Editing Oneida Castle, New York (section)

== History ==
The village was formerly the site of a major fortified village, Kanonwalohale (written as "tkanaˀalóhaleˀ" modern Oneida orthography), of the [[Oneida tribe]], one of the original Five Nations of the [[Iroquois Confederacy]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/history/firstallies/27022764.html |title=After the Battle: Hanyery and Joseph Brant &#124; Oneida Indian Nation &#124; First Allies |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051025/http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/history/firstallies/27022764.html |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They established it in the beginning of the 18th century, moving from an area where they suffered raids by parties from the French colony of [[Quebec]], which was trying to control their [[fur trade]]. The village was surrounded by tall wooden palisades, with a moat bordering this. Dwellings and storage structures were protected inside. Mohawk [[Joseph Brant]] led a war party which destroyed the village in July 1780.

Later European-American settlers named the village of Oneida Castle for this last great village or "castle" of the Oneida people. In the colonial period, Europeans often referred to the major fortified Iroquois villages as "castles" because it was a familiar reference for them for such a settlement; other examples include [[Seneca Castle]] and [[Little Beard's Town|Genesee Castle]].