Lake of Betrayal

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Lake of Betrayal The 60-minute documentary explores the history of Kinzua Dam on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and its impact on the Seneca Nation.

Kinzua Dam on the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania was a flashpoint in history for the Seneca Nation of Indians. Completed in 1965, the dam was originally proposed to help mitigate flooding in Pittsburgh almost 200 miles downriver, but the 27-mile reservoir that formed behind it inundated vast tracts of the Seneca Indians’ ancestral lands, forcing their removal in breach of the United States’ oldest treaty. Native American dispossession was recurrent across the continent in the 20th century. Sioux, Yakama, Nez Perce and Navajo among many other indigenous peoples were forcibly relocated to make way for dam projects. In 1953, Congress adopted a termination policy aimed at assimilating Native Americans into mainstream society, stripping them of their sovereignty and selling their lands. From 1953-1964, more than 100 tribes were terminated and approximately 2,500,000 acres of their land was sold, destroying cultures and communities. Lake of Betrayal sets the Kinzua Dam story against the 20th century American narrative celebrating dams as symbols of power and progress. Dams controlled the landscape, irrigated arid lands, and brought light and power to isolated farms and growing industries. This larger narrative of democracy and technology, harmonized for the public good, collides with the sovereignty and spiritual beliefs of Native Americans. Lake of Betrayal looks back over 50 years at the imposed changes on the Seneca’s way of life that have led to irreplaceable cultural losses but also a renewed and steadfast determination to protect their lands and preserve their language and culture.

25/06/2026

STATEMENT FROM SENECA NATION PRESIDENT J. CONRAD SENECA

"The Seneca Nation is deeply saddened by the passing of noted educator, historian and researcher Laurence Hauptman. At a time when our history - the true - history, has been continually whitewashed, glossed over and ignored in books, educational materials and in the news media, Professor Hauptman brought an honest, accurate and respectful depiction of our people and our culture to his work. He established just the second Native American studies program in New York at SUNY New Paltz in the 1970s. Throughout his distinguished career, he authored and edited more than 20 books and countless articles focusing on Native Nations, our people, and our resilience through repeated challenges to our sovereignty. Professor Hauptman also lent his voice and expertise as a witness in support of Native Nations before Congress and in federal courts. His wisdom and voice will be missed."

Brent composed the soundtrack for Lake of Betrayal. He’s a brilliant composer we were honored to work with him.
19/05/2026

Brent composed the soundtrack for Lake of Betrayal. He’s a brilliant composer we were honored to work with him.

[REVIEW] "Amid the 250th anniversary of US independence, Brent Michael Davids’ Requiem for America brings an abrupt and necessary shift of perspective... What those voices have to say makes hard listening. We hear from the boy hiding under a hut where a massacre took place, watching blood trickle through the boards; the medic recounting how a regiment fired on an unarmed group of Lakota families; another movement tells powerfully of a long death march, the Narrator singing out the miles, the choir listing the tally of dead. Finally, after so many atrocities recounted, comes a chorus affirming the Indigenous people’s endurance: we are still here. Here it’s the Native American choir’s music that triumphs, the rest of the voices taking it up joyfully, before the music dissolves into birdsong... It’s a gentle, hopeful end to a heavy, urgent, necessary work." ► LINK ► https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/may/18/requiem-for-america-review-brent-michael-davids-barbican-bbcso

12/05/2026

This Friday

15/04/2026

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