Seneca Tribe
Seneca Indians, Buffalo Indians, Tonawanda Indians, Cornplanter Indians (‘place of the stone,’ the Anglicized form of
the Dutch enunciation of the Mohegan rendering of the Iroquoian ethnic appellative Oneida, or, strictly,
Oněñiute’ā’kā’, and with a different ethnic suffix, (Oněñriute’roñ’non‘, meaning ‘people of the standing or projecting
rock or stone’). A prominent and influential tribe of the Iroquois. When first known they occupied that part of west New
York between Seneca lake and Geneva river, having their council fire at Tsonontowan, near Naples, in Ontario
County. After the political destruction of the Erie and Neuters, about the middle of the seventeenth century, the
Seneca and other Iroquois people carried their settlements westward to Lake Erie and southward along the Alleghany
into Pennsylvania. They also received into their tribe a portion of these conquered peoples, by which accessions they
became the largest tribe of the confederation and one of the most important. They are now chiefly settled on the
Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Tonawanda Reservations, N.Y. A portion of them remained under British jurisdiction after
the declaration of peace and live on Grand River Reservation, Ontario. Various local bands have been known as
Buffalo, Tonawanda, and Cornplanter Indians; and the Mingo, formerly in Ohio, have become officially known as
Seneca from the large number of that tribe among them. No considerable number of the Seneca ever joined the
Catholic Iroquois colonies.
Seneca Tribe History
In the third quarter of the 16th century the Seneca was the last but one of the Iroquois tribes to give its suffrage in
favor of the abolition of murder and war, the suppression of cannibalism, and the establishment of the principles upon
which the League of the Iroquois was founded. However, a large division of the tribe did not adopt at once the course
of the main body, but, on obtaining coveted privileges and prerogatives, the recalcitrant body was admitted as a
constituent member in the structure of the League. The two chiefships last added to the quota of the Seneca were
admitted on condition of their exercising functions belonging to a sergeant-at-arms of a modern legislative body as
well as those belonging to a modern secretary of state for foreign affairs, in addition to their duties as federal
chieftains; indeed, they became the warders of the famous “Great Black Doorway” of the League of the Iroquois,
called Ka’nho’hwǎdji’gō´nǎ’ by the Onondaga.
One of the earliest known references to the ethnic name Seneca is that on the Original Carte Figurative, annexed to
the Memorial presented to the States – General of the Netherlands, Aug. 18, 1616, on which it appears with the
Dutch plural as Sennecas. This map is remarkable also for the first known mention of the ancient Erie, sometimes
called Gahkwas or Kahkwah; on this map they appear under the name last cited, Gachoi (cli = kh), and were placed
on the north side of the west branch of the Susquehanna. The name did not originally belong to the Seneca, but to
the Oneida, as the following lines will show.
In the early part of Dec. 1634, Arent Van Curler (or Corlaer), the commissary or factor of the Manor of
Rensselaerwyck (his uncle’s estate), set out from Ft Orange, now Albany, N. Y., in the interest of the fur-trade, to visit
the Mohawk and the Sinnekens. Strictly speaking, the latter name designated the Oneida, but at this time it was a
general name, usually comprising the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca, in addition. At that period the Dutch
and the French commonly divided the Five Iroquois tribes into two identical groups; to the first, the Dutch gave the
name Maquas (Mohawk), and to the latter, Sinnekens (Seneca, the final-ens being the Dutch genitive plural), with the
connotation of the four tribes mentioned above. The French gave to the latter group the general name “les Iroquois
Superieurs”, “les Hiroquoisd’en haut”, i. e. the Upper Iroquois, ”les Hiroquois des pays plus hauts, nommés
Sontouaheronnons” (literally, ‘the Iroquois of the upper country, called Sontouaheronnons’ ), the latter being only
another form of “les Tsonnontouans” (the Seneca); and to the first group the designations “les Iroquois inférieurs” (the
Lower Iroquois), and “les Hiroquois d’en bas, nommes Agnechronnons” (the Mohawk; literally, ‘the Iroquois from
below, named Agnechronnons’ ). This geographical rather than political division of the Iroquois tribes, first made by
Champlain and the early Dutch at Ft Orange, prevailed until about the third quarter of the 17th century.
Indeed, Governor Andros, two years after Greenhalgh’s visit to the several tribes of the Iroquois in 1677, still wrote,
“Ye Oneidas deemed ye first nation of sineques.” The Journal of Van Curler, mentioned above, records the
interesting fact that during his visit to the tribes he celebrated the New Year of 1635 at a place called Enneyuttehage
or Sinnekens. The first of these names was the Iroquois, and the second, the Mohegan, name for the place, or,
preferably, the Mohegan translation of the Iroquois name. The Dutch received their first knowledge of the Iroquois
tribes through the Mohegan. The name Enneyuttehaye is evidently written for Oněñiute’agā’´ge‘, ‘at the place of the
people of the standing (projecting) stone.’ At that date this was the chief town of the Oneida. Van Curler’s Journal
identifies the name Sinnekens with this town, which is presumptive evidence that it is the Mohegan rendering of the
Iroquois local name Oněñ’iute’, ‘it is a standing or projecting stone’, employed as an ethnic appellative. The derivation
of Sinnekens from Mohegan appears to be as follows: a`sinni, ‘a stone, or rock’, -ika or -iga, denotive of ‘place of’, or
‘abundance of’, and the final -ens supplied by the Dutch genitive plural ending, the whole Mohegan synthesis
meaning ‘place of the standing stone'; and with a suitable pronominal affix, like o- or wa-, which was not recorded by
the Dutch writers, the translation signifies, ‘they are of the place of the standing stone.’ This derivation is confirmed by
the Delaware name, W’tassone, for the Oneida, which has a similar derivation. The initial w- represents
approximately an o-sound, and is the affix of verbs and nouns denotive of the third person; the intercalary -t- is
merely euphonic, being employed to prevent the coalescence of the two vowel sounds; and it is evident that assone
is only another form of a`sinni, ‘stone’, cited above. Hence it appears that the Mohegan and Delaware names for the
Oneida are cognate in derivation and identical in signification. Heckewelder erroneously translated W’tassone by
‘stone pipe makers.’
Thus, the Iroquois Oněñiute’ā’gǎ’, the Mohegan Sinnekens, and the Delaware W’tassone are synonymous and are
homologous in derivation. But the Dutch, followed by other Europeans, used the Mohegan term to designate a group
of four tribes, to only one of which, the Oneida, was it strictly applicable. The name Sinnekens, or Sennecaas
(Visscher’s map, ca. 1660), became the tribal name of the Seneca by a process of elimination which excluded from
the group and from the connotation of the general name the nearer tribes as each with its own proper native name
became known to the Europeans. Obviously, the last remaining tribe of the group would finally acquire as its own the
general name of the group. The Delaware name for the Seneca was Meχaχtǐn’nǐ (the Maechachtinni of
Heckewelder), which signifies ‘great mountain'; this is, of course, a Delaware rendering of the Iroquois name for the
Seneca, Djiionoñdowāněñ‘´ākǎ’, or Djiionoñdowāněñ‘’ākǎ̉ ’, ‘People of the Great Mountain.’ This name appears
disguised as Trudemani (Cartier, 1534-35), Entouhonorons, Chouontouaroüon=Chonontouaronon (Champlain,
1615), Ouentouaronens (Champlain, 1627), and Tsonontouan or Sonoritouan (Jes. Rel., passim).
Previous to the defeat and despoliation of the Neuters in 1651 and the Erie in 1656, the Seneca occupied the territory
drained by Genesee river, eastward to the lands of the Cayuga along the line of the watershed between Seneca and
Cayuga lakes.
Political History of the Seneca Indians
The political history of the Seneca tribe is largely that of the League of the Iroquois, although owing to petty jealousies
among the various tribes the Seneca, like the others, sometimes acted independently in their dealings with aliens. But
their independent action appears never to have been a serious and deliberate rupture of the bonds uniting them with
the federal government of the League, thus vindicating the wisdom and foresight of its founders in permitting every
tribe to retain and exercise a large measure of autonomy in the structure of the federal government. It was sometimes
apparently imperative that one of the tribes should enter into a treaty or other compact with its enemies, while the
others might still maintain a hostile attitude toward the alien contracting party.
During 1622 the Montagnais, the Algonkin, and the Hurons sought to conclude peace with the Iroquois
(Yroquois=Mohawk division?), because “they were weary and fatigued with the wars which they had had for more
than 50 years.” The armistice was concluded in 1624, but was broken by the continued guerrilla warfare of the
Algonkin warriors; for this reason the Seneca (“Ouentouoronons d’autre nation, anis desdits Yrocois”) killed in the
“village of the Yrocois” the embassy com posed of a Frenchman, Pierre Magnan, and three Algonquian
ambassadors. This resulted in the renewal of the war. So in Sept. 1627, the Iroquois, in eluding the Seneca, declared
war against the Indians and the French on the St Lawrence and its northern ailments by sending various parties of
warriors against them.
From the Jesuit Relation for 16351 it is learned that the Seneca, after defeating the Hurons in the spring of 1634,
made peace with them. The Hurons in the following year sent an embassy to Sonontouan, the chief town of the
Seneca, to ratify the peace, and while there learned that the Onondaga, the Oneida, the Cayuga, and the Mohawk
were desirous of becoming parties to the treaty.
In 1639 the war was renewed by the Hurons, who in May captured 12 prisoners from the Seneca, then regarded as a
powerful people. The war continued with varying success. The Jesuit Relation for 1641 2 says the Seneca were the
most feared of the enemies of the Hurons, and that they were only one day’s journey from Ongniaahra (Niagara), the
most easterly town of the Neuters. The Relation for 1643 3 says that the Seneca (i. e. “les Hiroquois d’en haut”),
including the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Onondaga, equaled, if they did not exceed, in number and power the
Hurons, who previously had had this advantage; and that the Mohawk at this time had three villages with 700 or 800
men of arms who possessed 300 arquebuses that they had obtained from the Dutch and which they used with skill
and boldness. According to the Jesuit Relation for 1648 4 , 300 Seneca attacked the village of the Aondironnons, and
killed or captured as many of its inhabitants as possible, although this people were a dependency of the Neuters who
were at peace with the Seneca at this time. This affront nearly precipitated war between the Iroquois and the Neuters.
The Seneca warriors composed the larger part of the Iroquois warriors who in 1648-49 assailed, destroyed, and
dispersed the Huron tribes; it was likewise they who in 1649 sacked the chief towns of the Tionontati, or Tobacco
tribe; and the Seneca also took a leading part in the defeat and subjugation of the Neuters in 1651 and of the Erie in
1656. From the Journal des PP. Jésuites for 1651-525 it is learned that in 1651 the Seneca, in waging war against the
Neuters, had been so signally defeated that their women and children were compelled to flee from Sonontowan, their
capital, to seek refuge among the neighboring Cayuga.
In 1652 the Seneca Indians were plotting with the Mohawk to destroy and ruin the French settlements on the St
Lawrence. Two years later the Seneca sent an embassy to the French for the purpose of making peace with them, a
movement which was probably brought about by their rupture with the Erie. But the Mohawk not desiring peace at
that time with the French, perhaps on account of their desire to attack the Hurons on Orleans island, murdered two of
the three Seneca ambassadors, the other having remained as a hostage with the French. This act almost resulted in
war between the two hostile tribes; foreign affairs, however, were in such condition as to prevent the beginning of
actual hostility. On Sept. 19, 1655, Fathers Chaumonot and Dablon, after pressing invitations to do so, started from
Quebec to visit and view the Seneca country, and to establish there a French habitation and teach the Seneca the
articles of their faith.
In 1657 the Seneca tribe, in carrying out the policy of the League to adopt conquered tribes upon submission and the
expression of a desire to live under the form of government established by the League, had thus incorporated eleven
different tribes into their body politic.
Seneca Indian Fact Sheet
How do you pronounce the word "Seneca"? What does it mean?
Seneca is pronounced "SEH-neh-kah." It comes from the name of one of their villages, Osininka. In their
own language, the Senecas call themselves Onandowaga, which means "people of the mountain."
Where do the Seneca Indians live?
The Senecas originally lived in New York state. Here is a map of Seneca and other Iroquois territory in New
York. Many Seneca people still live in New York today, but others were forced to migrate to Oklahoma or
Canada.
Are the Seneca Iroquois people?
Yes, the Seneca nation was one of the original members of the Iroquois League, or
Kanonsionni in their own language ("league of clans.") The other member nations were
the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Cayuga, and the Onondaga. Later a sixth tribe, the
Tuscarora, joined the confederacy. Today these long-term allies refer to themselves as
the Haudenosaunee ("people of the longhouse") or Six Nations.
Iroquois flag
How is the Seneca Indian nation organized?
The Seneca nation had a tribal council chosen by the Seneca clan mothers (matriarchs, or female leaders.)
But the Senecas were also subject to the decisions made by the Iroquois Great Council. Eight Seneca chiefs
represented their tribe's interests in the Iroquois Council. This is similar to American states which each have
their own government, but are all subject to the US government. In fact, the Iroquois Confederacy was one
of the examples of representative democracy used as a model by America's founding fathers.
Today there are three Seneca bands in New York, each with its own reservation. A reservation is land that
belongs to an Indian tribe and is under their control. Each Seneca tribe has its own government, laws,
police, and services, just like a small country. But the Senecas are also US citizens and must obey
American law. There is also a combined Seneca-Cayuga tribe in Oklahoma, and some Seneca people live
on the Six Nations Reserve in Canada, which they share with members of the other Iroquois nations.
What language do the Senecas speak?
Most Seneca people speak English today, but some elders also speak their native Seneca language.
Seneca is a complex language with many sounds that are unlike the sounds in English. If you'd like to know
a few easy Seneca words, "sgëno'" (pronounced similar to sgay-noh) is a friendly greeting, and "niyawë"
(pronounced similar to nee-yah-wenh) means 'thank you.' You can hear Seneca being spoken here and
read a Seneca picture glossary here.
Today Seneca is an endangered language because most children aren't learning it anymore. However,
some Seneca Indian people are working to keep their language alive.
What was Seneca culture like in the past? What is it like now?
Here is the home page of the Seneca Nation of New York, where you can find information about the Seneca
Indians past and present.
How do Seneca Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around
the house. Many Seneca children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past,
Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they
did have corn husk dolls, toys, and games, such as one game where kids tried to throw a dart
through a moving hoop. Lacrosse was also a popular sport among Seneca boys as it was
among adult men. Like many Native Americans, Seneca Indian mothers traditionally carried
their babies in cradle board carriers. on their backs--a custom which many American parents
have adopted.
Cornhusk dolls
What were men and women's roles in the Seneca Indian tribe?
Seneca men were in charge of hunting, trading, and war. Seneca women were in charge of farming,
property, and family. These different roles were also reflected in Seneca government. Seneca clans were
always ruled by women, who made the land and resource decisions for each clan. But the chiefs, who made
military decisions and trade agreements, were always men. Only men represented the Seneca Nation at the
Iroquois Great Council, but only women voted to determine who the Seneca representatives would be. Both
genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
What were Seneca homes like in the past?
Iroquois longhouse sketch
The Seneca Indians lived in villages of longhouses, which were
large wood-frame buildings covered with sheets of elm bark.
Seneca homes could be a hundred feet long, and an entire clan
lived in each one--up to 60 people! Here are some pictures of
Iroquois longhouses like the ones Seneca Indians used, and a
drawing of what a long house looked like on the inside. Today,
longhouses are only used for ceremonial purposes. The Senecas
live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
What was Seneca clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Seneca men wore breechcloths with leggings. Seneca women wore wraparound skirts with
shorter leggings. Men did not originally wear shirts in Seneca culture, but women often wore
a long tunic called a kilt or overdress. The Senecas usually wore moccasins on their feet. In
colonial times, the Seneca tribe adapted European costume like cloth shirts and blouses,
decorating them with beadwork and ribbon applique. Here is a webpage about traditional
Iroquois dress, and here are some photographs and links about American Indian clothes in
general.
Seneca headdress
The Senecas didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Men wore traditional Iroquois
headdresses, which were feathered caps with a different insignia for each tribe. (The Seneca
headdress has one eagle feather standing straight on top of it.) Seneca women sometimes
wore special beaded tiaras. In times of war, Seneca men often shaved their heads except for
a scalplock or a crest down the center of their head--the style known as a roach, or a
"Mohawk." Sometimes they would augment this hairstyle with splayed feathers or artificial
roaches made of brightly dyed porcupine and deer hair. Here are some pictures of these
different kinds of Native American headdresses. Seneca women only cut their hair when they
were in mourning. Otherwise they wore it long and loose or plaited into a long braid. Men
sometimes decorated their faces and bodies with tribal tattoo designs, but Seneca women
generally didn't paint or tattoo themselves.
Today, some Seneca people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they wear modern
clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on
special occasions like a dance.
Seneca clothes
What was Seneca transportation like in the days before cars? Did the Senecas paddle canoes?
Sometimes--the Seneca Indians did use elm-bark or dugout canoes for fishing trips, but
usually preferred to travel by land. Originally the Seneca tribe used dogs as pack animals.
(There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) In
wintertime, the Senecas used laced snowshoes and sleds to travel through the snow.
Iroquois snowshoes
What was Seneca food like in the days before supermarkets?
Iroquois farmers
The Seneca Indians were farming people. Seneca women planted crops of corn, beans,
and squash and harvested wild berries and herbs. Seneca men hunted deer and elk and
fished in the rivers and the shores of Lake Ontario. Seneca Indian foods included
cornbread, soups, and stews, which they cooked on stone hearths. Here is a website with
more information about Indian farms.
What were Seneca weapons and tools like in the past?
Seneca war club
Seneca hunters used bows and arrows. Seneca fishermen used spears and
fishing poles. Seneca warriors used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs,
spears and shields. Here is a website with Native weapon pictures and
information. Other Seneca artifacts included stone adzes (hand axes for
woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, and wooden hoes for farming.
The Senecas and other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, steaming wood so
that it could be bent to make curved tools. Some Iroquois artisans still make
lacrosse sticks this way today.
What are Seneca arts and crafts like?
The Seneca Indians were known for their false face masks, which are considered such
a sacred art form that outsiders are still not permitted to view many of these masks.
Native American beadwork and the more demanding porcupine quillwork are more
common Seneca crafts. The Senecas also crafted wampum out of white and purple
shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more
culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts
often told a story or represented a person's family.
Bead and quill work
What was Seneca music like?
Iroquois Water Drum
The two most important Seneca instruments are drums and flutes. Iroquois drums were
often filled with water to give them a distinctive sound different from the drums of other
tribes. Most Seneca music is very rhythmic and consists mostly of drumming and lively
singing. Flutes were used to woo women in the Seneca tribe. A young Seneca man would
play beautiful flute music outside his girlfriend's longhouse at night to show her he was
thinking about her.
What other Native Americans did the Seneca tribe interact with?
The most important neighbors of the Seneca tribe were the other Iroquois nations: the Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida,
and Mohawk. Before the Iroquois Confederacy existed the Senecas sometimes fought with the other Iroquois tribes,
but once the alliance was formed they were loyal to each other. The Iroquois were fierce warriors who fought with
most of the other eastern tribes, particularly the Wabanaki tribes, the Algonquin and Ojibway, and the Mohican
bands. The Senecas also engaged in trade with their neighbors, exchanging corn and woodcrafts for furs and quahog
shells.
What kinds of stories do the Senecas tell?
There are lots of traditional Seneca legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Seneca Indian culture.
Here is a Seneca story about a race between Bear and Turtle. Here's a website where you can read more about
Seneca myths.
What about Seneca religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and
we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about Iroquois religion or this site
about Native belief in general.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
One book about the Seneca tribe for younger readers is The Seneca, which has many photographs about traditional
and contemporary Seneca life. Lacrosse: The National Game of the Iroquois is a lively look at the origins of this
traditional sport and Iroquois culture in general, tracing the lives three generations of Iroquois lacrosse players.
Legends of the Iroquois is a good collection of traditional Six Nations stories, retold by a Mohawk author. Wampum
Belts of the Iroquois is an interesting look at the symbolism and significance of the different wampum belt designs
used by the Seneca and other Iroquois peoples. Or If You Lived With The Iroquois provides a good look at daily life in
the Iroquois tribes in the old days. You can also browse through our reading list of recommended American Indian
books in general.