Iroques

[Kagemusha]

I have been always intrested in North American Natives.And my favourite Indian Nation has always been the Six Nations.I think Iroques confederacy was the most developed among North American Indian Nations and maybe it had largest impact in colonial history of North America.Im especially intrested of their type of warfare what was somewhat extraordinary among Indians,because they literally wiped out some of their neighbours.Also i think they had somewhat democratic tribal law.

[Gregoshi]

I visited Arizona back in June and spent some time in the Navajo nation. Since that visit, my interest in the North American indians has grown tremendously. I recently started reading a book called 500 Nations about the history of the NA indians. Yesterday I read a section on the Iroquois Confederacy. You are correct kagemusha, they did have a form of democratic government. IIRC, there were two tribes (Mohawk & Seneca I think) that were a kind of senior ruling council and two other tribes (don't recall their names) were a junior council. Then there was the Onondaga (spelling?) tribe that would settle ties in voting. The book suggests this arrangement may have been an influence on the Founding Fathers when they were forming the government for the fledgling USA. It is interesting stuff. When I was in school, it is now apparent that we didn't learn nearly enough about the NA indians. However, it is a pretty sad story in the end.

[Kagemusha]

Gregoshi can you give me the author´s name? I have an vague memory of such book i read long a go it was like an encarta of North American tribes and it had beutifull illustrations.In cover there was a drawn picture of great chief Pontiac of Algonguins.About the two Iroques Nations i think they were the Oneida and Cayga.If my memory serves me well.

[lars573]

Greg the Iroguois were a confederacy of 7 tribes. In fact Iroquois is a French version of their word for their confederacy. They tribes were Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and the Tuscarora. They all spoke a similar dialect and were only semi-nomadic. They grew corn in an area until the fields went fallow then moved somewhere else. They also had places they moved to hunt in winter. Their lands were originally from along the Saint Laurence river here in Canada through Ontario and down into the US mid west. Most of their lands fell into land claimed by the French and in 1690 they made good their claim. They embarked on a campaing to bring the Iroquois to heel. Which they did by 1695. But after making the Iroquois submit to their rule they left them alone more or less.

[Hurin_Rules]

Many of the Five Nations peoples also fought in the various wars between America and the natives and in the War of 1812. I grew up near many of these battle sites--Lundy's Lane, Queenston Heights, etc. I can tell you that the American troops were absolutely terrified by the natives. General Brock managed to take Fort Detroit even though he was outnumbered and had no chance in an assault simply by playing on these fears. Tecumseh was a Shawnee (not one of the Five Nations), but I believe many of the troops who fought for him were Five Nations. Tecumseh was a tremendous help to the British and Canadians in the War of 1812 and essentially fought to the death at the Battle of the Thames. With him died the hope of a sovereign Native Homeland in North America.

[Kagemusha]

It seems that Iroquois confederacy had a strict alliance with the British.And at the end it also resulted to their downfall.I did a litlle research today about them and i found some pretty intresting things.First thing i stumbled was a fact they were infact a Matriarchacy.Women were the heads of family units and they chose the chiefs among men,also when the Iroques married, the man was married into the woman´s family.What i found very disturbing that they favoured type of marriage where a young man would be married to older woman and vice versa.I also found out that the original tribes that founded the Iroquois confederacy at early 1600 was five nations:Seneca,Mohawk,Oneida,Onondaga and Cayga.At 1722 Tuscarora tribe joined the alliance also.Iroquois called themselves "Haudinashone"=People of long house.The name Iroquois was given them by their enemies it means "The true snakes".

[GoreBag]

Greg the Iroguois were a confederacy of 7 tribes. They tribes were Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and the Tuscarora.

That's only 6...

In any case, the Tuscarora were johnny-come-latelies.