Iroquois Indians

Today I've learning about the Iroquois Indians. So far I've learned the following information about them:

1.   Iroquois man dancing.

                          - Name

The first thing I'm going to share is the Iroquois name. Iroquois is pronounced, “eer-uh-kwoy”.

They call themselves "Haudenosaunee" which means: "people of the longhouse." Their enemies nicknamed them Iroquois, which means "snake". They were nicknamed snake because they were known for their warring and fighting skills. 

2. An Iroquois Indian home.

               

             

                   - Housing 

The Iroquois lived in the woodlands of the  Northeastern United States. The Iroquois built houses called "longhouses". Theses house were made from tree bark. They could take parts off the roof to let the smoke out. Longhouses were one hundred feet long and could house sixty people.  They would later fence in their towns and clear land around the village to see approaching Indians and farms.  

3. A example of Iroquois clothing. 

                            - Clothing 

 Most of the Iroquois clothes were made from deerskin that they obtained from hunting. Although, some clothing were made from corn husks or plant fibers. Iroquois men wore leather shirts and leggings and a few wore tattoos. The women wore leather dresses with legging underneath. Sometimes the women wore special beaded tiaras. Iroquois women never cut their hair unless they were mourning. The children dressed like their parents. They all wore leather shoes called moccasins. A Iroquois baby's diaper was made from the fat end of a cattail. The men also wore feathers on their head these were called "gus toweh". The gus toweh showed other Native Americans what kind of tribe they belong to. 

                   - Food

4. Food of the Iroquois.

The Iroquois women were farmers.They planted crops that they called the three sisters, which are beans, corn, and squash. Besides these they ate melons, berries, mushrooms, roots (like potatoes), and nuts. While the women tended to grow fruits and vegetables, the men hunted and fished. The meat they valued the most was venison. They used almost every part of the deer. They used bones for tools and weapons, and sinew(which is made from the animal’s tendons)was used for thread.

     

5.  Iroquois weapon.

          -Weapons

The Iroquois tribe used bows and arrows,spears, tomahawks, clubs and shields for hunting and fighting. To fish they used bows, arrows and spears. The weapons mentioned  above would be made from stone, wood, animals, and bones. Before the Iroquois tribe declared war, the members of The Iroquois Great Council would unanimously all choose for or against war or trading.

         - Handmade items 

6.  Water drum.

The most common crafts of the Iroquois are bead-work, and porcupine quill-work. Other skilled workers would steam wood and bend into wood tools. Some lacrosse sticks are still made this way today. They were also known for their masks; their masks were so sacred that they didn't let outsiders see them. Iroquois also made flutes and drums. The drums were  filled with water so they would make a different sound. At night men would play the flute at a women's door to let her know that he was thinking about her.

Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments, questions, & suggestions on this post.

----------------------------Helpful websites I used below----------------------------------
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/if_you_lived_with_the_iroquois.php
Lap-book above.
http://www.bigorrin.org/iroquois_kids.htm

http://www.dynamic2moms.com/iroquoisconfederacy.htm

//www.prontolessons.com/iroquois_native_americans1.html




           ---------------------------Photo Credits------------------------------------

picture 1. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/95753/Traditionally-dressed-Iroquois-man-chanting-and-dancing-outside-a-reconstructed

Picture 2. and 4 http://www.dynamic2moms.com/iroquoisconfederacy.htm

picture 3 and 6.http://www.bigorrin.org/iroquois_kids.htm

picture 5 .http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&rlz=1I7GGLR_enUS261&biw=1024&bih=611&tbm=isch&tbnid=FQ2BOUe6alW42M:&imgrefurl=http://canada-natives.blogspot.com/p/iroquois.html&imgurl=http://www.westirondequoit.org/technology/k-6/Iroquois_Nation/images/bowarrowquiver.gif&w=763&h=480&ei=3X9CUMKKJYOd2QWF_IDQDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=203&vpy=313&dur=199&hovh=178&hovw=283&tx=115&ty=196&sig=103665139066187244955&page=1&tbnh=99&tbnw=157&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:109