The Onondaga (Onöñda'gega') are one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) in and around what is now Onondaga County, New York.
Historically, the Onondaga were centrally located within the Iroquois Confederacy, with the Cayuga and Seneca to the west, and the Oneida and Mohawk to the east. Their name, Onoñda’gegá’, means "people of the hills, but they were also known as Kayečisnakwe’nì·yu, or "keepers of the fire" in the figurative longhouse that sheltered the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, whose capital was at Onondaga. The Nation's traditional chiefs still meet there today.
In the United States, the Onondaga Reservation is home to the Onondaga Nation. Contemporary Onondaga are also found on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Ontario, Canada, which had long been a hunting area for the Onondaga.
During the 18th-century wars between the British and the French, a large faction of Onondaga favoring the French interests migrated to Jesuit mission settlements along the St. Lawrence River, while another faction was loyal to the British. When the Iroquois Confederacy was broken up after the American victory in its War for Independence from the British, a small party of Onondaga followed other members to Grand River in what is now Ontario, while the majority remained in their ancestral homeland.
The ancestors of those who settled in Grand River now reside on the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy reserve, while the ancestors of those who remained in New York are the Onondaga Nation.
Like other Iroquois, the Onondaga traditionally lived in longhouses, which were large bark-covered homes that functioned as communal clan homes. Although they have adapted to the conventional homes housing only the nuclear family in the 19th century, the longhouse remains a significant symbol of the Onondaga and Iroquois identity. The Iroquois name for themselves is Haudenosaunee, which means "people of the long house."
As the Onondaga were crucial to the formation of the Iroquois League, they were revered by their peers. The Iroquois "Tree of Peace" was planted on Onondaga land, and Onondaga was regarded as the capital of the Iroquois. The Onondaga were known as the "Central Fire-Keepers of the Confederacy.
The Onondaga were fierce warriors, but they lived a hybrid hunter-gatherer and agricultural lifestyle, growing the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash. As hunters, they ate the meat of deer, turkey, rabbits, and other game. In the spring and summer, they could gather other edible and medicinal plants and roots.
Prior to their contact with Europeans, and even afterward, their clothing was made largely from the hides of the deer that were hunted for eat, although hemp was used to produce decorative shirts, and headgear was made from strips of wood decorated with feathers.
The actual figure of Hiawatha (Ayenwatha, Allonwatha) was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both, and a co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. By some accounts, he was born an Onondaga but was adopted by the Mohawks. He is known mostly through legends. Although the name is widely known through Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem, The Song of Hiawatha, it appears that he took the name of Hiawatha and applied it to a leading character of an Ojibwa legend, applying literary license to that, the result having no relationship to the actual life of Hiawatha.
The Onondaga in New York follows a traditional matriarchal form of government in which chiefs are nominated by clan mothers rather than elected. An individual's clan is inherited from the mother, and membership in the Onondaga is exclusively inherited matrilineally. The Onondaga clan system extends throughout the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and clan members from member nations are considered family. The Onondaga recognizes nine clans: Wolf, Turtle, Beaver, Snipe, Heron, Deer, Eel, Bear, and Hawk. A member of one clan can only marry someone outside of their clan.
According to the 2020 Census, the Onondaga Reservation in New York lost 62.9% of its population since 2010, although it still has a larger population than it had in 1990, given significant increases in 2000 and 2010. In 2020, the population was 832. Reportedly, many members of the Onondaga Nation decline to participate in the U.S. Census because they do not consider themselves to be citizens of the United States. Tribal membership extends beyond the reservation, as well.
The focus of this portion of our guide is on the Onondaga people, Onondaga tribal or First Nation governments, businesses, industries, schools, medical facilities, organizations, or other entities or programs owned or operated by Onondaga people, including sole proprietorships.
Recommended Resources
The Skä•noñh (Great Law of Peace) Center is a Haudenosaunee heritage center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York, as told through the perspective of the Onondaga Nation, covering the Onondaga story of creation, European contact, the Great Law of Peace, and other topics. Its exhibits, educational programs, presentations, collections, publications, and videos are included, along with touring information, a calendar of events, and an online store.
https://www.skanonhcenter.org/
Onondaga (Onǫnda’géga’) Language
Hosted on Languagegeek, a website dedicated to promoting indigenous languages from North America, its section on the Onondaga language presents a brief introduction to the Onondaga people and the orthographies of the language. A textual example of the language uses the beginning section of the story, "Tall Corn," told by Thahsó:gweñh (Harry Webster) to Hanni Woodbury in 1972 at Onondaga. Keyboard layouts for Mac and Windows are available, as are guides for other languages.
https://www.languagegeek.com/rotinonhsonni/onondaga.html
Administered by LaFayette Central School District, the Onondaga Nation School enrolls students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades one through eight. Established as the Onondaga Indian School in 1850, the school is located on the Onondaga Nation Reservation, where it serves member children. Its site spotlights the ONS library, ONS symbolism, district technology, budget data, and a teacher login, as well as Nation history and an Onondaga dictionary.
https://www.lafayetteschools.org/ons
Onondaga Nation: People of the Hills
Situated in the center of the Haudenosaunee territory, Onondaga is still governed by its traditional government. The official Nation website presents a history and profile of the Nation and a directory of Onondaga businesses, industries, and artists. Its governmental structure, chiefs, clan mothers, treaties, sovereignty, positions, land rights cases, and court cases are defined. Public notices, announcements, and a video gallery are included, along with contacts.
https://www.onondaganation.org/
The Onondaga Athletic Club is a community-based organization, and Lacrosse is a game that the Onondagas and the Haudenosaunee people have played for centuries. In Onondaga, the game is known as Dey-Hon-Tshi-Gwa’-Ehs, which translates to "they bump hips." The Redhawks are a Senior "B" box lacrosse team from Nedrow, New York, at the Onondaga Nation, playing their home games at the Onondaga Nation Arena, also known as Tsha’ Hon’nonyen’dakhwa. Its history, schedules, and photos are provided.
https://redhawkslax.com/
Tsha’ Hon’nonyen’dakhwa’, meaning "where they play games," is the Onondaga Nation Arena. Built in 2001 for the Onondaga Nation, the 2,000-seat arena is home to the Nation's lacrosse team and the Onondaga Athletic Club, the Red Hawks. It also serves as an ice arena from September through March, and local high schools and colleges, as well as youth hockey teams, also use the arena as their home ice. Recreational skating is also available. A public calendar and event notices are included.
https://onondagaarena.com/
