Iroquois settlement of the north shore of Lake Ontario facts for kids
Between 1665 and 1670, seven important Iroquois villages were built on the north shore of Lake Ontario in what is now Ontario. These villages were sometimes called the "Northern Iroquois" settlements. They were founded by people from the Seneca, Cayuga, and Oneida nations. The names of these villages were Ganneious, Kente, Kentsio, Ganaraske, Ganatsekwyagon, Teiaiagon, and Quinaouatoua. All of these villages were left empty by the year 1701.
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Why the Iroquois Settled
People have lived along the northern shores of Lake Ontario for a very long time, even as far back as eleven thousand years ago. However, people did not live there all the time. The Huron-Wendat people had their homeland along these shores in the 1400s. But by 1615, they moved north towards Georgian Bay, leaving the Lake Ontario shores empty.
In the early 1600s, the Iroquois often raided the Huron in Ontario. They started to take more control over the hunting lands between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe. By the 1640s, many Huron-Wendat people had died from widespread illnesses. In 1649, the Iroquois defeated the Huron, Petun, and Neutral nations. This effectively ended their enemies' power in Ontario.
After defeating the Huron, the Iroquois visited the northern shores of Lake Ontario more often. In the 1660s, they began to build new settlements there. Historians believe there were several reasons for this move. The strongest reason was likely economic. By the 1640s, beavers had become scarce in the Iroquois homeland in modern-day New York state due to too much hunting.
The Iroquois were competing with the Huron, Ottawa, and Algonquin peoples for the valuable fur trade. By building villages on the northern shores of Lake Ontario, the Iroquois could control the flow of furs. These furs came from the north and west and were traded at places like Albany and Montreal. This expansion into Ontario was part of a larger movement by Iroquois groups in the mid-1600s. During this time, the Iroquois also moved into areas that are now Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Quebec.
What Were These Villages Like?
The seven Iroquois villages on the northern shores of Lake Ontario, listed from east to west, were:
- Ganneious (likely an Oneida village) - near present-day Napanee
- Kente ("prairie" or "meadow") - on the Bay of Quinte
- Kentsio ("abounding in fish") - on Rice Lake
- Ganaraske ("at the spawning-place") - near present-day Port Hope
- Ganatsekwyagon ("among the birches") - at the mouth of the Rouge River
- Teiaiagon ("It crosses the stream.") - at the mouth of the Humber River
- Quinaouatoua (or Tinawatawa) - near modern-day Hamilton
We do not know much about these seven villages because there is not a lot of detailed archaeological evidence. The best information comes from Bead Hill, which is thought to be the site of Ganatsekwyagon.
These villages shared some common features. They were probably seasonal camps before they became larger settlements. They were built in important spots that controlled access to Lake Ontario. They were also close to places where fish and game were plentiful at certain times of the year. Six of the seven villages were located on the best farming land along the lake. The Iroquois likely grew crops like squash, corn, and beans.
The villages were also key places for hunting parties moving north and for fur trading. They were busy centers where French, Dutch, English, and Ottawa traders exchanged goods with the Iroquois. The villages were also places where conflicts sometimes happened.
Like other Iroquois settlements, these villages had longhouses built parallel to each other. They were often surrounded by protective walls called palisades. The villages likely had between 500 and 800 people. They would have had 20 to 30 buildings. Quinaouatoua was probably the smallest, with fewer than 100 people in late 1669.
Different Iroquois nations settled different villages. The Seneca settled the westernmost villages: Quinaouatoua, Teiaiagon, and Ganatsekwyagon. The Cayuga settled Ganaraske, Kente, and Kentsio. The Oneida settled Ganneious on the eastern side of the lake. The villages were connected by trails and water routes.
Even though each village was linked to one group, it is likely that these communities included people from many different backgrounds. For example, a Neutral-style longhouse was found at Bead Hill, which was first settled by the Seneca. Old writings also suggest that Iroquois communities far from their main homeland had people from many different nations who spoke different languages.
Iroquois and French Relations
In 1668, the French began visiting the Iroquois villages. They wanted to teach the local people about Christianity. Abbé Trouvé and François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon were sent from Montreal to set up a mission in Kente. This mission was abandoned in 1680 because it was not successful and lacked money. Abbé Fénelon then visited other villages and spent the winter of 1669 in Ganatsekwyagon.
Other French explorers also passed through these villages. Jean Peré and Adrien Jolliet visited Ganatsekwyagon in 1669 on their way to Lake Superior.
Relations between the Northern Iroquois and the French were often difficult. This was due to ongoing conflicts known as the Beaver Wars. The villages were settled during a time of relative peace. In 1673, the French built their first settlement on Lake Ontario, Fort Frontenac, near present-day Kingston, Ontario. Many Iroquois from the nearby village of Ganneious moved closer to the fort.
However, relations worsened as the political situation in New York state changed. In 1687, the French attacked the Iroquois. They destroyed villages in both New York state and along the northern shores of Lake Ontario.
The building of Fort Frontenac also changed which village was most important. Before the fort, Ganatsekwyagon was likely the most important settlement. It was in a key spot on the Rouge River, part of the Toronto Carrying-Place Trail. After Fort Frontenac was built, Teiaiagon became more frequently used. This was because the fort shifted Iroquois travel routes to the western side of Lake Ontario. Also, French trade boats found better places to anchor at Teiaiagon than at Ganatsekwyagon.
Why the Villages Were Left
According to Anishinaabe oral traditions, the Iroquois left their villages north of Lake Ontario after the Anishinaabe won several important battles. These battles took place in southern and central Ontario during the Beaver Wars. In the Great Peace of Montreal, signed in 1701, the Iroquois Confederacy agreed to stay on the south shore of Lake Ontario. By 1701, the Mississauga (an Anishinaabe group) had moved into the area between Lake Erie and the Rouge River.
The easternmost villages of Kente and Ganneious were reportedly destroyed in 1687 by Jacques René de Brisay de Denonville. His troops captured 200 people from both villages to fight in the Beaver Wars before destroying the settlements. There are no records about what happened to Ganatsekwyagon or Teiaiagon after fighting began in 1687. It is believed that these villages were no longer safe. Their inhabitants likely left them weeks earlier and fled to the south shore of Lake Ontario.
After the Iroquois left the north of Lake Ontario, some French mapmakers incorrectly showed the Northern Iroquois and their villages on maps of southern Ontario as late as 1755. This caused confusion for historians later on, especially when the Mississauga took control of the northern shore of Lake Ontario.
Images for kids
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A map from the late 17th century
