Social Studies 7

Iroquois Culture

A. Food:
The Iroquois men hunted deer and other game. Boys were allowed to
join the men in hunting after they had killed a deer by themselves.
Farming determined the way the Indians lived. The Iroquois moved to
new locations when their large fields no longer produced a good crop
of beans, corn, and squash. They called beans, squash, and corn "The
Three Sisters". The women tended the crops. One favorite food of the
Iroquois was corn cakes. It was made by patting corn into round cakes
then baking it.

1. List some of the foods that the Iroquois ate:

B. Men’s roles vs. Women’s roles

Iroquois men were in charge of hunting, trading, and war. Iroquois
women were in charge of farming, property, and family. These
different roles were reflected in Iroquois government. Iroquois clans
were ruled by women, who made all the land and resource decisions
for each clan. But the chiefs, who made military decisions and trade
agreements, were always men. Only men represented the Iroquois
Confederacy at the Great Council, but only women voted to determine
who the representatives of each tribe would be. Both genders took part
in Iroquois storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.

2. What were the men responsible for?

3. What were the women responsible for?

C. Clothing:

Iroquois men wore breechcloths with long leggings. Iroquois women

wore wraparound skirts with shorter leggings. Men did not originally
wear shirts in Iroquois culture, but women often wore a tunic called an
overdress. Iroquois people also wore moccasins on their feet and
heavy robes in winter.

4. Describe what the Iroquois people wear in the winter to stay

warm:
D. Homes:
Longhouses are long and narrow bark covered houses that the
Haudenosuanee (People of the Longhouse), also known as the Iroquois,
lived in until the latter part of the 1800's. These homes contained one
large extended family. All the women and children living in a
longhouse were of the same clan. Husbands would live with the wife’s
family in their Longhouse. Longhouses had two doors and no
windows. One door was located on each end of the longhouse.
Numerous longhouses in an area created a village. The village was
sometimes protected from intruders by a palisade (an 18 ft. tall
wooden fence).
A longhouse is approximately 15 to 20 feet in height, 20 feet wide,
including the door opening, and could be anywhere from 40 feet to 200
feet long.

E. Society:
The Iroquois spoke the language of the Mohawks. Iroquois culture was
matrilineal. The women owned all property and determined kinship.
The individual Iroquois tribes were divided into three clans, turtle, bear,
and wolf - each headed by the clan mother. The Seneca were like the
Huron tribes and had eight (the five additional being the crane, snipe,
hawk, beaver, and deer). After marriage, a man moved into his wife's
longhouse, and their children became members of her clan.

In Iroquois society, the children would be educated by the elders of the

tribe, both male and female. Amongst living skills, such as hunting and
fishing, many students would be educated in their religion. Amongst
the many gods they believed in, they believed in the Great Spirit who
was responsible for the creation of human beings, the plants and animals, and the forces
of good in nature.

5. Define matrilineal society:

F. Government:

The Iroquois were farmers whose leaders were chosen by their women
- rather unusual for warlike conquerors. Founded to maintain peace
and resolve disputes between its members, the League's primary law
was the Kainerekowa, the Great Law of Peace which simply stated
Iroquois should not kill each other. The League's organization was
prescribed by a written constitution based on 114 wampums and
reinforced by a funeral rite known as the "Condolence" - shared
mourning at the passing of sachems from the member tribes. The
council was composed of 50 male sachems known variously as lords,
or peace chiefs. Each tribe's representation was set: Onondaga 14;
Cayuga 10; Oneida 9; Mohawk 9; and Seneca 8. Elected by the tribal
clan mothers (who had almost complete power in their selection),
Iroquois sachemships were usually held for life, although they could be
removed for misconduct or incompetence. The emblem of their office
was the deer antler head dress, and guided by an all-male council, the
sachems ruled in times of peace. War chiefs were chosen on the basis
of birth, experience, and ability, but exercised power only during war.

6. Who decides who will be on the council of the Iroquois League?

7. Explain the purpose of the Iroquois League:

8. Is the Iroquois League the first Democracy in North America?

Why?