- The present-day territory of the Onondaga Nation (“People of the Hills”) is approximately 7,300 acres just south of Syracuse near Nedrow, New York.
- Between 1788 and 1822, the Onondaga Nation lost possession of approximately 95% of its land through a series of illegal “takings” by the State of New York.
- Onondaga (the keepers of the Central Fire) is considered to be the capital of the Haudenosaunee, a name meaning “People of the Longhouse”. The Haudenosaunee are sometimes referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy, or Six Nations.
- The Haudenosaunee was founded at Onondaga after the Peace Maker visited the warring nations. This is estimated to have occurred around the year 1000 A.D. The five original nations of the Haudenosaunee were the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The Tuscaroras joined the confederacy in the early 1700’s.
- The nations of the Haudenosaunee came together after agreeing to work together peacefully rather than continuing to battle each other. They established a democratic system of government led by a Grand Council consisting of chiefs from each nation. These chiefs worked with clan mothers to ensure the preservation and well-being of the Haudenosaunee.
- The Haudenosaunee is considered to be one of the oldest participatory democracies on earth, and provided an important structural model for the Founding Fathers developing the United States Constitution.
- The Haudenosaunee became the greatest Indian power in colonial America, with a homeland that spanned northern New York between the Hudson and Niagara rivers and an influence that extended from the Ottawa River to the Chesapeake Bay and from New England to Illinois.
- The Onondaga Nation maintains traditional cultural views and a traditional system of government. The Nation does not permit the sale of alcohol and has opposed casinos and online gaming.
- The Haudenosaunee are known internationally as a peaceful people, with a heritage of statesmanship, government/law and an oral tradition passed from generation to generation.
- Onondaga remains the meeting place for the Grand Council of Chiefs, the traditional ruling body for the Haudenosaunee. The Longhouse serves as a place of spiritual, cultural and social activities, the seat of government and symbol of security.