Ganondagan State Historic Site
Encyclopedia
Ganondagan State Historic Site also known as Boughton Hill is a New York State Native American
historic site in Ontario County, New York
in the USA. The historic site is in the Town of Victor
, southwest of the Village of Victor
. It consists of two areas: a 245 acres (99.1 ha) Boughton Hill portion is a National Historic Landmark
, and the Fort Hill portion, of 33 acres (13.4 ha), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ganondagan was once the largest Seneca town within the Western gateway of Haudenosaunee territory. It is also at the center of the story of the Peacemaker, who unified the Haudenosaunee people and created the Haudenosaunee confederacy which survives to this day.
Seneca oral tradition tells of a Huron man who arrived among the Mohawks
speaking of the Kayeneshagowa (aka The Great Law of Peace). This prophet is known today as The Great Peacemaker
. The Mohawk, Oneida
, and Cayuga
pledged to join his proposed confederation, and following a dramatic interlude, the Seneca agreed also. The discussion about how to bring in the Onondaga
found its way into the house of a Seneca woman, Jikonsase, now known as the Mother of Nations. She proposed a solution which eventually brought the Onondaga into the fold. She lived in the vicinity of Ganondagan, and is buried nearby. The Seneca refer to Ganondagan as the "Town of Peace", and revere and protect the burial site of the Mother of Nations.
Ganondagan and its adjoining fields were burned on July 14, 1687, as part of the punitive expedition from Montreal
led by the Marquis de Denonville. The French were leading an army from Canada to annihilate the Seneca and eliminate them as competitors in the international fur trade, known as the Beaver Wars
.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
historic site in Ontario County, New York
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
in the USA. The historic site is in the Town of Victor
Victor (town), New York
Victor is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 9,977 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Claudius Victor Boughton, a hero of the War of 1812.The Town of Victor contains a village, also called Victor...
, southwest of the Village of Victor
Victor (village), New York
Victor is a village located in within the Town of Victor in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 2,433 at the 2000 census.The Village of Victor is in the southeast part of the town and is southeast of the City of Rochester.- History :...
. It consists of two areas: a 245 acres (99.1 ha) Boughton Hill portion is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, and the Fort Hill portion, of 33 acres (13.4 ha), is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today
Ganondagan has a visitors center, a reconstructed Seneca long house and miles of trails at this location of a 17th century Seneca village.Seneca Tradition
Seneca oral tradition tells of a Huron man who arrived among the Mohawks
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
speaking of the Kayeneshagowa (aka The Great Law of Peace). This prophet is known today as The Great Peacemaker
The Great Peacemaker
The Great Peacemaker, sometimes referred to as Deganawida or Dekanawida was, along with Hiawatha, by tradition the founder of the Haudenosaunee, commonly called the Iroquois Confederacy, a political and cultural union of several Native American tribes residing...
. The Mohawk, Oneida
Oneida tribe
The Oneida are a Native American/First Nations people and are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York...
, and Cayuga
Cayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
pledged to join his proposed confederation, and following a dramatic interlude, the Seneca agreed also. The discussion about how to bring in the Onondaga
Onondaga (tribe)
The Onondaga are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Their traditional homeland is in and around Onondaga County, New York...
found its way into the house of a Seneca woman, Jikonsase, now known as the Mother of Nations. She proposed a solution which eventually brought the Onondaga into the fold. She lived in the vicinity of Ganondagan, and is buried nearby. The Seneca refer to Ganondagan as the "Town of Peace", and revere and protect the burial site of the Mother of Nations.
Ganondagan and its adjoining fields were burned on July 14, 1687, as part of the punitive expedition from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
led by the Marquis de Denonville. The French were leading an army from Canada to annihilate the Seneca and eliminate them as competitors in the international fur trade, known as the Beaver Wars
Beaver Wars
The Beaver Wars, also sometimes called the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars, commonly refers to a series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern North America...
.
External links
- Ganondagan State Historic Site at NYSOPRHP
- Friends of Ganondagan