About the Passage of Peace

Sharing a Message of Peace and Raising Awareness

While the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people did not make their homes in teepees, the Passage of Peace features this traditional dwelling as a powerful, instantly recognizable symbol of Native American identity and the shared purpose uniting those who claim it. 

This year, the Passage of Peace comprises ten teepees illuminated in multiple colors. On the westbound side of I-90, seven teepees represent the Oneida people’s commitment to doing all things for the benefit of the Seventh Generation. 

On the eastbound side of the highway, three teepees represent the Nation’s Turtle, Wolf, and Bear clans. With them, a 30’ white pine tree illuminated in white symbolizes the Great White Pine, a sign of peace and unity among the Haudenosaunee people since time immemorial.

Expressing Solidarity and Support

Two teepees, one on each side of the highway, will be lighted in orange, the color used during the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools and other advocacy efforts. These orange teepees help show solidarity with Native people affected by boarding schools, honor those lost, survivors, and their tribal communities, and show support for the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. 

The bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives would establish a commission to investigate the ongoing effects of the forcible removal of Native children from their families to attend these schools and develop recommendations for the repatriation of remains, federal resources to support healing, and discontinuation of the removal of Native children from their families and tribal communities.

For More Information

To learn more about Indian boarding schools in the United States and current legislative efforts to address this issue, please visit the following: