A few years ago I was sitting in the Longhouse when it was announced that the new chancellor for Syracuse University was going to visit. I was very eager to hear what she wanted to say. I knew that while at the University of Illinois, Chancellor Cantor worked to change their mascot- Chief Illini. I was curious to hear her plans for Syracuse University.
At the longhouse we discussed the rich history of the Onondaga and the Haudenosaunee. The Chancellor stated that saw the University as a tool to promote change and growth between our two cultures. She promised to see this relationship develop.
At that time my daughter was in elementary school, her nose always in a book. We often found ourselves reminding her, before we all sat down to eat, or well after bedtime, or even anytime we wanted to talk to her to, “Put the book away.”
But she didn’t.
My wife and I proudly watched her continue to grow and learn as she finished her elementary schooling at the Onondaga Nation School then onto the LaFayette HS. All too soon it was time to look at colleges and just as quickly it seemed, the acceptance letters arrived in the mailbox. It eventually came down to two choices; Penn State (my alma mater) or Syracuse (my wife’s alma mater). The promise prevailed.
So this fall, the family loaded up the van and headed north on Interstate 81 to Syracuse University. As I carried crate after crate up to her new dorm room, I couldn’t help but reminisce about that that meeting in the Longhouse years ago. Now my daughter is a part of that exchange between our two cultures and we couldn’t be prouder.
Da•ne’thoh,
Dehowähda·dih