The Iroquois were a confederacy of Native Americans. They were
located in Central New York around the 16th century. They were extremely
powerful.
During the 17th century they split up. They conquered almost all te tribes,
extending to the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Saint
Lawerence River to the Tennesee River.
The Iroquois consisted of these tribes: The
Mohawk, Onondagas, Cayugas, Oneidas, and Senecas. Later the Tuscarora joined
the tribes. They then became known as the League of Six Nations.
The Iroquois had a stable political government. They had a natural skill
in warfare and were know to use the first firearms. This allowed the Iroquois
to achieve and maintain a position of great power during the colonial period
of American History.
At the beginning of the American revolution the league declared neutrality
but let the six tribes choose sides as they wished. Most of them joined
the British but a few of them joined the colonists.
At the end of the Revolution the Mohawks moved up to Canada. A short time
later the Cayugas followed. They both eventually settled on two reservations
north of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Tuscarora eventually ended up
scattered. The Oneidas settled in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Senacas are
in western New York. The Onondaga still have land near Syracuse, New York.
A survey taken showed in 1990 there were more than 449,038 Iroquois still
living in the United States.
|Iroquois
Basic| homes| Cherokee|
Seminoles|
Senecas|
Blackfoot|
Onondaga|
Aztec|
Iroquois|
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