Onondaga was a village that served as the capital 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 ...

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

and the primary settlement of 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 ...

. It was the meeting place of the

Iroquois Grand Council The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

. The clan mothers named the men representing the clans at village and tribal councils and appointed the 49 sachems who met here periodically as the ruling council for the confederated Five Nations. The location of the village changed periodically. In 1600, it was located near present

Cazenovia, New York Cazenovia is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York. The population was 6,740 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove , Theophile Cazenove, the ''Agent Gener ...

. From 1609 to 1615, it was situated the site of present-day

Pompey, New York Pompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York. The population was 7,080 at the time of the 2010 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Clas ...

.Francis Jennings, ed., ''The History and culture of Iroquois diplomacy: an interdisciplinary guide to the treaties of the Six Nations and their league'' (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1985; ), 221. After that, Onondaga was located at several sites near present

Delphi Falls, New York Delphi Falls is a hamlet in the town of Pompey, Onondaga County, New York, United States. There is a current population of 992. It was a prosperous town in the early 19th century. Businesses included a cheese factory, an evaporated milk productio ...

, until 1640, when it moved to what developed as present-day Manlius, New York. In 1720, it was moved to

Onondaga Creek Onondaga Creek is a major tributary of Onondaga Lake which is located in Onondaga County, New York. The headwaters of the creek originate south of the city of Syracuse near the hamlet of Vesper, in the town of Tully, New York. The creek flows no ...

. After many Onondaga warrior bands had sided with the British in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

attacked the village of Onondaga in an expedition led by Col.

Goose Van Schaick Goose Van Schaick (September 5, 1736 – July 4, 1789) was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Van Schaick was born in Albany on September 5, 1736. He was the first child born to Sybrant Van Schaick, who ...

. In April 1779, the Onondaga of the village, mostly older men, women and children, fled as the army approached. American troops methodically destroyed the abandoned settlement, razing about 50 houses along

and burning winter stores.Robert Steven Grumet, ''Historic Contact: Indian People and Colonists in today's northeastern United States in the Sixteenth through Eighteenth Centuries'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995; ), 393. The present meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council is on the

Onondaga Reservation Onondaga Reservation is a Native American reservation in Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the territory of the Onondaga Nation. It lies just south of the city of Syracuse. The population was 2,244 at the 2010 census. The Onondaga ...

in New York.

References

{{NewYork-stub Former national capitals Former Native American populated places in the United States Iroquois populated places Onondaga Former populated places in Onondaga County, New York 1779 disestablishments in the United States Cazenovia, New York