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Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archived Press Releases > 2015 Archives > August 2015 > New Sign Of Renamed Park

New Sign Of Renamed Park

Mayor Byron Brown, joined by Seneca Nation President Maurice John and North District Council Member Joseph Golombek, today unveiled the new entrance sign to Unity Island.  The old sign, which included the park’s former name of Squaw Island, was recently taken down and is being replaced with the park’s new name of Ga’nigo:i:yoh  or Unity Island.


“Today we continue to honor the legacy of our Native American brothers and sisters who are forever tied to our city and region,” said Mayor Brown.  “I thank the citizens who took the lead in the effort to rename the park Ga’nigo:i:yoh  or Unity Island, as well as the work of Council Member Golombek and all the Common Council for helping us to continue to embrace Buffalo as a city of opportunity that supports cultural tolerance and respect for diversity.”


“This is a moment in time and a celebration that speaks volumes about our community, and the relationship between the Seneca Nation of Indians and the City of Buffalo,” said Seneca Nation President Maurice A. John, Sr. "Together, we can move past degradation toward a future of progress and toward unity. Unity Island – Ga’ ni  goë: yo– stands as a symbol of our shared future.”


Mayor Brown is credited with suggesting the name ‘Unity Island’ as it’s a fitting reflection of the significant growth in collaboration and opportunity in Buffalo…a city that continues to work hard to foster a community wide mindset that respects diversity, inclusion and equity as ‘core values’. 


City crews are now in the process of replacing the signs with the new name: Unity Island.  All of the new signs are expected to be in place by the end of the year.