Editing Tuscarora Reservation

{{short description|Federally recognized Tuscarora tribe in New York, United States}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Tuscarora Nation,<br/>Tuscarora Reservation
| native_name      = Skaru:reʔ Kayeda:kreh,<br/>Nyučirhéʼę
| native_name_lang = tus
| image            = File:Niagara County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Tuscarora Reservation highlighted.svg
| image_caption    = Location of Tuscarora Reservation in red, within [[Niagara County, New York]]
| flag             = 
| flag_caption     = 
| population       = 1,152
| popplace         = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[United States]] ({{flagicon|New York}} [[New York (state)|New York]])
| langs            = [[English language|English]], [[Tuscarora language|Tuscarora]]
| rels             = [[Longhouse religion]], [[Handsome Lake]] religion,<ref name=p413>Pritzker 413</ref> [[Christianity]]
| related          = [[Haudenosaunee]], [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]], other [[Iroquoian]] peoples
}}
The '''Tuscarora Reservation''' (Nyučirhéʼę<ref>Rudes, B. ''Tuscarora English Dictionary'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999</ref> in [[Tuscarora language|Tuscarora]]) is an [[Indian reservation]] of the '''Tuscarora Nation''' (Skaru:reʔ Kayeda:kreh in [[Tuscarora language|Tuscarora]]) is an [[Indian reservation]] in [[Niagara County, New York|Niagara County]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. The reservation population was 1,152 at the 2010 census.

The Tuscarora Nation, previously named the Tuscarora Nation of New York, is a [[federally recognized tribe]] of [[Tuscarora people]]. The tribe's headquarters is located in [[Lewiston, New York]], and their elected chief is Tom Jonathan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tuscarora Nation |url=https://www.bia.gov/bia/ois/dhs/icwa/agents-listing/locations/tuscarora-nation |website=ICWA Designated Agents Listing |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs |access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref>

The Tuscarora is the [[Sixth Nation]] in the [[Haudenosaunee Confederacy]]. Their [[Tuscarora language]] is an [[Iroquoian language]].

== History ==
=== Precontact to 18th century ===
The Tuscarora tribe had migrated in ancient times from the [[New York (state)|New York]] area to the South, where they were based in the Carolinas.  After an extended conflict with European settlers and other Native Americans at the beginning of the 18th century and defeat in the [[Tuscarora War]], most of the tribe migrated North, beginning in 1722.

=== 19th century ===
They first located in the territory of the [[Oneida tribe]] in central New York. By 1765, they declared their tribe fully relocated and said that remnant Tuscarora who stayed in the South would no longer be considered part of the tribe. The Tuscarora and Oneida became allies of the American Continental cause during the [[American Revolution]], and of the United States during the [[War of 1812]].  During both wars, they suffered attacks by British armed forces and their First Nations allies in central [[New York (state)|New York]].  The [[Tuscarora people|Tuscarora]] were given land from the [[Seneca tribe]] (territory which they had taken from the [[Neutral Nation]] in the [[Beaver Wars]] of the mid-17th century) in 1797. In 1803, the US government granted the Tuscarora a reservation in Niagara County.

[[University at Buffalo]] head football coach [[Frank Mount Pleasant]] was born on the reservation in 1884.

=== 20th century ===
[[Image:Chief pelers tuscarora tribe.jpg|thumb|200px|Casper Peters, Tuscarora Tribe]]
In 1960, through the efforts of the powerful appointed official, [[Robert Moses]] of [[New York City]], [[New York State]] seized {{convert|550|acre|km2}} of the Tuscarora reservation to form a reservoir for the [[Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant]] operated by the [[New York Power Authority]]. New York needed {{convert|1350|acres|km2}} but only received {{convert|550|acre|km2}} and had to pay $1,500 per acre per a [[United States Supreme Court]] Decision.<ref>http://www.niagarafrontier.com/power.html#Moses Niagara Falls History of Power</ref> This led to a displacement of tribal members and a serious disruption to their economy.  After a lengthy court case and appeals, in 2003, the Power Authority agreed to compensate the tribe financially and return some unused land.

=== 21st century ===
On October 26, 2019, it was reported that a Niagara Power Project lost more than 600 acres when Robert Moses flooded the land to create a reservoir. From that time on the Reservation experienced and continues to experience a [[water scarcity|water shortage]] with the reservation now sitting on top of the highest point in Niagara.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.niagara-gazette.com/opinion/guest-view-water-crisis-remains-on-tuscarora-reservation/article_45224217-e827-5005-a570-7d83c6c3dada.html|title = GUEST VIEW: Water crisis remains on Tuscarora Reservation| date=26 October 2019 }}</ref> " In 2012, 14 out of 15 wells tested positive for lead; 139 wells were tested for harmful bacteria and 69% tested positive for Total Coliforms, while 22% came back positive for E. coli."

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the Indian reservation has a total area of 9.3&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup> (24.0&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), all land.  The reservation is located northeast of [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. It is surrounded by the Town of [[Lewiston (town), New York|Lewiston]]. The reservation is a composite holding derived from (1) land given to the [[Seneca tribe]], (2) Land donated by the [[Holland Land Company]], and (3) Trust territory held by the federal government.

==Demographics==
[[File:Photo of Tuscarora Indian reservation entrance.jpg|thumb|Photo of the Tuscarora Indian reservation entrance on Walmore Road next to the [[Smokin Joes Trading Post]]]]
{{USCensusPop
|1900= 337
|1910= 417
|1920= 319
|1930= 402
|1940= 462
|1950= 634
|1960= 1934
|1970= 1134
|1980= 921
|1990= 772
|2000= 1138
|2010= 1152
|estyear=2014
|estimate=1149
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014|accessdate=June 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523034651/https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html|archivedate=May 23, 2015}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,138 people, 398 households, and 284 families residing in the Indian reservation.  The [[population density]] was 122.8/mi<sup>2</sup> (47.4/km<sup>2</sup>).  There were 398 housing units at an average density of 42.9/mi<sup>2</sup> (16.6/km<sup>2</sup>).

There were 398 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the Indian reservation the population was spread out, with 34.3% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 14.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median income for a household in the Indian reservation was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $33,281 versus $25,074 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the Indian reservation was $14,427.  About 9.9% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Notable Tuscarora Nation people ==
* [[Wallace "Mad Bear" Anderson]] (1927–1985), Native activist
* [[David Cusick]] (c. 1780–1840), artist and author
* [[Dennis Cusick]] (c. 1800–1824), painter
* [[John Napoleon Brinton Hewitt]] (1859–1937), linguist and ethnographer
* [[Frank Mount Pleasant]] (1884–1937), athlete
* [[Clinton Rickard]] (1882–1971), Native activist
* [[Jolene Rickard]] (Turtle clan, b. 1956), artist, curator, visual historian

==External links==
* [https://digitreaties.org/treaties/presenttribe/Tuscarora%20Nation%20of%20New%20York/ Tuscarora Nation of New York], IDA Treaties Explorer
* [http://tuscaroras.com/jtwigle/pages/tuscarora-rez.shtml  Tuscarora reservation land]
* [http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/legends/tuscarora.htm  Early Tuscarora history]

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{{Indian reservations in New York}}
{{Niagara County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuscarora Reservation}}
[[Category:American Indian reservations in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Geography of Niagara County, New York]]
[[Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States]]
[[Category:Lewiston (town), New York]]
[[Category:Native American history of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Tuscarora| ]]
[[Category:Tuscarora Nation of New York| ]]