Abraham Le Fort says, that Ondiaka was the great chronicler of his
tribe. He had often heard him speak of the traditions of his father.
On his last journey to Oneida he accompanied him. As they passed south
by Jamesville and Pompey, Ondiaka told him that in ancient times, and
before they fixed down at Onondaga, they lived at these spots. That it
was before the Five Nations had confederated; but while they kept up a
separate existence, and fought with each other. They kept fighting and
moving their villages often. This reduced their numbers, and kept them
poor and in fear. When they had experienced much sickness in a place,
they thought it best to quit it and seek some new spot where it was
hoped they should have better luck. At length they confederated, and
then the fortifications were no longer necessary, and fell into disuse.
This is the origin, he believes, of these old works, which are not of
foreign origin.
Ondiaka told Le Fort that the Onondagas were created by Ha-wä-ne-o,
in the country where they lived. That he made this entire “island”
HA-WHO-NAO, for the red race, and meant it for them alone. He
did not allude to, or acknowledge any migrations from foreign lands.
Their plan, after the confederation was to adopt prisoners and
captives, that fragments of tribes who were parted amongst them and
thus lost. They used the term We-hait-wa-tsha, in a figurative sense,
in relation to such tribes. This term means a body cut and quartered
and scattered around. So they aimed to scatter their prisoners among
the other nations. There is still blood of the Cherokees in Onondaga. A
boy of this nation became a chief among the Cherokees.
I called Le Fort’s attention to the residence of the Moravian
missionary, Zœisberger. He said there was no tradition of such
residence—that the oldest men remembered no such mission; that they
were ever strongly opposed to all missionaries after the expulsion of
the Jesuits, and he felt confident no such person, or any person in the
character of a preacher, had lived at Onondaga Castle; that there must
be some mistake in the matter.