The Onondaga Council governs the

Onondaga Nation The Onondaga people ( Onondaga: , ''Hill Place people'') are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois (''Haudenosaunee'') Confederacy in northeast North America. Their traditional homeland is in and around present-day Onondaga ...

, a sovereign nation, one of six nations of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

people, that lives on a portion of its ancestral territory and maintains its own distinct laws, language, customs, and culture. The "nation" is not governed by a Council of Chiefs since the notion of federalism and proportional representation was strictly adhered to. After the dissolution of the League, interests lie only in external matters such as war, peace, and treaty-making to further the unanimity of the United States government. Since

Tadodaho Tadodaho was a Native American Hoyenah (sachem) of the Onondaga nation before the Deganawidah and Hiawatha formed the Iroquois League. According to oral tradition, he had extraordinary characteristics and was widely feared, but he was persuaded ...

was appointed to the council fire and given weapons to protect the sacred fire within the house, the Grand Council could not interfere in the internal affairs of the tribe. Their role was limited to matters between themselves and other tribes; they had no say in matters that were traditionally the concern of the ability of the clan names. The Onondaga Nation government does not pay income, sales, or excise taxes to

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

or to the federal government of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, nor does it receive any of the benefits paid for by these taxes.

Present day

The Onondaga Nation is an independent nation. A Confederacy of Haudenosaunee exists but without formal political function. The Grand Council of the Iroquois League is composed of 56 Hoyenah (chiefs) or Sachems. The chiefs are all considered to have an equal voice. The seats on the Council are distributed among the Six Nations as follows: * 14 Onondaga * 10 Cayuga * 9 Oneida * 9 Mohawk * 8 Seneca * 6 Tuscarora The chiefs make decisions to protect their people, looking forward seven generations to the future in each decision.

The Great Peacemaker The Great Peacemaker (''Skén:nen rahá:wi'' kʌ̃.nːʌ̃.ɾahaːwiin Mohawk), sometimes referred to as Deganawida or Tekanawí:ta (as a mark of respect, some Iroquois avoid using his personal name except in special circumstances) was by tradi ...

leads the Council in effigy. He is the embodiment of supreme sacrifice since it is Ionhawatha who was held to the Mohawk fires. As the

reigns to resolve Ionhawath's dead children, so will

be held to relevancy in light of universal suffrage. The Onondaga Hoyane is divided into three separate benches, which make decisions by consensus. A decision made by the tree branches is said to be "Of One Mind". A person serves as Hoyane for life and the "Clan Mother" helps to identify leaders in the community to serve in this position.

References

{{reflist Council Native American organizations

Present day

See also

References