While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Erie (Huron: yěñresh,
'it is long-tailed', referring to the eastern puma or panther; Tuscarora,
kěn'räks,
'lion', a modern use, Gallicised into Eri and Ri, whence the
locatives Eri'e, and Riqué,
'at the place of the panther', are derived. Compare the forms Erieehronon,
Eriechronon, and Riquéronon of the
Jesuit Relations, signifying 'people of the panther'. It is probable that
in Iroquois the puma and the wild-cat originally had generically the same
name and that the defining term has remained as the name of the puma or
panther).
A populous sedentary Iroquoian tribe, inhabiting in the
17th century the territory extending south from Lake Erie probably to Ohio
river, east to the lands of the
Conestoga along the east watershed of
Allegheny river and to those of the Seneca along the line of the west
watershed of Genesee river, and north to those of the Neutral Nation,
probably on a line running eastward from the head of Niagara river (for
the Jesuit Relation for 1640-41 says that the territory of the Erie and
their allies joined that of the Neutral Nation at the end of Lake Erie),
and west to the west watershed of Lake Erie and Miami river to Ohio river.
Their lands probably adjoined those of the Neutral Nation west of Lake
Erie. The Jesuit Relation for 1653, speaking of Lake Erie, says that it
"was at one time inhabited toward the south by certain peoples whom we
call the Cat Nation; but they were forced to proceed farther inland in
order to escape their enemies whom they have toward the west." In this
eastward movement of the Erie is probably found an explanation of the
emigration of the Awenrehronon (Wenrohronon) to the Huron country in 1639
from the east border of the lands of the Neutral Nation, although the
reason there given is that they had for some unknown reason ruptured their
relations with the Neutral Nation, with whom, it is stated, they had been
allied, and that, consequently, losing the powerful support of the
populous Neutral Nation, the Wenrohronon, were left a prey to their
enemies, the Iroquois. But the earlier Jesuit Relation (for 1640-41),
referring undoubtedly to this people, says that a certain strange nation,
the Awenrehronon, dwelt beyond the Cat Nation, thus placing them at this
time east of the Erie and apparently separate from the Neutral Nation; so
that at that time the Wenrohronon may have been either entirely
independent or else confederated with the Eric.
Historically little is definitely known of the Erie and
their political and social organization, but it may be inferred to have
been similar to that of the Huron. The Jesuit Relations give only a few
glimpses of them while describing their last wars with the Iroquois
confederation; tradition, however, records the probable fact that the Erie
had had many previous wars with these hostile tribes. From the Relations
mentioned it is learned that the Erie had many sedentary towns and
villages, that they were constituted of several divisions, and that they
cultivated the soil and spoke a language resembling that of the Hurons,
although it is not stated which of the four or five Huron dialects,
usually called "Wendat " (Wyandot) by themselves, was meant. From the same
source it is possible to make a rough estimate of the population of the
Erie at the period of this final war. At the taking of the Erie town of Riqué in 1654 it is claimed that the
defenders numbered between 3,000 and 4,000 combatants, exclusive of women
and children; but as it is not likely that all the warriors of the tribe
were present, 14,500 would probably be a conservative estimate of the
population of the Erie at this period.
The Jesuit Relation for 1655-56 (chap. xi) gives the
occasion of the final struggle. Thirty ambassadors of the Cat Nation had
been delegated, as was customary, to Sonontouan, the Seneca capital, to
renew the existing peace. But through the misfortune of an accident one of
the men of the Cat Nation killed a Seneca. This act so incensed the
Seneca
that they massacred all except 5 of the ambassadors in their hands. These
acts kindled the final war between the Erie and the confederated tribes of
the Iroquois, especially the Seneca,
Cayuga,
Oneida, and
Onondaga, called
by the French the 'upper four tribes', or 'les Iroquis supérieurs'.
It is further learned from the Jesuit Relation for 1654 that on the
political destruction of their country some Hurons sought asylum among the
Erie, and that it was they who were actively fomenting the war that was
then striking terror among the Iroquois tribes. The Erie were reputed
brave and warlike, employing only bows and poisoned arrows, although the
Jesuit Relation for 16,56 declares that they were unable to defend one of
their palisades against the Iroquois on account of the failure of their
munitions, especially powder, which would indicate that they used
firearms. It is also said that they "fight like Frenchmen, bravely
sustaining the first charge of the Iroquois, who are armed with our
muskets, and then falling upon than with a hailstorm of poisoned arrows,"
discharging 8 or 10 before a musket could be reloaded. Following the
rupture of amicable relations between the Erie and the Iroquois tribes in
1653, the former assaulted and burned a Seneca town, pursued an Iroquois
war party returning from the region of the great lakes, and cut to pieces
its rear guard of 80 picked men, while the Erie scouts had conic to the
very gates of one of the Iroquois palisaded towns and seized and carried
into captivity Annenraes (Annencraos), "one of the greatest captains." All
this roused the Iroquois tribes, which raised 1,800 men to chastise the
Erie for these losses. A young chief, one of the two leaders of this levy,
was converted by Father Simon Le Moine, who chanced to be in the country
at the time, and was baptized. These two chiefs dressed as Frenchmen, in
order to frighten the Erie by the novelty of their garments. When this
army of invaders had surrounded one of the Erie strongholds, the converted
chief gently asked the besieged to surrender, lest they be destroyed
should they permit an assault, telling them: "The Master of Life fights
for us; you will be ruined if you resist him." "Who is this. Master of our
lives?" the Erie defiantly replied. "We acknowledge none but our arms and
hatchets." No quarter was asked or given on either side in this war. After
a stubborn resistance the Erie palisade was carried, and the Onondaga,
"entered the fort and there wrought such carnage among the women and
children that blood was knee-deep in certain places." This was at the town
of Riqué, which was defended by
between 3,000 and 4,000 combatants, exclusive of women and children, and
was assailed by about 1,800 Iroquois. This devastating war lasted until
about the close of 1656, when the Erie power was broken and the people
were destroyed or dispersed or led into captivity. Six hundred surrendered
at one time and were led to the Iroquois country to be adopted as one of
the constituent people of the Iroquois tribes. The victory at Riqué
was won at a great loss to the Iroquois, who were compelled to remain in
the enemy's country two months to care for the wounded and to bury the
dead.
Only two of the Erie villages are known by name, Riqué
and Gentaienton. A portion of the so-called Seneca now living in Indian
Territory are probably descendants of Erie refugees.
