Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca requested on Friday that President Trump rescind an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America." The tribal leader stated that the name change, authorized by the president on Thursday, violates the terms of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, a 225-year-old agreement between the U.S. government and Native Americans.
The 1794 treaty was signed by President George Washington and leaders of the Haudenosaunee confederacy to establish peace and define the Seneca Nation’s boundaries as "beginning on Lake Ontario." Seneca stated that the name Lake Ontario originates from the Huron word "oniatarí:io," meaning "lake of shining waters," while in the traditional Seneca language the body of water is called "sga:nyodai:yoh," or "beautiful lake."
President Trump signed the order amid a trade dispute with Canada and noted during the signing ceremony that the action follows a previous executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." In response to the change, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) stated she would not honor the renaming request, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the move, citing the lake's Indigenous heritage.
The Seneca Nation argues the order represents an attempt to erase their culture through political action. While the immediate administrative change applies to federal naming conventions, Governor Hochul has stated New York will continue to use the original name. The lake provides a border for New York state.
This action follows a trade conflict between the U.S. and Canada. The administration's move prompted a rejection from the Canadian Prime Minister. During the Thursday ceremony, the president suggested he might also seek to change the names of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.