A sacred lake, a Columbus statue, and an Indigenous people’s long struggle for land

GEDDES, N.Y. (AP) — Before white settlers came to Onondaga Lake, before the city of Syracuse grew along its shore, before the pristine waters became one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States, it was a sacred place for the Onondaga Nation.

Local officials aware of that history have expressed a desire to transfer a parcel of lakeshore land back to the Onondagas, one of the native peoples who populated and governed much of upstate New York and parts of Canada before the American Revolution. But after 14 years, the effort is stalled amid issues related to taxes, the lake’s cleanup and, most recently, a nearby statue of Christopher Columbus.

Both sides are frustrated, though a deal is not out of reach.

“It’s not called Onondaga Lake for some arbitrary reason,” said nation