Long before we lived here, New York State was home to the powerful Iroquois. Today’s Classroom Extra takes a look at this Native American nation, which formed a powerful confederacy.
The Iroquois, along with the Lenape and Algonquin, were among the first to call New York home.
Archaeologists have found evidence of their presence dating back to 1100 A.D., long before the first Europeans landed.
The Iroquois Confederacy was formed in 1451 and was composed of the Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga and Mohawk nations. The Tuscaroras joined 250 years later.
This confederacy was one of the first ever formed and would become a model that the United States would later adopt.
The nations were bound by the Kainerekowa – the Great Law of Peace – which meant that they would not fight each other.
This did not mean that they couldn’t fight with everyone else – and fight they did.
The Iroquois solidified their power by adopting their defeated enemies into their ranks.
The name Iroquois was given to them by their enemies. The Algonquin called them the Iroqu or rattlesnakes. The French added the suffix “ois.”
The nation’s members called themselves Haudenosaunee, meaning “The People of the Longhouse.” The term “longhouse” referred to the type of multifamily homes they built.
The Iroquois were skilled hunters, though agriculture provided most of their diet, with corn, beans and squash being the main crops. Six annual festivals were held with prayers of gratitude for the harvest.
They were skilled diplomats and fierce warriors. Through migration and conquest, they gained control of most of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.
At the peak of their power in 1680, their empire extended from southern Canada to Kentucky and as far west as the junctions of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
The Iroquois had a matrilineal society, meaning that women had great power. The opposite is patriarchal, or male-dominated society. The tribes were divided into three clans, turtle, bear and wolf – each headed by a clan mother.
Women owned all property, chose leaders and determined kinship – a unique system for such a warlike nation.
The Iroquois traded fur with the French in exchange for guns and ammunition. Both sides faced many years of conflict as they fought to control the fur trade. A treaty signed with the French in 1667 was important because representatives from all five tribes signed it.
Years of battle and the increasing firepower of Europeans took their toll on the nation. Ohio was surrendered after a 40-year war. The Oneida signed a treaty in 1785 with New York Gov. George Clinton, surrendering 6 million acres of land.
The Cayuga and Onondaga lands were next. The Mohawks were among the last to surrender, in a treaty signed in Albany in 1797. The Onondaga later sold most of their reservation to New York in 1822.
The influence of Native Americans is present in today’s New York. Just take a look at The Algonquin (the famous Manhattan hotel) and Chappaqua (home to New York’s Sen. Hillary Clinton).
So what became of the Iroquois? Some remained in New York, but many went to Canada or settled in the Midwest.
The Iroquois have retained most of their traditions, despite great adversity. They consider themselves a separate nation from the United States and Canada and have their own tribal government.
The Iroquois had a matrilineal society, meaning that women had great power.
New York Post Activities
Look at today’s Post for stories or pictures about the landscape of the city. Make a collage of pictures. Draw your own picture of how you think the land might have looked during the dominance of the Iroquois.
If you lived during the Iroquois Confederacy, how do you think you would have survived without today’s modern conveniences?
The successful Iroquois Confederacy was based on peace within the group. Form your own confederacy. Break into groups and form a union based on a common belief. Write up rules for your new confederacy and discuss how, as a group, you can resolve conflicts internally and with others.
Internet Source: “Iroquois History” by Lee Sultzman
Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: English Language Arts: E1c, E2d, E3c, E3d, E4a, E4b, E5a,
Social Studies: Standard 1.
The Arts: Standard 2, Standard 4.
Teachers: For more information about the New YorkPost’s Classroom Extra program, contact Customer Service at 1-800-801-0100. Today’s lesson can be found in Classroom Extra at nypost.com.