Onondaga was a village that served as the capital of the Iroquois

Iroquois

The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...

 League and the primary settlement of the Onondaga nation. It was the meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council.

The location of the village changed periodically. In 1600, it was located near present Cazenovia, New York

Cazenovia (village), New York

Cazenovia is a village located in the Town of Cazenovia in Madison County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,614. The village lies on the southeast shore of Cazenovia Lake, which is approximately long and .5 miles across...

, but was situated near present Pompey, New York

Pompey, New York

Pompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,159 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Classics in the new federal republic.- History :The...

 from 1609 to 1615. After that, Onondaga was located at several sites near present Delphi, New York, until 1640, when it moved to present Manlius, New York

Manlius (village), New York

Manlius is a village in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population was 4,819 at the 2000 census. The village takes its name from its town.The Village of Manlius is near the south town line of the Town of Manlius and is southeast of the City of Syracuse of which it is a suburb.An area of about...

. In 1720, it was moved to Onondaga Creek

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, New York...

.

After many Onondagas sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, Onondaga was targeted by the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 in an expedition led by Col. Goose Van Schaick

Goose Van Schaick

Colonel Goose Van Schaick was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War.He was born September 5, 1736, the son of Sybrant Van Schaick, mayor of Albany New York, and Alida Rosebloom. In 1758, he was a captain of a New York regiment that participated in the attack on Fort...

. In April 1779, the Onondagas fled as the army approached. American troops methodically destroyed the abandoned settlement, razing about 50 houses along Onondaga Creek

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, New York...

.

The present meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council is on the Onondaga Reservation in New York.