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The Oneida (Onyota'a:ka or Onayotekaono), meaning the People of the Upright Stone, or the People of the Standing Stone, are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy. The Oneida inhabited the areas around what later became known as Oneida Lake and Oneida County in Central New York.

 

The Haudenosaunee decided to remain neutral during the American Revolutionary War. However, the Oneidas lived in close proximity to rebel colonial communities and so most Oneidas favored the colonists. Eventually, the Oneidas officially joined the colonists and contributed to their war effort.

 

In 1794 the Oneida, along with other Haudenosaunee nations, signed the Treaty of Canandaigua with the United States. The Oneida were granted 6 million acres of lands, primarily in New York State. This land grant was one of the first Indian reservations in the United States. Subsequent treaties and actions drastically reduced the Oneida Reservation to 32 acres. In the 1830s, many Oneida relocated to Canada and Wisconsin.

There are 4 Oneida communities in the United States and Canada shown in blue on the map above.

Click on the images below for information on each of the four Oneida communities.

Click the arrows to move to the next slide.

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