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Onondaga Nation Cemetery is located on the Onondaga Nation in the Indian Village, Onondaga County, New York. The earliest, recorded burials occurred in the 1860s. The cemetery is still active.
"There are two cemeteries on the Onondaga Nation Reservation. Please check both listings before adding any names.
This (newer) cemetery is located off Route 11A, on the Onondaga Indian Nation Territory near the Longhouse, south of Nedrow (near Syracuse, NY). There is an older part, which is located closer to Route 11A, and a newer part, which is closer to Martin Lane. There are about 30 old stones left in the older part. There is another cemetery on the reservation, that is south of the school, between the dam and Gibson Rd, which is actually considered the Old Onondaga Nation Cemetery.
The Onondaga Nation is a member of the Haudenosaunee ("People of the Long House"), an alliance of native nations united for hundreds of years by traditions, beliefs and cultural values. Also referred to as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations, the Haudenosaunee consist of the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga and Tuscarora Nations. At Onondaga, there are nine “clans” which are; wolf, turtle, beaver, snipe, heron, deer, eel, bear, and hawk.
Please be aware of the inconsistent spelling of family names over the years: Scanandoah, Shenendoah, Schenendoah, Shenaudoah, etc. Memorials are entered as the names appear on the grave markers."
The most famous grave is that of Sganyadai'yoh (Handsome Lake). Handsome Lake was a Seneca of the Wolf Clan, who became the spiritual leader of the Haudenosaunee and founder of the Longhouse religion of the Haudenosaunee. He was half brother to John "Gaiänt'wakê" Abeel, Seneca War Chief and Chief Half Town 'Gahgeote' Abeel.
"Founder of the Longhouse Religion. He led a revitalization movement among the Seneca and other Iroquois tribes that saved them from cultural death in the years after the American Revolution. Handsome Lake received supernatural visions to turn the Iroquois away from alcohol and other destructive behaviors and toward self reliance and the preservation of Iroquois culture. His movement culminated in the founding of the Longhouse Religion."