“Absurd” and "insulting" are among the words Indigenous persons are using in reaction to President Donald Trump’s executive order issued earlier in the week, to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” within the U.S.
“It's just typical of Trump to throw these kinds of distractions when he's facing so much criticism on other things,” said John Kane, a Mohawk living on the Seneca Nation’s Cattaraugus Territory, and a syndicated radio talk show host.
Ontario is derived from the Indigenous name for the lake. In Seneca language, the name is ‘sga:nyodai:yoh,’ meaning ‘beautiful lake.’
“It was actually a Seneca title among the 49 families of the Haudenosaunee, so that name Ontario comes from our word that translates to beautiful or good. That's what that “yoh” (“Ee-oh”) in our language always means, something very good or beautiful,” Kane explained. “That's where the name comes from, and it predates any Europeans from being here.”
Trump’s executive order was the latest move in a back-and-forth exchange following the collapse of trade talks the previous weekend between the U.S. and Canada. After talks broke down August 21, Trump ordered the implementation of 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including some dairy products, alcoholic beverages, cement and hockey equipment. Canada, in turn, announced dollar-for-dollar tariffs on many U.S.-made products, including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
During trade tensions, Trump traded insults with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Trump referred to Ford as "less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive" than his late brother Rob, a former Toronto mayor who was caught up in scandal in 2013 when he was found to be using crack cocaine. Ford, replying, referred to Trump as a “loser” and “king of bankruptcies.”
Trump then hinted at his idea to rename Lake Ontario, and followed through on August 27.
Seneca Nation president J. Conrad Seneca issued a statement Friday condemning Trump’s order, saying the body of water is not a political pawn.
His statement reads in part: “Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy.
“The action that President Trump is taking is starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world. His blatant disrespect toward the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations, and all Indigenous people is unacceptable.
“The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action. 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.”
The controversy has found its way into the race for New York Governor.
Governor Kathy Hochul, speaking on the television network MSNOW Friday said, “It is absolutely appalling that when the war in Iran starts taking a bad turn, he decides to launch a war on our best friend in Canada, just to try and divert.”
Her challenger in November’s election, Bruce Blakeman, spoke with Syracuse media Friday suggesting Trump was “kidding” about renaming the Great Lake. He told CNYCentral, “He's kidding; it's a joke. He's not going to change Lake Ontario. He's just tweaking the Prime Minister of Canada."
But as of Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey, a part of the Department of the Interior, confirmed on its website that it was in the process of updating its maps to reflect Trump’s ordered name change. Other online map providers including Google, Bing, and MapQuest were still referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario.
“Is anybody really calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America?” Kane said. “I mean, even if they got a couple of map services to change it, it's not like anybody's doing it. Nobody's going to refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America. Nobody's going to do it. It doesn't matter. He can sign all the executive orders he wants about lakes and gulfs and seas and oceans or whatever. It's not going to have any traction anyway. Nobody's going to buy into this thing.
"It's like his absurd propositions to make Canada a 51st state or to take over Greenland or to declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory.”
At the same time, Kane says Trump’s order to rename a Great Lake revisits colonialism and takes it to another level.
“We can't separate colonialism from racism, and you know this is a white guy in the White House thinking that he can he can drop America on anything he wants, and again, it's absurd,” Kane said. “It's insulting to the rest of the world, and frankly, it should be considered insulting to Americans.”
