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The Masssachusetts Mohawk Trail began as a Native American footpath used for trade, hunting, and social calling by five tribes, including the Pocumtuck and the Mohawk.
The Iroquois people have inhabited the areas of Ontario and upstate New York for well over 4,000 years.
Technically speaking, "Iroquois" refers to a language rather than a particular tribe. In fact, the Iroquois consisted of five tribes prior to European colonization. Their society serves as an outstanding example of political and military organization, complex lifestyle, and an elevated role of women.
Mohawk Indian chief Joseph Brant served as a spokesman for his people, a Christian missionary of the Anglican church, and a British military officer during the Revolutionary War.
Governance and War
Until the 1500s, the five tribes of the Iroquois devoted much energy toward fighting and killing each other. According to oral tradition, it was about this time that they came to their senses and united into a powerful confederation.
The five tribes designed quite an elaborate political system. This included a bicameral (two-house) legislature, much like the British Parliament and modern U.S. Congress. The representatives, or sachems, from the Seneca and Mohawk tribes met in one house and those of the Oneida and Cayuga met in the other. The Onondaga sachems broke ties and had the power to veto decisions made by the others. There was an unwritten constitution that described these proceedings at least as early as 1590. Such a complex political arrangement was unknown in Europe at that time.
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| Excerpts from the Iroquois Constitution
Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. The name of these roots is The Great White Roots and their nature is Peace and Strength... The soil of the earth from one end of the land to the other is the property of the people who inhabit it. By birthright the Ongwehonweh (original beings) are the owners of the soil which they own and occupy and none other may hold it. The same law has been held from the oldest times. The Great Creator has made us of the one blood and of the same soil he made us and as only different tongues constitute different nations he established different hunting grounds and territories and made boundary lines between them... Whenever a foreign nation is conquered or has by their own will accepted the Great Peace their own system of internal government may continue, but they must cease all warfare against other nations... The women of every clan of the Five Nations shall have a Council Fire ever burning in readiness for a council of the clan. When in their opinion it seems necessary for the interest of the people they shall hold a council and their decisions and recommendations shall be introduced before the Council of the Lords by the War Chief for its consideration.
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Although the tribes began to work together, they surely did not renounce war. They fought and captured other native tribes as well as wave after wave of European immigrants who presented themselves. They fought the early French and British settlers. During the French and Indian War they remained officially neutral, but would join either side to exploit an advantage. Both sides courted Iroquois support during the Revolution. As a result, there was a split in the Confederacy for the first time in over 200 years. Iroquois fought Iroquois once more.
Iroquois Society
The Iroquoi Tribes, also known as the Haudenosuanee, are known for many things. But they are best known for their longhouses. Each longhouse was home to many members of a Haudenosuanee family.
The longhouse was the center of Iroquois life. Archaeologists have unearthed longhouse remains that extend more than the length of a football field.
Agriculture was the main source of food. In Iroquois society, women held a special role. Believed to be linked to the earth's power to create life, women determined how the food would be distributed — a considerable power in a farming society.
Women were also responsible for selecting the sachems for the Confederacy. Iroquois society was matrilineal; when a marriage transpired, the family moved into the longhouse of the mother, and family lineage was traced from her.
The Iroquois society proved to be the most persistent military threat the European settlers would face. Although conquest and treaty forced them to cede much of their land, their legacy lingers. Some historians even attribute some aspects of the structure of our own Constitution to Iroquois ideas. In fact, one of America's greatest admirers of the Iroquois was none other than Benjamin Franklin.
FAQs
The Iroquoi Tribes, also known as the Haudenosuanee, are known for many things. But they are best known for their longhouses. Each longhouse was home to many members of a Haudenosuanee family. The longhouse was the center of Iroquois life.
What is the Iroquois tribe Ducksters? ›
Who were the Iroquois? The Iroquois were a League or Confederacy of Native American nations in the Northeastern part of America. Originally they were formed by five nations: the Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk, Seneca, and Oneida. Later, in the 1700s, the Tuscarora joined.
Why did the 5 tribes of the Iroquois unite? ›
The origins and growth of the Iroquois Confederacy
Cemented mainly by their desire to stand together against invasion, the tribes united in a common council composed of clan and village chiefs; each tribe had one vote, and unanimity was required for decisions.
What is the real name of the Iroquois? ›
The Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, also known as Haudenosaunee, meaning “people of the longhouse,” referring to their domicile structures, played a key role in shaping the United States government.
What are the five tribes of the Iroquois? ›
The Iroquois Confederacy or the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), was made up of five tribes, Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and the Seneca originating from New York.
What did the Iroquois tribe believe in? ›
The Iroquois were a very spiritual people who believed in the Great Spirit, the creator of all living things. They also believed in a Good Spirit and an Evil Spirit, who were in charge of good things and bad things that happened on the Earth.
What made the Iroquois unique? ›
It was the strong sense of identity that was provided through wampum belts, ceremonial chants, daily customs, and oral historical tradition, that made the Iroquois unique.
What is the summary of the Iroquois tribe? ›
The Iroquois people are an indigenous tribe who has lived in Ontario, and Upstate New York for over 4,000 years. The Iroquois people called themselves Haudenosaunee. They had a culture of respecting the Earth, and animals, and living in harmony with nature.
What food did the Iroquois tribe eat? ›
They harvested crops from what they called the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash. Iroquois also harvested maple syrup, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, strawberries, walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, skunk cabbage, mustard greens, dandelions, and milkweed.
What does Iroquois stand for? ›
Ir·o·quois ˈir-ə-ˌkwȯi. also -ˌkwä 1. : a confederacy of Indigenous peoples originally of New York consisting of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca and later including the Tuscarora.
Large-scale indian slaving with modern weapons —in which Indians would raid other Indians to capture slaves— took place for around a century, from about 1620 to 1720. The main slavers were the Occaneechees, Westos, Chiscas, Chickasaws, and Iroquois; these have been defined as “militaristic slaving societies".
What language did Iroquois speak? ›
The Iroquoian languages include Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora (the languages spoken by the People of the Longhouse or Haudenosaunee, and the nations that comprise the Iroquois Confederacy or League of the Five [Six] Nations), Huron-Wyandot, and a few lesser-known languages (e.g., Laurentian and ...
What do the Iroquois call themselves? ›
The peoples of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, refer to themselves as the Haudenosaunee, (pronounced "hoo-dee-noh-SHAW-nee").
What was the largest Iroquois tribe? ›
With a proud and rich history, the Seneca were the largest of six Native American nations which comprised the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations, a democratic government that pre-dates the United States Constitution.
What are the Iroquois called today? ›
Today's Iroquois/Six Nations people do not make any such distinction, use the terms interchangeably, but prefer the name Haudenosaunee Confederacy. After the migration of a majority to Canada, the Iroquois remaining in New York were required to live mostly on reservations.
What is the real name of Iroquois? ›
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) | The Canadian Encyclopedia.
What is the great law of the Iroquois? ›
The Iroquois Great Law of Peace was a constitution that established a democracy between five Iroquois-speaking tribes—the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, and Mohawk. This group of five nations, called the Iroquois Confederacy, was established around 1450.
Why did the 5 Iroquois nations unite? ›
Known as the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee, this league of nations emerged among five northeast woodlands tribes that had been plagued by wars of retribution and violence for many generations.
What was the significance of the Iroquois nation? ›
Iroquois Confederacy, or League of the Iroquois, Confederation of five (later six) Indian tribes across upper New York that in the 17th–18th century played a strategic role in the struggle between the French and British for supremacy in North America.
What is the legend of the Iroquois? ›
Iroquois myths tell of the dzögä́:ö' (Jo-gä-oh) or the Little People. The dzögä́:ö' are invisible nature spirits, similar to the fairies of European myth. They protect and guide the natural world and protect people from unseen hidden enemies. There are three tribes of dzögä́:ö'.
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is an oral tradition that established the democratic governing structure of the Five (and later Six) Iroquois Nations. The central ideas revolve around principles of peace, unity, and collective governance.
What did the Iroquois fight for? ›
Mourning wars also known as "vengeance raids," was a vital part of Iroquois culture. These wars were fought for psychological and spiritual reasons. In these conflicts, warriors would fight to avenge the deaths of warriors killed in previous battles. These wars were not intended to expand territory.
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