Introduction
We, the Conestoga-Susquehannock, are the Indigenous people of the Susquehanna river, a 444-mile long river that flows from what is now New York to Maryland, emptying into the Chesapeake bay. Our tribe was once a powerful coalition of palisaded villages and farms along the Susquehanna, where we practiced agriculture, foraged for oysters, and created our signature pottery and trade beads.
Our people are called Conestoga in our own language, which means the people of the upright ridge pole, and refers to our building practices. Susquehannock is how many of our historic neighbors referred to us, and is the most widely recognized name for our tribe. From colonization to 1763, our community evolved into a unique inter-tribal safe haven, including a conglomerate of predominantly Susquehannock and Shawnee, with Seneca and Oneida also having a close relationship with Conestoga Indian town. Our modern tribe consists of the surviving descendants of this unique community.
