Extinct Tribes: The Erie

As we've discussed in an early post, the Beaver Wars of the 17th century were one of the more bloody times in North American indigenous history.  As one or another Colonial power meddled with inter-tribal rivalries, some tribes were unfortunately on the less fortunate side of the battle.  A case in point is the Erie, for whom Lake Erie is named.

The Erie were an Iroquoian-speaking people who lived in what is now western New York, northwestern Pennsylvania and northern Ohio.  They dealt primarily with the Dutch traders and occasionally encountered French Jesuit missionaries.  Thus, what is known about the Erie comes from these few brief encounters, information passed through other tribes, and archaeological evidence.  The words Erie and the French corruption Eriez are shortened forms of Erielhonan or equivalent words, an Iroquoian term for Long Tail.  The French knew them as People of the Cat or People of the Racoon, the reference being to a sacred panther who lived under the waters of Lake Erie.  Like other Iroquoian people, the Erie lived in longhouses and supplemented hunting with agricultural, corn, squash and beans being an important part of their diet. 

As other tribes competed with the Iroquois Five Nations in the lucrative beaver trade, the Erie were caught up in the fighting.  They allied with the Huron against the Iroquois, fighting with them against the Iroquois and accepting Huron refugees into their villages.  In 1658, the Iroquois embarked on a campaign to punish the Erie, burning their villages and scattering the inhabitants.  Some sought shelter with the Seneca, or with the Susquehannock.  Although the Erie were believed to use poison-tipped arrows, they were disadvantaged by not having as many firearms as did the main Iroquois tribes.  With the might of the Iroquois against them, they had no choice but to fight, seek refuge among neighboring tribes, or flee, some into Canada or further along the coast, where sources believe they may have been the ancestors of a people known as the Westo.  Some Seneca people in Kansas and Oklahoma claim descent from the Erie.