Description
The Onondaga people, "People of the Hills") are one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands are in and around present-day Onondaga County, New York, south of Lake Ontario. According to oral tradition, the Great Peacemaker approached the Onondaga and other tribes to found the Haudenosaunee. The tradition tells that at the time the Seneca nation debated joining the Haudenosaunee based on the Great Peacemaker's teachings, a solar eclipse took place. The most likely eclipse to be recounted was in 1142AD, which was visible to the people in the land of the Seneca. In 1696, the French army under Frontenac invaded Onondaga country. With the 1701 Peace of Montreal, the Onondaga, as well as other Haudenosaunee peoples, made peace with the French.
Language
Although the Onondaga Nation is a part of the Haudenosaunee and the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations have been joined together for centuries, each of the 5 nations speak their own language.
Culture
The Onondaga, as well as other Haudenosaunee peoples, were often known as the “people of the longhouse.” Not only did the longhouse describe the type of dwelling in which they lived, but it also described the Haudenosaunee political alliance. The Onondaga were known as the "firekeepers" of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, serving as moderators at councils and keeping the wampum records of the confederacy. They moved these houses periodically to plant new fields, to seek fresh supplies of firewood, and to be nearer fish and game. They grew corn (maize), beans, squash, sunflowers, and tobacco. A council of adult males in each community guided the village chiefs.