A comprehensive history of the Native American community at the heart of the Haudenosaunee The people of the Onondaga Nation have lived in central New York State for hundreds of years. This is the incredible story of their survival and of the Nation’s commitment to their land, rituals, and cultural values. Michael Leroy Oberg traces the Onondaga from their emergence, through the formation of the Iroquois League, and into the present day. Oberg describes how despite military invasions, outbreaks of epidemic disease, efforts to deprive them of their lands and traditional government, and attempts to eradicate their culture, the Onondaga have endured. Indeed, even today, just south of Syracuse, New York, the Central Fire still burns at the center of the Haudenosaunee Longhouse, and the site remains an Indigenous capital. Drawing on meticulous archival work and interviews with members of the Onondaga Nation, this book not only sheds light on the resilience of a vibrant and influential culture but examines the intricate diplomatic politics that shaped the relationship between the Onondaga―and the entire Haudenosaunee Confederacy―and the emerging American states, and how the legacy of these early encounters continues to resonate in the twenty-first century. “Developed from its inception in close collaboration with the Onondaga community, Oberg’s important and compelling new book is exceptional for its chronological sweep, well-conceived focus on a strategically important town, and excellent prose.”―James Rice, author of Tales from a Revolution: Bacon's Rebellion and the Transformation of Early America “Oberg’s sweeping history of the Onondaga Nation touches on diplomacy, law, politics, environment, and religion. But it is the Onondaga people themselves, in all their complexity and imperfection, who drive the narrative and linger with the reader. A profound―and deeply human―account.”―Brett Rushforth, author of  Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France   “Oberg masterfully synthesizes centuries of Onondaga oral history and archival sources, tracing the bewildering varieties of settler colonial pressure while detailing the incredible and repeated Onondaga efforts to defend their lands and sovereignty. On every page Oberg convincingly reminds the reader of the presence and importance of the Onondaga nation and, by extension, the millions of Native people who are still here today.”― Linford D. Fisher, author of  Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History "Working in community with members of the Onondaga Nation, drawing on decades of scholarly experience, Oberg makes an important contribution to the appreciation of Haudenosaunee history and vitality.  Exhaustively researched and effectively written, the book covers five hundred years of Onondaga life with attention to gender, culture, and society as well as to warfare, politics, and economy―a monumental effort that creates a compelling addition to our understanding of Onondaga history as a complex ‘story that does not end.’―Nicole Eustace, author of Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America Michael Leroy Oberg is distinguished professor of history at SUNY Geneseo and founder of the Geneseo Center for Local and Municipal History. His books include Peacemakers: The Iroquois, the United States, and the Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794 and Uncas: First of the Mohegans . He lives in Rochester, NY.