One of the New York State Fair’s cultural villages has a new name. What used to be known as the Indian Village is now the Haudenosaunee Village.

Heath Hill, assistant superintendent of the village, said he has been coming to the fair all his life.

“The name Indian is actually for India. And because they see brown skin, they called us Indians,” said Hill.

After many years of being known as the Indian Village, it now carries the name Haudenosaunee, which translates to “people of the longhouse.”

“Haudenosaunee is important to our people because that’s the name of what it represents: the people of the longhouse. And that’s who we really are,” said Hill.

Hill said he has been spending his summers at the fairgrounds for nearly 50 years.

“It just means a lot more to me than saying I’m from the Indian village. Now I can tell them where I’m really from,” said Hill.

For Hill, the state fair is also where his family began.

“This is where my mother and father met, right here in the village,” said Hill. “And my mom was just walking by, and she saw him, and he was hanging upside down, shooting a bow and arrow, showing off to people. And I guess she was impressed. So, they went down the midway and it was on from there.”

“It was love at first sight,” said Linda Deer, Hill’s mother.

Hill’s mother still sells her crafts at the village.

“[My mother] taught me all this, how to make all the beadwork. And she taught me how to cook. My mother did. So, everything that you see is from our mother,” said Deer.

“This is where me and my wife met,” said Hill. “I always tell everybody that we’re all family. We’re all family here.”

Improvements are also coming to the village. The assistant superintendent says the huts are almost 100 years old, and two of them were rebuilt this year.

There are also dance performances, food and produce competitions at the Haudenosaunee Village.

Native American Day at the fair is Friday, Sept. 4. Throughout the day, there will be special entertainment like a smoke dance competition, music and a puppet show. Members of Native American tribes also get into the fair for free that day.