Ne'Ho Niyo' Dë:Nö' = That's What It Was Like

Knowledge of the Seneca Nation is preserved in this compilation of oral histories from sixty-one tribal elders and is a valuable historical and cultural resource. The grant-funded Seneca Nation Curriculum Development Project gave the Seneca Nation Education Department opportunity to produce this rare print resource that preserves, teaches, and conveys Seneca history from Seneca perspective. The main purpose for this book was for teachers and students to use and read in schools on and around the nine Seneca reservations. Most of the elders interviewed were born early in the 20th century. Their stories tell the rich tapestry of life as Haudenosaunee people whose lives were affected by government or parochial boarding schools and language loss. All sixty-one spoke about the sadness of unlearning Seneca to accept English instruction and use, and how those experiences affected their descendants. Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, and Onondaga words and phrases are transcribed throughout the text. Perhaps these stories inspire Seneca language revitalization efforts today.