the people of the longhouse native american iroquois nation five tribes seneca, cayuga, onodaga,...
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The Longhouse The longhouse was a symbol of how the Iroquois governed themselves The Iroquois was a Nation of five tribes who were also considered “extended families” The Seneca, Cayuga, Onodaga, Oneida, and Mohawk were all a part of the Iroquois NationTRANSCRIPT
The People of the LonghouseNative American Iroquois Nation
Five Tribes Seneca, Cayuga, Onodaga, Oneida, Mohawk
Iroquois Native Americans• The Iroquois called themselves “Haudenosaunee” or
“People who build a house.”• The longhouse was a type of building the Iroquois
used to live in• It was more than just a building• It was a metaphor that represented a way of life for
the Iroquois
The Longhouse
• The longhouse was a symbol of how the Iroquois governed themselves
• The Iroquois was a Nation of five tribes who were also considered “extended families”
• The Seneca, Cayuga, Onodaga, Oneida, and Mohawk were all a part of the Iroquois Nation
The Longhouse• The longhouse was the basic unit of the Iroquois
society• It symbolized the idea of being together as one
community• The longhouse roof represented what the people
called “Common Law” or “The Great Law”
The Longhouse
• The Iroquois imagined an invisible longhouse stretching across the land with the ends of the longhouse being occupied by the Seneca and the other end occupied by the Mohawk
• The Oneida, Cayuga, and Onodaga occupied the middle
The Longhouse
• In reality, the longhouse was part of the Iroquois’ domestic architecture
• Essentially, it was a lodge where family members joined together
• As the family grew the longhouse would be added onto, extending and growing longer in size
The Longhouse
The Longhouse• Symbolically, the longhouse also represented the entire
Iroquois Nation • For them, it housed all of the Nation tribes who live on the
land together which we call the state of New York today.• Symbolically, the longhouse would extend from the beginning;
where the sun rises in the East to where it sets in the West• The longhouse was a symbol of peace and the Iroquois will all
become united and strong together.
The Longhouse
• Iroquois women were responsible for cultivating the earth
• They would scrape the dirt into small hills and bury three seeds (corn, bean, and squash)
• These three plants grew by working together • The corn provided the stalk for the bean to climb• The squash spread out on the ground and provided
shade and kept weeds away for the corn and bean
The Iroquois
The Longhouse
• The Iroquois celebrated many rituals or ceremonies• This activity reinforced the feeling of community• Examples of celebrations include the Strawberry
Festival in the Spring and the Harvest Ceremony in the Fall
• Special attention was always paid to the time of Thanksgiving in November
The Iroquois
• It was a special time when the Iroquois recognized the land and how indebted they were to its resources (water, sunlight, seeds, etc.)
• The Iroquois never took the land’s resources for granted
• They were a humble people who were very thankful for what the earth gave them
The Iroquois