Transcript Notes on the Iroquois Review

Miss Springborn~ Team 6
Pages 11-12 in NOTES packet
Government:
 The Iroquois consisted of five nations that were called
the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and
Seneca___
 When these 5 groups joined together they called
themselves The League of Five Nations_
 The most important law of the Iroquois was called the
Great __Law of Peace_______
 In 1722, another nation joined the nation called the
____Tuscarora________
Homeland and Food:
 The homeland of the Iroquois was the __woodland
Northeast_. The winters were ___severe/cold__ and the
summers were ___warm____.
 The Iroquois got much of their food from the forests and
rivers. The men went ___hunting and fishing___ and both
men and women __gathered berries, fruits, and nuts___
 The Iroquois women looked after the fields. One of the
main crops they grew were _corn, beans, and squash__ and
they called these crops the “__three sisters__’
 The main job of the Iroquois men was to _fish and hunt
Homeland and Food:
 The men hunted game birds like _goose, the heron,
and the turkey_ and they hunted animals such as
_bear and beaver_
Shelter:
 The Iroquois stayed in one place because they were able to
grow much of their __food_. The nearby forests provided
trees from which they built houses called _longhouses.
 Longhouses were long buildings made to __last a long
time__. They were made of __wooden poles__ that were
tied together and covered with sheets of __bark__.
 Many _families__ shared a longhouse. Each family had its
own space. Sleeping __platforms__ and shelves lined the
walls. The platforms had __reed mats and deerskins on
them to make them warm and comfortable.
Language and Storytelling:
 The Iroquois had NO __written language___
 They used speeches and ___storytelling____ to
preserve the history and culture. Stories were passed
__down through generations__
 Storytellers would point to parts of a belt to tell a story.
These belts had patterns made with shell beads called
__WAMPUM___. Each pattern meant something
different.
 Many wampum belts were like official ___records_.
The belts were exchanged at __marriages__ and to seal
_political agreements
 The Iroquois could grow extra crops, such as _corn_, to
Trade:
trade.
 They traded with _eastern people__ for _wampum shells__
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and with Northern people for _fur_
Trade is _the buying and selling or exchange of products_
Goods are _products that can be bought, sold, or
exchanged_
When the Europeans started coming to the New world in
the early 16th century, the Iroquois started trading with
them. _Europeans_ wanted a lot of fur. Iroquois traded the
furs for goods such as guns, iron tools, and pots, and glass
beads_.
The Iroquois also traded their crops, such as __corn__, with
other groups for beaver fur and then traded this fur with
___Europeans__.
Glossary Terms:
 Wampum means: beads made from shells strung into
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patterns with different meanings
Homeland means: the place a people or nation chooses
to make its home
Longhouses are: long Native American houses built for
large groups to live in
Treaty is: an official agreement between groups of
people
Culture is: the traditions, language, dress, ceremonies,
and other ways of life that a group of people share