Oneida

Oneida, the smallest of the five original Nations of the IROQUOIS confederacy, occupied a single village near Oneida Lake in New York state for most of the historic era. They had only three matrilineal clans (Wolf, Bear and Turtle). Nine Oneida chiefs sat on the confederacy council. It is possible that it was an Oneida town that CHAMPLAIN attacked unsuccessfully in 1615; their town was burned by the French in 1696. Unlike most of their brethren in the confederacy, the Oneida espoused the rebel cause in the American Revolution, owing to the influence of the New England missionary Samuel Kirkland. They were subjected to American pressures to sell their New York lands, however, after the war.

A sizable portion of the community moved to Wisconsin, and another group of 242 individuals purchased a tract of land and settled near London, Ontario, in 1839. Although Methodist and Anglican when they migrated to Ontario, some have since taken up the HANDSOME LAKE RELIGION. In 1996, 5887 Oneida were registered with ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT (AAND).

Today, after the inclusion of the Tuscarora nation early in the 18th century, the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations comprise the Tuscarora, Haudenosaunee, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Onondaga Nations.

See also NATIVE PEOPLE, EASTERN WOODLANDS.

Author THOMAS S. ABLER

Suggested Reading
B.G. Trigger, ed, Handbook of North American Indians, vol 15: Northeast (1978).

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge
The website for the Canadian Aboriginal Writing and Arts Challenge, which features Canada's largest essay writing competition for Aboriginal youth (ages 14-29) and a companion program for those who prefer to work through painting, drawing and photography. See their guidelines, teacher resources, profiles of winners, and more. From the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Six Nations
Extensive site devoted to current and historical issues of importance to the Six Nations community.

Peacemaker
A Heritage Minute about the Iroquois legend of the great Peacemmaker, who created the confederacy known as the League of the Six Nations. From the Historica-Dominion Institute. See also related learning resources.

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

Languages of Canada
A comprehensive online database of languages currently in use in Canada. Also provides details about extinct languages. Check out the "language maps" for more information. Based on "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition." From SIL International, a US website.

Raid on Deerfield
A narrated history of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield and its aftermath from Native and European perspectives. Also features fascinating stories about Native societies, cultures, trade practices, and traditions. This multimedia website is from the Memorial Hall Museum in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Four Directions Teachings
Elders and traditional teachers representing the Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwe, Mohawk, and Mi’kmaq share teachings about their history and culture. Animated graphics visualize each of the oral teachings. This website also provides biographies of participants, transcripts, and an extensive array of learning resources for students and their teachers. In English with French subtitles.