Chief Spencer Lyons
Diane Schenandoah ’11, Honwadiyenawa’sek (“One who helps them”), will host a Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle on Monday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 5 p.m.
The Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering is an event held on campus to welcome all incoming and returning students, faculty and staff for the 2025-26 academic year, and for all to show respect for the Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands Syracuse University now stands. Schenandoah is a citizen of the Oneida Nation and a Wolf Clan Faithkeeper, as well as staff member in the Barnes Center. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy is comprised of Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.
This year’s speaker is Chief Spencer Ohsgoñ:da’ Lyons, a traditional Hodinoñhsyoñ:nih (Haudenosaunee) born to the Onondaga Hawk clan and raised in the central fire of the confederacy. In 2019, he was chosen by his clan to serve as Hoyane (chief). Chief Lyons also serves on the Onondaga Nation Council and he is currently working with the Hodinoñhsyoñ:nih Environmental Task Force. He also consults with the Hodinoñhsyoñ:nih External Relations Committee on behalf of the Onondaga Nation Council.
Born and raised within the traditional and cultural life ways of the Hodinoñhsyo:nih, he continues to apply and enact those teachings in his everyday life by gardening, hunting, fishing and gathering with both modern and traditional methods. Lyons also promotes and supports those teachings within his community as well as with those who would be allies to the Great Law of Peace and the Hodinoñhsyoñ:nih Confederacy, always with the next seven generations in mind.
“This land is sacred. We welcome visitors to be part of this sacred place. Part of our teaching is that no one can own the land, so it’s important to remember that Syracuse University is part of a much bigger picture,” says Schenandoah. “It’s important to acknowledge and recognize that there are Indigenous peoples still here and we are standing in the capital of the Haudenosaunee territory.”
At the gathering, speakers and dancers will welcome a new academic year. Hot scones and strawberry drink will be offered. The hot scones are derived from traditional breads and the strawberry drink consists of strawberries, maple syrup and water. “This is significant because strawberries are the leaders of the plants and maples are the leaders of the trees. In this way we honor them,” says Schenandoah.
Schenandoah encourages students, faculty and staff to participate in the Haudenosaunee Welcome Gathering. “We are sharing our culture because the Earth is calling to us to pay attention, we require collective healing, and most importantly, we are inviting our community to live in gratitude,” she says.
For more information on this and other Hendricks Chapel programs and services visit chapel.syracuse.edu.
