Members of the Seneca Nation of Indians mourned past losses of homeland and commemorated their resilience as a people during a walk today along old Route 280 in Steamburg.
The event came as a remembrance of an episode nearly 50 years ago, when Senecas were forced to leave their lands in the Allegany Territory.
"Those Seneca who lived through the removal, those who watched their houses burn to the ground - they experienced trauma and heartbreak that no doubt nearly broke their spirit," said Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter, in an address at the Steamburg Community Center, according to a release from the Seneca Nation.
The Senecas mourn the 1960s as a time of loss of territory in the Allegany area, due to the construction of the Kinzua Dam. The nation's release stated that 600 people were forced to move from their homes and properties.
The commemorative walk is an annual event.