Tadodaho
Encyclopedia
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...
and chief of the Onondaga nation
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...
. Tadodaho later came to refer to the most influential Native American chief in New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; this reference has been used for centuries.
Legend of Tadodaho
Tadodaho was a Native American warrior and chieftain of the Onondaga people. Depending on the speaker's dialect and the writer's orthographyOrthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
, other versions of the name include Adodarhoh, Atartaho, Atotarho, Tatotarho, Thatotarho, and Watatohtahro. In the 1883 work The Iroquois Book of Writes edited by Horatio Hale, the term Atartaho is said to signify "entangled". In 1888, J. N. B. Hewitt recounted an Iroquois tale which refers to Tadodaho as a "misshapen monster." Jean Houston and Margaret Rubin write in Manual for the Peacemaker that Tadodaho had "matted and spiky hair," and that this visage lent itself to legends that he had snakes in his hair. He is said to have had a "twisted body," and could kill his enemies from a distance without seeing them. Tadodaho ruled with fear, and his people believed him to be a sorcerer. He scared his own people and also threatened other peoples including the Seneca and Cayuga nations. Tadodaho successfully led his Onondagas in raids against the nearby Cayuga people and also traveled west and attacked the Seneca people.
Peace among the nations of the Haudenosaunee was delayed due to fear of Tadodaho. Deganawidah of the Mohawk people and Hiawatha
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
of the Onondaga desired peace between the Haudenosaunee peoples and the various chiefs were persuaded except for Tadodaho, who was seen as a hindrance to the Great Law of Peace
Great Law of Peace
Gayanashagowa or the Great Law of Peace of the Iroquois Six Nations is the oral constitution whereby the Iroquois Confederacy was bound together. The law was written on wampum belts, conceived by Deganwidah, known as The Great Peacemaker, and his spokesman Hiawatha...
. He quashed three attempts by Hiawatha to initiate peace discussions among the nations. Hiawatha's daughter died after his first attempt to bring together a council was broken by Tadodaho and his second daughter died after Tadodaho foiled a second council. The deaths of Hiawatha's daughters were ascribed to Tadodaho's powers. Hiawatha's third daughter died at the council fire of the third meeting, while Tadodaho was present. In Hewitt's 1888 recounting, he writes that Hiawatha cried: "All my children are now gone from me; they have been destroyed by Tha-do-da-ho, and he has spoiled our plans. It now behooves me to go among other people. I will start now."
Canandaigua Lake
Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes, in the U.S. state of New York. The city of Canandaigua is located at the northern shore of the lake and the village of Naples is just a few miles south of the southern end...
while singing a song called the 'Peace Hymn.' When they arrived at Canandaigua Lake, they were able to convince the Seneca people to join their cause of peace. Houston and Rubin recount a statement by Deganawidah, who asserted that he was ready to go meet with Tadodaho at Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake
Onondaga Lake is a lake in Central New York located northwest of Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums. Although it is near the Finger...
and win him over to his mission of peace: "We must seek the fire and look for the smoke of Tadodaho. He alone stands in our path. His mind is twisted, and there are seven crooks in his body. These must be straightened if the league is to endure."
Hiawatha and Deganawidah consulted with Jigonhsasee, also called Mother of Nations, who advised them on how to win Tadodaho to their cause. They used a holy medicine ceremony to soothe Tadodaho and heal his mind and body. In one recounting of the story, Jigonhsasee herself spoke privately with Tadodaho. Hiawatha combed the matted portions out of Tadodaho's hair and Deganawidah massaged his body with herbs and wampum and smoothed out the seven crooks in Tadodaho's body. After Tadodaho was healed he permitted the Onondaga people to join the council of peace. Tadodaho joined the League of the Great Peace and was given the title of "firekeeper
Firekeeper
Firekeeper or flametender describes a specific ceremonial role, common in the religious practices of a variety of cultures. A firekeeper or flametender tends the sacred fire in the manner specific to the religious traditions of that culture.-Overview:...
" of the confederacy; he was chairman of the council of nations. The final steps toward peace were conducted at Onondaga Lake.
The Tadodaho legend was maintained in Haudenosaunee society and the present individual who chairs the council of nations is still called Tadodaho. Charles L. Henning writes in the work "Hiawatha and the Onondaga Indians," published in 1902 in the periodical The Open Court: "...the name Tadodaho remained in the tribe, and when a man was obliged to hold the office of head-chief of the Onondagas, he was always called Tadodaho. The Tadodaho is the only proper man to invite the people to the general council of the five nations, and for this reason he is considered the 'fire keeper,' because the Onondagas were the keepers of the great council fire."
Term for spiritual leader
The term Tadodaho later came to refer to the most influential Native American spiritual leader in New York State; this reference has been used for centuries. The Tadodaho in New York State is the spiritual leader of the Haudenosaunee which includes the Onondaga, Oneida, CayugaCayuga 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...
, Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
, and Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
people. The post is also called the "Head Chief of All the Six Nations." The six nations of the Haudenosaunee (also called Iroquois) are presided over by a Grand Council, which is led by the Tadodaho. The Great Council Fire of the whole Iroquois Nation is located within the Onondaga reservation.
Along with other Native American leaders, the Tadodaho is responsible for maintaining the history of the Haudenosaunee people. The position of Tadodaho is a lifetime appointment. According to tradition, when the previous Tadodaho dies, a confederacy council of chiefs from the Haudenosaunee chooses a leader from the Onondaga people.
George A. Thomas was Tadodaho in 1968 and began a call for the return of twenty-five wampum belts that were in the custody of the New York State Museum
New York State Museum
The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
to be returned to Native American people. Thomas stated: "it was wrong for our grandfathers to give away the wampum. The wampum tells of old, old agreements and passes on the thoughts of our grandfathers. We would like to see them. Our people would like to touch them." An anthropologist called the conflict "the great wampum war," and the issue affected the relationship between the Iroquois people, the New York State Museum, and academia.
Leon Shenandoah was selected as Tadodaho on December 7, 1968. Shenandoah worked as a custodian at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Shenandoah broke from the mold of his predecessor, who emphasized the religious leadership portion of the position, and instead asserted both the political responsibilities and spiritual nature of his role as Tadodaho. He died in 1996 and his death was mourned by Native Americans across the United States. He had served as Tadodaho for over twenty-five years.
Sidney Hill became the Tadodaho in 2002. As Tadodaho, Hill (referred to as "Tadodaho Sid Hill") led a group of people from the Onondaga Nation to file papers in United States federal court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
in 2005 claiming land ownership over 4000 square miles (10,360 km²) in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. The ownership assertion by the Onondaga included land from the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
—through Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, and up to the border of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
See also
- Economy of the IroquoisEconomy of the IroquoisThe economy of the Iroquois originally focused on communal production and combined elements of both horticulture and hunter-gatherer systems. The tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy and other Northern Iroquoian-speaking peoples, including the Huron, lived in the region including what is now New...
- Iroquoian languagesIroquoian languagesThe Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
- Iroquois mythologyIroquois mythologyMuch of the mythology of the Iroquois has been lost. Some of their religious stories have been preserved, including creation stories and some folktales....
- Onondaga languageOnondaga languageOnondaga Nation Language is the language of the Onondaga First Nation, one of the original five constituent tribes of the League of the Iroquois ....
- Tribal chiefTribal chiefA tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
External links
- Tadodaho Sid Hill, at Syracuse Peace Council website
- Our debt to nature, letter to the editor of The Post-Standard by Tadodaho Sid Hill, hosted at website of Onondaga Peace Festival