The Native Landscape Of The William Seneca Administration Building
The landscape surrounding the William Seneca Administration Building has been redesigned to accurately reflect the history of the Seneca Nation. It now serves as a living narrative of Seneca culture and, importantly, demonstrates the universal connection all people share with the land and its role in promoting health.
Historically, the predominant native landscape of Western New York consisted of deciduous hardwood forests, including Oaks, Red & Sugar Maples, Elms, Tulip Trees, and Dogwoods. The forest floor was a vibrant tapestry of native shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses, essential to Seneca life. Within this natural ecosystem, both shelter and abundant nourishment were found, underscoring how organic, pesticide-free environments support overall and gut health through a rich, diverse microbiome fostered by native plants.
By re-imagining the face of the Administration Building, we have taken a step towards creating a landscape that highlights the wealth of the forest, celebrates Seneca history, and illustrates how a balanced, organic ecosystem benefits everyone’s health.
Careful consideration has been given to selecting plants that hold cultural significance to the Seneca people. These indigenous plants historically provided materials for shelters and longhouses and supplied food, medicine, fiber, dyes, and ceremonial uses—all central to both physical and gut health.
Sweetgrass
This native perennial grass has significant cultural ties to Native North American or First Nation peoples and contributes positively to the biodiversity necessary for a thriving, healthy ecosystem.
New Native Plant Policy
[Seneca Nation – Native Plantings Policy PDF]
In March of 2014, the Seneca Nation’s Tribal Council unanimously approved a policy ensuring new landscape plantings in public spaces on Seneca lands consist exclusively of local indigenous species. This landmark policy promotes organic, natural cultivation methods without pesticides, positively impacting environmental and human health, including gut health. Supported by the dedicated work of Food Is Our Medicine’s Community Garden Committee, Youth Committee, and Elders’ Circle members:
- Non-indigenous Norway Maple trees are being removed
- Native Sugar Maples are replanted in their place
- The newly constructed Roundabout at HWY# 5 and #20, Irving NY features indigenous flora
Around the Cattaraugus Territory’s William Seneca Administration Building, all non-native species have been replaced with 446 native trees and shrubs, representing a minimum of 25 different indigenous species.
Why is this new planting policy important? No other U.S. Native tribe has formally enacted an indigenous plant policy. By doing so, the Seneca Nation has demonstrated its commitment to restoring native plant species—an initiative beneficial to all communities seeking sustainable, pesticide-free environments and improved gut and overall health. This policy sets a standard for other communities aiming to reconnect with traditional knowledge and practices that enhance wellness and environmental stewardship.
It may seem that cultivating indigenous species is far removed from achieving food sovereignty, but the two are inherently connected. For millennia, Native peoples—including the Seneca—lived harmoniously with the land, relying on natural, organic cycles that promoted gut health and overall vitality. In recent centuries, this bond has been disrupted, and many people today no longer look to the earth as a source of strength and nourishment. The new planting policy enables all Seneca and non-Seneca individuals to embrace ancestral wisdom, improve gut health, and enhance overall well-being by fostering sustainable, organic, indigenous plant-based ecosystems.
Through this innovative planting policy, the Seneca Nation has significantly advanced the preservation of cultural traditions, community health, and ecological integrity—goals that universally benefit all people.