Iroquois
The Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are the peoples indigenous to the northeastern United States and Canada. They are synonymous with the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power", formed in the 16th century and consisting of six members by the time of the American Revolutionary War.
Members
- Council members
- Kanien'kehá:ka: The "People of the Flint", and the eastern-most nation. The Kanien'kehá:ka sided with the British Army during the Revolutionary War, though at least one village remained neutral.
- Onondaga: The "People of the Hills", they were at the center of the League. The Onondaga favored no sides during the Revolutionary War, until General John Sullivan attacked them in 1779.
- Seneca: The "People of the Big Hill", the Seneca were located on the western side of the League and sided with the British.
- Cayuga: "The People of the Swamp", the Cayuga and the Oneida are considered the Younger Brothers in the Haudenosaunee Grand Council.
- Oneida: Known as the "People of the Standing Stone", the Oneida sided with the Continental Army.
- Tuscarora: The "Hemp Gatherers" who migrated from North Carolina and joined the League in 1722. They also sided with the Continental army.
Other Iroquoian-speaking peoples who were not part of the League include:
Culture
Iroquois surnames are matrilineal, where clan names are passed from mother to child. Iroquois clan names include Turtle, Wolf, Beaver, Hawk, Eel, Deer, and Bear. Clan Mothers, or Iakotiiá:ner – like Oiá:ner – lead the clans, while selecting a male Chief (Roiá:ner) to represent them in the 50-strong Haudenosaunee Grand Council.
To deliberate decisions, the first party, made up of Seneca and Kanien'kehá:ka Chiefs, present an issue to the second party (consisting of Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora Chiefs), who reach a resolution for the first party to consider. On reaching a consensus, the Onondaga Chiefs will either approve the decision or offer a counterproposal.
Iroquois families from a single clan lived together in longhouses, with opposite families sharing a hearth. Canoes were stored in the rafters of the longhouses.
Their economic system was based around cultivating the "Three Sisters" of corn, beans and squash, and were supplemented by hunting and fishing. Beads made from shells known as wampum were popular symbolic decorations. When going to war, the Iroquois used tomahawks, clubs and bows.
History
Around 1000 CE, the original five nations were at war until a man, known as the Great Peacemaker called for an end to the conflict. In place of violence, he conceived a path of unity and strength for the Iroquois known as Kaianere'kó:wa – the Great Law of Peace, providing the foundations of a stable, if complex democracy. He encouraged the peoples to see themselves as members of a single longhouse, with the Kanien'kehá:ka as Keepers of the Eastern Door, the Seneca as Keepers of the Western Door, and the Onondaga as the Firekeepers.
The Iroquois sided with the British during the French and Indian War and mostly again during the Revolutionary War. However, the Kanien'kehá:ka village of Kanatahséton remained neutral due to their duties of protecting a sacred site of theirs: instead, they sent Ratonhnhaké:ton to join the Colonial Assassins to protect them.
However, as time passed, Kanen'tó:kon grew restless and was convinced by Charles Lee that his friend had turned on them, so he and his fellow warriors dragged the village into the war.
John Sullivan subsequently led an expedition to burn the villages of those who sided with the British, salting their land and massacring their people, earning Commander George Washington the title of Ranatakáriias (Town Destroyer).
References