Governor Hochul and President J.C. Seneca Announce Plans for Historic Visit to Seneca Nation to Apologize for State’s Role in Thomas Indian School

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca announced today plans for Governor Hochul to visit Seneca Nation Territory to apologize on behalf of New York State’s role in the Thomas Indian School atrocities. The Seneca Nation is set to welcome Governor Hochul to its Cattaraugus Territory on Tuesday, May 20, when Governor Hochul will issue a long-awaited official apology to the Seneca people, as well as all former students and their descendants from various Indigenous Nations, for the State of New York’s role in the operation of the Thomas Indian School. Governor Hochul’s visit is believed to be the first time a sitting Governor has officially visited Seneca Nation Territory.

“No words or actions will ever be able to undo the pain and suffering of the Seneca people and other Indigenous peoples across the State, but by visiting the Seneca Nation and the site of the Thomas Indian School we will mark a new day in our relations,” Governor Hochul said. “As we prepare to officially recognize the horrifying shortcomings of our past, I thank President Seneca for his advocacy on behalf of the Seneca people and his invitation to the Cattaraugus Territory, and I look forward to further strengthening the relationship between the Seneca people and the State of New York.”

Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca said, “The severity of the wounds inflicted on our children warrants the historical significance of our Nation welcoming Governor Hochul to the Cattaraugus Territory. The atrocities that our children suffered at the Thomas Indian School have remained hidden in the shadows for far too long. At long last, our people will hear, directly from the Governor, the words we have waited lifetimes for the State of New York to say — ‘We’re sorry.’”

Originally established by Presbyterian missionaries on the Cattaraugus Territory in 1855, Thomas Indian School was owned and operated by the State of New York from 1875 until it closed in 1957. Thomas Indian School, and other residential boarding schools across the United States and Canada, operated under the government’s policy of forced assimilation of Native children. Thousands of children from various Indigenous Nations were separated from their families and forced to attend the school. They were stripped of the traditional language and culture, and suffered abuse, violence, hatred, and sometimes death, at the hands of school officials. Thousands of children are known to have died at the residential boarding schools. It is believed that the deaths of hundreds — if not thousands — more were never documented.

The devastating impacts the boarding schools had on Native American families and communities, including the decimation of family structures and traditional language, are still keenly felt today.

“I know the pain and the trauma because I have seen it and felt it in my own family, just as countless families have borne that pain and carried it every day for generations,” Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca — whose father attended Thomas Indian School, and whose grandmother was removed from her family at age 11 and forced to attend Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania — said. “The Governor’s visit will be an important moment on our road to healing. In coming to our territory and apologizing to our people, the Governor can give voice to the children whose youth and innocence were stolen from them.”

Governor Hochul’s planned visit will fulfill a pledge she made to President Seneca during a visit Nation leaders made to Albany earlier this year. It is also another example of Governor Hochul's commitment to supporting and strengthening relationships with Indigenous peoples across the state. As part of this commitment, Governor Hochul has:

• Convened leaders from the Indigenous Nations across New York State for a historic summit at the New York State Capitol in Albany.
• Appointed Elizabeth Rule as the State’s First Deputy Secretary for Indigenous Nations.
• Proposed to strengthen the stability of Indigenous Families by directing Deputy Secretary Rule to advance, in consultation with Nation leadership and stakeholders, strategies to strengthen the objectives of the Indian Child Welfare Act, underscoring New York’s commitment to redressing injustices inflicted upon Indigenous communities.
• Ensured dental care access for Indigenous Nations including $2.5 million in funding for Indigenous Nations dental health care, with the aim of addressing gaps in access.
• Responded to offensive representations by commencing a comprehensive review of artistic representation of Indigenous peoples in the Capitol, with invited participation from representatives from each of the nine Indigenous Nations to ensure that all New Yorkers are welcomed in the State Capitol.

The announced visit and apology comes as the New York State Senate unanimously approved a resolution earlier this week acknowledging the State’s role in the operation of Thomas Indian School and the horrors that occurred there. President Seneca and other Nation officials and citizens were present when the resolution was read on the Senate floor and approved.

This visit will be open to invited guests of the Seneca Nation.