Onondaga << on uhn DAW guh >> are a Native American people of central New York state. They were part of a confederation of tribes called the Iroquois League or Five Nations. The league included the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, and Seneca. It was formed by the early 1600’s. About 1722, the Tuscarora joined the group, which became known as the Six Nations.
The name Onondaga means People of the Hills in their language. They grew beans, corn, and squash and also gathered food from wild plants. The Onondaga also fished, and they hunted deer, turkey, and other animals. They lived in villages made up of many longhouses. Each longhouse held several related families united in a single clan. The longhouse became an important symbol of the Six Nations. They called themselves Haudenosaunee, which means People who are building a longhouse. Each new generation adds a section onto the longhouse.
Like other tribes in the Six Nations, the Onondaga wove belts of white and purple shell beads called wampum. They exchanged the belts as pledges to keep treaties, to assure friendships, resolve complaints, and keep peace. The arrangement of beads on wampum belts recorded events and stories.
The Iroquois League was strained during the American Revolution (1775-1783) in a dispute over which side to support. Individuals could support either side, provided they did not make war against other Haudenosaunee. The Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the colonists. The Onondaga and other Haudenosaunee had older treaties with the British, French, and Dutch. In 1779, under the orders of commander in chief George Washington, the colonists undertook a campaign of revenge on the Onondaga, destroying their villages. Because of this, many Onondaga still refer to President Washington as Hanadahguyus, meaning Town Destroyer.
In 1794, the remaining Iroquois League signed the Canandaigua Treaty, also called the Pickering Treaty, with George Washington. The treaty agreed to an Onondaga reservation (land set aside for Indian use) in New York state. The Onondaga have their own tribal government on the reservation, led by traditional chiefs. Tribal chiefs are chosen by the women who head each clan, called clanmothers.
