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Indigenous History
The Genesee Valley has been a fertile heartland for hundreds if not thousands of years, supporting people in growing, building, and innovating. Prior to white settlement of the North American woodlands, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois or Five Nations, occupied what is now New York State. From east to west the Five Nations are:
- Mohawk, Keepers of the Eastern Door
- Oneida, People of the Standing Stone
- Onondaga, Keepers of the Central Fire
- Cayuga, People of the Muckland
- Seneca, Keepers of the Western Door
The Genesee Valley remains culturally significant to the Seneca Nation (Onödowá’ga:’) as their ancestral homeland. Traditionally, Seneca people lived in bark-covered longhouses near a water source, like the Genesee River. For generations, they have grown crops, including many varieties of corn, beans, and squash, known as the "three sustainers" or "three sisters." They also hunt, fish, and forage.
In 1714, people of the Tuscarora Nation came from what is now North Carolina to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and thereafter the English called the Confederacy the "Six Nations."
Due to complex histories of trade and diplomacy, the Senecas, Mohawks, Cayugas, and Onondagas mostly aligned with the British and Loyalists during the American Revolution. The nations helped protect British forts, supplied food, and participated in retaliatory raids throughout the frontier regions of New York and Pennsylvania. In 1779, Gen. George Washington ordered Gen. John Sullivan lead one of the largest American offensive movements of the war, known as the Sullivan Expedition. The campaign's purpose was to shatter the Seneca stronghold and gain control of the western frontier. Sullivan’s army combined with other colonist forces, and approximately 5,000 men trekked into the heart of Seneca territory with orders to destroy all indigenous settlements and crops.
The destruction of villages and food stores during the Sullivan Campaign greatly weakened the Seneca, and some Seneca and scholars today categorize the event as a genocide. The campaign did not deprive the Seneca of title to the land, but did pave the way to a series of treaties, which facilitated westward expansion of white settlers. These treaties forever altered traditional ways of life, but have not erased the vibrant culture of the Haudenosaunee.
For more about the Sullivan Campaign, you can follow the trail in Livingston County from home or by car via this heritage tour. You can also contact the Livingston County Historian's Office, view the Sullivan Campaign webpage, or read The Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War (2006) by the County Historian's Office.
After the American Revolution, land developers Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham purchased preemption rights from Massachusetts to approximately 8 million acres west of Geneva, NY. The purchase gave their company exclusive rights to negotiate with the Seneca for clear title to the land. In 1788, at the Council of Buffalo Creek, Phelps and Gorham negotiated a purchase agreement with the Seneca for the easternmost third of the parcel, from approximately Seneca Lake to the Genesee River. About two-thirds of present-day Livingston County was covered by this purchase.
The 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua recognized the sovereignty of the Six Nations and reaffirmed their title to lands in Western New York. But in 1797, as pressure from land developers increased, the Treaty of Big Tree was negotiated in what is now Geneseo. This treaty extinguished Seneca title to practically all the lands from the Genesee River west to the Niagara frontier, excepting a handful of reservations. In the western one-third of what would later become Livingston County, the Seneca set aside the reservations of Canawaugus, Big Tree, Little Beard's Town, Squawkie Hill, and Gardeau.
Under pressure from the newly formed United States, white settlers, and land agents, the Senecas ceded most of their land during the 1780s-1830s. The Seneca Nation and Tonawanda Seneca Nation reserved parcels of their tribal lands, which they still govern.
Today, the Seneca culture remains active and vibrant. Haudenosaunee communities celebrate and preserve language, sports, food, and art, benefiting future generations and the greater community of New York.
To learn more about Seneca culture, check out Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY, and the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, NY, a modern capital of the Seneca Nation.
Handsome Lake | Ga-nyah-di-yoh (c.1735-1815)
Handsome Lake was born at the Seneca village of Canawaugus, near present-day Avon. Witnessing the effects of colonization on his society, Handsome Lake became a respected leader and prophet who preached traditional religion among the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people. He was present at a number of important treaties along with his half-brother Cornplanter. His teachings on traditional Seneca practices are still recognized and relevant to Native people today.
Cornplanter | Gai-änt'-wakê | “The Planter” (c.1745-1836)
Like his half-brother Handsome Lake, Cornplanter was born at the Seneca village of Canawaugus. During the American Revolution, he was known to the British as John O’Bail and was chosen to lead the Haudenosaunee in raids throughout the state to support the British. Cornplanter eventually became an ally of the US and was present at many important treaties, including the Treaty of Big Tree in 1797.
Red Jacket | Sa-go-ye-wa-tha | “Keeper Awake” (c.1750-1830)
Red Jacket was born at a Seneca village near present-day Geneva. During the American Revolution, he was a messenger for British officers and received his namesake coat as a reward. Red Jacket assumed the pivotal role of council orator and participated in nearly every major treaty between the US and the Seneca. Despite vigorous opposition, Red Jacket signed the Treaty of Big Tree in 1797.
William Tallchief | Ou-nea-shat-ai-kau (c. 1750-1833)
Seneca leader William Tallchief resided at Murray Hill in present-day Mt. Morris and also at the Squawkie Hill Reservation, just across the Genesee River. The reservation was created as part of the Treaty of Big Tree in 1797, where Tallchief was involved with land negotiations.
After the Seneca reservation land in the Genesee Valley was sold in 1826, Tallchief moved to the Tonawanda Reservation, near Buffalo, and lived his last years there. Fifty years later, prominent resident Myron H. Mills arranged to have William Tallchief's remains reinterred at the Mt. Morris Cemetery, with the permission of Tallchief's family.
Mary Jemison | Deh-he-wä-mis | “Two Falling Voices” (1743-1833)
Mary Jemison, born to Irish parents, was known locally as the "White Woman of the Genesee." When a young girl in Pennsylvania, Jemison was captured by a raiding party of French soldiers and Shawnee warriors, and her family was killed. Jemison was turned over to the Seneca, who adopted her into their society. She eventually came to live in the Genesee Valley and settled at Little Beard’s Town, near today's Cuylerville.
Despite opportunities to return to white society, Mary Jemison chose to remain with her Seneca family. In 1797, she was granted nearly 18,000 acres of fertile land, called the Gardeau Flats, as a result of the Treaty of Big Tree. Mary lived and farmed at Gardeau until 1831 when she moved to the Buffalo Creek Reservation. In 1874, when her burial site in Buffalo was in jeopardy, William Pryor Letchworth worked with her family to re-inter her remains at her former home, which is now within Letchworth State Park.
Big Tree – An early name for the Geneseo area, which was likely derived from the Seneca chief Big Tree and the village where he lived, also named after him. The village of Big Tree was situated at different times in the northeast corner of the town of Leicester and called A-On-Do-Wa-Nuh and on the eastern bank of the river in Geneseo. According to scholars, an alternate name and title “gaih-duk-wah-nah” denotes a large tree lying prone (Clayton Mau, 1947).
The famous “Wadsworth Oak,” also called the “Big Tree” by European Americans after the 1790s, was an ancient oak tree growing on the east bank of the Genesee River, near today’s National Warplane Museum. The Big Tree fell down in a flood in 1857 and several pieces were saved.
In 1797, the Treaty of Big Tree between the Seneca and US government was signed near the Big Tree and the village of Big Tree. According to available resources, the name referred to the village rather than the large tree that grew nearby.
Canaseraga Creek – from Seneca “Ga-nus-ga-go” meaning “among the milkweeds” or Can-a-se-ra-ga, “Among the slippery elms” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35).
Canawaugus – from Seneca Go-no-wau-ges or Can-a-wau-gus, translated to “fetid water” or “place of stinking water” because of the sulfur springs in Caledonia (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). A prominent Seneca village where Chief Red Jacket, Cornplanter, Hot Bread, Governor Blacksnake, Henry O’Beal, Handsome Lake, and other leaders were born or lived. In 1797, a reservation called Canawaugus was established at the site for the Seneca, lasting until about the 1820s. After the Erie Railroad line was built, it became a small hamlet encompassing the southeast part of town. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company named its station there “Nova” (“Avon” backwards) but in 1912 the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned to have it changed back to Canawaugus for the historical significance of the name. (Livingston Republican 1/18/1912).
Conesus / Conesus Lake – Possibly related to “Ga-ne-o-sos” or “Ga-nyuh-sos” meaning “nanny berries” or “sheep berries” (History of the Genesee Country, by L. R. Doty). Early (1779) European references to the lake and the Seneca village at the head of the lake also include “Adjutsa,” “Agusta,” “Adyutro,” and other variations, said to translate to “the lake between the hills.”
Gan-ea-di-ya – Seneca name for a small spring-fed lake in the village of Caledonia. Translates to “small clear lake” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37) or “handsome lake.” Also De-o-na-ga-no, or “cold water” in reference to the springs there (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Ga-neh-da-ont-weh – A Seneca village that once occupied the present village of Leicester. Translates to “where the hemlock was spilled” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37).
Gardeau Reservation – The largest Seneca reservation in the Genesee Valley, Gardeua was created at the 1797 Treaty of Big Tree and was the longtime home of Mary Jemison. Comes from Ga-da’-o, translating to “bank in front” (Aboriginal Place Names of New York, Beauchamp, 1908).
Genesee Oaks - See also Oneida Woods. Sometimes also known as the Wadsworth Oaks because it was believed that pioneer James Wadsworth cleared the land, leaving scattered oak trees for shade. Twenty-first century research by SUNY Geneseo scholars shows that the “oak openings” habitat (meadows with scattered large oak and/or hickory trees) was a result of traditional Seneca land practices, including habitat management with fire. The ensuing early 19th-century land practices by the Wadsworths preserved the existing oak openings habitat.
Geneseo - The name is derived from Gen-e-se-o or Che-nus-si-o, a Seneca word which translates to “beautiful valley.” O-ha-di also refers to the area and translates to “trees burned.” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36)
Hemlock Lake – May have been named for the hemlock trees harvested from the lake area in the nineteenth-century lumbering industry. The Seneca name for the lake is “O-Neh-Da” meaning “Hemlocks.” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35).
Honeoye Creek - According to Doty (History of the Genesee Country, Vol. I), Honeoye comes from the Seneca for “finger lying there” and is based on a legend that when some Seneca people came to Honeoye Lake, they saw a finger upon a log, and the leader exclaimed, ‘Henceforth this place shall be called ‘Honeoye.’” More likely, the lake and area are named from the Seneca “finger lying” and gets its name for the shape of Honeoye Lake (Aboriginal Place Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.107).
Kanuskago – A Seneca village called that once occupied the present village of North Dansville. Also called “Ganuskago.”
Keshequa – “’Chish-a-qua’ is a little stream in the western and southern part of Livingston County. It should be pronounced the same as if it were spelled ‘kiss a squaw’, which the name is a corruption” (from a western NY newspaper, 1887; republished by M.C.F. in the Nunda News). Perhaps related to “Kah Kwas” or Neutrals in Niagara region of WNY, or one syllable means “creek,” as suggested in Centennial History of Nunda (page 50). Co-sha-qua or Ke-sha-qua is listed in Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37, but no translation is given. See also Kishawa.
Kishawa – Kishawa was the name of the post office in Hunts Hollow from 1822-1829, after the Kishawa Creek running though town. According to notes by Vandalia Slater c. 1880s, the creek was named by the Seneca and referred to “yellow, muddy or swift waters”; it was spoken “Without moving the lips, grunted or aspirated hardly sounding the H, with a guttural sound accented on the last syllable” (c. 1880s Slater notes in Portage Town Historian’s Collection). There are many variable spellings.
(Little) Beard’s Creek – Flows east across the town of Leicester to the Genesee River (French’s Gazetteer of NY, maps), passing through what was formerly Little Beard’s Town.
Little Beard’s Town – An important Seneca settlement named for the Seneca chief Little Beard and located near present-day Cuylerville. Also called Sin-non-do-wae-ne (1720), Che-non-da-nah (1754), Che-nan-do-an-es (1770s), Gen-e-see, and De-o-nun-da-ga-a, said to mean "where the hill is near." Another form is Dyu-non-dah-ga-seh, interpreted as "Steep hill creek." (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). The large, prominent village was once home to Mary Jemison. It was destroyed in 1779 during the Sullivan Campaign, but was resettled by returning Senecas. The area was a Seneca reservation from 1797 to about 1803.
Nunda - The name comes from the Seneca Nun-da, meaning “hilly,” or O-non-da-oh, “where many hills come together” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37). Other sources translate to “People of the Hill” or “Meeting of the Hill.”
O-at-ka Creek – North of Caledonia, passing through the village of Mumford. Ebenezer “Indian” Allan lent his name to several places, including “Allan’s Creek.” Its original Seneca name was “O-at-ka,” said to translate to “Leaving the Highlands”; by around 1880, there were successful efforts to return the name of O-at-ka to the creek (New York Times, 3/26/1880).
O-ha-gi – A Tuscarora village on the west side of the Genesee River between Leicester and York; name translated to “crowding the banks”; an Oneida village was nearby, possibly on east side of river, called Dyu-hah-gaih, meaning “the stream devours it” [the bank] (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38). (See also Parker's Arch. History of NY, p.592, 595.)
Oneida Woods – Also known as Oneida Farms or Oneida Lot; the general area north of the village of Geneseo, encompassing Nations Road and west side of Rt. 39 south to Geneseo Central School. The fields dotted with large, spreading oaks, formerly known as the Wadsworth Oaks, mark the area. It was believed that there was an Oneida village was nearby, on either east or west side of the river, called Dyu-hah-gaih, meaning “the stream devours it” [the bank] (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38).
Sally's Bend – Also known as Bump's Island. In the early 1800s, an island formed by a tight bend in the Genesee River on the on the north side of Rt. 408 in northern Mt. Morris. The later name comes from the Bump family who owned lots on the island at one time (1902 map). In early days, it was called Sally’s Bend after Sally, a Seneca woman who lived there and who married Ebenezer “Indian” Allan around the 1780s (Mills, Mt. Morris Centennial, p.27).
Sho-no-jo-waah-geh - Early Seneca name for the town of Mt. Morris meaning “big kettle” which may have come from a large copper distilling kettle brought by European Americans. Big Kettle is a name often attached to Gen. William A. Mills, who was a prominent early settler. Big Kettle may also refer to a Seneca leader’s name (History of Livingston County by Doty; Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, Seaver, 1824; Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Ska-hase-ga-o - A Seneca settlement at today’s village of Lima; name translates to “Once a long creek” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Sonyea – Located on Rt. 36 in southwestern Groveland. The first post office to operate here in 1872 was called Son Yea, but was changed to Sonyea in 1876 (www.esphs.org). The name could translate to “burning sun” or “hot valley” (Letchworth, Life and Work, by J. N. Larned, 1912, p. 334), but more likely comes from “son-he” (a Seneca name meaning Thou Art Living There, signifying a favorite dwelling place) or from Seneca Captain Snow (Soneage or Soyeawa) (Aboriginal Place Names of NY, p.109). The name Sonyea significantly predates Craig Colony and disproves the myth of the false acronym "State Of New York Epileptic Asylum" giving it the name.
Squawkie Hill - located east of Upper Mt. Morris Rd. between High Banks Rd. and Oaks Rd. Named for the Squawkiha, a people whose name was derived from the Meskwaki, an indigenous nation in Michigan.
In the 1700s, some Meskwaki people were adopted by the Seneca and settled in Newtown, now Elmira, New York. Their name became the Squawkiha. In 1779, during the Sullivan Campaign, the army entered Newtown and the Squawkiha fled to the Genesee Valley. Their settlement became known as Squawkie Hill. In 1797, the Treaty of Big Tree set aside the Squawkie Hill area as a Seneca reservation, and the land was sold in 1831.
Other Seneca names for the place include Da-ya-it-ga-o, interpreted as “where the river comes out of the hills” or “where the valley widens” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38).
Tuscarora – A hamlet in the southeast part of Mt. Morris where Scipio Road, Barron Road, and Presbyterian Road meet. Tuscarora Post Office existed 1828-1988. It is part of the Tuscarora Tract, which was a large area of the Morris Reserve. The name Tuscarora likely refers to the Tuscarora Nation of the Carolinas, known to the Seneca as “shirt-wearers,” who became the sixth nation to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. However, there are no known Tuscarora settlements in Mt. Morris.