Facts of the Oneida Tribe
LANGUAGE
Many of the Oneidas today speak English while others, especially the tribal elders, speak the original Oneida Language. Many of the sounds in the Oneida language vary from the English Language. A couple of easy words would be "sheko-lih," (sheh-koh-leeh) a friendly greeting, and "yawv," (yah-wunh) means than you
GENDER ROLES
The men of the tribe were in charge of fishing, hunting, trading, and war. The women were in charge of farming, property, and family. The Oneida clans were always ruled by women because the made the land and resource decisions, while the chiefs who were always men made military decisions and trade agreements. Both genders were a part of storytelling, artwork, music, and traditional medicine.
TRANSPORTATION
At times the Oneidas used elm bark, or cutout canoes for fishing trips, but they generally preferred to travel by land. Originally, the Oneida tribe used dogs as pack animals because there were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe. In wintertime, the Oneidas used laced snowshoes and sleds to travel through the snow.
CLOTHING
Oneida men used to wear breech cloths with leggings while the Oneida women wore wraparound skirts with shorter leggings. Men did not typically wear shirts in Oneida culture, but women often wore a poncho-like tunic - an over dress. They used to wear moccasins on their feet, and some still do today but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breech cloths, and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
WEAPONS
The Oneida men (hunters) would use bows and arrows and Oneida fishermen used spears and fishing poles. In war, Oneida men used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs, spears and shields. Some other important tools used by the Oneidas included stone adzes (hand axes for woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, and wooden hoes for farming. The Oneidas and other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, and steamed wood so that it could be bent to make curved tools.
CRAFTS
The Oneida and other Iroquois tribes were known for their mask carving which is considered a great sacred art form that outsiders who unfortunately are still not permitted to view many of these masks. Some work that is more personable to the Oneidas are beadwork and porcupine quill work. The Oneidas also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads which were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts usually told a story or represented one's family.
MUSIC
The most typical instruments used in the Oneida music are drums and flutes. The drums were often filled with water to give a specific sound to the instrument, and the flutes were used to impress the women of the Oneida tribe. A young Oneida man would play lovely flute music outside of his girlfriend's longhouse at night to show he was thinking about her. All in all, the music is rhythmic and mostly consists of drum beats and lively singing.
Many of the Oneidas today speak English while others, especially the tribal elders, speak the original Oneida Language. Many of the sounds in the Oneida language vary from the English Language. A couple of easy words would be "sheko-lih," (sheh-koh-leeh) a friendly greeting, and "yawv," (yah-wunh) means than you
GENDER ROLES
The men of the tribe were in charge of fishing, hunting, trading, and war. The women were in charge of farming, property, and family. The Oneida clans were always ruled by women because the made the land and resource decisions, while the chiefs who were always men made military decisions and trade agreements. Both genders were a part of storytelling, artwork, music, and traditional medicine.
TRANSPORTATION
At times the Oneidas used elm bark, or cutout canoes for fishing trips, but they generally preferred to travel by land. Originally, the Oneida tribe used dogs as pack animals because there were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe. In wintertime, the Oneidas used laced snowshoes and sleds to travel through the snow.
CLOTHING
Oneida men used to wear breech cloths with leggings while the Oneida women wore wraparound skirts with shorter leggings. Men did not typically wear shirts in Oneida culture, but women often wore a poncho-like tunic - an over dress. They used to wear moccasins on their feet, and some still do today but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breech cloths, and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
WEAPONS
The Oneida men (hunters) would use bows and arrows and Oneida fishermen used spears and fishing poles. In war, Oneida men used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs, spears and shields. Some other important tools used by the Oneidas included stone adzes (hand axes for woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, and wooden hoes for farming. The Oneidas and other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, and steamed wood so that it could be bent to make curved tools.
CRAFTS
The Oneida and other Iroquois tribes were known for their mask carving which is considered a great sacred art form that outsiders who unfortunately are still not permitted to view many of these masks. Some work that is more personable to the Oneidas are beadwork and porcupine quill work. The Oneidas also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads which were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts usually told a story or represented one's family.
MUSIC
The most typical instruments used in the Oneida music are drums and flutes. The drums were often filled with water to give a specific sound to the instrument, and the flutes were used to impress the women of the Oneida tribe. A young Oneida man would play lovely flute music outside of his girlfriend's longhouse at night to show he was thinking about her. All in all, the music is rhythmic and mostly consists of drum beats and lively singing.