Onondaga

Onondaga, geographically at the centre of the five IROQUOIS nations, were designated "firekeepers" of the Iroquois league, serving as moderators at councils and retaining the WAMPUM records of the confederacy. Thadodaho, the most celebrated title among the 50 confederacy chiefs, was held by an Onondaga. Despite this central position in the confederacy, they often pursued an independent policy, as in 1649 when they remained neutral while the SENECA and MOHAWK defeated the HURON. The main Onondaga town, as "capital" of the Iroquois Confederacy, was a hub of frontier diplomacy for two centuries.

The Onondaga themselves burned their town when an army under FRONTENAC invaded their country in 1696. The village was also burned by Americans during the American Revolution. After the war a portion of the Onondaga immigrated with other Iroquois to lands in Canada on the Grand River in 1785. They did not increase as rapidly as other groups on the Six Nations Reserve.

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. By 1996 the Onondaga numbered only 1127 and their registered population in 2012 was 754. Another portion of Onondaga retain lands in their ancestral homeland, outside Syracuse, New York.

See also NATIVE PEOPLE, EASTERN WOODLANDS and general articles under NATIVE PEOPLE.

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.