New Permanent Exhibit at Seneca-Iroquois National Museum
“Between the Basswoods: The Story of Buffalo Creek” to open in Salamanca Nov. 16
Pictured: The Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, where the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum is housed. https://senecamuseum.org/
SALAMANCA - The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, located within the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center, presents Between the Basswoods: The Story of Buffalo Creek, on view beginning November 16, 2026. This new permanent exhibit explores the Buffalo Creek territory, impactful Hodínöhšö:nih treaties, and what legacies remain now, two centuries later.
The concept for this exhibit took root after the famous Seneca leader and orator, Red Jacket’s peace medal was repatriated to the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum from The Buffalo History Museum in 2021. In 1792, President George Washington presented the medal to Red Jacket as a symbol of peace, friendship, and enduring relationships among the United States and the Six Nations. Wanting to explore how those symbols stood the test of time, Between the Basswoods: The Story of Buffalo Creek was co-curated by Kari Karsten (Seneca, Heron Clan), Seneca-Iroquois National Museum curator, and Melissa Parker-Leonard (Tonawanda-Seneca Descendant), Historian, 7th Gen Cultural Resources.
Dó:šo:wë́:h, meaning “between the basswoods,” is the area surrounding Buffalo Creek and what is now known as Buffalo, New York. This exhibit examines Seneca efforts to defend their homelands amid pressures from the United States government and land companies. Explore the Seneca struggle to protect their homeland through the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign of 1779, the Treaties of Canandaigua and Big Tree, and the Buffalo Creek treaties: a history of resistance, dispossession, and enduring connections to Buffalo Creek.
As 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Treaty of 1826, Between the Basswoods: The Story of Buffalo Creek, opens a timely discussion of the enduring importance of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Join the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum for the opening reception on November 18 to celebrate the exhibit. Light food and refreshments will be served.