The Iroquois Or Haudenosaunee

The Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, which means “people of the longhouse”, were a great nation that was made up of six smaller nations, the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and the Tuscarora (The Canadian Encyclopedia). The Iroquois was formed when five nations, the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, and Mohawk signed a Great Law of Peace, which is considered to be both a political foundation and the root for the Iroquois society in general (The Canadian Encyclopedia). It was not until 1722, when the Tuscarora moved north from Virginia and North Carolina that they joined the confederacy as well (The Canadian Encyclopedia). This nation is located south of the Great lakes in modern day New York State (The Canadian Encyclopedia). They spoke
their own language, which was very related to the languages of neighboring nations such as the Huron-Wendat, Petun, and Neutral (The Canadian Encyclopedia). The Iroquois had many relationships with other cultures, some that were positive and some that were negative. The entirety of the Iroquois nation was built on a relationship between many nations so all of these smaller nations would definitely be considered allies. The signing of the Great Law of Peace between these smaller nations ensured that the Iroquois would be powerful for years to come. This led to them making great enemies with the French people living in modern day Canada. This clash between nations started during the height of the fur trade with the Europeans, when the Iroquois wanted to grow their trade industry and gain new land to do so (War Paths to Peace Pipes). The main reason for this war is that the British and French both wanted dominance of the area, and the English were on the side of the Iroquois, and the French had a number of their own allies. (War Paths to Peace Pipes) The Iroquois wanted the land so that they would be able to keep up with the British’s demand for furs, and therefore would be able to get all the newest technology in return (War Paths to Peace Pipes). The Iroquois were fighting on the side of the British, and the French had a number of nations fighting for their side (War Paths to Peace Pipes). This led to a number of battles in which they destroyed several large tribes including the Eries, Susquehannocks, and the Huron (War Paths to Peace Pipes). Prior to European culture, the Iroquois were a very distinct culture, and their culture was important in turning them to the powerful nation that they were.
Unlike most other Aboriginal nations, they were sedentary instead of nomadic (The Canadian Encyclopedia). This meant that they lived year-round in enclosed settlement with several hundred people (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Their social structure was built upon matrilineal principles, which means that the basic unit consisted of the descendants of a single woman (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Multiple matrilineages created a matrilineal clan, which was not only important for ceremonial and symbolic importance, but also served to regulate marriage patterns (The Canadian Encyclopedia). A person was not allowed to marry another person in his or her own clan (The Canadian
Encyclopedia).
The Iroquois political system was also based on the clan system. Each clan was considered to be a family, and each clan would have a representative called a sachem (The Canadian Encyclopedia). The sachem, or supreme chiefs, was a group of fifty people representing their own clan, whose job was to govern the nation (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Also, each of the five founding members of the confederacy was represented by a delegation of eight to fourteen members (The Canadian Encyclopedia). All of these positions were inherited through a matrilineage (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Each individual community was governed by their own councils of sachems and chiefs as well (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Each clan would also have a Clan Mother, which was a woman who oversaw the actions of the chief, and replaced him with a new one upon his death (The Canadian Encyclopedia).
The Iroquois were also known for their agriculture. Their main source of food was the Three Sisters (The Iroquois Story). The Three Sisters is the combination of squash, beans, and corn. The combination of these is called the Three Sisters because the three seeds depended on each other to grow. The squash planted in the ground to keep the soil moist and to prevent weeds from growing, and the beans were planted underneath the corn so that they could grow up the stalk. There most common meal was a corn soup, but succotash, made of corn and beans, was also very popular. Another one of their main food sources was through hunting. They hunted various animals such as moose, elk, deer, bears, geese, duck, rabbits, and pigeons. They would also catch fish such as bass, perch, pike, salmon, and trout, using tools such as spears, nets, hooks, and stone weirs. Also, when they could, they would collect berries, such as blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, and strawberries, as well as nuts, such as walnuts, acorns, beechnuts, and chestnuts (The Iroquois Story).
Iroquois religious and ceremonial beliefs were focused around the impression that all beings, animals, plant foods, and objects had a spiritual force (Johnson, 51).
It was believed that their power of spirit flowed through all nature called otennota glossed orenda (Johnson, 51). Their principal religious festivals were conformed to the agricultural cycle (Johnson, 51). The first festival is the Midwinter or New Year Festival. This was held in late January or February, and started five days after the new moon of midwinter. The festivals purpose was to recommence the ceremonial associations, to give thanks to the Creator and to all the spirit forces on earth, above, and universal (Johnson, 51). The second festival was the Maple Festival. This was celebrated in March, and its purpose was to give thanks to the spirits of the maple after the sap is collected (Johnson, 51). The third festival was the Sun Shooting. This was celebrated in spring, and its purpose was to give thanks to the sun and to free from the sun a frog that postpones the beginning of spring (Johnson, 51). The fourth festival was the Planting Festival. This was celebrated in May to ask the Creator to bless the seeds before they were planted (Johnson, 51). The fifth festival was the Strawberry Festival. This was celebrated in June to give thanks for the ripening of the first fruits (Johnson, 51). The fifth festival was the Thunder Ceremony. This was celebrated to help bring rain (Johnson, 51). The sixth festival
was the Raspberry Harvest. This was celebrated in the middle of July, and celebrated the harvesting of the raspberries (Johnson, 52). The seventh festival was the Green Bean Festival. This was celebrated in August to celebrate the ripening of the first cultivated crop (Johnson, 52). The eighth festival was the Big Green Corn Festival. It was celebrated in late August to late September; to give thanks for all of the crops that have ripened. They also replicate many of the rituals of the Midwinter Festival (Johnson, 52). The final festival was the Harvest Festival. It was celebrated in October to celebrate the storing of crops for winter. This festival was managed the women, and completed the agricultural cycle (Johnson, 52).
The clothing worn by the Iroquois was highly perishable, so there are no examples of early Iroquois clothing that have survived. Although, there clothing was probably was made of buckskin, and tanned soft with animal brains after the dehairing of the animal (Johnson, 77). After the Iroquois contacted the Europeans, their life changed drastically. One major challenge that they faced was an increase in the amount of conflict. It first started because of the fur trade, where they fought other nations for land to grow their trading exploits (Johnson, 18). It also later caused conflict within their own nation. During the American Revolution, all of the tribes except for the Oneida, who supported the Americans, supported the loyalists, which led to battles between each other (The Canadian Encyclopedia). A second conflict was created between them during the war of 1812, when some members of the Iroquois fought for the British, and others fought for the French (The Canadian Encyclopedia). Their culture also changed drastically. One major change is that a lot of the Iroquois lost their original spirituality and converted to Christianity. This was due to the large number of missionaries that came over in the earliest times of European settlement (Johnson, 18, 20). Another major change was in their lifestyle. After the Treaty of Paris, between the United States and Great Britain, there were no provisions made for the Iroquois. They were not strong enough to overcome the Americans, and had to start living a more European lifestyle. This meant that former warriors were forced to take up farming, and were restricted from hunting due to the reduced size of reservation lands (Johnson, 35-36).