Junundat, also called Junandot, Ayonontout, or Etionnontout, was a

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, who have been called Wyandotte, Huron, Wendat and Quendat * Wyandot language, an Iroquoian language * Wyandot Nation of Kansas, an unrecognized tribe and nonprofit organization ...

village located south of

Sandusky Bay Sandusky Bay is a bay on Lake Erie in northern Ohio, formed at the mouth of the Sandusky River. It was identified as ''Lac Sandouské'' on a 1718 French map, with early variations recorded that suggest the name was derived from Native American l ...

, near modern-day

Castalia, Ohio Castalia is a village in Erie County, Ohio, United States. The population was 774 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. History By 1738 there was a Wyandot settlement at what is now Castalia under ...

. Junundat was founded by Wyandots moving south from the vicinity of

Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a French and later British fortification established in 1701 on the north side of the Detroit River by Antoine Laumet de Lamothe Cadillac. A settlement based on the fur trade, fa ...

in order to escape harassment by the Odawa (Ottawa). The village became a center for trade with the British until it was abandoned in 1747 during

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...

. It was reestablished in the early 1750s but abandoned a second time in 1763 during

Pontiac's War Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a confederation of Native Americans who were dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754– ...

Name

Junundat is alternatively known as Junandot, Ayonontout or Etionnontout. Some sources have incorrectly identified the village as Sunyendeand or Junqueindundeh, however, these describe later Wyandot villages in the same region. The name "Junundat" means "one hill", while Junqueindundeh means "it has a rock".

Location

Junundat was located south of Sandusky Bay. The site had a good water supply and arable land, making it attractive to both Indigenous and later European settlers. The Wyandot had used the site previously for their winter hunting camps. The exact location of the village has not been determined because of conflicting historical accounts. Junundat was likely located near present-day Castalia, Ohio.

History

In 1738, the Wyandot living near Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit made peace with their long-standing enemy the Catawbas (Têtes-Plattes). As the Wyandot had failed to consult their Odawa allies, they were threatened and harassed, resulting in a temporarily relocation to Sandusky Bay. Upon returning to Détroit in 1739, the Wyandot debated whether they should move to the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

valley, remain near Détroit, or settle permanently at Sandusky. While the majority eventually decided to establish a village on Bois Blanc Island at the mouth of the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

, a faction led by Angouirot and Nicholas Orontony returned to Sandusky and constructed a village south of the bay which they named Junundat. At Junundat they established contact with British traders, notably

George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Cou ...

, who were able to provide goods at lower prices than the French at Détroit. During

, the Wyandot, Odawa,

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

and

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

at Détroit initially supported the French, but withdrew their support when the war curtailed the supply of trade goods. Meanwhile, Orontony and the Junundat Wyandot supported the British. In 1747, they killed five French traders and plotted to massacre settlers at Détroit. They were thwarted when a "loyal" Wyandot woman overheard the planning and informed the Jesuit missionary Father

Pierre-Philippe Potier Pierre-Philippe Potier (also Pottié, Pottié, or Pothier; April 21, 1708 in Blandain, Hainaut, Belgium – July 16, 1781 in what is now Windsor, Ontario, Canada), was a Belgian Jesuit priest, missionary to the Hurons in New France, and lexicog ...

at Bois Blanc Island. Potier hastened to Fort Pontchartrain and warned its commander, Paul-Joseph Le Moyne de Longueuil about the threat. Fearing retribution, Orontony led his faction south and established the village of Conchaké on the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River ( ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio ...

. Following the death of Orontony in 1750, a smallpox epidemic in 1752, and the attack by

Charles Michel de Langlade Charles Michel Mouet de Langlade (9 May 1729 – after 26 July 1801)''Dictionnaire Généalogique Tanguay'' was a Great Lakes fur trader and war chief who was important in protecting French territory in North America. His mother was Ottawa and hi ...

on the nearby British-aligned

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

village of

Pickawillany Pickawillany (also spelled Pickawillamy, Pickawillani, or Picqualinni) was an 18th-century Miami Indian village located on the Great Miami River in North America's Ohio Valley near the modern city of Piqua, Ohio.Fort Sandusky and slaughtered the small British garrison. Two months later Junundat was destroyed by Captain James Dayell who was proceeding to Fort Detroit with reinforcements. The Wyandot abandoned their village at Dayell's approach and moved west to the

Sandusky River The Sandusky River (; ) is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 and flo ...

valley. The Wyandot continued living in the Sandusky River valley until 1843 when they were forced to cede their land and move to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{refend History of Ohio Populated places established in 1739 1739 establishments in North America Former Native American populated places in the United States