The story I’m working on now is partly set among the Oneida tribe of western New York.
Their name, Oneida (Onyota’a:ká:) is translated as People of the Standing Stone. The Oneidas are one of the Six Nations that make up the Iroquois Confederacy, or League, now and during the time my story is set, 1757 – 1777.
Though no nation of the League was 100% pro-British or 100% pro-Patriot during the Revolutionary War, most of the Oneida Nation sided with the colonists, while most of the other nations (Mohawk, Tuscarora, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca) fought on the side of the British.
For the past several months I’ve been immersed in learning about the Oneida Nation, their role in the Revolutionary War, and their struggle to adapt and survive in a distressingly fast-changing political, religious and cultural climate.
It’s taken me a while to track down several good resources for Oneida-related subjects. For the benefit of anyone else researching along this same path, here’s what I’ve found thus far:
The People of the Standing Stone, The Oneida Nation from the Revolution through the Era of Removal, by Karim M. Tiro.
The Oneida Indian Experience, Two Perspectives, Edited by Jack Campisi and Laurence M. Hauptman.
Forgotten Allies, The Oneida Indians and the American Revolution, by Joseph T. Glatthaar and James Kirby Martin.
The Divided Ground, by Alan Taylor
Life of Samuel Kirkland, missionary to the Indians, by Samuel Kirkland Lothrop (can be found online as an ebook through Google).
Oneida Iroquois Folklore, Myth, and History, by Anthony Wonderley.
If you’ve been down this research path ahead of me and know another good resource for all things Oneida, take your axe and mark a tree please leave a comment and share the title so I’ll be sure to turn aside and check it out.