1. Welcome to the Museum of
The Iroquois
Museum Entrance
Way of Life
Games
Clothing
Food
Homes
Curator’s
Office

2. Contact me at ryan@keelers.com
Curator’s Office
Ryan Keeler
Ryan has a good sense of humor. He is in Ms. Nagoshi’s 5th grade class.
Bibliography
Levine, Ellen (1998). … If You Lived With the Iroquois. Scholastic, NY.
*The work is not plagiarized, but comes from If You Lived With the Iroquois.
Contact me at
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Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums blog ( for more information on this instructional technique.

3. Iroquois Games
Games
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4. Iroquois Way of Life
Way of Life
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5. Iroquois Clothing
Clothing
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6. Iroquois Food
Food
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7. Iroquois Homes
Homes
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8. Iroquois Lacrosse
Lacrosse was called the “ball game” and was a sport that was clan v. clan or nation v. nation. The 6-8 players ate special diets and practiced before each game. Then, they lined up in two rows and fought for ownership of the ball. Once you have it, you run with it until you are blocked; then, you pass it. The first team to pass the ball trough their goal a certain amount of times wins.
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9. Chance
A chance game was played with elk horn that was burned on one side. Put 8 pieces in a bowl, shake it, then show everyone what came up. If 6 turned up, they get 2 beans. If you get 7, you get 4 beans. If you get 8, you get 20 beans.
Or, 6 peach stones blackened on one side is another game. The peach stones are shaken in a bowl. This was played on the last day of Green Corn Harvest Day.
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10. Snow Snake
You used 5-9 foot sticks to play Snow Snake. The stick curved up at the head to look like a snake and was 1” wide. The back was half an inch to look like a snake tail. The track was one-third of a mile and had water sprinkled on it to make it slippery. A log was at the end. You throw the stick with your right hand and support it with your left. The team that throws it the farthest wins.
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11. Running
Running was a sport and a job. You did it at festivals. Trained runners could run 50 miles a day.
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12. Religion
The religious ceremonies were hours long. They made offerings to the creator and all of nature. They had the same religion, but other religions were allowed. There were 40 versions of the creation of the world. There was a sky world and a huge tree. The king became sick so the tree was brought to him. His wife looked through the hole and accidentally flew through. The seabirds caught her on their wings. The turtle volunteered to hold her, but they needed sand to grow the world.Three animals went down to the bottom of the sea to collect sand, but only one came up with a fistful. They put it on the turtle’s back and the seabirds put the sky woman on it. Eventually, she had a baby girl that had two boys. One came out the normal way, and the other was impatient to be born and came out through his mother’s side. Their mother died. The first one was good (Sapling); the second one (Flint) was evil. When they buried their mother, the three sisters were born—Corn, Squash, and Beans—and scarred tobacco grew from her heart. For every good thing the first one made, the bad one made something to counter that. And the Iroquois believed the earth was balanced between good and evil.
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13. Time
They judged the time from were the sun was instead of using clocks.
Every new month, there was a new moon. There was a name for each month. They lived as one with nature.
They didn’t need calendars; they watched the stars instead.
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14. In Trouble
When you were in trouble, water was splashed on you or you were dunked in a stream. If you were really bad, Long-nose came after you and threatened to carry you off unless you promised to be good. Long-nose was usually an adult relative wearing a special mask.
There were no locks, instead a stick was put on your door to show no one was home. There were few adult crimes. There were no police or jails. Stealing was shameful; everybody looked down on a thief. Shame was a strong punishment.
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15. School There were no school buildings so kids watched adults to learn.
Until they were 8 or 9, boys stayed with their moms, sisters, and aunts to learn. Then, when they were of age, they would go out with their fathers and learn the ways of the forest, how to build longhouses, canoe building.
Girls learned to make clothing, plant seeds, and harvest foods.
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16. Tanning
The women mixed the brains with moss to make cakes. They scrape off the hair, then boil the cakes in water. Next, they take out the moss and soak the skins in the solution. Then, they wring it out, stretch until dry and soft. Repeat until it’s dry and soft. Finally, they smoke the skin over a corn cob fire cut and stitch into clothes.
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17. Moccasins
Everyone wore strong, comfortable moccasins that sometimes had designs. They were made from deer skin using deer bone needles and sinew. They sewed on the heel and top, but not the bottom.
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18. Snowshoe
Winter shoes are moccasins and snowshoes. Snowshoes are an Indian invention. They are 3 feet long, 16 inches wide, and made of hickory wood bent at the top. They are made of deer leather netting. They were useful for hunting because prey sank in the snow.
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19. Hair
Females wore two braids until they were married, then they wore one braid tied with a ribbon or ornament. Males 15 and older had one strip of hair on top of their heads (called Mohawks today). This was very common in the Eastern U.S. They plucked their hair out instead of cutting it so it wouldn’t grow back. Also, they plucked out their facial hair using fingers or clam shell tweezers. They said facial hair made you look too much like a furry animal.
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20. Corn
Corn was the main crop.The women pounded the kernels into flour. Braided corn was hung from longhouse rafters.The hunters and travelers carried pouches of powdered corn mixed with maple syrup. Some women had about 150 corn recipes. Some corn was shelled and cooked. They could make mats, moccasins, knitting baskets, medicine mask’s, medicine holders, bandages, and smoking skins.
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21. Meat
The Iroquois meats were deer, bear, beaver, rabbit, squirrel, wild turkey, and passenger pigeon. Some meat was dried and was stored in clay pots or animal-lined pits.The skins were used for clothing and bedding; the bones were used for tools and silverware. Sinew was used for string. Females weren't always hunted because it was breeding season. Boys and men were skilled fishermen because the light from their torches lured the fish to where the men could catch them.
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22. Eating
Iroquois ate their breakfast with their families, but not their other meals. When visiting a longhouse, it was rude not to give food or not to accept food so they ate a little at each fire. As long as someone had food, no one was hungry.
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23. Three Sisters
The Three Sisters were corn, beans, and squash and were the main vegetables. They were planted together on small hills.
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24. In a Longhouse
From the entrance of a longhouse, you could see the other side. They stored firewood and food on each side. The families lived in compartments separated by skins or bark. They slept on corn husk mats covered with deer or bear skins. In the middle of the 8 foot aisle, there is an indent in the ground for fires. You would share the fire with the family across from you.
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25. Village
The village is on high ground. You entered wear the twenty foot logs overlapped which is surrounding you and the longhouses keeping out the crops that surround the fort.
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26. Longhouse
A longhouse is a long house made out of wood, upright and crossed poles, with a curved roof made out of elm bark. They were feet high, 20 feet wide, and feet long. There were no windows but had openings for smoke. They added extension for a new family. There is a bark door.
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27. Iroquois Man Return to Entrance
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28. Iroquois Girl Return to Entrance
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29. Iroquois Map Return to Exhibit
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30. Report Cover Page
The Iroquois
By Ryan Keeler