Neutrals Indian Tribe
Location
Neutrals. So called by the
French because they remained neutral during the later wars between the
Iroquois and Huron.
Also called:
Hatiwanta-runh, by Tuscarora, meaning "Their speech is awry"; in form it
is close to the names applied by the other Iroquois tribes and more often
quoted as Attiwandaronk.
Connections
The Neutrals belonged to the
Iroquoian linguistic Stock; their position within this is uncertain.
Location
In the southern part of the
province of Ontario, the westernmost part of New York, in northeastern Ohio, and
in southeastern Michigan. (See also
Indiana,
Michigan,
Ohio, and Canada.)
Subdivisions
It seems impossible to separate
these from the names of the villages, except perhaps in the cases of the
Aondironon (in Ontario bordering Huron territory), and the Ongniaahra (see
below).
Villages
There were 28, but only the names
of the following have been preserved:
Kandoucho, in Ontario near the Huron
country, i. e., in the northern part of Neutral territory.
Khioetoa, apparently a short distance east of Sandwich, Ontario.
Ongniaahra, probably on the site of Youngstown, N.Y.
Ounontisaston, not far from Niagara River.
Teotongniaton, in Ontario.
History
Shortly after the destruction of
the Huron, the Neutrals became involved in hostilities with the Iroquois and
were themselves destroyed in 1650-51, most of them evidently being incorporated
with their conquerors, though an independent body is mentioned as wintering near
Detroit in 1653.
Population
The Neutrals were estimated by
Mooney (1928) to number 10,000 in 1600; in 1653 the independent remnant included
800. They were probably incorporated finally with the Iroquois and Wyandot.
Connection in which they have become noted
The chief claim of the Neutrals
to permanent fame is the fact that the name of one of their subdivisions, the Ongniaahra, became
fixed, in the form Niagara, to the world-famous cataract between New York
and Ontario.
Additional Resources
Notes About the Book:
Source: The Indian Tribes of North America, by John R. Swanton, 1953, Bureau of
American Ethnology, Bulletin 145, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC.
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing
has been done, and readers can and should expect some errors in the textual
output.
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