November is National American Indian Heritage Month. It is a month of celebrating and educating people about the rich and diverse cultures and traditions of American Indians, as well as the significant role they’ve played in the history of the United States.
The Iroquois
The Iroquois currently occupy New York, Pennsylvania, and parts of Ontario and Quebec. Before colonization, the Iroquois were semi-sedentary agriculturists who settled in villages, each comprising hundreds of individuals. The Iroquois called themselves the Haudenosaunee, or “the people of the longhouse.” As of today, approximately 80,000 Iroquois live in the United States and another 45,000 live in Canada. The six major Iroquois nations are Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. These nations have united under the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to end inter-tribal fighting and to bring long-lasting peace. Many scholars credit the Iroquois as the model upon which the U.S. Constitution was based.
Cayuga
The Cayuga Nation, “The People of the Great Swamp”, is made up of five clans: Bear, Heron, Snipe, Turtle, and Wolf. Each clan represents a different family lineage. The Cayuga currently does not have a reservation of its own and its members live among those of the Seneca.
Total population: 5,300+
Languages: Gayogohó:no’, English, other Iroquoian dialects
Religions: Kai’hwi’io, Kanoh’hon’io, Kahni’kwi’io, Longhouse, Handsome Lake, Christianity, other indigenous religions
Cayuga Nation address: 2540 SR-89, Seneca Falls, NY 13148
Mohawk
The Mohawk, once fierce warriors, were known as the “Keepers of the Eastern Door.” They guarded the Iroquois Confederation against invasion from the East. Mask carving was an art form that held a special meaning to them: masks were used in religious ceremonies and rarely seen by outsiders.
Total population: 29,000+
Languages: Kanien’kéha, French, Mohawk Dutch, other Iroquoian dialects
Religions: Karihwiio, Kanoh’hon’io, Kani’kwi’io, Christianity, Longhouse, Handsome Lake, other indigenous religions
Oneida
Oneida means “People of the Standing Stone.” This name is based on a legend in which the enemies of the Oneida were turned into stone after the Oneida successfully escaped from them.
Total population: 100,000+
Languages: Onyota’aka, English, other Iroquoian dialects
Religions: Kai’hwi’io, Kanoh’hon’io, Kahni’kwi’io, Christianity, Longhouse, Handsome Lake, other indigenous Religions
Oneida Nation address: 2037 Dreamcatcher Plaza, Oneida, NY 13421
Onondaga
The Onondaga, or “The People of the Hills”, have inhabited the area in the vicinity of Onondaga Lake and the Oswego River. The Onondaga Nation survives today as a sovereign nation, living on a portion of its ancestral territory and maintaining its culture despite the continuing challenges of the modern world.
Total population: 80,000+
Languages: Onöñda’gega’, English, other Iroquoian dialects
Religions: Gai’hwi’io, Kanoh’hon’io, Kahni’kwi’io, other indigenous religions
Onondaga Nation address: 3951 Route 11, Onondaga Nation, Nedrow, NY 13120
Seneca
The Seneca, or “The People of the Great Hills”, were the most populous of the Haudenosaunee Nations, raising over 10,000 warriors by the seventeenth century.
Total population: 8,000+
Languages: Seneca, English, other Iroquoian dialects
Religions: Longhouse, Handsome Lake, Kai’hwi’io, Kanoh’hon’io, Kahni’kwi’io, Catholicism, various Christian denominations
Seneca Nation addresses: 90 Ohiyo Way, Salamanca, NY 14779, 12837 Route 438, Irving, NY 14081
Tuscarora
The Tuscarora Indians were the last to be added to the Iroquois Confederacy. They were once one of the largest American Indian nations in what is now North Carolina. However, today, most Tuscarora live in New York and Canada.
Total population: 17,000+
Languages: Skarure, English
Religions: Kai’hwi’io, Kanoh’hon’io, Kahni’kwi’io, Christianity, Longhouse, Handsome Lake, other Indigenous religions
Tuscarora Nation address: 5616 Walmore Rd., Lewiston, NY 14092