Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) Hodínöhšö:ni:h Archaeological Materials, circa 1688-1754

About this collection

This digital collection is a collaboration between archaeologists Kurt Jordan and Dusti Bridges, librarians at Cornell University, and Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) partners, including staff at the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum and the Seneca Art and Culture Center. The collection presents materials recovered from two archaeological sites consecutively occupied by members of the Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) Nation of the Hodínöhšö:ni:h (Six Nations Iroquois) Confederacy. The White Springs site, occupied circa 1688–1715, and the Townley-Read site, occupied circa 1715–1754, are both located near the north end of Seneca Lake, in present-day Ontario County, New York.

The structure and content of the collection were co-designed with Onöndowa'ga:' partners. Collection items include photographs of artifacts, animal and plant material, as well as photos and maps of the excavations. No sacred materials are included; everything shown was recovered from domestic portions of Onöndowa'ga:' archaeological sites.

Historical context

This collection provides information on archaeological materials from a poorly-understood era to researchers in Anthropology, History, and American Indian and Indigenous Studies; serves as a resource for education on the Indigenous history of New York; and, most importantly, provides a means for Onöndowa'ga:' descendant communities to access and explore their heritage.

Using the collection

The Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) Hodínöhšö:ni:h Archaeological Materials, circa 1688-1754 exhibit contains additional site and excavation information as well as a browsable way of navigating the collection.

The physical items represented in this digital collection are in the care of the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum.

More information

Collection steward

Maureen Morris, Research and Learning Services Librarian

Metadata creation

Dusti Bridges, MA '18, PhD '25; Kurt Jordan, Professor, Anthropology, American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program; Cornell University Library Metadata Design & Operations

Funding

Grants Program for Digital Collections in Arts & Sciences, awarded to Kurt Jordan and Dusti Bridges, 2017

Credits

This collection overview was prepared by Kurt Jordan in 2025.

Collection sources

• Seneca-Iroquois National Museum

Exhibits featuring items from this collection

• Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) Hodínöhšö:ni:h Archaeological Materials, circa 1688-1754