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Onondaga (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Onondaga are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois
(Haudenosaunee) Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York
. Known as Gana’dagwëni:io’geh to the other Iroquois tribes, this name allows people to know the difference when talking about Onondaga in Six Nations, Ontario or near Syracuse, New York. Being centrally located, they were considered the "Keepers of the Fire" (Kayečisnakwe’nì·yu’ in Tuscarora
) in the figurative longhouse. The Cayuga and Seneca had territory to their west and the Oneida
and Mohawk
to their east. For this reason, the League of the Iroquois historically met at the Iroquois government's capital at Onondaga
, as indeed the traditional chiefs do today.
, a Huron, who approached the Onondaga and others to found the Haudenosaunee. The dates he lived are not fixed but when the Seneca nation
debated joining the Haudenosaunee based on his teachings there is a tradition of a solar eclipse happening. The most likely eclipse for this event was in 1142AD which actually fell over the land of the Seneca. Carbon dating of particular sites of Onondaga habitation shows dates starting close to 1200AD ± 60 years with growth for hundreds of years.
In the American Revolutionary War
, the Onondaga were at first officially neutral, although individual Onondaga warriors were involved in at least one raid on American settlements. After an American attack on their main village on April 20, 1779, the Onondaga later sided with the majority of the League and fought against the American colonists in alliance with the British
. Thereafter, many Onondaga followed Joseph Brant
to Six Nations, Ontario
, after the United States was accorded independence.
On November 11, 1794, the Onondaga Nation, along with the other Haudenosaunee nations, signed the Treaty of Canandaigua
with the United States, in which their right to their homeland was acknowledged by the United States in article II of the treaty.
Those Onondaga remaining in New York are under the government of traditional chiefs nominated by clan mothers, rather than elected.
On March 11, 2005, the Onondaga Nation of Nedrow, New York
, filed a land rights action in federal court, seeking acknowledgment of title to over 3000 square miles (7,770 km²) of ancestral lands centering in Syracuse, New York
. In doing so they hope to obtain increased influence over environmental restoration efforts at Onondaga Lake
and other EPA Superfund
sites in the claimed area. This lawsuit is facing a motion to dismiss based on the precedent established in the Cayuga nation
's land claim http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1155718727202510.xml&coll=1&thispage=2 and other defenses.
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
(Haudenosaunee) Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County, New York
Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. Known as Gana’dagwëni:io’geh to the other Iroquois tribes, this name allows people to know the difference when talking about Onondaga in Six Nations, Ontario or near Syracuse, New York. Being centrally located, they were considered the "Keepers of the Fire" (Kayečisnakwe’nì·yu’ in Tuscarora
Tuscarora language
Tuscarora, sometimes called Ska:rù:rę, is an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people, spoken in southern Ontario, Canada, and northwestern New York around Niagara Falls, in the United States. The historic homeland of the Tuscarora was in eastern North Carolina, in and around the Goldsboro,...
) in the figurative longhouse. The Cayuga and Seneca had territory to their west and the Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
and Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
to their east. For this reason, the League of the Iroquois historically met at the Iroquois government's capital at Onondaga
Onondaga (village)
Onondaga was a village that served as the capital of the Iroquois League and the primary settlement of the Onondaga nation. It was the meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council....
, as indeed the traditional chiefs do today.
History
An early date for the Onondaga comes from attempting to date an oral tradition related to The Great PeacemakerThe Great Peacemaker
The Great Peacemaker, sometimes referred to as Deganawida or Dekanawida was, along with Hiawatha, by tradition the founder of the Haudenosaunee, commonly called the Iroquois Confederacy, a political and cultural union of several Native American tribes residing...
, a Huron, who approached the Onondaga and others to found the Haudenosaunee. The dates he lived are not fixed but when the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
debated joining the Haudenosaunee based on his teachings there is a tradition of a solar eclipse happening. The most likely eclipse for this event was in 1142AD which actually fell over the land of the Seneca. Carbon dating of particular sites of Onondaga habitation shows dates starting close to 1200AD ± 60 years with growth for hundreds of years.
In the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the Onondaga were at first officially neutral, although individual Onondaga warriors were involved in at least one raid on American settlements. After an American attack on their main village on April 20, 1779, the Onondaga later sided with the majority of the League and fought against the American colonists in alliance with the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
. Thereafter, many Onondaga followed Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
to Six Nations, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, after the United States was accorded independence.
On November 11, 1794, the Onondaga Nation, along with the other Haudenosaunee nations, signed the Treaty of Canandaigua
Treaty of Canandaigua
The Treaty of Canandaigua is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and President George Washington representing the United States of America....
with the United States, in which their right to their homeland was acknowledged by the United States in article II of the treaty.
Those Onondaga remaining in New York are under the government of traditional chiefs nominated by clan mothers, rather than elected.
On March 11, 2005, the Onondaga Nation of Nedrow, New York
Nedrow, New York
Nedrow is a hamlet located in the Town of Onondaga in Onondaga County, New York. The population was 2,265 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nedrow is located at , on US Route 11, south of Syracuse, New York...
, filed a land rights action in federal court, seeking acknowledgment of title to over 3000 square miles (7,770 km²) of ancestral lands centering in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. In doing so they hope to obtain increased influence over environmental restoration efforts at Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
and other EPA Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
sites in the claimed area. This lawsuit is facing a motion to dismiss based on the precedent established in the Cayuga nation
Cayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
's land claim http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1155718727202510.xml&coll=1&thispage=2 and other defenses.
Notable Onondaga people
- Leon Shenandoah (1915–1996), Tadodaho
- Oren LyonsOren LyonsOren R. Lyons, Jr. is a Native American Faithkeeper of the turtle clan of the Onondaga and Seneca Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Once a college lacrosse player, Lyons is now a recognized advocate of indigenous rights....
[Lives at Onondaga and holds a Faithkeeper title, but is Seneca] - Sidney Hill
- Tom LongboatTom LongboatCogwagee was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, and for much of his career the dominant long distance runner of the time...
[Six Nations] - Canassatego, HiawathaHiawathaHiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
, Tadadaho of the Iroquois Confederacy - TadodahoTadodahoTadodaho was a Native American and chief of the Onondaga nation. Tadodaho later came to refer to the most influential Native American chief in New York State; this reference has been used for centuries.-Legend of Tadodaho:...
Today
- Onandaga Nation in Nedrow, New YorkNedrow, New YorkNedrow is a hamlet located in the Town of Onondaga in Onondaga County, New York. The population was 2,265 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nedrow is located at , on US Route 11, south of Syracuse, New York...
outside SyracuseSyracuse, New YorkSyracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603... - Onondaga of Ohswegen and Bearfoot Onondaga, both at Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario, Canada
Other spellings encountered
- Onöñda'gega Onondaga languageOnondaga languageOnondaga Nation Language is the language of the Onondaga First Nation, one of the original five constituent tribes of the League of the Iroquois ....
- Onontakeka Oneida languageOneida languageOneida is an Iroquoian language spoken primarily by the Oneida people in the U.S. states of New York and Wisconsin, and the Canadian province of Ontario. There are an estimated 160 native speakers left. Language revitalization efforts are in progress...
- Onondagaono Seneca languageSeneca languageSeneca is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League. About 10,000 Seneca live in the United States and Canada, primarily on reservations in western New York, with others living in Oklahoma and near Brantford, Ontario.-Phonology:Seneca words are written with...