By Brett Bucktooth, Sr. Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Manager
Here at Ongweoweh, we’re keenly aware that our company name is unique, are often asked how to correctly pronounce it, and are also frequently asked to explain what our name means from an etymology standpoint.
None of which we’re troubled by! In fact, we’re thankful when folks ask for such clarifications and are eager and proud to explain!
As it happens, few single words carry as much identity, history, and responsibility as the Haudenosaunee term often rendered in English as ongweoweh (also spelled onkwehonwe, onkweonwe, or with diacritics as onkwehón:we). In brief, our company name can be interpreted as “The Original People!”
At its core, the word serves to name people who understand themselves to be the original inhabitants of these lands (centered around what is a large portion of the Northeast U.S.); it is not a label imposed from outside, but a self-designation rooted in language, worldview, and relationship to place.
Linguistically, the word comes from the Iroquois languages of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations): The elements of the word break down into roots meaning “being” or “person” and qualifiers meaning “real,” “original,” or “first.” (The Smithsonian’s Haudenosaunee educator guide gives the commonly used pronunciation and glosses the term as roughly “real human being” or “the original people,” which captures both literal and cultural dimensions.)
Across contemporary Haudenosaunee communities, you’ll see variations in spelling — Ongweoweh, Onkwehonwe, Onkweonwe — reflecting differences in dialect, orthography, and how English speakers transliterate sounds not native to English. Community-based sources and university Indigenous-services pages regularly translate the term as “the original people,” “the real people,” or “the first people,” and they emphasize that the term is both a name and a responsibility: It asserts a people’s prior presence, moral obligations to the land, and enduring cultural continuity.
Why does this matter today?
First, use of onkwehonwe (or its variants) in the broadest sense provides the Haudenosaunee people with a way to identify themselves and their sovereignty, reminding the world that Indigenous peoples were — and are — living nations with their own political and social systems long before modern borders.
As for its use as the company name here at Ongweoweh: Founded by Frank Bonamie, our company adopted the word to honor its meaning — signaling ties to Haudenosaunee values such as stewardship, honesty, and community. All of these also being important aspects and values in our corporate culture.
In short, ongweoweh / onkwehon:we is more than a phrase.
It’s a powerful expression of identity: “original,” “real,” and “true” people in relationship with land, law, and memory. Using the term accurately — and listening to Haudenosaunee speakers and scholars about its pronunciation, meaning, and contemporary role — is a small but meaningful step toward better understanding and respect.
To learn more about our Native American heritage, philosophy, or Founder, click here.