Indigenous tragedy

Story by Ankit Bandyopadhyay

During the Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary, Indigenous community members look at its creation as a source of generational trauma.

Illustration depicts Native Americans as they work among longhouses at various tasks in an unidentified Iroquois village.

Here first. Here now.

Story by Jana Seal

The Haudenosaunee were ready to live alongside settlers. The illegal seizing of their land for the Canal showed the settlers’ intention.

An organic farm stand. Boxes of yellow and green courgettes.

It starts with the seeds

Story by Ellie Rockoff

From Three Sisters to crop rotation to seed preservation, Haudenosaunee farmers continue to share their wisdom.

Beading Wolves founder Mary Homer stands outside the Mary C. Winder Community Center in Oneida, New York, where she regularly designs and produces her fashion and jewelry lines.

Haudenosaunee culture, today’s couture

Story by Manaswini Pillai

Designer and entrepreneur Mary Homer uses fashion to spotlight Indigenous voices and culture.