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The Oneida (''Onyota'a:ka'' or ''Onayotekaonotyu'', meaning ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ''〔Rudes, B. ''Tuscarora English Dictionary'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999〕 in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy in the area of upstate New York, particularly near the Great Lakes. The Iroquois call themselves ''Haudenosaunee'' ("The people of the longhouses") in reference to their communal lifestyle and the construction style of their dwellings. Originally the Oneida inhabited the area that later became central New York, particularly around Oneida Lake and Oneida County. Today the Oneida have four nationally recognized nations: Oneida Indian Nation in New York, an Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, in and around Green Bay, Wisconsin in the United States; and two in Ontario, Canada: Oneida at Six Nations of the Grand River and Oneida Nation of the Thames in Southwold. ==People of the Standing Stone== The name Oneida is derived from the English mispronunciation of ''Onyota'a:ka'', the people's name for themselves. ''Onyota'a:ka'' means "People of the Standing Stone". This identity is based on an ancient legend. The Oneida people were being pursued on foot by an enemy tribe. As their enemies chased the Oneida into a clearing within the woodlands, they suddenly disappeared. The enemy could not find them, and so it was said that the Oneida had shapeshifted into the stones that stood in the clearing. As a result, they became known as the People of the Standing Stone. Older legends have the Oneida people identifying as the "Big Tree People". Not much is written about this. Iroquoian elders would have to be consulted on the oral history of this identification. The association may correspond to Iroquoian concepts of the Great Tree of Peace and the associated belief system of the people. Individuals born into the Oneida Nation are identified according to their spirit name, or what may be called an Indian name, their clan, and their family unit within a clan. The people have a matrilineal kinship system, and children are considered to be born into the mother's clan, through which descent and inheritance passes. Each gender, clan, and family unit within a clan has particular duties and responsibilities in the tribe. Clan identities go back to the Creation Story of the ''Onyota'a:ka'' peoples. The people identify with three clans: the Wolf, Turtle or Bear clans. Children take their social status from their mother's clan. Because of this, her eldest brother is a significant figure for the children, especially boys. He supervises the boys' passage into adulthood as men. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Oneida people」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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