The Seneca were originally from New York State. They joined the Iroquois Confederacy in the 12th century.[3] The Seneca had the largest population of the Iroquois nations.[4]
Seneca lived in longhouses in permanent villages. The largest village was Ganondagan with 150 longhouses. There were threats of war from neighboring Natives. These Natives included the Huron (Wyandot) the Susquehannock (Conestoga) and the Lenape people (Delaware, Minnisink and Esopus). The Seneca were strong warriors and captured other towns. Their territory was in Eastern New York. It was between Seneca Lake and Genesee River. It was also in New York from Niagara Country to the Allegheny river.[5] Seneca was divided into a western and eastern branch.
Seneca did hunting and gathering. They also farmed the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash). Women grew these plants and collected plants, roots, berries, nuts, and fruit. The Seneca society was matrilineal. This meant inheritance and family were through the mother's side. However, women were not much in politics and diplomacy. Seneca men developed towns. Men also went hunting in the fall and fishing in the spring.[6]
Expansion and Power
Seneca joined the Fur trade. In the 17th century, the Iroquois confederacy conquered neighboring territories. The Iroquois replace people who died from disease with captives. The Iroquois defeated the Huron (Wyandot). The Senecas also defeated the Neutral confederacy in 1650 in the west. They defeated the Andaste (Susquehannock) in the south. The Seneca had strong diplomacy in the region.[7] The Seneca led a powerful confederacy with the Cayuga, Onondagas, Oneidas, Mohawks and later the Tuscaroras. The Seneca were the "Keepers of the West Door" or "Door-Keepers". The Seneca sent eight sachems to the Great Council of the Iroquois.[8]
European Contact
Seneca had different interactions with Europeans. The French Marquis de Denonville led an attack against the Seneca people in 1687. He destroyed many towns, including Ganondagan. The Iroquois were allies with the British in the Covenant Chain.[9] The Seneca eventually were allies with the Dutch and the British during the Seven Year's War. There was much conflict between Seneca and American colonists. Seneca did not support the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. They did not like that Americans were moving West into their land. Many colonists also had negative views about the Iroquois. The British tried to get the Iroquois on their side.[10]
American Revolution
Seneca woman Ah-Weh-Eyu (Pretty Flower), 1908.
The Seneca eventually supported the British during the American Revolution. Some Iroquois wanted to support Americans and others not. This conflict led to the division of the Iroquois Confederacy. Seneca fought with British in the Cherry Valley massacre and the Battle of Minisink. The Seneca and Iroquois had victories against the colonists from 1777 to 1778. In response, General John Sullivan (general) led a planned attack against the Iroquois. Sullivan and his troops destroyed villages and weakened the Iroquois.[10] The Iroquois Confederacy fell apart.
The Seneca have diverse businesses. These include retail sales, arts and crafts, smokeshops, sports clothing, gasoline and cigarette sales and casinos.
↑Folts, James D. The Westward Migration of the Munsee Indians in the Eighteenth Century, The Challenge: An Algonquian Peoples Seminar.Map 4. Albany: New York State Bulletin No. 506, 2005. p. 32.
↑Waldman, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. United States: Facts On File, Incorporated, 2014.p. 259.
↑ 10.010.1Raphael, Ray (2001). A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence. New York: New Press. pp. 247. ISBN9781565846531.
↑Merrill, Arch. Land of the Senecas. New York: American Book-Stratford Press, 1949.
