Indigenous leaders condemn Trump's move to rename Lake Ontario

Indigenous leaders and advocates have expressed outrage following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. The Wendat Nation, whose ancestral name for the lake, Ontari:io, translates to "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big," views the decision as an attempt to eradicate their history and cultural identity in the region.

“

I want to tell him that it is unacceptable for us, as a nation, to have a president who can eradicate our history, our culture and our identity.

Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Nation stated his nation was "shocked" by the renaming, emphasizing that the lake's name predates both Canada and the United States. Picard has requested a meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Canada to discuss the matter, expressing his determination to voice the nation's strong disapproval of the decision.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed that the lake will continue to be known as Lake Ontario, stating it will remain so "then, now and always." Several entities have publicly rejected the name change. American mapping company MapQuest announced on social media that it would not alter the lake's name, inviting users to suggest their own names for the body of water.

“

See, I can sign napkins that say things, too.

The proclamation from the city council of Rochester, New York, the largest American city on the lake, unanimously condemned Trump's action. It declared that Rochester will continue to use the name Lake Ontario, asserting that "no serious person from the Native Tribes or U.S. and Canadian cities which share the lake, will ever call Lake Ontario 'Lake America.'" The proclamation further criticized the move as a "desperate and flaccid stunt" intended to distract from pressing issues like the economy and housing affordability.

“

No serious person from the Native Tribes or U.S. and Canadian cities which share the lake, will ever call Lake Ontario ‘Lake America.'