Proudly Flying the Six Nations

Siena's Sarazen Student Union proudly displays the flags of nations from which our international students hail, and where Siena students are studying abroad. Another nation's flag is now being added to the collection.

The Haudenosaunee ("People of the Longhouse"), often referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy or the Six Nations, represent a powerful and influential group of Indigenous peoples from North America. The purple Haudenosaunee flag features four connected white squares and rectangles with a white pine tree in the center. Each shape represents one of the original six nations reading left to right: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga (the tree), Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora.

The flag was featured in Siena's Unity Day celebration on April 4, and will now hang in the SSU. A framed statement acknowledging that the College sits on the traditional lands of the Mohican and Mohawk nations is also now displayed.

"It's important for the Siena community members to continue to learn from and work with Indigenous and Native peoples," said Davina Mayo-Dunham '20, MSW, assistant vice president for mission. "This commitment requires us to learn the injustices of displacement and forced assimilation and strive to honor their perspectives, language and culture. This flag is an integral part of the Siena community and should be honored to express gratitude to the native nations who continue to be the original caregivers of the ancestral land as they have been for generations."

Mayo-Dunham recalled that education about the Indigenous community was limited until recently. It wasn't until she started working at Siena that she got to meet Native students.

The Haudenoasunee flag's importance lies in representing the unity and strength of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The flag is a symbol of sovereignty, cultural heritage, community and a long-standing system of governance.

"Through working with these amazing students, I was fortunate enough to learn more about the culture. I recognized the importance of doing my own work to be informed, and that we as a nation and a community need to do a better job highlighting, learning about, and amplifying the Indigenous community."
Davina Mayo-Dunham '20, MSW, assistant vice president for mission