Onondaga (village) facts for kids
Onondaga was a very important village for the Iroquois people. It was like the capital city for the Iroquois League, which was a powerful group of Native American nations. Onondaga was also the main home for the Onondaga people.
This village was the special meeting place for the Iroquois Grand Council. This council was where important decisions were made for the entire Iroquois League. Women leaders, called clan mothers, chose the men who would represent their clans at village meetings. They also picked 49 special leaders, called sachems, who met regularly at Onondaga. These sachems were the main rulers for the Five Nations that made up the Iroquois League.
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Where Was Onondaga Located?
The village of Onondaga didn't always stay in the same spot. It moved around over time.
Early Locations
- Around the year 1600, Onondaga was located near a place that is now called Cazenovia, New York.
- From 1609 to 1615, the village was found where the town of Pompey, New York is today.
- After that, Onondaga moved to several different places near what is now Delphi Falls, New York. This was until about 1640.
- In 1640, the village moved again to a spot that later became Manlius, New York.
Later Locations and Changes
- By 1720, the village had moved to an area near Onondaga Creek.
- During the American Revolutionary War, many Onondaga warriors fought alongside the British.
- Because of this, the American army, led by Colonel Goose Van Schaick, attacked the village in April 1779.
- Most of the people in the village at that time were older men, women, and children. They quickly left as the army got close.
- The American soldiers then destroyed the empty village. They burned about 50 houses along Onondaga Creek and also destroyed the food and supplies the villagers had saved for winter.
Onondaga Today
Today, the main meeting place for the Iroquois Grand Council is on the Onondaga Reservation in New York. This continues the long history of the Onondaga people and their important role in the Iroquois League.
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