There is No Victory In War:

An Iroquois Story

Nathaniel Hadley

AP English Language and Composition

Tami Myslinski
19 October 2015

Hadley 2!
There is No Victory In War:
An Iroquois Story

Thesis: The Iroquois tribe was important in American history because they were a sought after
alliance in both the Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War.

I.

Background Information
A. Custom
1. Clothing
2. Food
3. Housing
4. Roles of Individuals
B. History
1. Territory
2. Origin

II.

Literature
A. Language
B. Constitution
C. Oral Tradition

III.

Significance In American History

A. French Indian War
B. Revolutionary War

Hadley 3!
There is No Victory In War: An Iroquois Story
The Iroquois tribe have been through many hardships and have been tested time again
through many adversities. The Iroquois tribe was important in American history because they
were a sought after alliance in both the Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War. The
wars were very bad for the Iroquois it cost them many lives and destroyed their land (United).
However, the accomplishments and the culture of the Iroquois are still remembered today, and
its important to understand that the system of government, the Iroquois had was arguably a
reference to the founding fathers in creating our own government (Iroquois Tribes).
The clothes the Iroquois wore, the food they ate, and homes they lived in are all very
important parts of their history. The Iroquois would wear European cloth and adapted it to their
own style. Often they would wear feathers in their hair and rings in their noses other types of
jewelry were also worn. Additionally, they would wear breechcloth which is a one piece garment
that covers the genitals and at least partially the buttocks , leggings, and moccasins which is a
leather shoe that the Iroquois normally made from deer skin. The Iroquois typically grew corn,
beans, and squash as their main crops they hunted as well, but their main source of food came
from farming. The Iroquois considered their primary crops (corn, beans, and squash) to be gifts
from the Creator and they called them the three sisters and imagined them as beautiful
women clothed in the plants. (Iroquois Clothing). This shows just how important these crops
were to the Iroquois, and considering that the lives of the whole confederation depended on the
success of these crops their symbolic placement is well deserved. The Iroquois lived in these
long thin houses with doors on both ends. They were made from elm bark, and during the winter
months they would put skins up over the doors to help insulate and keep the wind out of the

Hadley 4!
houses. These long peculiar looking things were named perfectly the Longhouses (Iroquois
Clothing). How the Iroquois lived is a significant part of their history because it shows that they
were more then just tribes they were people.
The way women were treated and their level of importance in Iroquois society was
practically revolutionary. Women had a very important role in Iroquois society, it was 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. In addition to determining
the crop distribution women were given the task of choosing the sachems for the Confederacy.
Sachems were the leaders of the Iroquois. Also, Iroquois society was matrilineal; when a
marriage transpired, the family moved into the longhouse of the mother, and family lineage was
traced from her. This further supports that the women of Iroquois society had a very significant
role (Iroquois Tribes).
Where the Iroquois lived and how they became the Iroquois is a very important part of
their history. The Iroquoiss territory is around upstate New York and Ontario. They have lived in
that region for about four thousand years. The Iroquois consisted of five tribes. The Seneca, the
Mohawks, the Oneida, the Cayuga, and the Onondaga in the 1700s, the Tuscarora joined. These
tribes use to be independent and they would fight amongst themselves until in the 1500s when
the Iroquois confederacy was created. The Confederation had a very advance political system to
make decisions. Representatives from the Seneca and the Mohawks made up one house. The
Oneida and the Cayuga made up the other. The Onondaga broke ties and could veto decisions.
This was much like a bicameral legislature (Iroquois Tribes). This is important because many of

Hadley 5!
the ideas used in the Iroquois political system were used in the creation of the United States
government.
The Iroquois Constitution was a very important piece of literature because it established
the ground works for one of the most powerful Native American tribes in North America. The
five tribes that made up the Iroquois all spoke a similar dialect of a language called Iroquoian.
This is why the French called them the Iroquois. Speaking a similar language was one of the
factors leading to the unifying of the five tribes. The Iroquois Constitution talks about how the
great white roots have spread out in all the cardinal directions and that their nature is peace and
strength. This is referring to the strength that will come with the peace and alliance with the five
tribes. It goes on to say that the people of the five nations are truly the same. The Constitution
then speaks of how other tribes will be dealt with 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 last significant item the
Iroquois Constitution talks about is that the women in all the clans shall have a Council Fire
ever burning in readiness for a council of the clan. In other words women will hold councils
when they deem it necessary. Their ideas will be told to the Council of the Lords by the War
Chief for its consideration (Iroquois Tribes). The Iroquois Constitution unites the Iroquois and
sets up the confederation of possibly the most advanced Native American tribe of the era.
The Origin of the Five Nations was the Iroquois creation myth. The myth opens with
one of the Spirits of the Sky World came down and looked at the earth. He thought it was
gorgeous, so he created people to inhabit it. He named them as he left stating,

Hadley 6!
To the Mohawks, I give corn, he said. To the patient Oneidas, I give the nuts and the
fruit of many trees. To the industrious Senecas, I give beans. To the friendly Cayugas, I
give the roots of plants to be eaten. To the wise and eloquent Onondagas, I give grapes
and squashes to eat and tobacco to smoke at the camp fires.
(Iroquois Oral)
This explains why each tribe excels at growing particular crops. He then left to go back to his
Sky Brothers like a swift arrow to the Sun (Iroquois Oral). Every cultures story of creation is
important because that is what is taught to the individuals living in the tribes. Its more then a
story its the belief bread into every person living in one of the five original tribes.
The Iroquois were also very important in American history particularly during The
French and Indian War and The Revolutionary War. The Iroquois were a major player in the fur
trade which was a huge part of New Yorks economy. During The French and Indian War, they
allied themselves with the English an important alliance which proved to be a formula for
victory. By 1663 The French and Indian war was over. In 1768, the English and the Iroquois met
at Fort Stanwix. The Boundary Line Treaty was signed to help stop conflicts between the
Iroquois and the settlers pushing westward. This treaty did little to stop the conflicts (United).
The Iroquois had given their lives to help the British in a war that the Iroquois had little if
anything to gain in. How are they rewarded for their sacrifice? Westward settlement increases
causing the Iroquois people to lose their homes. The Iroquois were on the winning side of the
war yet they were the ones losing their homes.
When the conflict between the Colonies and England begins in the Revolutionary War the
Iroquois attempt to stay neutral. However, with pressure coming from both sides the Iroquois

Hadley 7!
join the fight, but they couldnt come to an agreement on who to support in the war. The war
ended up splitting the confederacy creating war within the Iroquois. However, the majority
supported the English. The Iroquois fought the war on the frontier fending off opposing forces
whether that was British or Colonial, but the most tragic part of the war was the raids that
occurred between the six nations. When the war ended neither side of the Iroquois was victorious
the war had simply left the culture of the Iroquois devastated. They lost land and lives, and many
of these damages have yet to heal (United). This shows how no matter what the outcome of these
wars were the Iroquois will always be the ones who lose in the end.
The Iroquois Confederation were one of the most influential Native American tribes in
American history. They established a form of government similar to our own centuries before the
Americas were even colonized. They fought in two of the most important wars in American
history. The outcome of those wars shaped the America we are today. However they suffered
greatly due to those wars and the debt owed to the Iroquois will most likely never be paid back.

Hadley 8!
Works Cited

"Iroquois Clothing." Iroquois Clothing. Arizona University, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

"Iroquois Oral Traditions." Iroquois Oral Traditions. Indians.org, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

"The Iroquois Tribes." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

United States. National Park Service. "The Six Nations Confederacy During the American
Revolution." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 03 Oct. 2015.
Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Hadley 9!