Onondaga

The Block

The Six Nations Women’s Singing Society used a raised style of beadwork, characteristic of the Eastern Woodlands nations, to make this block. They worked in three sizes of iridescent white beads, to create the stunning and delicate flower, set on a background of luxurious purple velvet. The beads are reflective of wampum, which is a Narragansett word for white shell “beads”. Wampum was once used as currency, and a way to record treaties and tribal history. The beads came in two colours: white from the Whelk shell and purple-black from the Quahog. Fifteen domes embroidered in white cotton floss create an inward-facing scalloped border framing the simple, yet striking piece.

Cultural Profile

The Onondaga, who now live in south-western Ontario, call themselves Onoda’gega(sometimes Onontakeka or Onongagaono), meaning “people of the hills”. They are one of the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee (“people of the longhouse”) Confederacy, a.k.a. the Iroquois Confederacy, which also included the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, and later the Tuscarora. Within this Confederacy the Onondaga are known as the Keepers of the Wampum and the Elder Brothers. The league was symbolized by the longhouse, the type of homes they built, with the Mohawk guarding the east door, the Onondaga tending the central hearth, and the Seneca guarding the west door. Flanking the Onondaga were the Cayuga on the south wall and the Oneida on the north. Historically, the original five nations had warred with one another. But according to legend, the Peacemaker came to each in turn carrying with him the “great law of peace”. This law included the principles of peace, equality, respect, love and justice that led members of the Confederacy to agree to protect the peace and the natural world for generations to come, while retaining sovereignty over their own nations. With the establishment of the Confederacy a great white pine tree, the Tree of Peace, was planted. All articles of war were buried beneath the Tree. The alliance was recorded on the Ayonwath (Hiawatha) Belt. The Onondaga are located in the centre of the belt, represented by a heart, indicative of their place within the Confederacy. The great white pine tree also symbolizes the Onondaga. As a guiding principle, actions are considered in terms of the possible effects on seven future generations. The Onondaga were distinguishable by the two feathers; one set upright and the other tilted downward, on their gustowehs (traditional hats). The chiefs would also add deer antlers as a symbol of authority. The Onondaga were organized into five clans: Beaver, Turtle, Wolf, Deer and Eel. A matrilineal society, clan membership passes down through the mother.

Sponsor: Navan Women’s Institute