Our Cattaraugus Branch Area

These photos are included to help us remember the Cattaraugus Branch, our area and the people we’ve grown to love so much.

The Cattaraugus Branch meetinghouse is small but nice.  It takes a lot of effort from the branch members to keep it looking neat and clean and often the task ends up being done by the same faithful few. Behind the church is a little cemetery where many devoted past saints of the Branch are buried.  To the south is a good-sized apple orchard. The orchard requires a lot of work. This year they tried spraying with an organic insecticide, i.e. pureed onions, garlic, and cayenne pepper steeped in hot water.  Elder Jeppesen was on the spraying end and I was given assignment to puree. Whew!  After some consideration, the second spraying was done using a quick and easy commercial insecticideJ!   

Attendance at church varies from 70-80.  Of those, about 60% are Native American, primarily Seneca, and 40% Anglo.  We’ve seen a gradual increase in attendance in the 14 months we’ve served.  Members of our Branch Presidency are all natives: President Jones is Seneca; Ira Jones, his brother and 1^st counselor, is also Seneca; and Cliff Garlow, 2^nd counselor, is Cayuga.  The Iroquois people consist of six tribes: Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Mohawk, Onandaga, and Tuscaurora.  Their confederacy symbol, a wampum belt called the Hiawatha Belt, is seen on homes, flags and buildings throughout the reservation.

We live on the edge of the Seneca Indian Reservation. The reservation is part of the Seneca Nation, an independent national entity.  According to Hugh Jones, our branch president and also a Seneca, the reservation is home to approximately 2000 of the 7000 Senecas living today. Senecas are of matrilineal descent meaning one is Seneca if born to a Seneca mother.  Many say the political system is corrupt and this causes much strife between families.  Also, because of the grand casinos on the reservations now generating income in the form of annuities there is a lot of drug and alcohol abuse.   Finding people living on the Rez who are interested in the church is difficult.  Some have told the missionaries they are not interested because “they are Longhouse now,” meaning they espouse the traditional religion.  We are told these traditional ceremonies, held in the traditional Longhouse on the Rez, are spoken in the Seneca language and few today can understand it. High Schools in the area allow students to take classes on their traditional languages so Seneca is now taught in nearby schools.  The Nations’ leaders, in recognition of the high incidence of diabetes related illnesses among their people, has taken up the slogan,  “Food is our medicine”, focusing upon eating more fruits and vegetables and encouraging families to plant gardens.  With this in mind, President Jones has also suggested branch members plant family gardens.  As a part of this effort members have planted a “demonstration garden” behind the church.  We’re all encouraged to take a part in its care.

  

One real benefit of living where we do is being able to take advantage of low gas prices on the reservation.  Because these establishments don’t collect state taxes, things like gas, food and cigarettes are considerably cheaper.   We get our gas at Wolf’s Run, the cheapest on the Rez.  We also eat at the Native Pride Diner, where you can get good sandwiches, soups and salads at very reasonable prices.