Ongniaahra: ‘Thunder of Waters’

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Thunder of Waters

Clambering about the Escher-inspired wooden platforms of the Cave of the Winds, the overwhelming din of the American Falls all but drowned out these sounds of tourists at the base of the impressive cataract. I had elected to play my First Nations North American flute for a reason – read more here about the early history and oft-times turbulent clash of cultures in the area. On both sides of the border, descriptive plaques bear testimony to this not-so-distant and turbulent history.

There are currently 39 records of variations of the name for the Region in which this landscape feature occurs, including: Ongniaahra, Onguiaahra, Unghiara and Oniagara. However, it is thought to be of Iroquoian or Neutral Indian origin. There are also various interpretations of the word such as “thunder of waters”, or “resounding with great noise.” Most significant is Indian occupants of the peninsula from about 1550 onwards, when subsistence agricultural villages were established. These were generally located on light-textured sandy soils, including at St. David’s with its ossuary and above the escarpment at Thorold. Sites were probably shifted every 20 years through soil depletion, fuel exhaustion, and sanitary considerations. Some communities were large, covering up to twelve acres and perhaps accomodating up to 2000 persons. They belonged to the Neutral Indians, who were destroyed and assimilated by the Iroquois shortly after 1650.