Richard Nephew

Richard E. Nephew (Turtle Clan) is a citizen of Seneca Nation of Indians, and resident of the Seneca Cattaraugus Territory, near Irving NY, where he lives with his partner Julie Mohawk. They have four children (Justin, Carolyn, Eric, Nia) and ten Seneca grandchildren (Paulina, Rylee, Rainey, Jacella, Jairon, Amiya, Olivia, Jonas, Teagan, Severt) and one on the way. Richard was first elected to Council, the 16-member legislative body of the Seneca Nation, in 1998. He has been elected to four consecutive terms on Council, and served sixteen consecutive years. He has served as Council Chair for six years. He has given 20 years total honorable service to the Seneca Nation. He served in law enforcement for four years. First as a Deputy Marshal previous to his first elected post as Cheif Marshal in 1994. Throughout his years on Council, he has served on various committees including Foreign Relations, which he chaired, the Justice Committee, Judicial Conference, Culture, Education and Recreation Committee, Budget and Finance, and was also Chair of the Law Enforcement Committee. Richard served the Nation during some of the most turbulent times of conflict-during the 1990s, and in more recent years, during the time of greatest development, growth and progress of the Nation. Richard is a founding member of One Nation, a Seneca political party dedicated to honest government, traditional values and sovereign survival. Richard is a renowned artist and has worked with mixed media, carving, and traditional art forms using organic material including deer, elk, moose antler, marble, alabaster, and steatite. His work has been shown in more than 50 shows and exhibits across the country including the Pasadena Civic Center in Brantford, Ontario, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. His work is included in many private and public collections.