St. Bonaventure sits on the historic homeland of the Onödowa’ga:’ (Seneca), just a few miles from the eastern edge of the Seneca Nation’s Allegany Territory.
In the fall of 2023, the Seneca Nation Council approved joining a committee of university faculty, staff, students and administrators to deepen their shared connections and address the needs of the Nation, while also improving the education and richness of the experience for all members of the St. Bonaventure community.
In February 2024, leaders of the Nation and St. Bonaventure community met for the first time to rekindle their relationship in a much more intentional way. Odie Porter, a Seneca Nation councilor, said the collaboration was about "polishing the chain of friendship,” referring to a centuries-old metaphor about renewing relationships with Indigenous people.
The committee’s specific focus will be to explore and develop strategies in the following areas:
Land Acknowledgement
When the university and our neighbors in the Seneca Nation formed a committee to deepen their bonds of friendship, 's first commitment was to formally acknowledge the land upon which this university sits. At a pregame ceremony before a Bonnies basketball game on Feb. 9, 2025, the university unveiled the statement publicly for the first time (see video below).
Indigenous Student Confederacy
Founded by three Native American students in 2024, the Indigenous Student Confederacy at St. Bonaventure is dedicated to fostering awareness, understanding, and appreciation of Indigenous cultures and communities within our university. Our goal is to create a welcoming and supportive environment where Indigenous students can thrive and share their rich heritage with the broader campus community.
Join us in our mission to organize engaging events and offer valuable learning opportunities that highlight Native experiences and Indigenous issues. We are passionate about increasing the visibility of Indigenous voices at St. Bonaventure and making our campus a place for everyone.
Seneca artist to receive honorary degree
Artist Carson Waterman will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts during St. Bonaventure's 165th Commencement ceremony May 18. Waterman has been a cultural icon in the Seneca Nation since 1975 when he joined the staff at the newly opened Seneca Iroquois National Museum on the Allegany Reservation in Salamanca
“Carson is one of the most significant artists Western New York has ever produced, and I’ve come to appreciate over the last two years how revered he is in the Seneca Nation,” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, university president. “His life has been committed to keeping alive, forever, the beauty and legacy of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee people though his art.”
Read more on Waterman's iconic career.