Once a natural home to the Haudenosaunee people, the Susquehanna River and the forest surrounding it have become occupied by inhabitants of Lewisburg, Sunbury, Selinsgrove, and many more urbanized locations. Professor Siewers of Bucknell University states, “Those living in the Susquehanna watershed are living in the ghost of that old forest.” A documentary recently released by WVIA in partnership with Bucknell University goes deeper into who really lived in the Susquehanna River Valley.
The Peoples of the Susquehanna River documentary dives into what was left behind from the old Haudenosaunee civilizations. Since there are no real physical buildings left behind, it has be hard for archaeologists to learn about those who walked along the Susquehanna River 400 years ago. Most of the wooden structures, woven baskets, and clothing have been destroyed.
However, archaeologists have taken full advantage of the river to understand Native American society. Old charcoal alongside the river has been one of these tools, as it is often found in old fire pits dating back as far as 1,000 years ago.
Pennsylvania was a haven for many Europeans when they arrived in the mid-1600s. Since Great Britain and the other colonies did not have religious freedom, Pennsylvania was the only location that colonists could practice any form of Protestantism and other religions. For that reason, it was also the area of settlement for many Haudenosaunee people after European conquest.
The first accounted interaction between Native people of the Susquehanna and British colonists was when John Smith came from Virginia colony up the Chesapeake Bay. A group of warriors appeared, so Smith asked who they were, and someone told him the Susquehannocks. A researcher from the documentary reveals, “The English had a habit of naming Native people after the river where they found them.”
The Haudenosaunee people are attempting to reclaim their formal lifestyle instead of conforming with European-American society. They have reclaimed their traditional food ways due to dietary issues and continue to value old crops such as corn. Some traditions also still exist in the local Iroquois populations today such as the Seneca no-face cornhusk dolls.
The Susquehanna River is a special place to the Native people of New York and Pennsylvania. Petroglyphs on small, rocky islands in the middle of the river prove that there is a sacredness to the natural watershed for the Haudenosaunee people. It is important to understand what the river means to others and modern civilization today.
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