People of the six Iroquois groups still live in New York today. As in the time of Deganawidah and Hiawatha, the Grand Council still meets in the land of the Onondaga.
The Six Iroquois Nations April 10, 2011
A Native American group called the Tuscarora became the sixth Iroquois nation. The Tuscarora once lived in what is now North Carolina. But in the early 1700s, they fought a war with settlers from Europe. About 1,500 Tuscarora were forced to move north. They came to New York, where the Oneida gave them land. They joined the Iroquois League in about 1720.
Social Studies New York, Pearson Education Inc., (2004)
The Iroquois Trail April 10, 2011
The Iroquois built trails between many villages. The main trail was the Iroquois Trail. Iroquois runners carries messages along this trail. These messages sometimes carried belts of wampum, small beads made from sea shells. Wampum belts were used to send messages. A design in a wampum belt could have a special meaning. For example, a belt showing people holding hands might be used as a symbol of peace. Wampum belts were also given as gifts by Iroquois people.
Social Studies New York, Pearson Education Inc., (2004)
People of the Longhouse April 10, 2011
The Iroquois called themselves the Haudenosaunee (hoo dee noh SHOW nee). This is an Iroquois word meaning “People of the Longhouse.” The Iroquois lived in wooden buildings called longhouses. These really were long houses–from 40 to 200 feet long. Many families lived together in one longhouse.
All the people in a longhouse were members of the same clan. A clan was made up of families that shared an ancestor, or relative who lived in the past. Members of a clan thought of themselves as one large family. Each clan was led by a women known as the clan mother.
Clan mothers and other Iroquois women had a lot of power in Iroquois villages. They were in charge of the longhouse. They made decisions about how to use the village’s farmland. They were also in charge of choosing sachems. The sachems were men.
Social Studies New York, Pearson Education Inc., (2004)
The Iroquois League April 10, 2011
The land that is now New York was not a very peaceful place hundreds of years ago. Iroquois groups were often at war with each other, and many people died.
An Iroquois story tells that Deganawidah (day gahn uh WEE duh) traveled from village to village, talking with many Iroquois leaders. He told people to come together in peace. One of the leaders who agreed with him was Hiawatha (heye uh WAH thuh). Hiawatha used his speaking skills to tell people that their lives would be better if they learned to solve their problems peacefully. Together, Deganawidah and Hiawatha brought peace to the Iroqouis people.
Five Iroquois groups, or nations, joined to form the Iroquois League. This was probably in the late 1500s. The five nations were the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga. I the Iroquois league became one of the most powerful Native American groups in North America.
The People of the Iroquois League agreed to follow the same set of laws. Fifty leaders were chosen, some from each nation. These leaders were called sachems. The sachems formed a group called the Grand Council.
The Grand Council met where the Onondaga lived, near the center of the Iroquois lands. Here sachems talked about important issues such as peace, trade, and how to use the land. They also talked about war–the Iroquois battled with Algonquain groups for control of land in New York. Each sachem had a chance to speak. Then they voted on what action to take.
Social Studies New York, Pearson Education Inc., (2004)
New York: A Native Culture March 28, 2011
Students will explore the lives of the Native American tribes that once inhabited New York State (Iroquois League). They will gather information from as many sources as possible (internet, teacher, books, etc.). They will create a tri-fold brochure of each tribe. They will take a virtual field trip to the geographical areas of each tribe using Google Earth.
