Erielhonan

The Erielhonan, or Erie, were a loose confederacy of Iroquoian communities southeast of Lake Erie, in present-day western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. Their villages had palisades.

In 1624 missionary Gabriel Sagard called them the Cat Nation after hearing of them from the Wendat. In 1654 Seneca and Onondaga attacked an Erie fort during the Beaver Wars. By 1656 the confederacy had collapsed, and many captives were absorbed into Haudenosaunee communities.