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One day a Skarure family went hunting. The father and mother took their son and daughter with them as they headed out from their home on a long hunting trip. The first they had to make was a hunting lodge of wood poles that they covered with large sheets of bark. In the front, they made an enclosed entrance. The father was a good hunter and it was not long before the front entrance was full of deer and bear meat that was dried and cured.

IN the old time when men got lost while hunting it was supposed the Winter God (Stone Coat) ate them up.

Once three Senecas started off on the war-path, going toward the West. At night they camped in a deep ravine at the head of a stream.

THE FORBIDDEN ARROW AND THE QUILT OF MEN'S EYES.
Related by Edward Cornplanter (Great Night) and recorded as translated by William Bluesky, Ganosho.
Now (it seems), there were twin brothers one named Younger and the other Driven. The brothers were accustomed to play about two hills. Driven would go up one hill and jump to the summit of the other. Younger would stay in the valley between and amuse himself by shooting arrows at him as he jumped. Now, as Driven jumped, Younger sang a song:
"Ha-do-wi, Ha-do-wi, Ha-do-wi, O-ne-di-no-o-ha-ga-gon Ha-do-wi!"

Twice every year the skies darken over Seneca land at Tonawanda, as upwards of 50,000 Canada geese and thousands of ducks including mallards, blacks, ring-necks and others make their seasonal migratory flights. They find rest and protection in the bordering Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Areas. They spill onto the surrounding communities as well. To those who know the motions and patterns of life during the spring and fall cycles here,  midwinter is quite a contrast.

Goldenweiser 1
Origin of Seneca Clans and Phratries.
Before the whites came there were along the Alleghany River several dangerous places. A lake. A young man once saw two men come out from the river. One had a paddle, the other a bow and arrow.The one with the bow and arrow said the young man, "We are here to see you." "Where do you come from?" We are sent down here to see about the dangerous places. There are so many lives lost there now...

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A Battle Between Frost and Whirlwind - Told by Peter White

THERE was a man called DOnWEnWA. This man wouldn't let anyone come into his house. He had two nephews old enough to hunt small game: birds, squirrels and coons. The boys lived in a house near their uncle's and each morning he called to them, saying, "Up, boys! Or the game will be gone." The boys jumped up and were off.

One day the younger boy heard something making a noise. He listened and listened and at last found that the noise came from the ground. He ran to his brother, and said, "Come and help me dig. I hear a noise down in the ground."

This month, we encourage you to tell your stories and record them for your family and generations to come. It is always fascinating to hear stories from the past especially our own stories told by our own ancestors. And with today’s technology, it is so easy to capture stories, events or how-to’s anytime and anywhere. You do not need any fancy recording equipment – most people have a cell phone or know someone who has one. The best technology to use, is the one you know how to work! Don’t forget, always get permission before recording anyone.

The Orphaned Siblings by Taylor Leeal Gibson - Edited by Daniel Coleman - June 2018