SU completes 1st phase of Onondaga Art Installation on Quad
Francis Tang | Asst. Copy Editor
A temporary sign was also installed next to the site, which will be replaced later this year by commissioned artwork by Brandon Lazore, an Onondaga Nation artist.
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Syracuse University completed the first phase of a new Onondaga Art Installation on the southeast corner of the Quad.
Following the request by Indigenous students on campus, SU established the installation to permanently acknowledge the relationship between the Onondaga Nation and SU and the university’s presence on ancestral land, according to a Thursday SU News release.
Indigenous Students at Syracuse (ISAS), SU’s Native Student Program, Ongwehonwe Alumni Association and Haudenosaunee/Indigenous alumni representatives have led the installation.
The first phase of the installation includes a newly planted white pine, which symbolizes the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Surrounding the tree are five granite pillars on the site, which represent the five original nations of the confederacy: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca.
A temporary sign was also installed next to the site, which will be replaced later this year by commissioned artwork by Brandon Lazore, an Onondaga Nation artist. The university expects to hold a formal dedication and unveiling event in early 2022 after the artwork is installed, the release reads.
“I am excited and honored to be involved in this project,” Lazore said in the news release. “This is something that will be good for the community and for Indigenous people as a whole, not only in Syracuse but throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
On Oct. 8, President Joe Biden officially recognized Monday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to Columbus Day. SU’s Student Association passed a bill on Monday, officially acknowledging Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the first time.
“We are grateful for Syracuse University’s commitment to dedicating permanent space on campus to educate through this incredible Onondaga artwork by Brandon Lazore,” said Tadodaho Sidney Hill of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in the news release. “The collaboration between the university and the Onondaga Nation continues to be strengthened by the mutual demonstration of peace, friendship and respect.”
Published on October 14, 2021 at 5:48 pm
Contact Francis: btang05@syr.edu | @francis_towne
