> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.firstlightsyr.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why the Haudenosaunee flag is my favorite, and what it means - URL: https://blog.firstlightsyr.com/why-the-haudenosaunee-flag-is-my-favorite-and-what-it-means/ - Published: 2026-10-06T20:22:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-06T20:25:09.000Z - Description: You've probably seen it around Syracuse. Here's the history and symbolism behind the flag of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. - Author: Eric Hart - Tags: Culture, Reflections, All Posts With Indigenous Peoples' Day coming up on Monday, I want to talk about my favorite flag: the flag of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. If you live in Syracuse, you've seen it. It flies around the city, but you may not know its history or symbolism. I think it's one of the best flags there is. The Haudenosaunee are a confederacy of six Indigenous nations here in New York State. They are the original owners and stewards of this land, and in my eyes, they always will be. You may have heard them called the Iroquois. That's a name given to them by outsiders, a French colonial term. Haudenosaunee is the name they use for themselves. ## A flag that stands out The first thing you notice is the color. Purple is rarely chosen as the main color for flags, and it makes this one hard to miss. The color isn't simply a design choice, though. The flag is modeled on the Hiawatha belt, a handmade, beaded belt that represents the unification of five of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee. The flag's color palette comes directly from the belt, whose wampum beads are naturally purple and white. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d0/55/d055b6ce-c050-4a94-b7e7-ce646863bb61/content/images/2026/10/IMG_1770-1-1.jpeg) ## An old design on a newer flag The Hiawatha belt is centuries old, and it commemorates the original union of five nations. On the flag, the belt's white line extends past the edges, a sign that anyone who accepts the Great Law of Peace is welcome. That includes the Tuscarora Nation, who joined as the sixth nation in 1722\. But the flag itself is much newer. It was created in the 1980s. Onondaga Faithkeeper Oren Lyons suggested the belt as the model, and Rick Hill, a Tuscarora artist, worked with Mohawk father and son Harold and Tim Johnson to create the design. The flag made its debut in 1990, when it was flown by the Haudenosaunee Nationals lacrosse team at an international tournament in Perth, Australia. ## Reading the symbols The design has five elements: four white squares and one white tree. Each one represents a nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. From left to right: - **Seneca Nation:** the first square - **Cayuga Nation:** the second square - **Onondaga Nation:** the white tree in the center - **Oneida Nation:** the fourth square - **Mohawk Nation:** the last square - Note that the Tuscarora Nation has no visual representation on the flag. The order is deliberate so that it also works as a map. The flag shows how these nations stretch across New York State from west to east. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d0/55/d055b6ce-c050-4a94-b7e7-ce646863bb61/content/images/2026/10/Iroquois_5_Nation_Map_c1650.png) The design represents a traditional longhouse as well, and each nation has a role in it: - **Seneca Nation:** furthest to the west, Keepers of the Western Door - **Cayuga Nation:** a supporting role in the middle rooms - **Onondaga Nation:** in the center, Keepers of the Central Fire - **Oneida Nation:** a supporting role in the middle rooms - **Mohawk Nation:** furthest to the east, Keepers of the Eastern Door ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d0/55/d055b6ce-c050-4a94-b7e7-ce646863bb61/content/images/2026/10/Diorama_of_an_Iroquois_longhouse_-40344465790-.jpg) [Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, 2017](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diorama%5Fof%5Fan%5FIroquois%5Flonghouse%5F%2840344465790%29.jpg?ref=blog.firstlightsyr.com) The Central Fire is the capital of the confederacy, and the Onondaga keep it burning for everyone. On the flag, they are represented by the white pine, also known as the Great Tree of Peace, beneath which the original five nations buried their weapons and came together. ## Living on Onondaga land Syracuse was built on the stolen land of the Onondaga Nation. I don't think I can write about this flag without saying that plainly. The Onondaga are our neighbors, and I value that relationship. That makes my own work complicated. [I designed the Syracuse city flag](https://blog.firstlightsyr.com/syracuse-orange-and-identity/). But Syracuse sits on Onondaga land, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy already had a flag of its own. A city flag represents a place, and this place was taken. I think it's important to acknowledge and understand that tension, and I hope to keep doing that with the help of my friends and neighbors from the Onondaga Nation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d0/55/d055b6ce-c050-4a94-b7e7-ce646863bb61/content/images/2026/10/onondaga-nation-sign.jpg) [Source, Onondaga Nation](https://www.onondaganation.org/aboutus/?ref=blog.firstlightsyr.com) ## Why it's my favorite For me, this flag has everything. It's simple. It's original. It has a wonderful color. For the citizens of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, every piece of its symbolism carries real cultural meaning. For the rest of us, it's a full history lesson in a three-foot-by-five-foot flag. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPt%5FtEBEcuO/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)