Oneida Chieftain. Born to the Oneida people, he was called Oskanondonha and achieved the rank chief warrior of the Wolf clan, a position chosen on the basis of merit and ability rather than heredity. He led British allied war parties against the French during the French and Indian War and by 1770 he was the principal leader of Oneida Castle, a major Oneida settlement. Samuel Kirkland, an American missionary, succeeding in converting Skenandoah to Christianity who then took the name John. During the American Revolution, he played a key role in the Oneida decision to support the Americans leading to the eventual destruction of Oneida Castle in 1780. Tradition has it that he organized a relief column which included some 600 bushels of corn for Washington's encampment at Valley Forge. In the Hard Winter of 1780, Skenandoah was one of two Oneida who undertook a journey to Fort Niagara on behalf of the Americans. The two men were imprisoned, where they remained until the United States demanded their return in the Fort Stanwix treaty in 1784. Following the American Revolution, Skenandoah remained a principal chief of the Oneida and was known as ‘the white man's friend' and was held in great esteem. In old age he eventually went blind before dying at a reported 110 years. He is also known historically as Shenandoah, and the Shenandoah Valley was reportedly named for him.
Oneida Chieftain. Born to the Oneida people, he was called Oskanondonha and achieved the rank chief warrior of the Wolf clan, a position chosen on the basis of merit and ability rather than heredity. He led British allied war parties against the French during the French and Indian War and by 1770 he was the principal leader of Oneida Castle, a major Oneida settlement. Samuel Kirkland, an American missionary, succeeding in converting Skenandoah to Christianity who then took the name John. During the American Revolution, he played a key role in the Oneida decision to support the Americans leading to the eventual destruction of Oneida Castle in 1780. Tradition has it that he organized a relief column which included some 600 bushels of corn for Washington's encampment at Valley Forge. In the Hard Winter of 1780, Skenandoah was one of two Oneida who undertook a journey to Fort Niagara on behalf of the Americans. The two men were imprisoned, where they remained until the United States demanded their return in the Fort Stanwix treaty in 1784. Following the American Revolution, Skenandoah remained a principal chief of the Oneida and was known as ‘the white man's friend' and was held in great esteem. In old age he eventually went blind before dying at a reported 110 years. He is also known historically as Shenandoah, and the Shenandoah Valley was reportedly named for him.
Bio by: Iola
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