Gaming aside, the Oneidas are betting on golf

April 18, 2004|David A. Kelly, Globe Correspondent

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This accelerated with the 1993 opening of Turning Stone Casino, named to signify a new and revitalized day for the tribe. (The Oneida name means ''people of the standing stone.") Today, visitors can stop by the Shako:wi Cultural Center to see its collection of artifacts and artwork, including traditional clothing and a sample of treaty cloth, or bolts of muslin cloth, that are given to the Nation each year by the federal government as part of the Treaty of Canandaigua.

Central New York has a laid-back charm and uncrowded feel that makes it a nice choice for a weekend jaunt. It also makes a great base camp for other expeditions: Cooperstown with the Baseball Hall of Fame is an hour east; the picturesque Finger Lakes and their wineries are an hour southwest. Just east in Utica is the Matt Brewing Co., creator of the Saranac beers.

A number of Revolutionary War sites also are nearby, including Fort Stanwix in Rome, which guarded a centuries-old Iroquois Confederacy portage that bridged the waterways between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

During the war, British forces attacked the fort but were held off while local militia and the Oneidas tried to assist. They were cut off at the Battle of Oriskany (another historic site nearby), considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The combined effect was to push British General Barry St. Leger north, keeping him from marching on to New York City.

While the resort has brought jobs and activity to former farmland, one of the biggest impacts has been on the 1,000 members of the Oneida Nation itself.

''We're the seventh generation from the treaty that secured our rights," said Patterson. ''We've worked hard to build a sound economic foundation for our nation and reclaim our heritage by performing our ceremonies and instituting language programs.

''It's a new day for us."

David A. Kelly is a freelance writer in Newton.