By Christine Lorraine Morgan, January 9, 2024

Indigenous People who lived in this region now known as Erie County, PA, were under the jurisdiction of a queen named Yagowanea, also called Gegosasa by the Senecas and French. She was said to be a “second Zenobia.”

During the year 1626, the Eries were visited by New France in an attempt to civilize them. That’s when their most celebrated trait was brought to light, their neutrality amidst powerful and fierce tribes. Thus they were dubbed “The Neutral Nation” by the French.

When the French were settling in Canada, their actions provoked a divide in the Iroquois tribe – the Five Nations took the side of the Dutch and English, and the Wyandots stuck to the Gallic side.

Due to this feud of the Iroquois, the Algonquins (aka Adirondaks), were pleased to make allies of the Wyandots and the French. 

In the midst of this upheaval, the neutral Eries resided on the banks of the Niagara, and were already closely aligned to the Five Nations and Wyandots.

The Eries were in a precarious position, and they knew it, thus they felt strongly about remaining in a state of neutrality to preserve their survival as a tribe. They perceived that great wisdom was necessary and indispensable to their ongoing preservation.

An artistic rendition of Queen Yagowanea

The Peace Pipe and Wampum of Queen Yagowanea, who was known as the “mother of nations,” were held sacred. As she was protected by her own high character and holder of the symbolic house of peace, Yagowanea was known to receive ambassadors and messengers from the Wyandots, Mississaques, Five Nations and other neighboring tribes.

The stellar reputation and authority of the Queen extended beyond her   territory. This made it all the more heartbreaking when one inconsistent, inconsiderate act caused her once powerful nation to end up fighting long, bloody wars and suffer debilitlating destruction. 

It all began when two Seneca warriers made their way to her lodge and were announced. The two Senecas started to partake of the pipe of peace when a Mississaque deputation was also announced. The purpose for the latters’ visit was to demand vengeance for the son of their chief, who had been murdered. Their request was granted immediately, an act that showed partiality and defied the Eries’ state of neutrality.

News of this neutrality violation by Queen Yagowanea spread rapidly in all geographical directions. The Queen then dispatched messengers to convey and explain her reasoning to Ragnatha (Buffalo), where the Eries’ chief commander lived.

Queen Yagowanea, realizing the importance of the mission, opted to execute the commission herself.

Meanwhile, a bitter and meddling woman who was probably jealous of the beautiful Queen, saw this error in judgment as way to possibly de-throne her and destroy the peaceful state in which she reigned.

This destructive woman, upon learning of the Queen’s decision to grant vengeance, quietly took a canoe and paddled along the Lake Ontario shoreline to communicate these activities. As soon as her story was disclosed to the powers that be, Seneca spies were dispatched to see if the rumors were true.

The spies were clever, and without arousing suspicion, they were able to ascertain the facts they sought from some young men hunting squirrels, and an army was hastily assembled.

Their plan of attack was to create a decoy, a man clad in bear skin, who would sit in the main path. His task was to initiate pursuit, and prompt the Eries to chase him into an ambush.

The plan worked, bringing the Eries into the midst of hundreds of crouching Senecas. They sounded the war-whoop most terrifyingly, but were forced to flee after a severe skirmish. Later, they rallied again and fought with tremendous desperation, forcing the Eries to yield, leaving about 600 dead warriors on the field of battle.

During this initial war of the Eries, which took place in 1634, they proved themselves to be tenacious fighters.

Another futile fight, this time against the Iroquois, occurred in 1653 which caused further damage to the Eries. In this battle, it is said that “Greek met Greek” and the event was ultimately decided by a pestilence which created more casualties than arrow and club.

After their overwhelming defeat, the Eries fled down the Ohio River. The previously-sacred peace lodge of Queen Yagowanea was destroyed by the incensed Iroquois, who were relentless in their quest to eradicate the Eries. Historical records indicate that the Iroquois tribe displayed great pride in their fighting abilities, and a thirst for domination regardless of the blood shed to obtain it.

After the Iroquois ruthlessly sacrificed their Erie captives of war, historical records indicate any survivors were adopted as members of their tribes. Husbands and wives, parents and children were separated and distributed among various villages in an effort to make sure that prior liaisons were completely broken.

This policy was referred to among the Iroquois as signifying “flesh cut into pieces and scattered among the tribes.” According to one historian from this time period, regarding the surviving Eries, “They fled to distant regions of the West and South, and wherever they fled they were followed by the undying hatred of the Iroquois. In accordance with the threat of the Onondagas, their council fire was put out, and their name and lineage as a tribe lost.”

In later years, during a visit by the Jesuits to the Onodagas, it is said that a “Neuter” was the first adult baptized. Some lingering Erie bloodlines were living among them as “helots” and impatiently wore their chains as they awaited their opportunity for freedom. There were quite a few there at that point, and their numbers gave them confidence.

They eventually formed a plan to escape from their oppressors, and requested assistance from the French missionaries for deliverance. Sadly, their pleas were denied and their hope for an escape to a fresh start were crushed.

As the years passed, the various indigenous local native American nations fused into one, causing them to lose track of their roots. Sadly, no clue or remnants of Erie names or history remain, other than sparse historical records.

That is exactly why we felt compelled to present this story. The tale of the Eries’ neutrality and Queen Yagowanea should be known to all to ensure their name and story live on.

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Source: The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania / by Laura G. Sanford ~ 1862

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