Professor Laurence Hauptman will speak at Seneca Art & Culture Center. Submitted photo
The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum and Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan will present Laurence Hauptman, Scholar of Seneca History and SUNY New Paltz Professor Emeritus at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 1, for a lecture titled, “Reflections on a 50-year Journey through Haudenosaunee Country: Major Insights Gained about the Six Nations,” at the Seneca Art & Culture Center, Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Rd. 41 (Boughton Hill Rd.), Victor, NY, 14564. Several of Prof. Hauptman’s books will be available for purchase at Ganondagan’s gift shop.
For fifty years, Professor Hauptman, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, has devoted his academic career to writing about the history of the Six Nations, namely the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras. In doing so, he has uncovered key documents in archives and libraries from California to New York and from Ottawa, Canada, to Washington, D.C., and has conducted interviews with elders that have shed light on these nations’ histories. In his talk, he will share some of the insights he gained and made use of in his numerous writings as well as in his expert witness testimony in court and before committees of the United States Congress. Dr. Hauptman was honored by Seneca Nation of Indians who bestowed on him the name “Haiwadogêsta,” meaning “interpreter” or “he who straightens or explains the words.”
The Seneca Arts & Culture Center “fulfills a vision of a permanent, year-round interpretive facility at Ganondagan telling the story of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) contributions to art, culture and society for more than 2000 years to the present day.” It is located within Ganondagan State Historic Site, which is a New York State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark.
The Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum “preserves and interprets the 1816 Meetinghouse as a national site of conscience and a cornerstone of historic movements for equal rights, social justice, and peace, including rights for Native Americans, African Americans, and women, encouraging visitors to explore equality, justice, and peace in their own lives.” Its mission has been fulfilled for over a decade by educational and arts programming in partnership with sister sites and venue partners, like Wood Library.
The 1816 FQMM has been selected for a National Park Service Historic Preservation Grant, which, in combination with other grants and donations, will support the full restoration of the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse (located at 230 Sheldon Road, Farmington, NY, 14425), leading to the full realization of its mission.
This and all of its programs are free and open to the public thanks to grant support from Humanities New York and funds from generous supporters. Donations are welcome. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 25053, Farmington, NY, 14425, and email address is farmingtonmeetinghouse@gmail.com.
