ONEIDA

Iroquoian-speaking North American Indian tribe of what is now central New York state and one of the original five nations of the Iroquois League (q.v.; Iroquois Confederacy). Like the other Iroquois tribes, the Oneida were semi-sedentary and practiced corn (maize) agriculture. Longhouses sheltered families related through maternal descent. They were divided into three clans, each having three representatives in the confederation. Each community also had a local council that guided the chief, or chiefs. The least populous of the confederates, the Oneida during the 17th century had only one palisaded town of 60 to 100 longhouses; the town was destroyed by a French-Canadian expedition in 1696. Thereafter the community divided into Oneida (Upper Castle) and Canawaroghere. In the early 18th century a village of North Carolina Tuscarora joined the Oneida, becoming the sixth nation of the Iroquois League, and former Oneida enemies in the Carolinas became the targets of war parties for a generation. The Oneida supported the colonist cause in the American Revolution and consequently felt the depredations of the pro-British Iroquois under the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant. They retired within American lines, where they served as scouts. Returning to their homes after the war, they took in remnants of the Mohegan and were compensated by the U.S. government for their losses. In the following years the Oneida divided into factions resulting from disagreements over Quaker missions, their traditional religion, and the sale of lands. By 1833 those who had not settled at Oneida on the Thames River, Ontario, emigrated to Green Bay, Wis.; a few families remained at Oneida and Onondaga, N.Y. Oneida descendants were estimated to number 3,000 in the late 20th century, with major concentrations in Canada, Wisconsin, and central New York state. city, Madison county, central New York, U.S. It lies on Oneida Creek, 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Oneida Lake and 26 miles (42 km) east of Syracuse. Founded in 1834 by Sands Higinbotham and named for the Oneida people who had inhabited the area, it developed as a depot and supply point for the Utica and Syracuse (later New York Central) Railroad. Growth was influenced by the Oneida Community, an experiment in communal living founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes; in 1881 it was reorganized as a stock company that produced leading lines of silverware (still a major industry). Oneida Limited, which retains some cooperative features, has its headquarters at Oneida and a large flatware factory at nearby Sherrill. Local manufactures also include wood furniture, plastics, paper products, and furnaces. Guided tours are offered of the Oneida Community's Mansion House (begun 1860), which has more than 300 rooms. Colgate University (founded 1819) is in Hamilton, 18 miles (29 km) south of the city. The Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone Casino Resort, New York's only casino, is also nearby. Inc. village, 1848; city, 1901. Pop. (1990) 10,850; (1998 est.) 10,854. county, central New York state, U.S., bounded to the west by Oneida Lake and Creek and to the east by West Canada Creek and Hinckley Reservoir. It largely consists of a plateau region that becomes hillier in the south and rises to the western edge of the Adirondack Mountains in the northeast. The principal drainage is by the Mohawk River, which originates in and flows through the county. Other waterways are the Black River, Fish Creek, Delta Reservoir, and the New York State Canal System (completed 1918), which incorporates the Erie Canal (1825). Timber, most prominent in the northern half of the county, consists mainly of such hardwoods as maple, birch, and beech. Public lands include a portion of Adirondack Park; Verona Beach, Delta Lake, and Pixley Falls state parks; Lock 20 Canal Park; and several military reservations. Iroquoian-speaking Oneida Indians were native to the region. Landmarks from the U.S. War of Independence include Fort Stanwix National Monument and Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site, which commemorates the Battle of Oriskany (Aug. 6, 1777), one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war. Oneida county was created in 1798 and named for the Indian tribe. The principal communities are the cities of Rome and Utica, the latter of which is the county seat. Erie Canal Village, located near the site where construction on the canal began in 1817, is a reconstructed mid-19th century village. Griffiss Air Force Base is located in the centre of the county. The economy is based on services, heavy industry, retail trade, and agriculture (dairy, cattle, hay, and oats). Area 1,213 square miles (3,141 square km). Pop. (1990) 250,836; (1996 est.) 236,437.