Iroquois Tribe

Iroquois Tribe

How do you pronounce the word "Iroquois"? What does it mean?Iroquois is pronounced "eer-uh-kwoy" in English. It's an English corruption of a French corruption of an Algonkian word meaning "real snakes." This may have been an insulting nickname (the Algonkian and Iroquois Indians were traditional enemies.) The Iroquois tribes originally called their confederacy Kanonsionni, which means "people of the longhouse." Today they call themselves the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations. 

Who were the Iroquois tribes?There were five tribes in the original Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayugatribes. Later a sixth nation, the Tuscarora tribe, joined the confederation. 

Many other tribes, such as the Huron and the Cherokee, are sometimes called "Iroquoian" tribes. They are called that because they are distant relatives of the Iroquois Confederacy tribes and speak related languages. However, they were never part of the Iroquois Confederacy. In fact, they were sometimes at war with them. 

How was the Iroquois Confederacy organized?The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois League, was governed by the Iroquois Great Council. Each Iroquois nation sent between eight and fourteen leaders to the Great Council, where they agreed on political decisions through discussion and voting. Although these politicians were called "chiefs," they were actually elected officials, chosen by the clan mothers (or matriarchs) of each tribe. Each individual nation also had its own tribal council to make local decisions. This is similar to how American states each have their own government, but all are subject to the greater US government. In fact, the Iroquois Confederacy was one of the examples of representative democracy used as a model by America's founding fathers. 

The Iroquois Great Council continues to meet in the present day, although today most political matters are decided by the governments of the individual Iroquois nations. 

Where do the Iroquois Indians live?The Iroquois tribes are original residents of the northeastern woodlands area. The heart of the Iroquois homeland is located in what is now New York state. (The Tuscaroras originally lived further to the south, and migrated north to join the rest of the Iroquois tribes.) Many Iroquois people still live in New York today, or across the border in Canada (Ontario and Quebec.) Other Iroquois groups were forced to move west to Oklahoma or Wisconsin during the 1800's, and their descendants are still living there today. 

What language do the Iroquois Indians speak?There were six different languages spoken by the Iroquois nations: Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. These languages are all related to each other, just as the European languages Spanish, French, and Italian are all related to each other. Some Iroquois people could speak more than one of these languages. In particular, important Iroquois men usually learned Mohawk, because Mohawk was the language they usually used at the Great Council and at Iroquois religious festivals. 

Most Iroquois people speak English today, but some people, especially elders, still speak the native language of their own tribe. Here is a comparative chart of Iroquois words, a website where you can hear Iroquois words being spoken, and a Mohawk picture glossary. 


What was Iroquois culture like in the past? What is it like now?

Here is a link to the Haudenosaunee Grand Council, where you can find information about the Iroquois Confederacy past and present. Here is the website of the Iroquois Museum of New York, where you can see photographs of Iroquois art and artifacts. How do Iroquois Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?     Iroquois dolls They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Iroquois children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But Iroquois kids did have cornhusk dolls, toys, and games, such as one game where kids tried to throw a dart through a moving hoop.Lacrosse was also a popular sport among Iroquois boys as it was among adult men. Iroquois mothers, like many Native Americans, had the tradition of carrying their babies in cradleboards on their backs. Here is a website with Iroquois cradleboard pictures. What were men and women's roles in the Iroquois tribe? Iroquois men were in charge of hunting, trading, and war. Iroquois women were in charge of farming, property, and family. These different roles were reflected in Iroquois government. Iroquois clans were ruled by women, who made all the land and resource decisions for each clan. But the chiefs, who made military decisions and trade agreements, were always men. Only men represented the Iroquois Confederacy at the Great Council, but only women voted to determine who the representatives of each tribe would be. Both genders took part in Iroquois storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.  What were Iroquois homes like in the past?           Iroquois longhouse sketch The Iroquois people lived in villages of longhouses. A longhouse was a large wood-frame building covered with sheets of elm bark. Iroquois longhouses were up to a hundred feet long, and each one housed an entire clan (as many as 60 people.) Here are some pictures of Indian longhouses like the ones Iroquois Indians used, and adrawing of what a longhouse looked like on the inside. Today, Iroquois families live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you. What was Iroquois clothing like? Did Iroquois people wear feather headdresses and face paint?            Iroquois clothing        Iroquois moccasins Iroquois men wore breechcloths with long leggings. Iroquois women wore wraparound skirts with shorter leggings. Men did not originally wear shirts in Iroquois culture, but women often wore a tunic called an overdress. Iroquois people also wore moccasins on their feet and heavy robes in winter. In colonial times, the Iroquois adapted European costume like long cloth shirts, decorating them with fancy beadwork and ribbon applique. Here is a webpage about traditional Iroquois dress, and here are some photos and links about American Indian clothes in general. The Iroquois Indians did not wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Iroquois men wore agustoweh, which was a feathered cap with different insignia for each tribe (the headdress worn by the man in this picture has three eagle feathers, showing that he is Mohawk.) Iroquois women sometimes wore special beaded tiaras. Iroquois warriors often shaved their heads except for a scalplock or a crest down the center of their head (the style known as a roach, or a "Mohawk.") Sometimes they augmented this hairstyle with splayed feathers or artificial roaches made of brightly dyed porcupine and deer hair. Here are some pictures of these different kinds of American Indian headdresses. Iroquois Indian women only cut their hair when they were in mourning, wearing it long and loose or plaited into a long braid. Men sometimes decorated their faces and bodies with tribal tattoos, but Iroquois women generally didn't paint or tattoo themselves. Today, some Iroquois people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.

What was Iroquois food like in the days before supermarkets?

Iroquois farmers

The Iroquois were farming people. Iroquois women did most of the farming, planting crops of corn, beans, and squash and harvesting wild berries and herbs. Iroquois men did most of the hunting, shooting deer and elk and fishing in the rivers. Iroquois Indian dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths. Here is a neat slideshow of an Iroquois girl demonstrating a traditional cornbread recipe, and here is a website with more information about Native food in general.

What were Iroquois weapons and tools like in the past?

Iroquois war club

Iroquois hunters used bows and arrows. Iroquois fishermen generally used spears and fishing poles. In war, Iroquois men used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs, spears and shields. Here is a website with pictures and information about Iroquois Indian weapons. Other important tools used by the Iroquois Indians included stone adzes (hand axes for woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, and wooden hoes for farming. The Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, steaming wood so they could bend it into curved tools. Some Iroquois people still make lacrosse sticks this way today.

What are Iroquois arts and crafts like?

Iroquois beadwork

The Iroquois tribes were known for their mask carving. Iroquois masks are considered such a sacred art form that outsiders are still not permitted to view many of them. Native beadwork and the more demanding porcupine quillwork are more common Iroquois crafts. The Iroquois Indians also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and symbols on Iroquois wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family. http://www.bigorrin.org/iroquois_kids.htm

Navajo Tribe

How do you pronounce the word "Navajo"? What does it mean?Navajo is pronounced "NAH-vuh-ho." This spelling came from Spanish-- you can sometimes see the same name spelled "Navaho" instead. It comes from a Pueblo Indian word for "planted fields" or "farmlands." The Pueblo Indians probably gave them this name because unlike their relatives the Apaches, the Navajos were farmers who lived in settled villages. Traditionally the Navajos called themselves Dine'é or just Diné (which means "the people"), but today most Navajo people also use the word "Navajo" themselves, especially when they are speaking English. 

Where do the Navajos live?The Navajo are natives of the Four Corners region (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado). The Navajo people are still living in their traditional territory today. 

How is the Navajo Indian nation organized?The Navajos live on a reservation, which is land that belongs to them and is under their control. The Navajo Nation has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Navajos are also US citizens and must obey American law. 

In the past, each Navajo band was led by its own chief, who was chosen by a tribal council. Most important decisions were made by the council, and all the Navajo councilmembers had to agree before an action could be taken. A Navajo chief was more like a tribal chairman than a king. Most of his job was mediating between the other Navajos. Today, the Navajo Nation is led by a president and tribal council that are elected by all the people.


What language do the Navajo Indians speak?Almost all Navajo people speak English today, but nearly 150,000 Navajos also speak their native Navajo language. Navajo is a complex language with tones and many different vowel sounds. Most English speakers find it very difficult to pronounce. If you'd like to know an easy Navajo word, "yá'át'ééh" (sounds a little like yah-ah-t-ay) means "hello" in Navajo. 

How do Navajo Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Navajo children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play. Navajo children liked to run footraces, play archery games, and ride horses. A Navajo mother traditionally carried a young child in a cradleboard on her backs. 





What were men and women's roles in the Navajo tribe?Men and women did different jobs in Navajo society. Navajo men were hunters, warriors and political leaders. Only men were chiefs in the Navajo tribe. Navajo women were farmers, tended livestock, and also did most of the child care and cooking. Even artwork was separated by gender. Men made jewelry, and women wove rugs and sculpted clay pots. Both genders did take part in storytelling, music, and traditional medicine. 

Today, many of these gender roles have changed. Navajo men are often farmers and ranchers now... and Navajo women join the Army. 

What were Navajo homes like in the past?Navajo people lived in hogans, which are traditional earth houses. A hogan is made of a special wood framework packed with clay into a domed shape, with the door facing east. The thick earthen walls insulate the hogan and protect the people inside from wind and strong weather.





What were Navajo clothes like? Did the Navajos wear feather headdresses and face paint?Originally, Navajo men wore breechcloths and the women wore skirts made of woven yucca fiber. Shirts were not necessary in Navajo culture, but both men and women wore deerskin ponchos or cloaks of rabbit fur in cool weather, and moccasins on their feet. After sheep were introduced and Navajo women could weave larger woolen items, men began to wear poncho-style wool shirts, women began to wear wool dresses with shoulder straps, and heavy wool blankets began to replace fur cloaks. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, long velveteen shirts and blouses came into fashion and Mexican-style full cotton skirts became popular with Navajo women. These styles are still popular today. 


The Navajos did not traditionally wear Indian headdresses. Navajo men usually wore cloth headbands tied around their foreheads instead. Both men and women wore their hair gathered into a figure-eight shaped bun called a tsiyeel, though some Navajo men did begin cutting their hair to shoulder-length in the Pueblo style during the early 1900's. Except for certain religious ceremonies, the Navajos didn't paint their faces or bodies. But they are famous for their beautiful silver and turquoise ornaments, particularly concha belts (made of interconnected silver medallions), brooches, and jewelry. 


What was Navajo transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?No--the Navajo Indians weren't coastal people, and rarely traveled by river. Originally they just walked. There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe, so the Navajos used dogs pulling travois (a kind of drag sled) to help them carry their belongings. Once Europeans brought horses to America, the Navajos could travel more quickly than before. 

What was Navajo food like in the days before supermarkets?The Navajos were farming people. They raised crops of corn, beans, and squash. Navajo men also hunted deer, antelope, and small game, while women gathered nuts, fruits, and herbs. After the Spanish introduced domestic sheep and goats, the Navajos began raising herds of these animals for their meat and wool as well. 


What were Navajo weapons and tools like in the past?Navajo hunters used bows and arrows. In war, Navajo men fired their bows or fought with spears and rawhide shields. Navajo tools included wooden hoes and rakes for farming, spindles and looms for weaving, and pump drills for boring holes in turquoise and other beads.

What are Navajo arts and crafts like?Navajo artists are famous for their colorful woven rugs and silver and turquoise jewelry. They also made pottery, baskets, and sandpaintings. Here is a good site on the history of Navajo rug weaving. 

What about Navajo religion?Sorry, but we cannot help you with religious information. Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the Navajo religion or this site about Native American religions in general. 

Natural Resources:

• Animals: The desert animals were reptiles and snakes. Livestock included sheep and goats and wild turkey
• Crops: The crops grown in the area were corn, beans, sunflower seeds and squash

The clothes worn by the Navajo tribe made good use of the natural resources that were available to them. The women spun and wove wool into cloth for ponchos, blankets and cloaks. Yucca fiber, from the Soaptree yucca, was also used to make sandals, belts and cloth and was also used to produce baskets and mats. 

http://www.bigorrin.org/navajo_kids.htm

https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/navajo-tribe.htm

Navajo

Sioux

Sioux Tribe

Sioux Tribe

Where do the Sioux people live?The original Lakota/Dakota homelands were in what is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. The Sioux traveled freely, however, and there was also significant Sioux presence in the modern states of Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and northern Illinois, and in south-central Canada. Today, most Sioux people live in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan. 

How is the Sioux Indian nation organized?There are 13 Sioux political subdivisions, combined into seven major tribes (the Mdewakanton, Sisseton, Teton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, Yankton, and Yanktonai Sioux tribes.) However, today, these divisions have more cultural significance than political. Each Dakota/Lakota band is politically autonomous, which means it has its own land and leadership and makes decisions independently of other Sioux bands. Like most Native American tribes, each Lakota/Dakota community lives on its own reservation ("reserve," in Canada), which belongs to them and is legally under their control. However, the US and Canadian governments still consider the Sioux citizens. Each Lakota/Dakota band has its own government, laws, police, and other services, just like a small country. The political leader of a band is called "itancan" in the Dakota and Lakota language, usually translated as "chief" or "president" in English. The itancan used to be a man chosen by tribal councilmembers, but today Sioux tribal leaders can be of either gender and are popularly elected in most Dakota/Lakota bands, just as mayors and governors are.

What language do the Sioux people speak?Nearly all Lakota and Dakota people speak English, but about 15,000 Sioux Indians are bilingual in their nativeLakota/Dakota language. Despite pronunciation differences, Lakota and Dakota speakers can understand each other easily, just like people who speak American English and Canadian English can. If you'd like to know a few easy Sioux words, "hau" (pronounced similar to the English word "how") is a friendly greeting in both the Lakota and Dakota dialects, and "wašte" (pronounced wash-tay) means "good." You can see a picture glossary of Lakota animal words here-- click on each word to hear it spoken aloud. 


How do Sioux Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Sioux children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian children had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonists' children. But they did have dolls and toys to play with, and older boys in some bands liked to play lacrosse. Sioux mothers, like many Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.

What were Sioux homes like in the past?The Dakota and Lakota people lived in large buffalo-hide tents called tipis (or teepees). Tipis were carefully designed to set up and break down quickly. An entire Sioux village could be packed up and ready to move within an hour. Originally tipis were only about 12 feet high, but after the Sioux acquired horses, they began building them twice that size. Here are some pictures of tipis and other Indian houses. Today, Native Americans only put up a tepee for fun or to connect with their heritage. Most Sioux families live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you. 



What was Sioux clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?Sioux women wore long deerskin or elkskin dresses. Sioux men wore breechcloths and leggings and buckskin shirts. The Sioux also wore moccasins on their feet and buffalo-hide robes in bad weather. In colonial times, the Sioux adapted European costume such as vests, cloth dresses, and blanket robes. 




Sioux warriors and chiefs were well-known for their impressive Native American Indan headdresses, but they didn't wear them in everyday life. Both Sioux men and women wore their hair long, cutting it only when they were in mourning. There were many different traditional Sioux hairstyles, but long braids were the most common. Men often wrapped their braids in fur or tied quillwork strips around them. On special occasions, Sioux people painted their faces and arms with bright colors and animal designs. They used different patterns for war paint and festive decoration. 

Today, some Sioux people still wear moccasins or a beaded vest, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance. 

What was Sioux transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes?The Sioux tribes knew how to make Here is an article with pictures of dugout and birchbark canoes, but more often, they traveled overland. Originally the Sioux used dogs pulling travois (a kind of drag sled) to help them carry their belongings. Once Europeans introduced horses to North America, the Sioux became known as expert riders and traveled greater distances. Here is an article with pictures of horse travois. Horse riding is still popular in the Sioux nation today, but like other Americans, Lakota and Dakota people also use modern vehicles like cars now. 

What was Sioux food like in the days before supermarkets?Originally the Lakota and Dakota Indians were corn farmers as well as hunters, but once they acquired horses they mostly gave up farming, and moved frequently to follow the seasonal migrations of the buffalo herds. Most of their diet was meat, especially buffalo, elk and deer, which they cooked in pits or dried and pounded into pemmican. The Sioux also collected chokecherries, fruit, and potatoes to eat. 

What were Sioux weapons and tools like in the past?Sioux warriors used bows and arrows, spears, war clubs, and buffalo-hide shields. Here is a website with pictures and information about Sioux Indian weapons. Hunters also used snares, and when Lakota or Dakota men hunted buffalo, they often set controlled fires to herd the animals into traps or over cliffs. 

What are Sioux arts and crafts like?Sioux women are known for their quillwork and beadwork, and the men are known for their elaborate buffalo-hide paintings. Sioux artists also make pottery, parfleche, and ceremonial calumets (pipes carved from catlinite.) 

Calumet

Parfleche





Natural Resources

They were nomads, who migrated according to the season and the movement of the buffalo, their main food. The Sioux originally grew crops, but once they moved onto the plains, their primary food became the buffalo. They grew very few crops, and mostly traded weapons and meat with other tribes for corn.

Buffaloes were used as food, clothing, housing, and weapons. Though they mostly ate buffalo, the Sioux also hunted elk and deer. They would tan the hides of these animals and use them as clothing.

http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/NativeAmericans/Sioux.htm
http://www.bigorrin.org/sioux_kids.htm