Seneca Nation of Indians Onondawaga
|
|
---|---|
Capital |
Irving, New York Jimerson Town, New York (rotating) |
Largest city | Salamanca, New York |
Official languages |
Seneca (national) English (national) |
Government | |
• President
|
Todd Gates |
• Treasurer
|
Maurice A. John, Sr. |
• Clerk
|
Lenith Waterman |
•
|
1142 |
Population | |
• 2010 estimate
|
8,000 |
Time zone | EST |
The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western New York) and the Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma. Some Seneca also live with other Iroquois peoples on the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario.
The Seneca Nation has three reservations, two of which are occupied: Cattaraugus Reservation, Allegany Indian Reservation, and the mostly unpopulated Oil Springs Reservation. It has two alternating capitals on the two occupied reservations: Irving at Cattaraugus Reservation, and Jimerson Town near Salamanca on the Allegany Indian Reservation.
The government of this tribe was established in 1848 by a Constitutional Convention of Seneca people residing on the Allegany and Cattaraugus Territories in present-day New York. The Seneca Nation of Indians Constitution established a tri-partite governing structure based on general elections of 16 Councilors, three Executives (President, Treasurer, Clerk), and Court justices (Surrogates and Peacemakers). These elections are held every two years, on the first Tuesday in November, usually concurrent with Election Day in the rest of the United States (the exception is in years when November 1 is a Tuesday; in those years, the Seneca Nation holds their election on November 1 while the rest of the U.S. holds their elections November 8). The leadership rotates between the two reservations each election, and no officer can serve consecutive terms because of this. There are no other term limits, and elected officers can serve numerous nonconsecutive terms.