By: Alexa, Donna, Mikaila, Isabella, and Emily

Iroquois Peoples

The original homeland of the Iroquois was in upstate New York between the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls.

The American invasion of their homeland in 1779 drove many of the Iroquois into southern Ontario where they have remained.

Location

Approximately 60,000

Population

many family divisions of language groups; consists of the Cayuga, Cherokee, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora

linguistically related to close nations such as the Huron, Neutral and the Petén

many of the languages are now extinct or poorly documented such as the Laurentian, Neutral and Erie

Languages

Hunters and farmers

Slash and burn agriculture

Women planted and tended to crops

Work and Economy

Involved in an intricate trade network with other native groups. Clay pipes were an important trade item that reached other native groups all along the east coast of North America.

Work and Economy continued

sachems (peace leaders) of each nation/clan members if the League of Five Nations or

Haudenonsaunee (People of the Longhouse) each nation maintained its own language, villages,

and councils their confederacy resulted from the continual fighting

among the nations

Political Organization

oral history links the formation of the League with the eclipse of the Sun in 1451

the League of Five Nations is known as the "Great Peace“

founded by Dekanawidah and his disciple Iroquoian society was organized into clans clan members shared longhouses and traced

their lineage along female line

Political Organization continued

the women planted mainly the crops known as the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash

Maize (or corn) was an important crop in their culture

Diet

Longhouses were built and repaired as needed by the men.

Many families lived together in one longhouse. Each family was assigned their own section in the longhouse.

In the Iroquois world, the husband had no real authority over his wife.

Lifestyle and Housing

Women are in charge of property, agricultural land holdings including horses, etc.

Women choose to work as they please and in event of a divorce, the man is asked to leave the dwelling, with his possessions

Children are educated by matriarchal members of the tribe.

Most of the festivals coincide with agriculture, like the Iroquois harvest festival in Thanksgiving.

Celebrate their abundance of land, and all festivities begin and end with prayer and worship.

Culture