How do you pronounce the word "Onondaga"? What does it mean? Onondaga is pronounced "ON-on-DAH-gah." It comes from their own tribal name, Onundaga'ono, which means "people of the hill." Where do the Onondagas live? The Onondaga tribe originally lived in New York state. Many Onondaga people still live there today, though others fled to Ontario, Canada in the 1700's. Are the Onondaga Iroquois people? Yes, the Onondaga 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 Seneca, the Cayuga, and the Oneida. 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. How is the Onondaga Indian nation organized? The Onondaga nation had a tribal council chosen by the Onondaga clan mothers (matriarchs, or female leaders.) But the Onondagas were also subject to the Iroquois Great Council. Fourteen Onondaga 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 the Onondaga tribe lives on a reservation in New York. A reservation is land that belongs to an Indian tribe and is under their control. The Onondaga Indian tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. In fact, they still have a traditional tribal council of men who are elected by Onondaga women. But the Onandagas are also US citizens and must obey American law. Other Onondaga people live on the Six Nations Reserve in Canada, which they share with members of the other Iroquois nations. What language do the Onondagas speak? Most Onondaga people speak English today, but some Onondagas, especially in Canada, also speak their native Onondaga language. Onondaga is a complex language with many sounds that are unlike the sounds in English. You can hear Onondaga being spoken here. If you'd like to know a few easy Onondaga words, "sge:no" (pronounced similar to sgay-no) is a friendly greeting, and "nya:weh" (pronounced similar to nyah-wenh) means 'thank you.' .