View source for Oneida people

{{short description|Indigenous people of the United States}}
{{Other uses|Oneida (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
|group      = Oneida<br />''Onʌyoteˀa·ká·''
|population = 15,389
|region1    = United States&nbsp;<small>([[Wisconsin]], [[New York (state)|New York]])</small>
|pop1       =  10,309 and 1,109{{Citation needed |date=April 2024}}
|ref1       =
|region2    = Canada&nbsp;<small>([[Ontario]])</small>
|pop2       = 3,970{{Citation needed |date=April 2024}}
|ref2       =
|religions  = [[Christianity]], [[Longhouse religion]]
|languages  = [[Oneida language|Oneida]], [[English language|English]], [[Oneida Sign Language]], other Iroquoian languages
|related    = [[Seneca Nation]], [[Onondaga Nation]], [[Tuscarora Nation]], [[Mohawk Nation]], [[Cayuga Nation]], other [[Iroquoian]] peoples
}}
The '''Oneida people''' ({{IPAc-en|oʊ|ˈ|n|aɪ|d|ə|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Oneida.wav}} {{respell|oh|NY|də}};<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Oneida|accessdate=2024-03-23}}</ref> [[wikt:autonym|autonym]]: '''''{{lang|one|Onʌyoteˀa·ká·}}''''', '''''{{lang|one|Onyotaʼa:ka}}''''', ''the People of the Standing Stone'') are a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribe and [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] [[band government|band]]. They are one of the five founding nations of the [[Iroquois|Iroquois Confederacy]] in the area of [[upstate New York]], particularly near the [[Great Lakes]] and around [[Oneida Lake]] and [[Oneida County, New York|Oneida County]].

The Oneida have two [[federally recognized tribe]]s in the [[United States]]: the [[Oneida Indian Nation]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], and the [[Oneida Nation]] in and around [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]]. In [[Canada]] the two Oneida [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] are both located in [[Ontario]]: the [[Six Nations of the Grand River]], and the [[Oneida Nation of the Thames]] in [[Southwold, Ontario|Southwold]].

==People of the Standing Stone==
[[File:Outline history of Utica and vicinity (1900) (14593225947).jpg|thumb|The sacred stone of the Oneidas, at Utica NY, c.1900]]
The name Oneida is derived from the English pronunciation of ''{{lang|one|Onyota'a:ka}}'', the people's name for themselves. ''{{lang|one|Onyota'a:ka}}'' means "People of the Standing Stone".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-29 |title=People of the Standing Stone - Oneida Indian Nation |url=https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/people-of-the-standing-stone/ |access-date=2025-08-25 |language=en-US}}</ref> This identity is based on an ancient legend. The Oneida people were being pursued on foot by an enemy tribe. As their enemies chased the Oneida into a clearing within the woodlands, they suddenly disappeared. The enemy could not find them, and so it was said that the Oneida had shapeshifted into the stones that stood in the clearing. As a result, they became known as the People of the Standing Stone.

Older legends have the Oneida people identifying as ''{{lang|one|Latilutakówa}}'', the "Big Tree People", "People of big trees". Not much is written about this. Iroquoian elders would have to be consulted on the oral history of this identification. The association may correspond to Iroquoian concepts of the [[Tree of Peace]] and the associated belief system of the people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uwgb.edu/oneida/index.html |title=Oneida Language Tools – Oneida Dictionary |access-date=2018-07-28 |archive-date=2018-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210081141/http://www.uwgb.edu/oneida/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Individuals born into the Oneida Nation are identified according to their spirit name, or what may be called an Indian name, their [[clan]], and their family unit within a clan. The people have a [[Matrilineality|matrilineal]] [[kinship]] system, and children are considered to be born into the mother's clan, through which descent and inheritance passes. Each gender, clan, and family unit within a clan has particular duties and responsibilities in the tribe. Clan identities go back to the Creation Story of the ''{{lang|one|Onyota'a:ka}}'' peoples. The people identify with three clans: the Wolf, Turtle or Bear clans. Children take their social status from their mother's clan. Because of this, her eldest brother is a significant figure for the children, especially boys. He supervises the boys' passage into adulthood as men.

==History==

===Homeland boundaries===
During the early 17th century, the Oneidas occupied and maintained roughly 6 million acres of land in what is modern day central New York State.  Formal boundaries were established in the 1768 [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix]], and again, after September 4, 1784, when the governor of New York, [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]], requested from the Oneidas the borders of their land, borders were established in the [[Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)]].<ref>Campisi, Jack and Hauptman, Laurence (1988), ''The Oneida Indian Experience: Two Perspectives''</ref>

===American Revolution===
The Oneida, along with the five other tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy, initially maintained a policy of neutrality in the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]]. This policy allowed the Confederacy increased leverage against both sides in the war, because they could threaten to join one side or the other in the event of any provocation. Neutrality quickly crumbled, however. The preponderance of the [[Mohawk people|Mohawks]], [[Seneca people|Senecas]], [[Cayuga people|Cayugas]], and [[Onondaga people|Onondagas]] sided with the [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] and British. For some time, the Oneidas continued advocating neutrality and attempted to restore consensus among the six tribes of the Confederacy.

But ultimately the Oneida, as well, had to choose a side. Because of their proximity and relations with the rebel communities, most Oneida favored the revolutionaries. In contrast, some of the pro-British tribes were closer to the British stronghold at [[Fort Niagara]]. In addition, the Oneida were influenced by the Presbyterian missionary [[Samuel Kirkland]], who had worked among them since 1764. A number of Oneida were baptized as Christians in the decade before the Revolution. Kirkland worked to help them with education and their struggles with alcohol. Through relations with him, many began to form stronger cultural links to the colonists.

The Oneida officially joined the rebel side and contributed in many ways to the war effort. Their warriors were often used to scout on offensive campaigns and to assess enemy operations around [[Fort Stanwix]] (also known as Fort Schuyler). The Oneida also provided an open line of communication between the rebels and their Iroquois foes. In 1777 at the [[Battle of Oriskany]], about fifty Oneida fought alongside the colonial militia, this included [[Tyonajanegen]] and her husband [[Han Yerry]]. Many Oneida formed friendships with [[Philip Schuyler]], [[George Washington]], the [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de Lafayette]], and other prominent rebel leaders. [[Polly Cooper]] was an Oneida woman who traveled to [[Valley Forge]] in 1777 during the American Revolution.<ref>Tiro, Karim.  ''The People Of The Standing Stone''.  Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Press.  2011</ref> Under [[Skenandoa|Chief Skenandon's]] leadership, the Oneidas brought bushels of maize to General George Washington's starving Patriot army.<ref>Richards, Cara.  ''The Oneida People''.  Phoenix: Indian Tribal Series.  1974.  Print.</ref>  Cooper showed Washington's people how to properly cook and eat the corn.  Washington's intentions were to pay cash to Cooper for her generosity, but she refused to accept compensation because she said it was her duty to serve her country. As a token of appreciation, [[Martha Washington]], wife of George Washington, brought Cooper to Philadelphia and bought her a shawl, hat, and bonnet.<ref>Wonderley, Anthony.  ''Oneida Iroquois Folklore, Myth, And History''.  Syracuse: Syracuse University Press.  2004.  Print.</ref>  These men recognized the Oneida contributions during and after the war.

Although leaders of the tribe had taken the colonists' side, individuals within the decentralized nation could make their own decisions about alliances. A minority, who were already a faction supporting the sachems, supported the British. As the war progressed and the Oneida position became more dire, this minority grew more numerous. When rebel colonists destroyed the important Oneida settlement at [[Oneida Castle, New York|Kanonwalohale]],{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} numerous Oneida defected from the rebellion and relocated to Fort Niagara to live under British protection.

===1794 Treaty of Canandaigua===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
After the war, the Oneida were displaced by retaliatory and other raids by American settlers, who did not always distinguish between Iroquois who had been allies or foes. In 1794 they, along with other ''Haudenosaunee'' nations, signed the [[Treaty of Canandaigua]] with the United States. They were granted {{convert|6|e6acre|spell=in}} of lands, primarily in New York; this was effectively the first [[Indian reservation]] in the United States. Subsequent treaties and actions by the State of New York drastically reduced their land to {{cvt|32|acre}}.

==1838 treaty in Wisconsin==
Essentially the Oneida had to share land at the Onondaga Reservation and did not have land to call their own. In the 1820s and 1830s many of the Oneida remaining in New York relocated to [[Wisconsin]], where they were allowed to buy land, and to Canada, because the United States was pressing for [[Indian removal]]s from eastern states. Settlers kept encroaching on them.

In 1838 [[Daniel Bread]] (1800–1873) helped negotiate a treaty for the Oneida in Wisconsin by which they asserted their intention to hold their piece of land communally. The amount of land had been reduced by the U.S., as had happened to the [[Menominee]]-Stockbridge Indians.

==Oneida land claims==
[[Cornelius Hill]] succeeded Daniel Bread as Chief after his death in 1873, and for decades fought further relocation of the Oneida, as well as privatization of common lands pursuant to the [[Dawes Act]] of 1887, which allowed such after a 25-year trust period. Hill, however, was based in Wisconsin and died in 1907, ostensibly during the trust period which would expire around 1920. After Hill's death, [[William Rockwell]], a conservative, led the Oneida in New York essentially from 1910 to 1960.<ref name="haupt187-189"/>

Women Oneida activists pushed tribal land claims in the early 20th century. [[Laura Cornelius Kellogg|Laura "Minnie" Cornelius Kellogg]] and her attorney husband (from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), and [[Mary Cornelius Winder]] and her sister [[Delia Cornelius Waterman]] (from the Oneida Indian Nation of New York) were particularly influential from 1920 on in pressing land claims. The women worked from their homes in Prattsburg, New York, and Oneida, Wisconsin.<ref name="land">[https://books.google.com/books?id=aHA3Dz3YeqcC&dq=mary+Cornelius+Winder&pg=PA65 Laurence M. Hauptman, ''The Iroquois Struggle for Survival: World War II to Red Power''], Syracuse University Press, 1985, pp. 187–188</ref> Particularly after the [[Indian Reorganization Act]] of 1934, Winder and her sister reached out to the Oneida of Wisconsin, and both American branches of the nation pushed jointly for their land claim. At that point, the remaining Oneida in New York had no land, and were subject to the Onondaga sharing their reservation.<ref name="haupt187-189"/>

They were encouraged by passage of the [[Indian Claims Commission Act]] of 1946, as before that they were unable to bring claims against the US government.<ref name="haupt187-189">Hauptman (1985), ''The Iroquois Struggle'', pp. 187–189</ref>

In 1970 and 1974 the [[Oneida Indian Nation]] of New York, [[Oneida Nation of Wisconsin]], and the [[Oneida Nation of the Thames]] (made up of descendants of people who did not move to Canada until the 1840s) filed suit in the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of New York]] to reclaim land taken from them by New York without approval of the United States Congress.  In 1998, the United States intervened in the lawsuits on behalf of the plaintiffs in the claim so the claim could proceed against New York State.  The state had asserted immunity from suit under the [[Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madisoncounty.org/motf/fed128.html |title=Oneida Land Claim – U.S. Department of Justice Filing 12-8-98 |access-date=2006-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112004911/http://www.madisoncounty.org/motf/fed128.html |archive-date=2006-11-12 }}</ref> The Defendants moved for summary judgment based on the [[U. S. Supreme Court]]'s decision in ''[[City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-855.ZS.html|title=City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of N.Y.|work=cornell.edu}}</ref> and the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals' decision in ''Cayuga Indian Nation v. New York''<ref>{{Cite web| title=The Oneida indian nation of New York, the Oneida tribe of indians of Wisconsin and the Oneida of the Thames -against- The state of New York et al. | url=http://www.upstate-citizens.org/USDC-Oneida-SJ-MOL.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705054936/http://www.upstate-citizens.org/USDC-Oneida-SJ-MOL.pdf | archive-date=2007-07-05}}</ref>

On May 21, 2007, Judge Kahn dismissed the Oneida's possessory land claims and allowed the non-possessory claims to proceed.<ref>{{Cite web| title=he Oneida indian nation of New York, the Oneida tribe of indians of Wisconsin and the Oneida of the Thames -against- The state of New York et al. | url=http://www.upstate-citizens.org/USDC-Oneida-SJ-Decision.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705054934/http://www.upstate-citizens.org/USDC-Oneida-SJ-Decision.pdf | archive-date=2007-07-05}}</ref> More recent litigation has formalized the split. It defines the separate interests of the Oneida tribe who stayed in New York and those who relocated to Wisconsin. The Oneida of Wisconsin have brought suit to reacquire lands in their ancestral homelands as part of the settlement of the aforementioned litigation.<ref>[[Oneida Indian Nation#2013 landmark agreement between New York State, Madison and Oneida Counties, and the OIN|Land dispute resolved in New York State]] {{Circular reference|date=January 2024}}</ref>

==Diet==
The people made use of the land by "eating the seasons."  With a lack of fresh foods in the winter, during the autumn months, the Oneidas dried fruits and vegetables which they had harvested.  They also preserved meats in a brine or salt solution, and then hung them to dry.  During the fall they would eat deer, geese, duck and raccoon.  Feasting on those meats would store fat which would help them survive during the winter.  The Oneidas' diet also consisted of nuts such as [[hickory]] nuts, black walnuts, butternuts, and chestnuts.  The nuts added protein and fat that were needed to make it through the winter.  They also dried wild rice, which grew in swamp lands.  The wild rice was a source of complex carbohydrates.  When spring rolled around, the snow began to melt and the region became warm, the Oneidas' diet would change.  They would boil down and eat wild onions, leeks, [[milkweed]]s, and dandelions.  Spring was also when their fishing season began.  The fish in their diet consisted of trout, bullhead, walleye, pike, bass, and salmon.  Also during the spring months, maple trees provided sap that would be collected, then boiled down to make syrup and hard candy.  The maple candy would be used for consumption in this form or saved for later to flavor foods.  During the summer months the Oneidas would consume various fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, pears, plums, peaches, apples, and grapes.  The Oneidas also used sassafras for tea.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/history/28604014.html |title=Eating the Seasons &#124; Oneida Indian Nation &#124; History |access-date=2015-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113154618/http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/history/28604014.html |archive-date=2015-11-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Dancing==
There are two types of Oneida dancing: social and ceremonial.  Social dancing is for the enjoyment of all people.  The round dance, rabbit dance, old moccasin dance and canoe or fishing dance are different types of social dances.  Ceremonial dancing is sacred and is not to be performed in public.  Sacred dances are meant to be performed privately in the longhouses.  The Maple Syrup, Strawberry, Bean, Sun and Moon dances are different types of ceremonial dances.  Singing is a part of ceremonial dancing; however, they only chant during social dances.  There is an introduction for every song.  When the beat changes, the dancing begins.  Cues are given from the drums, which indicate to the dancers when to switch partners.  If a dancer was invited to dance, but refused, etiquette required them to offer tobacco as a settlement.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/culture/34037364.html |title=Social Dance &#124; Oneida Indian Nation &#124; Culture |access-date=2015-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523124759/http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/culture/34037364.html |archive-date=2015-05-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Traditional clothing ==
Clothing carries great meaning in the Oneida culture, as it is a physical representation of who they are. Before coming into contact with the Europeans, the Oneida tribe would use only natural materials to make their clothing. This would include using deer and other animal hides to stitch together clothing. However, when the Europeans arrived trading began and their clothing that was once made from animal hides began to be made from calico cotton and broadcloth and has stuck to be made from cotton ever since.<ref name="Clothing {{!}} Oneida">{{Cite web|title=Clothing {{!}} Oneida|url=https://oneidalanguage.ca/oneida-culture/clothing/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=oneidalanguage.ca}}</ref> The Oneidas would typically only be seen wearing moccasins on their feet.<ref name="bigorrin.org">{{Cite web|title=Facts for Kids: Oneida Indians (Oneidas)|url=http://www.bigorrin.org/oneida_kids.htm|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.bigorrin.org}}</ref> Even though there was a change in material used, the basic design of the outfits remained the same and still remains the same hundreds of years later.<ref name="Clothing {{!}} Oneida"/>

Headwear: Oneida men and women wore different headwear. For the men, they would wear traditional Iroquois headdresses called kastoweh<ref name="Clothing {{!}} Oneida"/> which would consist of feathers and insignia representing their tribe. The insignia for the Oneida Nation consists of three eagle feathers; two standing straight up and one falling downwards.<ref name="bigorrin.org"/> Oneida women on the other hand would wear beaded tiaras. The beadwork on the tiaras would most commonly be sewn in woodland designs as it is a representation of their nation.<ref name="Clothing {{!}} Oneida"/>

== Recognized Oneida nations ==
* [[Oneida Indian Nation]] in New York
* [[Oneida Nation of Wisconsin]], in and around [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]]
* [[Oneida Nation of the Thames]] in [[Southwold, Ontario]]
* Oneida at [[Six Nations of the Grand River]], Ontario

==Education==
[[Oneida Nation School System]] in Wisconsin is a K–12 tribal school.

==Historical Oneida people==
Contemporary Oneida people should be listed on their nation's articles.
<!--Please put in and maintain alphabetical order by surname or single name-->
<!--Please only list people with existing Wikipedia articles. Thank you!-->
* [[Daniel Bread]] (1800–1873), principal chief of the Oneida, migrated to Wisconsin
* [[Polly Cooper]], leader, took white corn to General Washington and troops in 1777–78 during the Revolution in winter quarters at [[Valley Forge]] and taught them how to cook it
* [[Skenandoa]] (aka Skenando, Shenandoah) (c. 1706–1816), pine tree chief and leader during the American Revolution; ally of the Americans
* [[Tyonajanegen]], leader, fought in Battle of Oriskany alongside husband Han Yerry

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Literature==
* Glatthaar, Joseph T.  and James Kirby Martin.  ''Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution''.  London:  Macmillan, 2007.
* Levinson, David. "An Explanation for the Oneida-Colonist Alliance in the American Revolution," ''Ethnohistory'' 23, no. 3. (Summer, 1976), pp.&nbsp;265–289. {{jstor|481255}}
* Koch, Daniel. ''Land of the Oneidas: Central New York State and the Creation of America, From Prehistory to the Present.'' Albany: State University of New York Press, 2023.

==External links==
* [http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/ Official website of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York]
* [http://www.oneida-nsn.gov Official website of the Sovereign Oneida Nation of Wisconsin]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050215202754/http://www.uwgb.edu/Library/spc/findingAids/oneida.html Cofrin Library: Oneida Bibliography]
* [http://www.jefflindsay.com/Oneida.shtml Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin]
* [http://www.oneida.on.ca/ Official Website of the Oneida Nation of the Thames]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070205053253/http://www3.sympatico.ca/eagle_fm/ Oneida Nation of the Thames Radio Station Website]
* [http://www.oneidasfordemocracy.org/ Traditional Oneidas of New York]
* {{cite web|last=Barbagallo|first=Tricia|url=http://www.archives.nysed.gov/apt/magazine/MagSummer05FeatureArticle_000.pdf|title=Black Beach: The Mucklands of Canastota, New York|date=June 1, 2005|access-date=2008-06-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625012111/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/apt/magazine/MagSummer05FeatureArticle_000.pdf|archive-date=June 25, 2008}}

<br />{{Oneida}}
{{Oneida, New York}}
{{Iroquois Confederacy}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneida Tribe}}
[[Category:Oneida| ]]
[[Category:Iroquois]]
[[Category:Iroquoian peoples]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands]]
[[Category:Native American history of New York (state)]]
[[Category:First Nations in Ontario]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Native American people in the American Revolution]]