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For other uses, see Iroquois (disambiguation).
Iroquois
Haudenosaunee
Total population

approx. 125,000
(80,000 in the U. S.
45,000 in Canada)
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Canada Canada
(southern Quebec, southern Ontario)
Flag of the United States United States
(New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma)
Languages
Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora, English, French
Religions
Longhouse Religion; Christianity; others

The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power", the "Five Nations"; the "Six Nations"; or the "People of the Longhouse") is a group of First Nations/Native Americans that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec The United States of America —commonly referred to as the New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. This article is about the language spoken by the Mohawk people for other uses see Mohawk. Oneida is an Iroquoian language spoken primarily by the Oneida people in the U Onondaga Nation Language ( Onöñda’gega’ ( IPA /onũtaʔkekaʔ/ "People of the Hills" is the language of the Onondaga First Nation Cayuga (In Cayuga Gayogohónǫ’) is a Northern Iroquoian language of the Iroquois Proper (also known as "Five Nations Iroquois Seneca (in Seneca Onödowága or Onötowáka) is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League Tuscarora, sometimes called Skarure(h/ʔ, is an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people, spoken in southern Ontario, Canada English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The Longhouse Religion, refers to the religious movement founded in 1799 among peoples who formerly lived in longhouses Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings In Archaeology and Anthropology, a long house or longhouse is a type of long narrow single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world First Nations is a term of Ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Mohawk ( Kanienkeh, Kanienkehaka or Kanien’Kahake, meaning "People of the Flint" are an indigenous people of North America The Oneida ( Onyota'aka or Onayotekaono, meaning the People of the Upright Stone or standing stone, Thwahrù•nęˀ in Tuscarora The Onondaga ( Onöñda'gega' or the People of the Hills) are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois ( Haudenosaunee) Confederacy The Cayuga nation ( Guyohkohnyo or the People of the Great Swamp) was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee ( Iroquois) a confederacy The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. A sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined after the original five nations were formed. The Tuscarora ("hemp gatherers" are an American Indian tribe with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina. Although frequently referred to as the Iroquois, the Nations refer to themselves collectively as Haudenosaunee (Akunęhsyę̀niˀ[1] in Tuscarora). Tuscarora, sometimes called Skarure(h/ʔ, is an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people, spoken in southern Ontario, Canada

At the time Europeans first arrived in North America, the Confederacy was based in what is now the northeastern United States and southern Canada, including New England, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Upstate New York is the region of New York State north of the core of the New York metropolitan area. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk

Contents

Name

The word Iroquois has many potential origins.

History

Iroquois in Buffalo, New York, 1914.
Iroquois in Buffalo, New York, 1914. Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Pre-contact period

The members of this Confederacy speak differently than the other speakers of the languages of the same Iroquoian family, suggesting a common historical and cultural origin, but diverging enough so that the languages have become different. The Iroquoian languages are a Native American Language family. Archaeological evidence shows that the Iroquois have lived in the Finger Lakes Region from at least 1000 A. D. [4]

The union of nations was established prior to major European contact, complete with a constitution known as the Gayanashagowa (or "Great Law of Peace"), with the help of a memory device in the form of special beads called wampum that have inherent spiritual value (wampum has been inaccurately compared to money in other cultures). The history of the Americas is the collective history of North and South America, including Central America and the Caribbean. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity Gayanashagowa or the Great Law of Peace of the Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee Six Nations is the oral constitution that created the Iroquois Confederacy. Wampum is a string of creamy white colored shell beads fashioned from the North Atlantic Channeled whelk ( Busycotypus canaliculatus) shell and is traditionally used Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Most anthropologists have traditionally speculated that this constitution was created between the middle 15th and early 17th centuries. Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of However, recent archaeological studies have suggested the accuracy of the account found in oral tradition, which argues that the federation was formed around August 31, 1142, based on a coinciding solar eclipse. Oral tradition, oral culture and oral lore is a way for a society to transmit history, literature, law and other Knowledges Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured [5]

The two prophets, Ayonwentah (frequently thought to be Hiawatha from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem) and Dekanawidah, The Great Peacemaker, brought a message of peace to squabbling tribes. In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary Hiawatha (also known as Ayenwatha or Haiëñ'wa'tha; Onondaga) who lived (depending on the version of the story in the 1100s 1400s or 1500s he Hiawatha (also known as Ayenwatha or Haiëñ'wa'tha; Onondaga) who lived (depending on the version of the story in the 1100s 1400s or 1500s he Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " The Great Peacemaker, sometimes referred to as Deganawida or "Dekanawida" (although as a mark of respect some Iroquois avoid referring to him by this name Peace, in the modern usage is a concept defined by the ideal state of relationship as absence of hostility at the international level that of a War. The tribes who joined the League were the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Canyenkehaka (Mohawks). Once they ceased most infighting, they rapidly became one of the strongest forces in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century northeastern North America.

According to legend, an evil Onondaga chieftain named Tadodaho was the last to be converted to the ways of peace by The Great Peacemaker and Ayonwentah and became the spiritual leader of the Haudenosaunee. [6] This event is said to have occurred at Onondaga Lake near Syracuse, New York. Onondaga Lake is northwest of the city of Syracuse New York and south of Lake Ontario. Syracuse (locally ˈsɛrəkjuːs sometimes ˈsɪrəkjuːs or /ˈsɪərəkjuːs/ by non-natives is a city in Central New York, USA. The title Tadodaho is still used for the league's spiritual leader, the fiftieth chief, who sits with the Onondaga in council, but is the only one of the fifty chosen by the entire Haudenosaunee people. The current Tadodaho is Sid Hill of the Onondaga Nation.

Beaver Wars

See also: Beaver Wars
Haudenosaunee flag created in the 1980s. It is based on the "Hiawatha Wampum Belt ... created from purple and white wampum beads centuries ago to symbolize the union forged when the former enemies buried their weapons under the Great Tree of Peace." It represents the original five nations that were united by the Peacemaker. Hiawatha helped as well in the process of uniting the tribes. The tree symbol in the center represents an Eastern White Pine, the needles of which are clustered in groups of five.
Haudenosaunee flag created in the 1980s. The French and Iroquois Wars, also called the Iroquois Wars or the Beaver Wars, commonly refer to a brutal series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification It is based on the "Hiawatha Wampum Belt . Hiawatha (also known as Ayenwatha or Haiëñ'wa'tha; Onondaga) who lived (depending on the version of the story in the 1100s 1400s or 1500s he . . created from purple and white wampum beads centuries ago to symbolize the union forged when the former enemies buried their weapons under the Great Tree of Peace. "[7] It represents the original five nations that were united by the Peacemaker. The Great Peacemaker, sometimes referred to as Deganawida or "Dekanawida" (although as a mark of respect some Iroquois avoid referring to him by this name Hiawatha helped as well in the process of uniting the tribes. The tree symbol in the center represents an Eastern White Pine, the needles of which are clustered in groups of five. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Eastern White Pine' ( Pinus strobus) is a large Pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota [8]

Beginning in 1609, the League engaged in the Beaver Wars with the French and their Iroquoian-speaking Wyandot ("Huron") allies. The French and Iroquois Wars, also called the Iroquois Wars or the Beaver Wars, commonly refer to a brutal series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern They also put great pressure on the Algonquian peoples of the Atlantic coast and what is now the boreal Canadian Shield region of Canada and not infrequently fought the English colonies as well. This article is about the large number of peoples speaking Algonquian languages. The Canadian Shield &mdash also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien (French &mdash is a large geological shield covered by During the seventeenth century, they are also credited with having conquered and/or absorbed the Neutral Indians and Erie Tribe to the west as a way of controlling the fur trade, even though other reasons are often given for these wars. The Neutrals, also known as the Attawandaron, were an Iroquoian nation of North American native people who lived near the shores of Lake Ontario The Erie (also Erieehronon, Eriechronon, Riquéronon, Erielhonan, Eriez, Nation du Chat) were an Iroquoian pre- The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur.

In 1628, the Mohawks defeated the Mahicans and the Mohawks gained a monopoly in the fur trade with the Dutch at Fort Orange, New Netherland. Mohican redirects here For other uses of Mohican see Mohican (disambiguation The Mahicans (also Mohicans) are a Fort Orange (Fort Oranje was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland. New Netherland (Dutch Nieuw-Nederland, Latin Novum Belgium or Nova Belgica) 1614–1674 is the name of the former Dutch territory on the eastern coast The Mohawks would not allow Canadian Indians to trade with the Dutch. In 1649 during the Beaver Wars, the Iroquois attacked and destroyed the Hurons with recently purchased Dutch guns. The French and Iroquois Wars, also called the Iroquois Wars or the Beaver Wars, commonly refer to a brutal series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern From 1651 to 1652 the Iroquois attacked the Susquehannocks without success. The Susquehannock people were natives of areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its Tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York

The Iroquois were at the height of their power in the early seventeenth century, with a population of about twelve thousand people. [9]

In 1654, the French were invited to establish a trading and missionary settlement at Onondaga. The Mohawks attacked and expelled the French from this trading post in 1655 possibly because of the sudden death of five hundred Indians from an epidemic.

From 1658 to 1663, the Iroquois were at war with the Susquehannock and their Delawares and Province of Maryland allies. The Susquehannock people were natives of areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its Tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York The shannon (later named Delaware Indians by Europeans were in the 17th century organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic The Province of Maryland was an English colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776 when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen colonies In 1663, a large Iroquois invasion force was defeated at the Susquehannock main fort. In 1663, the Iroquois were at war with the Sokoki tribe of the upper Connecticut rover. Smallpox struck again and the Iroquois through the effects of disease, famine, and war came close to destruction. In 1664, an Oneida party struck at allies of the Susquehannock on Chesapeake Bay.

In 1664, the French sent the Carignan regiment to New France under Marquis de Tracy with the orders "to carry war even to their firesides in order totally to exterminate them". The Iroquois out of fear signed a peace treaty with the French. In 1666, the French invaded Iroquois territory. The Iroquois avoided battle; the French instead burned their villages.

In 1672, the Iroquois were defeated by a war party of Susquehannock. The Iroquois appealed to the French for support. They asked Governor Frontenac to assist them against the Susquehannock because "it would be a shame for him to allow his children to be crushed, as they saw themselves to be. . . they not having the means of going to attack their fort, which was very strong, nor even of defending themselves if the others came to attack them in their villages. "[10] Some old histories state that the Iroquois defeated the Susquehannock during this time period, but no record of a defeat has been found and it can be stated that no defeat occurred. [11] In 1677, the Iroquois adopted the majority of the Susquehannock. [12]

By 1677, the Iroquois formed an alliance with the English through an agreement known as the Covenant Chain. A military alliance is an agreement between two or more military factions related to Wartime planning commitments or contingencies such agreements can be both England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Covenant Chain was an alliance between the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee and the British colonies of North America. Together, they battled the French to a standstill who were allied with the Huron, another Iroquoian people, but a historic foe of the Confederacy. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. "Huron" redirects here For other uses see Huron (disambiguation. The Iroquoian languages are a Native American Language family. The Iroquois colonized the northern shore of Lake Ontario and sent raiding parties westward all the way to Illinois country. The tribes of Illinois were eventually defeated, but it was not by the Iroquois, but rather by the Potawatomis. The Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie and Pottawatomi, among many variations) are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi In 1684, the Iroquois invaded Virginian and Illinois territory again and also unsuccessfully attacked the French fort at St. Louis.

In 1679, the Susquehannock with Iroquois help attacked Maryland's Piscataway and Mattawoman allies. The Piscataway Indian Nation is a non-state non-federally recognized Native American tribal nation which at one time was one of the most populous and powerful Native Peace was not reached until 1685.

The Algonquian nations with support from the French drove the Five Nations out of the territories north of Lake Erie and west of present day Cleveland, that had been conquered during the Beaver Wars. The Algonquian (also Algonkian, and pronounced both and) languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic [13]

Jacques-Rene de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville, Governor of New France from 1685 to 1689, set out with a well organised force to Fort Frontenac where they met with the 50 hereditary sachems of the Iroquois Confederation from the Onondaga council fire, who had been lulled into meeting under a flag of truce. Jacques-Rene de Brisay de Denonville Marquis de Denonville ( 10 December 1637 &ndash 22 September 1710) was Governor of New France The Governor of New France was the Viceroy of the King of France in North America Fort Frontenac was a French Trading post and military fort built in 1673 in what is now Kingston Ontario, Canada. Denonville recaptured the fort for New France and seized, chained, and shipped the 50 Iroquois Chiefs to Marseilles, France to be used as galley slaves. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for The Viceroyalty of New France (Nouvelle-France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the A galley (from Greek γαλέα - galea is an ancient Ship which can be propelled entirely by human oarsmen, used for Warfare He then ravaged the land of the Seneca. The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. The destruction of the Seneca land infuriated the Iroquois Confederation. The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power" the "Five Nations" the "Six Nations" or the "People of the Longhouse On August 4, 1689 Lachine, a small town adjacent to Montreal, was burned to the ground. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec 1500 Iroquois warriors had been harassing Montreal defenses for many months prior. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Denonville was finally exhausted and defeated. His tenure was followed by the return of Frontenac, who would replace Denonville as Governor for the next nine years (1689–1698). Louis de Buade Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau ( May 12, 1622 &ndash November 28, 1698) was a French courtier and Governor Frontenac had been arranging a new plan of attack to mollify the effects of the Iroquois in North America and realized the true danger the imprisonment of the Sachems created. He located the 13 surviving leaders and they returned with him to New France that October, 1698.

During King William's War, the Iroquois were allied with the English. The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War ( 1689 – 1697) was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North In 1701, the Iroquois concluded the Great Peace of Montreal treaty with the French. The Great Peace of Montreal was a peace treaty between New France and 39 First Nations of North America.

French and Indian Wars

See also: French and Indian Wars

After the 1701 peace treaty with the French, the Iroquois remained mostly neutral even though during Queen Anne's War they were involved in some planned attacks against the French. The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts in North America that represented the actions there that accompanied Queen Anne's War ( 1702 &ndash 1713) was the second in a series of four French and Indian Wars fought between France and England (later Four delegates of the Iroquoian Confederacy, the "Indian kings", travelled to London in 1710 to meet Queen Anne in an effort to seal an alliance with the British. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702 succeeding William III of England and II of Queen Anne was so impressed by her visitors that she commissioned their portraits by court painter John Verelst. The portraits are believed to be some of the earliest surviving oil portraits of Aboriginal peoples taken from life. [14]

Sometime during the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the Tuscarora fled north from the British colonization of North Carolina and petitioned to become the sixth nation. The Tuscarora ("hemp gatherers" are an American Indian tribe with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina. British colonization of the Americas (including colonization under the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland before the 1707 Acts of Union created North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States This was a non-voting position but placed them under the protection of the Confederacy.

During the French and Indian War, the Iroquois sided with the British against the French and their Algonquian allies, both traditional enemies of the Iroquois. The French and Indian War (1754&ndash1763 was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War. The Iroquois hoped that aiding the British would also bring favors after the war. Practically, few Iroquois joined the galloping, and in the Battle of Lake George, a group of Mohawk and French ambushed a Mohawk-led British column. The Battle of Lake George was fought on September 8 1755, in the north of the Province of New York. The British government issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763 after the war, which restricted white settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains, but this was largely ignored by the settlers and local governments. The Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763 by King George III following Great Britain 's acquisition of French territory The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America.

American Revolution

During the American Revolution, many Tuscarora and the Oneida sided with the Americans, while the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga and Cayuga remained loyal to Great Britain. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" This marked the first major split among the Six Nations. After a series of successful operations against frontier settlements, led by the Mohawk war chief Joseph Brant, other war chiefs, and British allies; the United States reacted with vengeance. Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant ( c 1743 &ndash 24 November 1807) was a Mohawk leader and British military officer during The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In 1779, George Washington ordered the Sullivan Campaign led by Col. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Background When the American Revolutionary War began British officials as well as the colonial Continental Congress sought the allegiance (or at least the neutrality Daniel Brodhead and General John Sullivan against the Iroquois nations to "not merely overrun, but destroy," the British-Indian alliance. Daniel Brodhead (IV ( October 17, 1736 &ndash November 15, 1809) was an American military and political leader during the American For other men with the same name see John Sullivan (disambiguation.

Post-war

After the war, the ancient central fireplace of the confederacy was reestablished at Buffalo Creek. For other rivers with this name see Buffalo River. The Buffalo River is a River that empties into the eastern end of Lake Erie Captain Joseph Brant and a group of Iroquois left New York to settle in Canada. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous As a reward for their loyalty to the British Crown, they were given a large land grant on the Grand River. On October 25, 1784, the Governor General of Quebec Frederick Haldimand granted land to the Iroquois, who had served on the British side during the For other rivers of the same name please see Grand River. The Grand River is a large Brant's crossing of the river gave the original name to the area: Brant's ford. By 1847, European settlers began to settle nearby and named the village Brantford, Ontario. Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in south-western Ontario, Canada. The original Mohawk settlement was on the south edge of the present-day city at a location favorable for landing canoes. Prior to this land grant, Iroquois settlements did exist in that same area and elsewhere in southern Ontario, extending further north and east (from Lake Ontario eastwards into Quebec around present-day Montreal). Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Extensive fighting with Huron meant the continuous shifting of territory in southern Ontario between the two groups long before European influences were present. .

Haudenosaunee

The combined leadership of the Nations is known as the Haudenosaunee. Haudenosaunee means "People of the Longhouse. Longhouses were and are built by native peoples in various parts of North America, sometimes reaching over 100 meters long (330 ft but generally around " The term is said to have been introduced by The Great Peacemaker at the time of the formation of the Confederacy. It implies that the Nations of the Confederacy should live together as families in the same longhouse. Symbolically, the Seneca were the guardians of the western door of the "tribal longhouse" (Kayęˀčarà•nęh[15] in Tuscarora), and the Mohawk were the guardians of the eastern door. Tuscarora, sometimes called Skarure(h/ʔ, is an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people, spoken in southern Ontario, Canada

Melting pot

League traditions allowed for the dead to be symbolically replaced through the "Mourning War", raids intended to seize captives to replace lost compatriots and take vengeance on non-members. This tradition was common to native people of the northeast and was quite different from European settlers' notions of combat.

The Iroquois aimed to create an empire by incorporating conquered peoples and remolding them into Iroquois and thus naturalizing them as full citizens of the tribe. Cadwallader Colden wrote "It has been a constant maxim with the Five Nations, to save children and young men of the people they conquer, to adopt them into their own Nation, and to educate them as their own children, without distinction; These young people soon forget their own country and nation and by this policy the Five Nations make up the losses which their nation suffers by the people they lose in war. Cadwallader Colden ( February 7, 1688 &ndash September 20, 1776) was a Physician, Farmer, surveyor, " By 1668, two-thirds of the Oneida village were assimilated Algonquians and Hurons. At Onondaga there were Indians of seven different nations and among the Seneca eleven. [16]

Food

The Iroquois were a mix of farmers, fishers, gatherers, and hunters. The main crops they farmed were corn, beans and squash, which were called the three sisters and were considered special gifts from the Creator. The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of some Native American groups in North America: squash, Maize, and climbing Beans These crops are grown strategically. The cornstalks grow, and the bean plants climb the stalks, and the squash grow beneath, warding off the weeds. In this combination, the soil remained fertile for several decades. The food was stored during the winter, and it lasts for two to three years. When the soil eventually lost its fertility, the Iroquois migrated.

Gathering was the job of the woman and children. Wild roots, greens, berries and nuts were gathered in the summer. During spring maple syrup was tapped from the trees, and herbs were gathered for medicine. Maple syrup is a sweetener made from the sap of Maple trees In Canada and the United States it is most often eaten with waffles and pancakes

The Iroquois mostly hunted deer but also other game such as wild turkey and migratory birds. Muskrat and beaver were hunted during the winter. Fishing was also a significant source of food because the Iroquois were located near a large river. They fished salmon, trout, bass, perch and whitefish. In the spring the Iroquois netted, and in the winter fishing holes were made in the ice. [17]

Beliefs

In the Iroquois belief system was a formless Great Spirit or Creator, from whom other spirits were derived. The Great Spirit is a conception of a Supreme being prevalent among some Native American and First Nations cultures The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath Spirits animated all of nature and controlled the changing of the seasons. A season is one of the major divisions of the Year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in Weather. Key festivals coincided with the major events of the agricultural calendar, including a harvest festival of thanksgiving. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community The word Calendar consist of two words 1 Cal ( in Pashto means Year in Hindi and Persian is Sal- also means Year Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American Holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. After the arrival of the Europeans, many Iroquois became Christians, among them Kateri Tekakwitha, a young woman of mixed birth. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha or Blessed Catherine Tekakwitha (ɡɔdeli deɡɔkwidɔ in Mohawk (1656 – April 17, 1680) the daughter of a Mohawk Traditional religion was revived to some extent in the second half of the 18th century by the teachings of the Iroquois prophet Handsome Lake. Handsome Lake or Ganioda'yo ( Θkanyatararí•yau• in Tuscarora) (1735 – 10 August 1815) was a Seneca religious leader [18]

Features of Confederacy

The general features of the Confederacy may be summarized in the following propositions:

The confederacy was a union of Five Tribes, composed of common gentes, under one government on the basis of equality; each Tribe remaining independent in all manners pertaining to local self-government. It created a Great Council of Sachems, who were limited in number, equal in rank and authority, and invested with supreme powers over all matters pertaining to the Confederacy. Fifty sachemships were created and named in perpetuity in central gentes of the several tribes; with power in these gentes to fill vacancies, as often as they occurred, by election from among their respective members, and with the further power to depose from office for cause; but the right to invest these sachems with office was reserved to the General Council. The sachems of the Confederacy were also sachems in their respective tribes, and with the chiefs of these tribes formed the Council of each, which was supreme over all matters pertaining to the tribe exclusively. Unanimity in the Council of the Confederacy was made essential to every public act. In the General Council the sachems voted by tribes, which gave to each tribe a veto over the others. The Council of each tribe had power to convene the General Council; but the latter had no power to convene itself. The General Council was open to the orators of the people for the discussion of public questions; but the Council alone decided. The Confederacy had no chief executive magistrate, or official head. Experiencing the necessity for a general military commander, they created the office in a dual form, that one might neutralize the other. The two principal war-chiefs were made equal in powers. Equality between the sexes had a strong adherence in the Confederacy, and the women held real power. The Grand Council of Chiefs were chosen by the clan mothers, and if any leader failed to comply with the Great Law of Peace, he could be removed by the clan mothers. [19]

Originally, the principal object of the council was to raise up sachems to fill vacancies in the ranks of the ruling body occasioned by death or deposition; but it transacted all other business which concerned the common welfare. Eventually the council fell into three kinds, which may be distinguished as Civil, Mourning, and Religious. The first declared war and made peace, sent and received embassies, entered into treaties with foreign tribes, regulated the affairs of subjugated tribes, as well as other general welfare issues. The second raised up sachems and invested them with office, termed the Mourning Council (Henundonuhseh) because the first of its ceremonies was to lament for the deceased ruler whose vacant place was to be filled. The third was held for the observance of a general religious festival, as an occasion for the confederated tribes to unite under the auspices of a general council in the observance of common religious rites. But since the Mourning Council was attended with many of the same ceremonies, it came, in time, to answer for both. It became the only council they held when the civil powers of the confederacy terminated with the supremacy over them of the state. [19]

Example to the United States

The Iroquois nations' political union and democratic government has been credited as one of the influences on the United States Constitution. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. [20][21] However, that theory has fallen into heated debate among many historians and is regarded by others as mythology. Historian Jack Rakove[22] writes: "The voluminous records we have for the constitutional debates of the late 1780s contain no significant references to the Iroquois. " Researcher Brian Cook[23] writes: "The Iroquois probably held some sway over the thinking of the Framers and the development of the U. S. Constitution and the development of American democracy, albeit perhaps indirectly or even subconsciously. . . However, the opposition is probably also correct. The Iroquois influence is not as great as [some historians] would like it to be, the framers simply did not revere or even understand much of Iroquois culture, and their influences were European or classical - not wholly New World. " However, Cook concedes that much of the heated debate around the influence of Amerindians on the United States Constitution amounts to academic knee-jerk reactions and protectionist turf-wars.

Cook further notes "The National Endowment for the Humanities rejected a number of research proposals that dealt with the Iroquois influence theory. . . [and] Johansen's first book on the Iroquois influence, Forgotten Fathers, was ordered removed from the shelves of the bookstore at Independence Hall. " Although hotly debated, it is a historical fact that several founding fathers had direct contact with the Iroquois, and prominent figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were closely involved with their stronger and larger native neighbor, the Iroquois. Founding Fathers are persons instrumental in the establishment of an Institution, usually a political institution especially those connected to the origination of its Ideals Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Whether this was purely politics for protection or admiration can never be fully determined.

In 2004 the U. S. Government acknowledged the influence of the Iroquois Constitution on the U. S. Framers. [24] The Smithsonian Institution also noted the similarities between the two documents, as well as the differences. The Smithsonian Institution (smɪθsoʊnɪən is an educational and research institute and associated Museum complex administered and funded by the Government of One significant difference noted was the inclusion of women in the Iroquois Constitution, one group among many that the framers of the U. S. Constitution did not include.

Member nations

The first five nations listed below formed the original Five Nations (listed from west to north); the Tuscarora became the sixth nation in 1720.

English name Iroquoian Meaning 17th/18th century location
Seneca Onondowahgah "People of the Great Hill" Seneca Lake and Genesee River
Cayuga Guyohkohnyoh "People of the Great Swamp" Cayuga Lake
Onondaga Onöñda'gega' "People of the Hills" Onondaga Lake
Oneida Onayotekaono "People of Standing Stone" Oneida Lake
Mohawk Kanien'kéhaka "People of the Great Flint" Mohawk River
Tuscarora1 Ska-Ruh-Reh "Shirt-Wearing People" From North Carolina²

1 Not one of the original Five Nations; joined 1720. The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. Seneca Lake, one of western New York 's glacial Finger Lakes, is the largest finger lake The Genesee River's ( Čunehstí•yu• in Tuscarora) name is derived from the Seneca tribe word meaning good valley or pleasant valley The Cayuga nation ( Guyohkohnyo or the People of the Great Swamp) was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee ( Iroquois) a confederacy Cayuga Lake (pronounced either "kā-'yü-gə" or "kī-'yü-gə" is the longest of western New York 's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest The Onondaga ( Onöñda'gega' or the People of the Hills) are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois ( Haudenosaunee) Confederacy Onondaga Lake is northwest of the city of Syracuse New York and south of Lake Ontario. The Oneida ( Onyota'aka or Onayotekaono, meaning the People of the Upright Stone or standing stone, Thwahrù•nęˀ in Tuscarora Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York (798 square miles Mohawk ( Kanienkeh, Kanienkehaka or Kanien’Kahake, meaning "People of the Flint" are an indigenous people of North America The Mohawk River is a long River in the US state of New York. The Tuscarora ("hemp gatherers" are an American Indian tribe with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States
2 Settled between Oneidas and Onondagas.

Iroquois Five Nations c. 1650 Iroquois Six Nations c. 1720

Modern population

The total number of Iroquois today is difficult to establish. About 45,000 Iroquois lived in Canada in 1995. In the 2000 census, 80,822 people in the United States claimed Iroquois ethnicity, with 45,217 of them claiming only Iroquois background. However, tribal registrations in the United States in 1995 numbered about 30,000 in total.

Populations of the Haudenosaunee tribe
Location Seneca Cayuga Onondaga Tuscarora Oneida Mohawk Combined
Ontario         &0000000000003970. 0000003,970 &0000000000014051. 00000014,051 &0000000000017603. 00000017,6031
Quebec           &0000000000009631. 0000009,631  
New York &0000000000007581. 0000007,581 448 1596 &0000000000001200. 0000001,200 &0000000000001109. 0000001,109 &0000000000005632. 0000005,632  
Wisconsin         &0000000000010309. 00000010,309    
Oklahoma             &0000000000002200. 0000002,2002
Source: Iroquois Population in 1995 by Doug George-Kanentiio [1].
1 Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Six Nations of the Grand River is the name applied to two contiguous Indian reserves southeast of Brantford Ontario, Canada &ndash Six Nations reserve
2 Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma. The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma enjoys the same Tribal sovereignty as all recognized Indian tribes in the United States.

Clans

Within each of the six nations, people are divided into a number of matrilineal clans. Matrilineality is a system in which lineage is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor The number of clans varies by nation, currently from three to eight, with a total of nine different clan names.

Current clans
Seneca Cayuga Onondaga Tuscarora Oneida Mohawk
Wolf Wolf Wolf Wolf (Θkwarì•nę) Wolf (Tayú:ni) Wolf (Okwáho)
Bear Bear Bear Bear (Uhčíhręˀ) Bear Bear (Ohskv?r)
Turtle Turtle Turtle Turtle (Ráˀkwihs) Turtle Turtle (A?nó:wara)
Snipe Snipe Snipe Snipe (Tawístawis) — —
Deer — Deer Deer — —
Beaver — Beaver Beaver (Rakinęhá•ha•ˀ) — —
Heron Heron — — — —
Hawk — Hawk — — —
— — Eel Eel (Akunęhukwatíha•ˀ) — —

Government

Mohawk leader John Smoke Johnson (right) with John Tutela, and Young Warner, two other Six Nations War of 1812 veterans.
Mohawk leader John Smoke Johnson (right) with John Tutela, and Young Warner, two other Six Nations War of 1812 veterans. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of A snipe is any of nearly 20 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Beavers are two primarily nocturnal semi-aquatic species of Rodent, one native to North America and one to Europe The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons The term hawk can be used in several ways In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the Species in the Subfamily True eels ( Anguilliformes) are an order of Fish, which consists of four suborders 19 families 110 Genera and approximately 600 Chief John Smoke Johnson ( December 2 or 14 1792 &ndash August 26, 1886) or Sakayengwaraton (also known as Smoke Johnson) was a The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies

The Iroquois have a representative government known as the Grand Council. The Grand Council is the oldest governmental institution still maintaining its original form in North America. [25] Each tribe sends chiefs to act as representatives and make decisions for the whole nation. The number of chiefs has never changed.

Modern tribal communities

Prominent people of Iroquois ancestry

Notes

  1. ^ Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999
  2. ^ The Iroquois Confederacy. The Light Party. Retrieved on 2007-10-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
  3. ^ The Iroquois. Google Books. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France
  4. ^ Jennings, p. 43
  5. ^ Fields and Mann, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, vol. 21, #2
  6. ^ The History of Onondage'ga'
  7. ^ From beads to banner. Indian Country Today. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France
  8. ^ Haudenosaunee Flag. First Americans. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France
  9. ^ Francis Parkman
  10. ^ Jennings, p. Francis Parkman ( September 16, 1823 &ndash November 8, 1893) was an American historian best known as author of The Oregon Trail 135
  11. ^ Jennings, p. 135
  12. ^ Jennings, p. 160
  13. ^ Jennings, p. 111
  14. ^ The Four Indian Kings. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France
  15. ^ Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999
  16. ^ Jennings, p. 95
  17. ^ Bial, Raymond (1999), Lifeways: The Iroquois, New York: Benchmark Books, ISBN 0761408029 
  18. ^ Wallace, Anthony (April 12, 1972). Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. Vintage. ISBN 978-0394716992.  
  19. ^ a b Morgan, Lewis H. (1907). Lewis Henry Morgan ( November 21, 1818 &ndash December 17, 1881) was an American Ethnologist, Anthropologist and Ancient Society. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Company, 130-131, 138-139.  
  20. ^ The Six Nations: Oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth. Ratical. com. Retrieved on 2007-10-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
  21. ^ Armstrong, Virginia Irving [1971]. I Have Spoken: American History Through the Voices of the Indians. Pocket Books, 14. SBN 671-78555-9.  
  22. ^ Did the Founding Fathers Really Get Many of Their Ideas of Liberty from the Iroquois?. George Mason University. Retrieved on 2007-10-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
  23. ^ Iroquois Confederacy and the Influence Thesis
  24. ^ Iroquois Constitution Influenced That of U.S., Historians Say. U. S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-10-27. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
  25. ^ Jennings, p. 94

References

See also

External links


Dictionary

Iroquois

-proper noun

  1. A confederacy of (originally) five Native American (Indian) tribes: the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas. Also known as the Iroquois League.
  2. A person belonging to one of these tribes.
  3. Any of the languages of the Iroquois, belonging to the Iroquoian family of languages.
  4. A kind of hairdo, where both sides of the head are shaved leaving only a stripe of hair in the middle.
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