Senecas

The Senecas are one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, traditionally living in western New York along the Genesee River and the Finger Lakes. They are often described as the Keepers of the Western Door, a reference to their historical position at the western boundary of the Confederacy.

Socially, the Seneca are organized around a matrilineal kinship system and clan groups. Land and longhouses are traditionally controlled by women, who also nominate men to serve as chiefs within the confederacy’s political councils. The Great Law of Peace governs the Haudenosaunee, emphasizing consensus, diplomacy, and the use of wampum belts for record-keeping and reconciliation. The Seneca historically relied on agriculture, especially the three sisters crops—corn, beans, and squash—alongside hunting and fishing.

Historically, the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations engaged in extensive trade and diplomacy with European powers from the 17th century onward and played a significant role in regional conflicts. During the American Revolutionary War, many Seneca aligned with the British against colonial forces. Following the war, large portions of Seneca land were ceded in treaties, including Fort Stanwix in 1784, with further losses in subsequent decades. The Sullivan Expedition (1779) destroyed many Seneca towns, contributing to broader population and territory disruption.

Today, federally recognized Seneca groups include the Seneca Nation of Indians, with reservations in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties in New York; the Tonawanda Band of Seneca in New York; and the Seneca-Cayuga Nation in Oklahoma. The Seneca continue to maintain cultural and language revitalization programs and participate in economic enterprises, such as gaming operations, while preserving traditional ceremonies and governance practices.