In the beginning of 2020, we announced our new Department of Indigenous Cancer Health at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. We knew our team was going to expand and more space was crucial as our programming developed. With Roswell Park being located on ancestral Seneca Nation lands, it was particularly important for us to Indigenize our new suite.
We worked closely with Tuscarora Woodworks’ Murisa Printup Tuscarora Turtle Clan and Robert D’Alimonte Tuscarora Beaver Clan, to create specialty art pieces for our new space. We also have pieces from Haudenosaunee artists from Akwesasne and the Seneca Iroquois National Museum located in Salamanca, NY. The art pieces share the creation story, clans, and wampum belt treaties specific to our region. Our new suite is open for community members, leadership, and outside organizations to visit.