The Onondaga call themselves Onoda'gega, sometimes spelled Onontakeka, which means People of the Hills, or Onondagaono (The People of the Hills). The Onondagaono are one of the original Five Nations to accept the Peacemaker's message, and they joined together with the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, and Cayuga to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which is also know as the Iroquois Confederacy. Haudenosaunee translates to mean "People of the Longhouse," which refers to the type of homes built by the Haudenosaunee. In approximately 1714, the Tuscarora joined the Haudenosaunee, and the Confederacy became six Nations strong. Men typically wear a gustoweh (feathered hat) containing two eagle feathers placed near hills to represent that the Onondaga are known as the People of the Hills. …
