Abstract
Indigenous communities developed ecological and cultural knowledge systems over many
generations. This knowledge may not always continue to be used due to removal from ancestral
lands. During the years 1788 to 1822, the people of the Onondaga Nation lost possession of about
95% of their land through illegal “takings” by the State of New York. Biocultural restoration is
the incorporation of cultural, generational, and community knowledge and values with biological
methods to help restore both land and relationships with the land. Over 1,000 acres of land in the
Tully Valley in New York, will be returned to the Onondaga Nation. This study provides assistance
to the Onondaga Nation for land transfer and lays the groundwork for biocultural restoration in
this area through: 1) an analysis of the historical ecology of plant biota, 2) a survey of the current
plant community, and 3) approaches for biocultural restoration in the project area.