The Haudenosaunee People Building a Longhouse Whats their

The Haudenosaunee People Building a Longhouse

What’s their real name? § The French called them the Iroquois. § The English called them the Five Nations. § They called themselves the Haudenosaunee, which means “People Building a Longhouse”.

Where did they live? § They lived in central New York between the Genesee River and Lake Champlain.

Lake Champlain Genesee River

These are the five nations: § Seneca – Keeper of the Western Door § Cayuga § Onondaga – Keeper of the Central Fire § Oneida § Mohawk – Keeper of the Eastern Door

Why the 5 nations joined together § For years the native people lived in constant fear of the fighting that was always taking place between the different tribal groups. – They fought over hunting and fishing areas. – They fought to prove strength and bravery. – They fought to compete over trade routes. – They fought for revenge.

The Great Law of Peace § The basis for this law is that thinking and negotiation can replace violence and warfare as a means for settling disputes. § Why would they want to do this?

The Iroquois Confederacy § As a group, the Iroquois Confederacy agreed to: – Live in peace with each other. – Share their hunting and fishing grounds. – Fight together against their enemies. § The Iroquois became very powerful – They used swift, strong attacks against their enemies. – They used the waterways to travel quickly among the tribes – They were the first Native Americans to obtain guns from the Europeans.

Village Life

The Haudenosaunee Village § Longhouse villages were built in a cleared area of forest near a source of fresh water. – for drinking, cooking, washing. – for easy travel. – For a supply of food and other natural resources (useful things found in nature). § They moved their villages when the soil or timber gave out.

Why do you think the Haudenosaunee settled in central New York, based on this map?

§ A village was made up of a dozen or so longhouses clustered randomly around an open area in the center of the village. The size depended greatly on how much wild food was available in the area. § The village was surrounded by a “palisade”, which was a wall-like fence made of sharp poles. This was to protect the village from attack. – Outside this wall was a deep trench. – Usually there was only once entrance through this palisade, and it was always well guarded.

The Longhouse § The longhouse was made of a wooden frame that was tied with deer tendons. The frame was then covered with bark. § The door was made of bark or animal hides at one or both ends of the long house. § There was a hole cut in the roof to allow light to come in and smoke to go out.

Inside the Longhouse § There were rooms along each side, which were the living spaces. In each space was a platform for sitting or sleeping. There was storage space beneath the platform and on a loft above. The platform was covered with bearskins. § The area down the middle was the meeting space. This is where the cook fires were. § Corn and furs hung from the rafters of the longhouse to dry.

Clans § In each longhouse lived a clan, which was a big family group that was related through their mothers. Everyone in the clan could trace their family history back to the same woman – Every clan had the name of an animal, which was their symbol. This symbol was outside the door of their longhouse. § The Haudenosaunee clans were: turtle, wolf, bear, beaver, deer, eagle, heron, snipe, hawk and eel

Roles of Men, Women and Children

The Role of Women in the Tribe § Working in the fields; planting, growing, and weeding and harvesting the crops. § Gathering nuts, berries and maple sap § Preparing all the food. § Tanning animal skins and making and decorating clothing. § Weaving baskets, mats, pottery and other household tools. § Making twine out of elm bark, which they then made into burden straps – These were used to carry food baskets, cradle boards and frames for carrying other heavy loads. § Caring for the children.

§ The woman who is the head of the clan controls the food, selects the chief and arranges marriages. – If the man likes her choice, he goes to the other clan and speaks to the mother of the woman. If she approves, the marriage is on. § Their children belong to the wife’s clan. He lives in her longhouse, but spends a lot of time in his original longhouse.

What foods did they prepare? § Corn, squash and beans, pumpkins § Corn recipes § Nuts and sunflower seeds § Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries § Grapes, wild plums, cherries and melons § Bear, elk deer, wolf § Rabbit § Turkey, goose, duck, heron § Pigeon, partridge § Maple syrup

Role of Men in the Tribe § § § § § Clearing the land for farming. Building the longhouses. Making tools, wooden bowls and weapons. Making and repairing fish nets Hunting and fishing. Going to war and protecting the village. Trading with other tribes. Growing tobacco for ceremonies. Representing the tribe at council meetings

Role of Children in the Tribe § Helping their parents and learning from them. – – Girls learn to make and play with little clay pots Girls learn to pound dried corn into corn meal Girls learn to help in the gardens and to prepare food. Boys practice archery and other skills that help develop coordination, sharp sight and good aims – Boys learn to fish and snare animals – Toddlers help fetch wood and water in small clay pots § Playing games. § Listening to stories. § Learning not to complain about discomfort. – They were bathed in cold lakes.

Ceremonies and Festivals § The Haudenosaunee believed that ceremonies helped crops to grow, sick people to get well, and helped hunters and warriors be successful.

§ They gave thanks for the beginning of each new year. They gave thanks when the maple sap began to flow, when berries became ripe and when crops were planted and harvested. They gave thanks after the fall hunt. They gave thanks for their ancestors and the wonders of nature. § They taught their children to greet each new day with a prayer of thanks.

Dreams § The Haudenosaunee believed that dreams were very important. They considered them messages from supernatural beings. § At their New Year’s Festival they had a ritual called “Dream Guessing”. – One person tells another part of a dream that they’ve had. The neighbor has to guess the rest. The first person can sing it, dance it or act it out.

§ The Iroquois also felt that dream guessing allowed people to get rid of worries or anger. For example, if one warrior acted out his anger at another warrior, it would help him get rid of the anger. Then it wouldn’t build up inside him. Why would this be good for the tribe?

Storytelling § Because the Haudenosaunee had no written language, their history was all spoken and remembered. (They had very good memories because of this!) They also enjoyed telling and hearing these stories as a form of entertainment. § Some important things were recorded with special beads called wampum.

Iroquois chiefs from the 6 nations reading wampum belts in the 1870 s.

Natural Resources

Native People and the Environment § All native people cared very much for the environment. – They were careful not to use up the natural resources, such as plants, animals and soil. – Hunters asked silent permission from the animals they killed and thanked them for providing for the needs of their families. They hunted in different places so they wouldn’t kill too many animals in an area. They didn’t hunt female animals whose babies were depending on them.

Natural Resources: trees § There was a lot of wood and bark available in the forest for the Haudenosaunee to use. – Prayer sticks, ceremonial masks, hats, shields, weapons, eating and cooking utensils, toys, musical instruments, snowshoes, cradleboards – Longhouses, palisades, canoes – Twine for thread to weave into fishnets, and burdenstraps.

Natural Resources: earth § Used fertile soil to grow crops. – Corn, squash, beans – Melons, sunflowers, pumpkins – Tobacco (grown by the men for ceremonies) § Clay, from the earth, was also easily available. – This could be made into pottery. Many designs were added to this, and clans could make their own special designs.

Natural Resources: animals § § § Many animals were, of course, used for food. Many furs could be used for clothing. Bones and horns could be used for tools and weapons. § Feathers could be used for decoration and to make arrows fly. § Porcupine quills could be used for decorating clothing.

Deer were an especially useful natural resource. Jawbone: used to flatten quills Teeth: used as jewelry or ornaments Jawbone and teeth: Used to scrape corn off the cob Brain: Used to tan animal hides (it softened them. ) Antlers: Jewelry and tools Hair: Headdress Liver: food or tanning animal hides Shoulder blade: hoe Skin: clothes, bedding, bags, and rawhide rope

§ § § § § Tail: white tails used to decorate headdresses Rib bones: sewing needles Intestines: used as a baby bottle, with a bird quill as a nipple. Bladder: Used as a container to store liquids and oils Leg bones: Used to scrape animal hides, jewelry or to make other tools Fat: tanning process, emergency food Hooves and claws: jewelry or ornaments Tendons: thread Heart: food

The Iroquois Confederacy was the first representative government in America. The men that designed our government got many good ideas by studying theirs.

League Council Meetings § The League council met once a year in the land of the Onondaga – Keeper of the Council Fire. – The meetings lasted for several days. § Each tribe sent a number pf peace chiefs (sachems). The number sent depended on the number of clans in the tribe. Each tribe had one vote. – A sachem served on the council for life unless the clan matron removed him.

§ At these meetings they made new laws and dealt with problems that concerned all member nations. § All chiefs had to agree on every decision made. § What does this system of government tell us about the values of the Haudenosaunee people?

The Tribal Council § Each nation had a tribal council. Anyone could come to these meetings. § The people that were always there were the sachem, the war chief and the clan matrons. § They discussed and resolved problems that concerned the tribe.

Village Councils § Each village also had its own government. § This group included clan chiefs and matrons and all respected elders. § They would discuss and resolve any problems that concerned only the village itself.

Freedoms For All Haudenosaunee § Freedom of speech § Freedom of religion § Freedom to hunt on the lands of the member tribes

Laws § No Haudenosaunee could shed the blood of any other Haudenosaunee § No Haudenosaunee could betray the others. § No Haudenosaunee could steal from another.

Consequences § If a law was broken, the men of the tribe would meet and decide how the person should make up for the mistake. § If the person kept breaking the law, he or she was exiled, or forced to leave, the tribe.

Visitors arrive from Europe

Struggle for Riches and Power: The Kings and Queens in Europe § Ever since Columbus reported back to Europe that there was gold to be found in the new world, the Kings and Queens of Europe were dying to get their hands on it.

§ They also wanted their country to be the first to find a water route to the Indies (China, Japan and India). They had heard that this was an area that was overflowing with gold and jewels and spices. – They wanted spices, because their meat was often a little spoiled. (no refrigerators)

§ Spain had a head start, because Columbus had already arrived. Other explorers from Spain had followed his lead. The Spanish explorers didn’t come anywhere near New York, though.

§ In 1534 a French explorer named Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River. – This began a French settlement in North America. The French traded metal tools to the Iroquois people in exchange for furs, which people in Europe loved. § Beaver hats were the current style in Europe at that time.

§ In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor. He sailed for the Dutch, and the Dutch began settling in New York.

Influence on Each Other § Europeans gave: – Metal tools – Guns –Gave the Iroquois an advantage over other nations. – Diseases – The Haudenosaunee people didn’t have any resistance and didn’t know how to treat them. § Smallpox, flu, lung infections, stomach troubles § Iroquois gave: – – – Furs Hunting advice Farming advice Help translating Ideas for government

Tensions Grew § 4 of the nations made a trade agreement with the French that left the Mohawks out. This led to competition within the league.

§ More Europeans arrived, and they wanted more and more land. – This led to warfare, which led to revenge, which led to more warfare, and on and on.

Lasting Influence of the Haudenosaunee on the Europeans § Their system of government was a very good one, and we used many ideas from it when we formed ours. § We learned about several foods and farming methods from them. (Three Sisters. ) § Many names of places in our state come from Native American words and names.

The Haudenosaunee Today § They live in many places, on and off reservations. – There are large groups of them who live in Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls and Brooklyn.

They work in a variety of trades. § Many work in construction work, and are skilled iron workers. Some travel all over the U. S. working on bridges and tall buildings. They have skills and traits which are particularly useful in this type of work. § Others are teachers, nurses, lawyers, doctors, and social workers. Some work for the government.

Discussion: Why is it important for us to know about the Haudenosaunee people? 1. So that we know how we learned some of the things that we know today. 2. So we know who invented the Three Sisters. Then we can be thankful to them. 3. It helps some of us learn that people who are very different are no better or worse than we are … just different, and just as important and quite interesting.