Hole #1 - Sky Journey Begins

As you start your journey on the Kaluhyat course, you might reflect on the Oneida creation story, which tells how the journey of people began with a woman who fell from the Other Side of the Sky. Her descendants are believed to have fashioned humans, animals and all things pleasant and unpleasant on this side of the sky.

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Hole #2 - Just Believe

Make a well-placed swing of faith at this point in your journey, then proceed along the path through the evergreen trees. The founder of the Iroquois League was thinking of the White Pine trees when he imagined white roots extending from a central government north, south, east and west where sachems would sit together to provide unity and stability for the league.

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Hole #3 - Hidden Challenges

Bodies of water such as the one that borders this tee once provided the Oneidas and other Indian nations with an important means of transportation. The creation of waterways in Oneida legend reveals the inherent duality of nature. The benevolent brother creates rivers that flow both ways but his twin laments the ease with which humans will travel and causes the rivers to flow in one direction only.

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Hole #4 - At Wood's Edge

At this point in your journey you enter a stand of trees. According to Iroquois custom, when emissaries from other nations neared a meeting place at another village, they were met by the principal chief of the inviting nation at the place where the forest opened onto the village. This ritual, known as the "Welcome at the Wood's Edge", included the kindling of a fire, a pipe was lit and passed around, and the chief delivered a formal welcoming address.

Hole #5 - Among the Forest

Throughout history the Oneida Nation and its Iroquois brethren have been faithful custodians of their natural resources - such as the Beech, cherry and maple trees found in the wooded area. The willingness to share these valuable treasures demonstrates their unparalleled tradition of hospitality and generosity of spirit.

Hole #6 - Challenge of Courage

As you draw on reserves of bravery at this challenging par five, take a moment to absorb the diverse surroundings. Among these hardwoods and wetlands, Oneida warriors of old braved their own challenges to survive along side their brothers, the fox, raccoons, rabbits, and deer that continue to thrive here today.

Hole #7 - Meadow Spirit

This open meadow calls to mind the vast farmlands that were once an important part of Oneida life. Corn, beans and squash were such important staples in the Iroquois diet that they are called the Three Sister. The Oneida revered their womenfolk for the important role they played in planting, tending and preparing these crops.

Hole #8 - Whispering Grasses

The close ties that exist between the Iroquois and the land on which they live have led to their deeply spiritual nature throughout history. Oneida and American soldiers fought a critical battle together during the revolutionary War against the British just east of her at Oriskany. Listen carefully and you may hear the spirits of long-ago warriors whispering among the native grasses.

Hole #9 - Journey of Choice

Life is full of choices. At this hole, players must choose their destiny: whether to play to the right or the left of this split fairway. The Oneida nation faced a difficult choice of another kind at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Although many of their Iroquois brethren sided with the British, the Oneidas chose to support the colonists.

Hole #10 - An Illusion

So near, yet at the same time so far away. This may appear to be short hole, but the elevated green makes this hole more challenging than it may fist seem. The dual nature of this par four is reminiscent of the Oneida perspective in which the universe manifests both creative and destructive forces.

Hole #11 - Uncertain Passage

This would be a good place in your journey to recall that accuracy and strategy may help you reach an uncertain, until the future awaiting the Oneida nation at the end of the Revolutionary War seemed rather uncertain, until the Oneidas became the first of New York State's native people to begin rebuilding their long-lost homelands.

Hole #12 - Straight & Narrow

Beech, Maple and Hickory are some of the towering trees through which a straight shot is key here. Oneidas used the wood of the hickory tree to fashion sticks for playing lacrosse, a team sport that has been apart of Iroquois culture for centuries. In addition to imparting the quickness, stamina and strength men would need for hunting and war, the sport of lacrosse was a gift of the creator and was used to settle communal disputes, appeal to the spirits, and even to heal the sick.

Hole #13 - Big Water

The name for this hole refers to the large pond along their fairway. It also happens to be the English equivalent of the expression that Oneidas once used to refer to the Atlantic Ocean. Big water might also describe the world, prior to the spontaneous expansion of earth in the Oneida creation story.

Hole #14 - Hidden Truth

This par four features a handsome stand of Hemlock trees and is perhaps more challenging than it looks. Having lived past 100 yeas old, chief Shenandoah is said to have compared himself to an aged hemlock tree through whose branches a hundred winters had whistled. 

Hole #15 - Peaceful Glen

The peaceful surroundings at this tee reflect a commitment made by all nations of the Iroquois to live their lives in harmony with all the earth. A turning point in the history of peace among several northeastern tribes began with the creation of the League of the Iroquois in the 1600s, an alliance among five (and later six) Iroquois nations.

Hole #16 - Edge of the Sky

The name of this hole refers to the boundary between the Sky-world of Oneida legend and our own, and hints at the view players will have when they reach the plateau overlooking the green with trees on the left and wetlands to the right.

Hole #17 - Turtle Den

Snapping Turtles are one of the animal that inhabit the area around this tee. In the Oneida creation story Turtle plays an important role, as the creature deemed strong enough to support the woman who feel to earth from the sky. Haudenosaunee legend has said that the sections visible on the turtle's carapace represent the thirteen months of a lunar calendar, providing a link between the spiritual and physical worlds.

Hole #18 - Journey's End

Oneidas have traditionally boiled the legendary syrup and maple products from the sappy of the Sugar Maple, which are the trees you see here. In the Oneida worldview, nothing in nature truly ends. This par four marks the end of one journey, but also the beginning of another.