^°N^.^7'4f^^' IROQUOIS MASKS AT ONONDAGA — ^HENDRY 373 



This description substantially agrees with that of Morgan in 1851, 

 with the accounts given by Beauchamp, Converse, and Parker in 

 the early 1900's, and could be applied to many of the masks which 

 are carved today. 



MASK CARVING AT ONONDAGA RESERVATION 



THE COMMUNITY 



Onondaga Reservation lies in a valley 1 mile south of the city 

 limits of Syracuse, not far removed from the ancient tribal site on 

 Onondaga Lake. The Indians were guaranteed possession of their 

 lands by Government treaty in 1795, the terms of which provide an 

 annual allowance of salt and cloth to every member of the tribe. 

 Considerably reduced by forced sales in the early 1800's, the reser- 

 vation now encompasses about 6,100 acres of farmland and scrub 

 timber. The population is a little less than a thousand, an increase 

 of almost 100 percent over the last 10 years owing to an influx of 

 Iroquois from Canada who have come seeking jobs in Syracuse. 



To a casual observer, Onondaga is not markedly different from 

 other rural areas in this part of the State. The small framehouses 

 are similar to those of the surrounding regions, and although many 

 are old and some in a dilapidated condition, others are modernized 

 to the extent of having plumbing and electricity; radios are common 

 and television sets are not unusual. Even the Council House, the 

 traditional focus of political and religious activities, is a common- 

 place, whitewashed structure resembling a country schoolhouse. 

 Other public buildings are three Protestant chiu-ches, the Federal 

 grade school, and the National Youth Association building which 

 was constructed by the Government during the depression and now 

 serves as a community center. For food and other necessities, 

 commercial amusements, and education beyond the primary level, 

 the Indians are dependent on Syracuse or Nedrow, a small White 

 community on the edge of the reservation. 



Although Onondaga is not a prosperous community, neither is 

 there much real poverty. Most families own their own homes and 

 hold an acre or more of land which belongs to the tribe and is tax 

 free. Some raise a few crops for their own use, but much of the soil is 

 poor and no large-scale farming is done. The principal source of 

 income is employment in Syracuse where 90 percent of the men, and 

 some of the women, have jobs in factories or shops or on construction 

 gangs; a large proportion of this number, however, is periodically on 

 Government relief.^^ 



•9 It was my impression that the majority of these men were unemployed by choice rather than necessity, 

 as worlc is not difficult to obtain today. 



