President Donald Trump declares the immediate renaming of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ amid a trade dispute with Canada, drawing criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" amid a trade war with Canada, the leader of Seneca Nation of Indians asked him to reverse it.
Calling Trump's order "unpresidential," President J. Conrad Seneca on Friday wrote, "The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action. His order should be rescinded, and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake."
Seneca explained that the lake derived its name from indigenous roots.
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President Donald Trump signs an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. (Getty Images)
"In our traditional Seneca language, its name is sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning ‘beautiful lake,’" he wrote in a message shared in the nation’s newsletter.
"Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy."
He added that to the people of Seneca Nation, Lake America is not a "political pawn" but rather land that indigenous people have lived on for thousands of years.
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"The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world," Seneca argued. "His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable."
He noted that President George Washington signed a treaty with several nations, including the Seneca, in 1794 "promising to live in peace and friendship with one another."
"The United States also promised our people the free use and enjoyment of our lands forever," Seneca said. "President Trump’s aggression toward our culture with his Executive Order violates that peace, friendship and commitments of the Canandaigua treaty.
Seneca Nation of Indians President J. Conrad Seneca makes an announcement last year. (Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
"This is the latest in a long history of willful attempts to disregard the United States’ commitments to the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations," he continued. "President Trump needs to be reminded of those commitments."
