Iroquois Life and Culture

Objective: To examine the culture of the tribes of the Eastern
Woodlands.

Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands

• The people of the Eastern Woodlands
hunted animals such as deer and Moose.

(left) Iroquois hunter, 1950

• They also planted crops such as
corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins.
These are called the Three Sisters.

(above) Iroquois women grinding corn or dried berries. 1664
engraving

• The Iroquois live in present-day New York State.

The League of the Iroquois

• They lived in longhouses, which were about 150 feet long, 20 feet
wide, and made of poles sided with bark.

Housing:

• While each family stayed in their own room, they shared a fireplace in
the hallway.

• Many families lived in a single long house.

Iroquois man in traditional clothing near a reconstructed longhouse.

Iroquois Longhouse Interior, Ganondagan State Historic Site

Victor, New York

Role of Women:

• The Iroquois were a matriarchal
society, or a society that is run by women.

• Women owned all of the property in
the long house.

• They were also in charge of farming.

• Iroquois men moved into the homes of
his wife’s family.

Iroquois women chose the sachems, or tribal chiefs.

"King Hendrick"
"Thoyanoguen" by Calvin
Ashley, Jr. 58.4 x 46.7cm

This watercolor portrays the
hereditary Sachem of the
Iroquois Confederacy and
Chief of the Mohawk Nation,
King Hendrick. As can best
be determined, Hendrick
was born between 1680 and
1690 and died during battle
with the French in 1755.

Formation of the League:
• The League of the Iroquois was originally made up of five
nations.
C

O

S

M

O

ayuga

nondaga

eneca

ohawk

neida

"Hiawatha's Belt" was composed of five figures. In
the center was what some have described as a
heart, to others it was a great or sacred tree under
which the Iroquois met in council. The five devices
represent the five original tribes.

• Mohawk leader Hiawatha, inspired by the religious leader Dekanawida,
organized the five nations into a peaceful alliance known as the League
of the Iroquois.

• The five nations fought frequently.

A statue of Hiawatha stands in
Ironwood, Michigan.

Hiawatha helped Dekanawida unite the
people of the five Iroquois nations

Alliance - a union between nations
for assistance and protection

Iroquois Government:

• A council of 50 members, chosen by women, made decisions for the League.

• Each nation had one vote.
-All of the nations had to agree before any action could be taken.

This is a meeting of the Iroquois Six Nations Council. Note the flags
symbolizing the many clans among these tribes. Ontario Canada, 1914

Chief Frank McDonald Jacobs is wearing a wampum belt showing the unity
of the original five Iroquois nations with linked squares representing the
nations and their ties to each other. Ontario, Canada, 1914.

• The Iroquois' constitution -- called the Great Law of Peace --
guaranteed freedom of religion and expression as well as other
rights later included in the U.S. Constitution.

“We have gone back to ancient history for models of Gov-

ernment, and examined different forms of those Republics

which having been formed with the seeds of their own

dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed

Modern States all round Europe, but find none none of

their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances”.

Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention,
June 28, 1787

Multiple Choice

Where did the Iroquois' live?

• South Carolina

• New York State

• Delaware

• Maryland

Multiple Choice

What did the Iroquois Indians farm for food?

• Three Sisters

  Corn, Beans and Squash

• Deer

• Buffalo

• tomatoes, rice and beans

Multiple Choice

What natural resource did the Iroquois use to build their long houses?

• Sand

• Buffalo

• Trees

Fill in the Blanks

Deer, Trees, Corn, Beans, Squash, Rabbit, Moose, and Streams are all natural resources used by the

Multiple Choice

What had the largest impact on the development the of Iroquois culture?

• Environment/ Geography

• League of Nations

• Government

• Money

Multiple Choice

Which 5 tribes made up the Iroquois confederacy?

• Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida

• Cherokee, Navajo, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida

• Sioux, Cherokee, Mohawk, Cayuga, Cheyenne

Multiple Choice

Why did the five tribes of the Iroquois join the League/ the Iroquois Confederacy?

• Assistance

• Peace

• Protection

• All of the Above

Multiple Choice

Which U.S. document was modeling after the Great Law of Peace aka the Iroquois constitution?

• Declaration of Independence

• United States Constitution

• Treaty of Paris

• Emancipation Proclamation