The Iroquois lived in longhouses , large houses up to 100 feet in length usually made of elm bark. As many as 20 families shared the longhouse, with dozens of individuals and their dogs occupying the space.
How did the Iroquois use their environment?
This region is characterized by dense forests, which became the Iroquois' main resource. The Iroquois used the endless supply of wood for many of their living needs. They used trees and tree bark for shelter and transportation when building their longhouses and canoes. ... The Iroquois were farmers, hunters, and gatherers.
What kind of environment did the Iroquois live in?
The Eastern Woodlands was a huge region of different environments. It had snow covered mountains in the north and hot, wet swamps in the south. The Iroquois tribes lived in the Eastern Woodlands region.
Where did the Iroquois mostly live?
The Iroquois originally lived near Lake Ontario and along the Mohawk River in New York State . Around 1600, five tribes — the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas — banded together to form a confederacy.
What was the geography like in the Iroquois?
Northern New York has lots of mountains, forests, and rivers and long, wet winters . Because of natural weather patterns and the soil quality, Iroquois people grew crops of maize, beans, and squash during warmer months, and relied more on hunting and fishing during colder months.
What did the Iroquois invent?
The Iroquois invented the Longhouse , which was a sizable, somewhat rectangular building. These structures enabled large families or groups to be...
Why did they build longhouses?
Longhouses have another thing in common besides their shape: they were built to serve as a home for a large extended family . An extended family includes a number of family units consisting of parents and children, plus grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
How did Iroquois survive?
Iroquois sustained themselves through hunting, gathering, fishing, and farming . Women were responsible for the crops. They managed the growth and harvest of crops, and settlements moved every 10 to 30 years due to soil losing its nutrients.
Who did the Iroquois worship?
The Iroquois believed the world to be full of supernatural creatures, including gods, spirits, and demons. Many religions have a god who is strongest or most important, and in the Iroquois religion that central god was the Great Spirit (also called the Great Chief or Great Mystery, depending on the tribe).
What was the Iroquois longhouse?
A longhouse has a framework built of posts and poles and is covered with sheets of bark. ... However, a typical Iroquois longhouse was 180 to 220 feet long . The length of a longhouse was determined by the size of the extended family that would live in it. The larger the family, the longer the longhouse needed to be.
Are there any Iroquois left?
Iroquois people still exist today . There are approximately 28,000 living in or near reservations in New York State, and approximately 30,000 more in Canada (McCall 28).
Does the Iroquois Confederacy still exist?
Most of the remaining Iroquois, except for the Oneida of Wisconsin and the Seneca-Cayuga of Oklahoma, are in New York; the Onondoga reservation there is still the capital of the Iroquois Confederacy . Large numbers of Iroquois in the United States live in urban areas rather than on reservations.
What is the Iroquois tribe known for?
The Iroquoi Tribes, also known as the Haudenosuanee, are known for many things. But they are best known for their longhouses . Each longhouse was home to many members of a Haudenosuanee family. The longhouse was the center of Iroquois life.
What did the Iroquois wear?
7. Iroquois women wore wraparound skirts with short leggings . The Men wore breechcloths with long leggings. They wore moccasins on their feet and heavy robes in the winter.
What do the Iroquois eat?
The Iroquois ate a variety of foods. They grew crops such as corn, beans, and squash . These three main crops were called the “Three Sisters” and were usually grown together. Women generally farmed the fields and cooked the meals.
What did the Iroquois do for fun?
For entertainment, the Iroquois played sports like lacrosse, a stick and ball game , and in the wintertime a game called snow snake.
