| Seneca: The People of the Great Hill | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Seneca call themselves Onondowahgah, meaning The People of the Great Hill. The name refers to the Seneca's belief that they emerged into this world from under South Hill, which is located near Canandaigua Lake in what is now New York State. Seneca are one of the original Five Nation that formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga. Seneca are known as The Elder Brothers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. The Seneca are also known as the Keepers of the Western Door. In the picture a Seneca man is wearing his Kastoweh with one upright Eagle feather. He is placed near a big hill to symbolise that Seneca are known as the People of the Great Hill. Seneca has 8 Clans: Turtle, Bear, Wolf, Beaver, Snipe, Heron, Deer, Hawk. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Deer Clan has children, the children will be of Deer Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Seneca man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan. |
| Cayuga: The People of the Great Swamp | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Cayuga call themselves Guyohkohnyoh, meaning The People of the Great Swamp. The name refers to the marshy lands that were a part of their original homelands. Cayuga are also known as People of the Pipe. Cayuga are one of the original Five Nation that formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida and Seneca. Cayuga are known as The Younger Brothers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. In the picture a Cayuga man is wearing his Kastoweh with one downward tilted Eagle feather. He is placed near cattails to symbolise that Cayuga are the People of the Great Swamp. Cayuga have 5 Clans: Turtle, Bear, Wolf, Heron, Snipe. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Wolf Clan has children, the children will be of Wolf Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Cayuga man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan. |
| Onondaga: The People of the Hills | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Onondaga call themselves Onundagaono, meaning The People of the Hills. Onondaga are one of the original Five Nation that formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida and Cayuga. Onondaga are known as the Fire-keepers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. Onondaga are also the Keepers of the Wampum, and they are known as the Elder Brothers. In the picture a Onondaga man is wearing his Kastoweh with two Eagle feathers. One feather is worn in an upright position, the other tilted downward. He is placed near hills to symbolise that Onondaga are known as The People of the Hills. Onondaga have 7 Clans: Beaver, Turtle, Wolf, Deer, Eel, Bear, Hawk. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Beaver Clan has children, the children will be of Beaver Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Onondaga man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan. |
| Oneida: The People of the Upright Stone | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Oneida call themselves Onayotekaono, meaning The People of the Upright Stone. The name refers to the large rock that each Oneida village had where they would gather to conduct ceremonial activities. Oneida are one of the original Five Nation that formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca and Cayuga. Oneida are also known as the Younger Brothers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. In the picture a Oneida man is wearing his Kastoweh with three Eagle feathers. Two of the feathers are worn in a upright position and the third tilted downward. He is placed near a stone to symbolise that Oneida are known as The People of the Upright Stone. Oneida have 3 Clans: Turtle, Bear, Wolf. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Turtle Clan has children, the children will be of Turtle Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Oneida man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan. |
| Mohawk: The People of the Flint | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Mohawk call themselves Kanienkahagen,meaning The People of the Flint. Mohawk are one of the original Five Nation that formed the Haudenosaunee Confederacy along with Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Cayuga. They are known as The Elder Brothers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. Mohawk was the first Nation to accept The Great Law of Peace from Peacemaker when he and Hiawatha travelled to The Five Nations. Mohawk are also known as the Keepers of the Eastern Door. In the picture a Mohawk man is wearing his Kastoweh with three upright Eagle feathers. He is placed near flint shards to symbolise that Mohawk are known as The People of the Flint. Mohawk have 3 Clans: Turtle, Bear, Wolf. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Bear Clan has children, the children will be of Bear Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Mohawk man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan. |
| Tuscarora: The Shirt Wearing People | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Tuscarora call themselves Ska-Ruh-Reh, meaning the Shirt Wearing People. Originally they wore woven hemp shirts. They are known as The Younger Brothers. Before joining the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 1722, where they became the sixth Nation, they had Clan Chiefs. They have no Chiefs in the Grand Council but are represented by Oneida and Cayuga. In the picture a Tuscarora man is wearing his Kastoweh. There are no upright feathers, but fine feathers were secured on top of the hat. He is placed near a shirt to symbolise that Tuscarora are known as the Shirt Wearing People. Tuscarora have 7 Clans: Turtle, Wolf, Bear, Beaver, Snipe, Eel, Deer. Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which mean that the child inherit the clan from the mother. In other words; if a woman from the Snipe Clan has children, the children will be of Snipe Clan. A Clan remains yours for the rest of your life and is not changed by marriage. If a Tuscarora man marries a Non-Native woman, their children will have no Clan.
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| Roiá:neh Kastoweh | |
 © John Kahionhes Fadden |
Just as you can tell which Nation a man is from by looking at his Kastoweh, you can also tell who is Roiá:neh. When a man has been chosen to be Roiá:neh (Chief), his Kastoweh will have Deer antlers. The Clan Mother is watching his actions and his function. Should he do something against the rules, the Clan Mother can remove the Deer antlers and thereby remove his title as Roiá:neh. In general a man is Roiá:neh for life.
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Art: © John Kahionhes Fadden
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