ABOUT SENAA

OUR NAME

SENAA is an acronym for "Southeastern  Native American Alliance." SENAA was founded 12 September 1995 in Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee, which is the site of the last Tsa-La-Gi Tribal Council meeting at Red Clay Spring and the last Tsa-La-Gi tribal land holdings before the Trail of Tears. It is also the  beginning point of the Trail of Tears, where the first contingents of Tsa-La-Gi embarked upon their sorrowful trek west from Rattlesnake Springs; the trek that we now know as "The Trail Where We Cried," or "The Trail of Tears".

Since SENAA was founded, our membership has grown to include members in Canada and Indigenous and non-Indigenous members across the United States and in several nations in Europe and Japan. In 2000, SENAA added the word "International" to its name to reflect its International membership and formed its European division, SENAA Europe. Simultaneous with the formation of SENAA Europe, Matt Davison founded the Los Angeles based SENAA West division. A short while later, the Swedish members of SENAA Europe formed the SENAA Sweden chapter, a division of SENAA Europe.

Our logo is symbolic of the knowledge of our heritage and our concern for the future.

As the shield stands in stark contrast to the surrounding dark blue background, so we today stand in stark opposition to the darkness of sorrow, bitter disappointment, and threats of annihilation imposed upon our ancestors, which even today extend shadowy talons into the lives of Indigenous American people.

The white ceremonial pipe in the foreground represents putting spiritual matters first and the knowledge that our success depends upon communion with Creator.
   

The white tomahawk, unstained by blood, symbolizes using the appropriate non-violent weapons, with dedicated effort, to peacefully achieve our purposes. The days of physical warfare and bloodshed are finished, but our battles for equality, justice, freedom, democracy, sovereignty—and even our rights as human beings—are far from finished and are just as fierce as ever. We will continue to use every peaceful means at our disposal to successfully achieve our goals.

The crossed pipe and tomahawk represent our desire for peace and good will toward all through Creator's spiritual guidance and our determination to continue the fight to preserve our cultures and achieve our goals with Creator's guidance.

Fire can be a destroyer or a purifying, tempering force. In our logo, the council fire, with seven tongues of flame, fueled by seven types of wood, represents our ancestors' and our own trial by fire and our victory over adversity through its purifying and tempering powers.

Both the bear claw and the color red symbolize strength and success. The red bear claw on our logo represents the strength of the Southeastern Native American Alliance.

Turquoise blue is the color of the sky and of pure water in abundance; two vital sustaining forces symbolic of freedom and spiritual renewal: the water and breath of life.

The white medicine wheel frame of the shield represents continuity and peaceful unity. The cardinal points are marked with the colors that Tsa-La-Gi tradition associates with each direction.

Together these symbols represent our determination to confront and deal with the needs of and issues that face our people and to defend our rights, whether on an individual or collective basis; the preservation of our heritage and cultural identity; and our strength through spiritual unity and trust in Creator's guidance and protection.
    

OUR PURPOSE (Mission Statement)

SENAA International is a nonprofit, Indigenous American cultural and advocacy organization. 

SENAA exists to address specific Native American concerns and to foster harmony between Native Americans and other races through cultural education and good will.

SENAA was founded by Indigenous Americans for the purpose of doing our part to protect and preserve the cultures, heritage, religious liberty, and the Constitutional, civil, and human rights of all Indigenous American nations and individuals. SENAA also advocates the preservation of basic human rights and the recognition of Indigenous people throughout Mother Earth.

Briefly stated, our purposes are to:

• Be one voice among many for Indigenous Americans and Indigenous American concerns outside tribal boundaries;
     

• Do our part to secure for Indigenous Americans of all nations the same human rights and religious liberty enjoyed by other races under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the  U.S. Constitution, the Equal Rights Amendment, and state and local laws;
     

• Raise funds, when necessary, to help Indigenous American individuals, families, and communities; and for special restoration, preservation, and reburial projects.
     

• Provide an Indigenous American voice in social and environmental issues that impact all Indigenous American people and First Nations;
     

• Locate Indigenous American burial sites and secure the same protection for them that the law provides for the graves of other races; returning them, where possible, to the care of their tribal descendants;
      

• Invoke, where applicable, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act; and
     

• Advocate and defend the sovereignty of North America's First Nations. 

SENAA is proud to be of service to the people it was created to benefit. We welcome the help and participation of dedicated people and organizations worldwide who advocate the human, civil, Constitutional, and Creator given rights of Indigenous Americans.
     

SENAA's DIVISIONS

SENAA International, In addition to being our original chapter, it is now worldwide headquarters for the following three divisions:

SENAA Europe, our European Division, covers the entire continent of Europe, and has its base in Amsterdam, The Netherlands;

SENAA West, based in Los Angeles and headed by Division Director Sara Hayes.  Former director Matt Davison continues to hold an honored and important place on SENAA's Executive Council and serves as advisor to SENAA West. SENAA West normally deals with Indigenous American concerns west of the Great Plains states.

SENAA Sweden, is a division of SENAA Europe, based in Tidaholm, Sweden, under the direction of Carina Gustavsson, Eva Egelmyr, and Eva Goes.

Each chapter, is headed by a competent SENAA member who has proven himself or herself to be a true warrior with the determination and dedication that epitomize SENAA's purposes.

SENAA MEMBERSHIP

SENAA membership is by invitation only. This is to prevent uninformed or covert infiltration of SENAA by malevolent influences whose purpose is to destroy Indigenous American organizations from within.