Unit IV: The Iroquois Confederacy Social Studies 6

Who Were the Iroquois? The Iroquois were a confederacy (group) of five (then later six) first nations peoples. The Iroquois called themselves the Haudenosaunee, which means ‘people of the Long House.’ Confederacy – partnership between different nations or groups. They lived near the Great Lakes area in New York and southern Ontario. They formed in the 1500s, and have lasted to this day. The nations of the Iroquois joined together when a man, known only as the Peacemaker came to them with a message of peace. His sayings became the Great Law of Peace. He gathered the Iroquois people to a tree, known as the Great Tree of Peace, and had the Iroquois bury their weapons under the tree.

How was Iroquois Society Like? The Iroquois had been a warlike people until the Peacemaker laid down the law. This changed their society. The nations of the Iroquois were each divided into nine clans. The nine clans were led by the clan mothers. So a clan was basically a large extended family. Each clan had its own longhouse. As the clan grew, they would make their longhouse longer. Each clan had an animal as its symbol: Eg. Turtle clan, Wolf Clan, etc. Men would hunt, play sports (Lacrosse) and go to war.

What was the Role of Iroquois Women? Women had more responsibilities and rights in Iroquois society compared to Athenian society. They were respected. Women owned the property and homes. The husband had to join his wife’s clan. Their children would stay in the wife’s clan. Women known as Clan Mothers were the leaders of the clans. Clan Mothers would choose the chiefs for the Iroquois.

The Wampum Belt Wampum Belt – strings or belts made up of white and purple beads. Each string/belt held its own message. All of the wampum belts together made up the Great Law of Peace, which was the Constitution of the Iroquois. Each wampum belt was assigned its own reader who was trained in understanding what was the belt’s message and tell it to the other Iroquois.

The Hiawatha Wampum

The Hiawatha Wampum was a special belt that symbolized the collective identity of the Iroquois nations. Collective Identity: shared belief system of a people which includes having the same language, culture, values, etc. The squares and tree symbolize the 5 original nations of the Iroquois. The tree also represents the tree of peace. The lines between the objects symbolize the connections and peace between the nations. The lines on the edge of the belt represent that other nations may join the Iroquois as long as they follow the Great Law of Peace.

Structure of the Iroquois Confederacy