What Is An Onondaga?
The word Onondaga is defined as a member of the Iroquoian people. The Iroquoian tribe formerly lived in the area which is located between Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River. The Iroquoian language is spoken by the people who belong to the Onondaga tribe. The word Onondaga is also called the Onundagaono, which is translated into English as the People of the Hills. They are one of the five original tribes that belonged to the League of the Iroquois (or the Hodenosaunee). The traditional homeland of the Onondaga tribe is located in and around Onondaga County in the state of New York in the United States of America. Being centrally located, the Onondaga were the keepers of the fire in the figurative longhouse. The people that belonged to the Cayuga and the Seneca tribes were located to the west of the homeland of the Onondaga tribe and the people that belonged to the Oneida and the Mohawk tribes were located to the east of the homeland of the Onondaga tribe.
