Seneca Nation criticizes Trump's ‘Lake America’ executive order
Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca is criticizing President Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America'. The tribe argues the move violates a 1794 treaty and disrespects the Indigenous history of the region.
Why it matters
The dispute underscores the intersection of political posturing, international trade tensions, and the protection of Indigenous cultural heritage.
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The leader of the Seneca Nation in upstate New York is criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” saying it violates a more than 225-year-old treaty and shows a “blatant disrespect” for the Indigenous people who gave it its name in the first place.
Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca on Friday called for Trump’s order to be rescinded and for the Lake Ontario name to remain as a reflection of the Indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada who lived in territory around and along the lake long before the creation of either nation.
“The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action,” he said in a statement.
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