The Iroquois People of the Longhouse Mr. Davison Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy ...
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Transcript of The Iroquois People of the Longhouse Mr. Davison Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy ...
The Iroquois People of the LonghouseMr. Davison
Flag of the Iroquois Confederacyhttp://hometown.aol.com/Donh523/navapage/iroquois.htm
People of the Longhouse
People of Turtle Island
Early Inhabitants of Western New York
Several cultures lived in Western NYClovis people (10,000 B.C.)Lamokas (3,500 – 2,500 B.C.)Hopewell Indians (300 A.D.) – mound
builders, Wenros and NeutralsIroquoian people (next 1,000 years)
What’s in a Name
Iroquois means “real adder” – a kind of snake. Name given as a backhanded compliment by their rivals the Algonquians
Iroquois – name given by the FrenchSix Nations – name given by the BritishHau de no sau nee – meaning people
building a long house – sometimes translated as people of the long house
League of the Five Nations
SenecaCayugaOnondagaOneidaMohawk
Remember the Tribes: SCOOM
S – Seneca – people of the Great Hill (Onodowaga)
C – Cayuga – people of the Great Swamp or the Great Pipe
O – Onondaga – people of the HillsO – Oneida – People of the Standing StoneM – Mohawk – People of the FlintT – Tuscarora – shirt wearing people – added
to the confederacy later
Iroquoian Life
Great AbundanceSurvived on fish, game, cultivated foodLarge population, perhaps greater than
present day population of WNYMost natives lived south of present day
Routs 5 & 20 (Broadway) – offered families protection away from warpaths along the Great Lakes
The Five Nations & Their Position in the Iroquois Confederacy
Seneca – the Elder Brother and Keepers of the Western Door
Cayuga – Younger BrotherOnondaga – Fire Keepers – the council
fireOneida – Younger BrotherMohawk – Elder Brother and Keepers
of the Eastern Door
Location In Western New York
Known Indian Villages existed at:OakfieldElmaBuffaloBig TreeTwo Villages in Akron – one at Falkirk
(upper East Ave.) and a second at today’s Brooklyn St
Where Would You Live?
Village surrounded by oval shaped stockade (20 ft. tall fence)
Farm fields surrounds villageInside stockade, rows of
buildings-LONGHOUSES
Longhouse Village Image From: Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York, http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=701508371&artrefid=761552484&sec=-1&pn=1
The Iroquois Village
Iroquois Shelter
Iroquois Homes were called longhouses
Longhouses were built in groups or villages for protection.
Made of logs- covered with elm bark
Curved roof made of saplings No windows Fire holes in roof to let out
smoke from cooking fires 15 - 20 feet tall, 20 feet wide and
50 – 150 feet long
Picture of the Longhouse
Inside the Longhouse
Center aisle from one end to the otherNear doors- food storage barrels and stacks of
firewoodOn the sides of the aisle, compartments 13 feet
by 16 feet (half of your classroom)Wooden platforms for sleeping and storageFire shared with family across the aisleEach family has their own clothing, blankets, tools
and cooking utensils
Inside the longhouse contd.
Family Structure
Fireside Family: your parents, brothers and sisters – Matriarchal structure
Longhouse Family:– oldest woman in the longhouse is the head of family and
everyone in the longhouse is related to her– You always belong to your mother’s longhouse family
Clan Family:– two or more longhouse families make up a clan– You belong to your mother’s clan– Clans named after animals (wolf, bear, turtle)– Head of clan was the oldest most respected woman
Clans of the Iroquois
Clans
Bear: taught us gentleness and strength. It takes more strength not to raise your hand to strike someone than it does to strike them.
Turtle: taught us patience, never to give up. Seen as strength and solidarity, old and wise, and well respected.
Wolf: taught us to use our ears and be watchful.Strong sense of family.
Deer: Hawk: Snipe”
Iroquoian Food
Lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts and different kinds of meat and fish
Women grew corn, beans and squash (The Three Sisters) in fields surrounding village
Hunters brought home deer, bear, beaver, rabbit, and wild turkey
Iroquois men and boys were skilled fishermen
You’d eat breakfast together with your family, but other meals on your own-mother would have a pot cooking all day
The three Sisters
Iroquoian Economy
The Iroquois – money is called wampum when trading with white men.
They have very little money – barter economy.
They go great distances to trade with other tribes.
The wampum was made of beads and clamshells.
Iroquois Economy
Wampum belts were used as a form of communication between Indian tribes. Wampum belts would be made into pictures showing the reason it was made. All Indian messengers carry wampum when going to other tribes.
Hiawatha Wampum Belt
Iroquoian Clothing
Deerskins that the women tanned, cut and sewed by hand
Women: long skirts decorated with beads, porcupine quills dyed red, blue or yellow (sometimes leggings under their skirts), vest or blouse on top
Men: kilt-like skirts over leggings and vests or blouses made of decorated deerskins
Everyone wore moccasins-made of one piece of deerskin sewn together with a deer-bone needle and using sinew from the deer for thread
Iroquois Clothing
Women prepared the hides by removing the hair and flesh with stone scrapers. Men in the winter wore robes or cloaks made from bear, deer, buffalos, or beaver skins.
Women soaked the hides in dilution of boiled deer brain to soften them.
Men's summer clothing were made from buckskin and men's winter outfits were leggings,
breechclouts, kilts, and moccasins. Image of Traditional Dress from: http://www.u.arizona.edu/ic/kmartin/School/iroqcloth.htm
Clothing
What about work?
Work was a part of everyday life Every job was respected Work depended on the season:
– Spring: peel bark for longhouses and canoes, tap trees for syrup, pick strawberries, and fish
– When the ground was ready, you would plant seeds for all the vegetables
– Late summer and fall: harvest crops and prepare them for storage
– Fall: begin hunting– Winter: make and repair clothing, tools, bowls, baskets and
instruments
Who did which jobs?
Men: – made tools for hunting, sports equipment and
musical instruments– Made wampum and carved bowls, cups, pipes– Cleared farmland– Hunted for animals
Women– Made clay pots, baskets, cradleboards, clothing and
moccasins– Farmed the fields– Cooked the food
Woven Baskets
Education
You would not go any formal schoolYou learned by watching adults do their
jobsYou learned history when the elders told
stories at the festivals and during the long winter months
You also learned from your own experiences
Iroquoian Games
Everyone loved sports and gamesGames were played at festivals and
celebrationsSometimes one village or clan
challenged anotherLacrosse (called “the ball game”) was
the most popularRunning was also an important sportSnow-snake was popular in the winter
Iroquois Games
The Bowl Game is played by putting peach pits in a bowl and two teams take turns thumping the bowl to make the object fly upward. The Snow Snake game is played by throwing a spear into the snow. The of the game is to see how far the spears could be thrown across the snow. The Double Ball Game is played with buckskin bags filled with sand, then connecting the buckskin bags with a cord you try to throw it three feet in the air. Shinny is played with a flattened buckskin ball, then each player had a long stick and tried to hit the flattened buckskin ball.
Iroquoian Games contd.
Running games and mock battles were enjoyed as well.
Survival lessons were often taught through the games.
Men played against men and women played against women. Children were left to amuse themselves with their running and jumping contests.The children often copied adult games.
Lacrosse
What if you got sick?
Iroquois believed that you could get sick from bad food or water or air or by catching someone else’s disease
They also believed that you could become sick because of witchcraft of bad people or by the work of evil spirits
There were different kinds of healers to treat you depending on your illness
False Face Society
A medicine society like the False Face Society would try to heal you by performing special rituals.– You never paid the healers. You just gave them sacred
tobacco or kinds of food they liked– If you were cured, you became a member of the society
and helped to treat others If you broke an arm or leg, then you were treated by a
surgeon. – The Iroquois were excellent surgeons who not only set
broken bones, but also understood the importance of cleanliness
If you had a cold or snakebite, you were probably treated by an herbalist who would use plants to heal you
False Face Masks
Some Religious Beliefs
The Iroquois believed the Creator, or Great Spirit made the world
Almost all natural things were under the care of spirits (there were spirits of the wind, rain, trees)
Keepers of the Faith were in charge of religious festivals (these were ordinary people with special responsibilities- they would organize the festivals and perform some of the rituals)
Religious ceremonies could last for hours and some festivals lasted for days.
Festivals
At all ceremonies, sacred tobacco was burned. There were day-long ceremonies of speeches, prayer, music, dances, games and always a feast.
Six main festivals held throughout the year– Maple Festival-(early spring) gave thanks for the return of
spring and to the maple tree for its “sweet waters” There would be maple syrup and candies
– Planting Festival- (later in spring) gave thanks for the return of the planting season and ask for blessings on the seeds
– Strawberry Festival- (late may or early June) celebrated the return of the first fruits of the earth. After the long winter, it was a sweet beginning to a new year.
Festivals contd.
– Green Corn Festival- usually held in August(lasted four days) gave thanks to the spirits of the Three Sisters when the corn, beans and squash were ready to eat. Children born since the Midwinter festival would be given names
– Harvest Festival-(early October) crops are all picked, cooked and stored for winter eating (lasted four days)
– Midwinter or New Year’s Festival (early February) The longest festival (seven days) Two elders visited every house to announce the new year. Children born since the Green Corn festival would be given names. The Thanksgiving address lasted for hours.
European Wars Cause Problems
Trade wars of France & England (so called French & Indian War in North America)
Revolutionary War – American War for Independence (1776 – 1783)
Both wars caused the various tribes to choose sides.
1797 Big Tree Treaty -11 reservations created and Canandaigua Lake and Genesee River regions vacated
Before the League existed the Five nations were always at war with one another. Village fought village Nation fought nation
It was called the time of “great sorrow and terror”Deganawidah (the Peacemaker) brought the message that by ending war among themselves, the nations would be strong and the people would be safe. The story tells that the people uprooted the tallest pine tree and threw all their weapons of war into the hole and then replanted this Great Tree of Peace. Now the Five Nations live in a Great Longhouse, keeping its own fire, but living in peace under one roof
Iroquois Government: The Oldest Living Participatory Government on Earth
League of Five Nations
The longhouse and the Great Pine Tree are the symbols of the Iroquois League
The Peacemaker took one arrow from each tribe and tied them together. You can break one arrow, but the bundle of five is too strong to destroy, he said.
The Iroquois League is one of the world’s longest lasting unions
The Great Law of Peace
The unwritten Iroquois ConstitutionSome ideas of the Great Law:
– All Iroquois land was open to members of Five nations. It was safe to travel and hunt that land
– Women as well as men participated in government. Women appointed the chiefs and removed them if necessary
– Freedom of religion was guaranteed to all– No such thing as slavery- if you were taken
prisoner by the Iroquois your were either killed or adopted an if adopted, you had all the freedoms as everyone else
The Iroquois Government
Each nation had its own governmentEach nation sent chiefs to League council meetings
(chiefs could not be warriors)Council met once a year to discuss anything that
concerned all the nationsEveryone had to agree to all decisions (votes must be
unanimous) If they did all agree then the chief conducting the
meeting cloud say the League could now “speak with one voice” If someone disagreed, they would discuss it again until they came to an agreement
Great Tree of Peace
Iroquois Impact on American Government – The Albany Plan of Union
We Learn from the Iroquois
Iroquois Art
Dream catchers made of willow and sinew are for children and there not meant to last. Eventually the willow dries out and the tension of the sinew collapses the dream catcher.
“False-face” mask, made from wood carved from a tree. Photo from: Charles Gatewood/Art Resource, NYhttp://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=461530384&artrefid=761552484&sec=-1&pn=1
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nwa/dreamcatcher.jpg
Iroquois Transportation
Most movement by the Iroquois was done on foot. Messages were sent by runners.
Iroquois used canoes, dogs carts, and cradle boards to carry infants.
They built their transportation with wood, birch bark, elm bark, shag bark, hickory,white ash, and cedar.
Tyandaneega – Joseph Brandt
Cornplanter - seneca
Chief Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha) 1757- 1830
Ely Parker - Seneca
Chief Oren Lyons
Naho
Native American Internet Resources:
An excellent resource with many links can be found at:
http://www.dist126.k12.il.us/powwow/resources.htm
Instructor’s Notes
•The Wenro
Instructor’s Notes contd.
•The Seneca
Instructor’s Notes contd.
The Mohawk
Instructor’s notes contd.
•The Cayuga