Location & Shelter

The Haudenosaunee mainly lived around the Great Lakes region. The environment of this area allowed them to have permanent settlements with populations as large as 1 500 people. They constructed permanent homes called Longhouses. They were made out of tree trunks, bark and animal skins. Longhouses would provide shelter for several related families. The longhouses had bunk beds, shelves and sometimes woven screens to provide privacy. Smoke holes were built in the roofs of the longhouse to allow smoke to escape from fires that were built inside to provide warmth and a means to cook food.

Haudenosaunee Society
Date

Clothing and technology

Food

The Haudenosaunee were a farming people. Most of the farming was by women. The main crops that they grew were corn, beans and squash and were known as the three sisters Men would hunk deer, elk and smaller animals such as rabbits They would also fish. Women would also collect berries, nuts and plants from the forest. This abundance of food allowed the Haudenosaunee to have large permanent settlements. These settlements would have to be moved about every 12 years as growing the same crops would cause the soil to lose its nutrients.

Haudenosaunee wore clothing made of animal skin and when needed wore moccasins. Like the Mikmaq they used canoes and snowshoes to get around.

They also constructed spoons cups and toys made from the bones of animals they hunted. They made bows and arrows, fishing spears, flint knifes to skin animals, tools such as adzes to work with wood and hoes for farming.

They were very skilled wood workers and would steam wood to bend it to create curved tools. They also used this wood working skill to create lacrosse sticks.

Organization and Decision Making

The Great Law of Peace : The Haudenosaunee Confederacy was based on the Great Law of Peace. Dekanwidah, the Peacemaker, brought this Law of peace and created the confederacy. The Great Law of peace set down rules of government that gave each member of the confederacy equal voice and status. A white pine was used to symbolize the commitment of the Haudenosaunee to peace:

Women played an important role in the decision making process of the society as they were in charge of providing most of the food for the community. A group of female leaders called Clan mothers would make choose male leaders called Hoyaneh who spoke for the clan. Five Haudenosaunee groups joined together to form The Haudenosaunee Confederacy that would meet as a Great Council. Only men would sit on the Great Council but they would be chosen by women. All decisions of the Great Council had to be made through consensus. This meant that everyone had to agree before a decision could be reached.

The tree represents the beach among the nations. The branches represent the protection of the nations under the Great Law of Peace. The great white roots represented peace and strength. The eagle at the top of the tree was there to warn of any danger threatening the people of the Confederacy. The weapon beneath the tree shows that the groups in the Confederacy have put aside hostilities to work together.