Indigenous Tribe Fights Back Against Trump's 'Lake America' Renaming: 'He Cannot Erase Our Culture'

The Seneca Nation has called on US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America', accusing him of attempting to erase Indigenous culture through 'irresponsible political action'.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, 27 August, directing US federal agencies to use 'Lake America' for Lake Ontario. The move came amid escalating tensions between the United States and Canada following the collapse of trade negotiations.

Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca condemned the decision the following day, calling Trump's action 'intrusive' and 'the exact opposite of diplomacy'.

'The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action,' Seneca said. 'His order should be rescinded, and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake.'

'Lake Ontario Is Not a Political Pawn'

Seneca stressed the Indigenous history of the lake and said its significance extends beyond the modern US-Canada border.

'To us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn,' he said. 'It does not separate the countries of the United States and Canada. It is all Indigenous land, which has been occupied by Indigenous people since time immemorial.'

Seneca also invoked the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, an agreement between the United States and the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, including the Seneca Nation.

He argued that Trump's executive order disregards the commitments made under the treaty and called on other Native nations and politicians from both parties to oppose the change.

'We will always call Lake Ontario by the name derived from the language of our ancestors – the name that, like the strength and influence of the Seneca people, will live on forever,' he said.

The White House defended Trump's decision, saying the majority of the lake's volume lies within US territory and that the new name would reflect its place in American heritage.

Doug Ford Unveils 'Lake Ontario' Sign

Opposition to Trump's order has also intensified in Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign reading 'Lake Ontario Now and Always' at Fifty Point Conservation Area in Hamilton on Saturday.

'President Trump can call it whatever he wants but I can tell you that the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario,' Ford said.

The premier added that Canadians would 'never, ever back down from a bully' and said several US governors had told him they would continue using the Lake Ontario name.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has similarly said Canadians will call it Lake Ontario 'now and always'.

Name Change Follows US-Canada Trade Dispute

Trump first floated changing the lake's name on 25 August as relations with Canada deteriorated following the breakdown of trade negotiations.

Two days later, he signed the executive order while accusing Canadian officials of treating the US 'very badly'.

Lake Ontario is one of North America's five Great Lakes and lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. For the Seneca Nation, however, the dispute goes beyond contemporary politics.

'President Trump needs to be reminded' of America's treaty commitments, Seneca said, arguing that treaties remain the 'supreme Law of the Land' under the US Constitution.