Iroquois

The Iroquois were a powerful Native American tribe known for their strong community and advanced way of living. They had their language, laws, and customs. The Iroquois were skilled farmers, hunters, and builders, creating longhouses and tools. They believed in many spirits and held important ceremonies to honor them. Despite facing many challenges, including conflicts with other tribes and European settlers, the Iroquois have preserved their culture and continue to share their traditions today.

Iroquois Longhouse Model

Location and Environment

Other names for the Iroquois are Haudenosaunee, People of the Longhouse, and the Six Nations. The Iroquois lived in what is now New York State along the St. Lawrence River. They were known as the “Five Nations.” The league was formed before European contact. The original five nations are Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca. The Tuscarora joined later, after European contact, and became the sixth nation.

Housing and Shelter

The Iroquois village consisted of two or more longhouses. In the early years, longhouses were built near streams. Later, they were built on hilltops for protection from invading tribes. Around the village, grand wooden palisades with watchtowers were built. The village was moved every 10 to 15 years because crops no longer grew well.

The longhouse was large enough to hold a family of 30 to 60 people. It could be 25 to 150 feet long. The longhouse was built by driving two rows of poles into the ground in zigzag lines ten or twelve feet apart. The poles were tied together at the top, and other poles were fastened across them. Next, slabs of bark were tied to cover the poles. An open space was left at the top for smoke to escape. A door was built at the end of the longhouse, covered with a curtain made from animal skins. Inside the longhouse, a wide path ran through the center. Each family had a space of about six by nine feet for a personal area, separated from the rest of the longhouse by leather curtains. In the personal space, a seat was built against the wall, where clothes and tools were stored under the seat. The seat was also used as a bed, covered with corn husk mats, skins, and furs.

Iroquois Longhouse Model
Iroquois Longhouse Model

Clothing and Adornments

The Iroquois made most of their clothing from deerskin. The women wore skirts, vests, and moccasins decorated with porcupine quills, shell beads, and dyed hair. They also made necklaces of shell beads and animal teeth. In the northern areas, women wore leggings and breechcloths. In the winter, they wore rabbit fur capes or shawls tied over the left shoulder. The men wore deerskin breechcloths during the hot summer and leather leggings and tunics in cold weather. They wore moccasins made of leather or corn husks.