Iroquois

New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634

November 30, 2021 by Daniel Koch 1 Comment

When a Dutchman, Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, traveled from Albany (then Fort Orange) to the main village of the Oneidas in the dead of winter 1634, he was on a mission to thwart the French, who had found their way to Oneida Lake.

In the struggle for influence in Iroquoia, there was no time to lose. The Dutch had a firm hold on the Hudson Valley at this point and a profitable relationship with the Mohawk, but New Netherland’s trade was threatened by New France, which controlled the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic. [Read more…] about New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634

Dutch, Mohawk & Mohican Fur Trade

November 29, 2021 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

After a 1627 conflict, when the Dutch sided with the Mahicans against the Mohawks, the relationship between the first settlers and the Indigenous People was relatively peaceful and cooperative.

This was due in part to the fact that the Patroon had purchased the land from them and also due to the business relationship established between local Indigenous People and the fur traders. [Read more…] about Dutch, Mohawk & Mohican Fur Trade

When History Is Wrong: The Albany County ‘Dietz Massacre’

October 26, 2021 by Harold Miller 1 Comment

During the Revolutionary War the little community of Beaver Dam (sometimes spelled Beaverdam) in what is now Berne, Albany County, NY saw little action.

The British and their Indigenous allies repeatedly attacked the communities in the Schoharie Valley to the west however, despite the presence of a large militia and three forts to protect the people of Schoharie. [Read more…] about When History Is Wrong: The Albany County ‘Dietz Massacre’

General Peter Gansevoort’s Map

June 19, 2021 by Bill Orzell 2 Comments

A sculpture of Brigadier General Peter Gansevoort stands in a city park named in his honor at Rome, Oneida County, NY. This bronze, dedicated November 8, 1906, was created by Emilio F. Piatti. It presents the General in dress uniform grasping his sword and holding what is perhaps one of the most impactful tools (or weapons) ever devised – an accurate map. [Read more…] about General Peter Gansevoort’s Map

Red Jacket Peace Medal Returned to Seneca Nation by Buffalo Museum

May 9, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Red Jacket Peace Medal, an object of cultural patrimony under federal law, has been returned to the Seneca Nation by The Buffalo History Museum.

The medal, considered to be of central importance by many in the Nation, was gifted to Seneca Chief Red Jacket by President George Washington in 1792 to commemorate discussions that culminated in the Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794, in which the Seneca Nation played a crucial role. The medal was meant to be a symbol of peace, friendship, and enduring relationships among the United States and the Six Nations. [Read more…] about Red Jacket Peace Medal Returned to Seneca Nation by Buffalo Museum

Elms: The Giving Tree

November 14, 2020 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

For thousands of years, the American elm (Ulmus americana) was the go-to tree for building supplies and home furnishings, kind of a Home Depot of the forest.

For the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other First Nations peoples, it provided roofing and walls for longhouses measuring over a hundred feet long, as well as for smaller dwellings and outbuildings.

Elm also furnished top-notch material to make items as diverse as ladles, canoes, trays, snow shovels, grain scoops, baskets, and containers of all sizes. [Read more…] about Elms: The Giving Tree

Iroquois Indian Museum Cancels All 2020 Special Events

June 12, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In response to COVID-19 and in the interest of public health, The Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, Schoharie County, NY, has announced they are cancelling all special events for 2020. [Read more…] about Iroquois Indian Museum Cancels All 2020 Special Events

Geology and the Iroquois Homeland

March 2, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The bedrock of New York and its erosion created the landscape the Iroquois people made their home. It influenced their territorial boundaries, defenses, settlement patterns, trail systems, agriculture, and key natural resources. [Read more…] about Geology and the Iroquois Homeland

Haudenosaunee Events at Ganondagan on Memorial Spaces

December 8, 2019 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, (“People of the Longhouse”), are a northeast Native American confederacy in North America. They were known during the colonial years to the French as the Iroquois League, and later as the Iroquois Confederacy, and to other European immigrants as the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. After 1722, they accepted the Tuscarora people from the Southeast into their confederacy, and became known as the Six Nations.

The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is set to host two events on Haudenosaunee culture and women and how they relate to museum and memorial sites, on December 12th and 13th, at the Seneca Art & Culture Center in Victor. [Read more…] about Haudenosaunee Events at Ganondagan on Memorial Spaces

The Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794

November 20, 2019 by Liz Covart 1 Comment

The Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the American War for Independence, but it did not bring peace to North America. After 1783, warfare and violence continued between Americans and Native Americans.

So how did the early United States attempt to create peace for its new nation?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History, Michael Oberg, Distinguished Professor of History at the State University of New York-Geneseo, joins us to investigate how the United States worked with the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois people to create peace through the Treaty of Canandaigua in 1794.