Tribes of Native America

 
The  Iroquois Nation
By: Beth E. and Laura C.

 
General Overview:  The Iroquois Nation included five tribes: the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onandaga, and Seneca. The Tuscarora tribe was added later on. They were originally from an area between the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls. However, they gained control of most of the northeastern U.S.

 

This is a bowl of parched corn.
 Food -The Woodland Indian tribes were farmers. They grew a variety of vegetables including corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, turnips, cabbage, parsnips, yams, and onions. They also grew watermelon and muskmelon. During the fall and winter, the moved in small family groups hunting and trapping. They killed beaver, muskrat, raccoon, deer, elk, bison, and black bears for meat and for their hides. In the Spring, they made maple sugar and gathered things such as nuts, berries, and wild rice.

 
Clothing-The Onondaga men often wore turbans with split feathers in them and cloth coats, while some examples of Iroquois woman's clothing was silk or beaded scarves, beaded appliqué headbands, cloth tunics, which had bead and ribbon details on them. Some men even had tattoos. Many of their clothes had fringed edges. Some examples of Seneca clothing can be seen in the pictures on either side of this section.
 
 
 

 
Shelter-The Iroquois lived in multi-family dwellings called longhouses. They could be anywhere from thirty to a hundred feet long and were about twenty-five feet wide. Each family had their own section with a raised platform where they slept and lived. There was a passage way down the center which had fireplaces for cooking and heating.

 

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This is a wampum bead belt. The Iroquois invented this type of beadwork.

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This turtle island is an example of Iroquois art.		 Culture
Entertainment- The Iroquois played a sport called Lacrosse for  entertainment. This game required skill for catching, carrying, and passing balls. The Iroquois enjoyed this game because it was used for entertainment and physical conditioning. It was also played for religious purposes. 
 

Religion- The Iroquois worshipped a number of gods and goddesses. Ataensic was the goddess of the earth. Onatha was the goddess of wheat. Ga-Oh was the god of the wind, and Hahgwehdiyu was the god of goodness. Hino, who also went by other names, was the god of thunder and the sky.
 

Arts-  Ritual was extremely important to Indian artists. The False Face society was a religious and healing society, and the masks at one time had to be carved from living basswood trees to retain the life force of the living trees. Many of the symbols used in Indian art had religious value.
 

Family Life- The Iroquois were divided into clans, and you were part of your clan for life. People in the same clan were usually related. When a man married a woman, he became part of her family, but he was still part of his clan. Their children would be part of the woman's clan.
To view the Mohawk language click here. 
The Bear,   the Beaver, and  the Turtle were symbols of the Iroquois tribes.
The Bear symbolized power, cunning, strength, healing and dreaming.
The Beaver was a gatherer and a builder.
The Turtle symbolized being self contained, creative, Mother Earth, adaptability, and planning.
 
 

Credits: www.dickshovel.com, and www.ohiokids.org/ohc/history/h_indian/life/religion.html