Iroquois
The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. Based in upstate New York at the time of the arrival of the Europeans, they now occupy territory in Ontario, Quebec, and New York.
The spiritual union of the nations began before European contact, replete with a Constitution recorded with special beads called wampum that served the same purpose as writing in other cultures. Most Western anthropologists speculate that this Constitution was created sometime between the middle 1400s and early 1600s, but other scholars who account for Iroquois oral tradition argue that the event took place as early as 1100, with many arguing for August 31, 1142 based on a coinciding solar eclipse (see Fields and Mann, "American Indian Culture and Research Journal, Volume 21 #2). Some Westerners have also suggested that this Constitution was written with European help - although most dismiss this notion as blatant racism.
The visionaries Hiawatha and The Great Peacemaker brought a message of peace to the original five nations. These were the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Mohawks.
For the most part they ceased fighting with one another and became one of the strongest forces in the 17th and 18th century in northeastern North America. They engaged in a series of wars against the French and their Huron allies, as well as other native tribes.
According to Francis Parkman, the Iroquois at the 17th century height of their power had a population of around only 12,000 people.
In 1720 the Tuscarora fled the European invasion of North Carolina to New York to become the sixth nation (non-voting) under the protection of the confederacy.
The combined leadership of these nations is known as the Haudenosaunee. It should be noted that "Haudenosaunee" is the term that the people use to refer to themselves. The word "Iroquois" comes from a French version of a Huron (Wendat) name - considered an insult - meaning "Black Snakes." Haudenosaunee means "People Building a Long House." The term is said to have been introduced by the Peace Maker at the time of the formation of the Confederacy. It implies that the Nations of the confederacy should live together as families in the same house.
The Iroquois political union and democratic government has been credited as one of the influences on the United States Constitution.
Member Nations
- Original Five Nations:
- Joined in 1720:
- Tuscarora (Ska-Ruh-Reh or Shirt Wearing People)
References
- "The Ordeal of the Longhouse", by Daniel K. Richter
- Who Are the Haudenosaunee? (http://sixnations.buffnet.net/Culture/?article=who_we_are)
- Oldest Living Participatory Democracy (http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/)
Related topics
- Joseph Brant
- Red Jacket
- Cornplanter
- Ely S. Parker
- Sullivan Expedition
- History of New York
- Iroquoian languages
- Iroquois mythology
- Six Nations of the Grand River
Iroquois-Class destroyer of the Canadian Navy.
Iroquois kinship is a system of familial comprehension that originated with the Iroquois tribes.
The Six Nations Championship is an international rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales.
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