The Iroquois Culture originally lived near Lake Ontario and the Mohawk River in New York State. Around 1600, five tribes, the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas, joined together to form a confederacy. A sixth tribe, the Tuscaroras, joined in 1722. These people named themselves "Haudenosaunee" or "people of the long house". The Erie natives were related to the Iroquois. They lived along the eastern shores of Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania. The Iroquois Confederacy considered them enemies and wiped out the entire tribe. The Iroquois were important to the United States. They helped them defeat the French in a war that gave up the land east of the Mississippi River. This made an impact to the United States by the way they set up their government.The structure of the confederacy of the Iroquois inspired the American colonist development of the United States goverenment. Below are further examples of how the Iroquois lived.
The Iroquois indians lived in longhouses that were not easy to built. They had to find certain materials such as, elm, cedar, birch, logs, bark, saplings, and animal hides. Iroquois indians families lived together in a longhouse, each family that lived in one of those longhouses had their own section.
They used fire pits and fireplaces to keep warm. The fireplaces and fire pits ran down the middle of the longhouses. They were also used for cooking. On top of the longhouse there were smoke holes so the smoke would rise and go out. When it rained or snowed they would be able to close the holes. The Native Americans stored many things such as Strings of corn, squash,dried corn, meat and vegetables, and womans used to make pots for the water.
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They used fire pits and fireplaces to keep warm. The fireplaces and fire pits ran down the middle of the longhouses. They were also used for cooking. On top of the longhouse there were smoke holes so the smoke would rise and go out. When it rained or snowed they would be able to close the holes. The Native Americans stored many things such as Strings of corn, squash,dried corn, meat and vegetables, and womans used to make pots for the water.
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One of the Iroquois celebration is the New Years ceremony. The New Years ceremony is where they chose a new council member for the tribe. It is celebrated by the Native Americans that are associated with the confidency of ther Iroquois, or the six natiobns: the Mowhawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes. The New Years ceremony is the celebration of new beginings for everyone. The celbration last up to nine days that consists of many spiritual rituals and costumes. The Iroquois New Years ceremony those not have and official date. The celebration can take place on January or Febuary depending on the lunar cycle. As soon as the new moon arrives is the begining of the spiritual year for the Iroquois Indians. However the ceremony will not start for another five days after the new moon appears.