Red Jacket

The Seneca were the largest of the original six Native American Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. They occupied areas around the Finger Lakes in Central New York. They also lived in the Genesee Valley in Western New York. The Seneca people used agriculture largely. They mainly grew corn, beans, and squash. Furthermore, the Seneca were great warriors but also had great political and diplomatic skills. Religiously, the Seneca believed that they were released by the Great Spirit from underneath a mountain and were able to thrive as the People of the Great Hill. This is in line with what the Seneca called themselves, O-non-dowa-gah, which means “Great Hill People”. Mentioning religion, the Seneca were very spiritual and even had shamans and medicine people. This may have contributed to the Missionaries being wary of the Seneca and Red Jacket being accused of witchcraft. Overall, the Seneca were one of the earlier yet fairly advanced civilizations in North America.