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To those new to the list. I thought it might be a good idea to
define Mingo people for
you. We must be a bit cautious as the term has
meant different things to different people.
This also will explain why there is such a wide variety of experience,
tradition, etc. expressed by the folks on this
Mingo-L list.
The word "Mingo" was an English version of "Mingwe" from the Delaware meaning "stealthy or treacherous."
The earliest reference to Mingo people seems to be to the "White Mingwe," or what is today called "Susquehannocks" whose greatest influence and villages were in the lower Susquehanna River Valley of PA. during the 1600's. Last referred to as the Conestogas and pretty much wiped out as an organized tribe in the early 1700's in Lancaster, PA. The Swedes and Dutch traded with them on the Delaware until the English took over. Probably numbered around 600 warriors at height, and lorded over the disease weakened Lenape [Delawares]. There really are a few people out there who have legitimate claim to being Susquehannock, and we hear from them from time to time.
The "Black Mingwe" or Honniasont, were based on the Allegheny River valley. The name from a "black badge which they wear upon their chest" or "gorget wearing people." They were a nation composed of several tribes, and called the "Cat Nation" or "Panther People" by the Jesuits living with NY Iroquois. The Jesuits also referred to them as "Eriehuronnon," which was later shortened to "Erie." They traveled to Delaware to trade, but there are only a few records of Swedes or Dutch ever traveling to their country [which was 200 miles NW of Delaware]. At their height in 1650 they had several thousand warriors. In 1653, in a devistating war with the NY Iroquois, most of the people were absorbed by the NY tribes. Some escaped to the OH and WV hills to remain independent. This would explain those on the list who remain independent and deny any ties to the League or Seneca of NY or SNI.
The "Colonial Mingo" as we might call them retained the Seneca language, ties to NY Seneca, and Seneca customs as best they could in the face of Quaker influence in PA. In the late 1600's, many of the Mingwe in NY, now called "Mingo" by the English [referred to by the NY Seneca as "Props of the Longhouse" or "Hunter Seneca"] were dispersed to PA to act as a buffer between the NY Iroquois and the hated Marylanders known as "Longknives." Scattered into about 14 villages or so, the number of warriors probably only numbered around 150-200. Through a series of treaties from 1737 to 1794, these Mingo, Shawnees, and Lenape tribes were moved west to Ohio. Each move left behind small groups of these tribes hidden as farmers in the hills of PA, from NJ to OH. This is my heritage, and would explain why the folks here in southcentral PA have relatives on Allegheny Res., try to hold on to our Seneca ways, respect our ties to the League having been recognized by the Five Nations in the 1700's, and why we always called ourselves either "Seneca" or "Iroquois." We have a slightly different idea of what it is to be Mingo.
The "Sandusky Senecas" of Ohio were concentrated on the Sandusky river from 1794 to 1838. There on several small reservations, they were joined by Cayugas, Lenape, Shawnees, Wyandot, and even Tutelo. They were successful farmers and lived a rather typical "Early American" farm life for that period of time. They had grist mills, etc. Then came the Andrew Jackson era, "The Trail of Tears" for not only the Cherokees, but for the Sandusky Senecas as well. Only a few hundred in number, they were moved in the winter to Neosho, KS. One third died on the way. After the Civil War they would move to NE OK. Again a slightly different idea of being Mingo.
The "Seneca-Cayuga of Oklahoma" is the name they still go by and are recognized by the federal government. Only descendants of those people on the roles at the time the tribe was recognized are considered members of the tribe. These people generally know they were called "Mingo" in the past, but today have made an effort to revive the Seneca and Cayuga languages, and have tried to revive the more traditional Longhouse beliefs by renewed ties back to NY and Canadian Iroquois people. A still different view of what it means to be Mingo.
Well, there you are. Welcome to the list and I hope this helps you get a better handle on why there is much discussion and difference of opinion as to what is the "real" Mingo way. If we were all in a room together, and someone said, "Would the real Mingo stand up." We'd probably all stand together, even with our individual differences, we're still Mingo.
In Iroquoian languages, the names are "conjugated" according to who says them. So, "Hatháha' Nyakwai'" means "He is a Speaking Bear" (litterally, "He Speaks, the Bear"), and is said by a third party (e.g. me, the editor of this page's ). "Ketháha' Nyakwai'" means "I am a Speaking Bear" (litterally, "I Speak, the Bear"), and is said by a the person named (in this case, Mr. Dietz himself).
The word "kwe" can be translated litterally as "hey, there". It is commonly used as a greeting word (like "Hi" in English)
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