Iroquois indians free essay sample

York between the Adirondack Mountains and Niagara Falls. With in these sub clans were three subdivided tribes, the turtle, bear, and wolf tribes, which were headed by a clan mother. The Iroquois were all considered an important native group in North American history. All Iroquois nations had matrilineal social structures which means the Iroquois women had more power in the tribe than the men did. They owned the property and the fields and determined kinship. Kinship involves how people classify each other, the rules that affect peoples behavior and peoples actual behavior (Knows and Laird, 2010). Kinship is observed in our lives within our circle of social groups, and how we classify them in regards to importance and how we treat them is based on our classifications of them. The Iroquois were a female dominated group. Unlike most societies, the Iroquois trace their ancestry through the women making them a matrilineal society. We will write a custom essay sample on Iroquois indians or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is a culture of responsibility and respect, where each person is valued for their contribution to the group as a whole. Women are the main producers of food and owners of the land. The men help by clearing forest areas to prepare for farming. The men also hunt lid game as well as fight to protect their people. The younger adults are expected to do a handle a larger share of work due to their strength and stamina. The basics of the Iroquois kinship system give responsibilities to all of the members regardless of age or their sex- The Iroquois people are known as the Headcounts or The People of the Longhouse. The Iroquois are a horticultural society located in the Northeast region of North America. Horticultural societies use a matrilineal system mainly because the women grow and prepare the food for the family, primarily corn, beans and squash. They were known as the Three Sisters (Knows and Laird, 2010).The chances that a society being of or remaining a matrilineal society depends upon how much food is obtained from hunting and gathering. The more contributed by hunting and gathering Of the food, the greater their importance and roles will become. The Iroquois communities primarily rely on farmed foods for nutrients and energy as well as small to large hunted game for larger communal feasts, and also intra communal trading. In the Iroquois culture, the woman in a marriage holds majority power. Only once the marriage has appended the husband will lives within the wifes community or tribe.The longhouses provide separate living quarters for each family to occupy. Divorce exists as part of the Iroquois culture. If the wife no longer wants to be married all she simply has to do is place her husbands possessions in front of the house. This is sign enough that she I through. When there are children they will typically remain with the mother after divorce. There are some things in common between our culture and the Iroquois. Unlike most societies the Iroquois are a female dominated group and every person in the Emily has their own responsibilities.Each person is valued for his or her contribution to the group. The Iroquois nation was one of the most powerful tribes in North America. Their religious beliefs were more developed than most other tribes. The Iroquois believed in an all-powerful creator named, the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit was believed to be impossible for human to understand, so in order to help them understand they believe that the Great Spirit sent lesser spirits to earth. The Iroquois called them Invisible Agents. These spirits could Interact with the Iroquois and were given unique powers y the Great Spirit.The lesser spirits represented certain objects or forces, while other spirits represented the weather while another represented a thunderbolt. The Great Spirit was thought to have had a brother, who was called the Evil Minded. He represented all the bad things in the world, while the Great Spirit represented all the good. Iroquois had the choice to either follow the path of good or the path of evil. Iroquois believed the soul was immortal and that the Great Spirit upon death would judge them and an Iroquois could be punished in the afterlife if they were immortal.Religion helped in aiding the Iroquois in developing an extremely successful nation. The Iroquois believed that the Great Spirit indirectly guided the lives Of ordinary men The Iroquois had ritual ceremonies that occurred in line With certain seasonal periods on a yearly basis. These were systematic worship services and their rituals have been passed down for many generations unchanged from the beginning. Many Native American religions have spawned from Iraq Uzis beliefs such as the Longhouse Religion and the Wash Religion. The Iroquois believed that the world was as it should be, ND that mankind could do nothing to change the fact.Iroquois religion is very similar to Christianity, which helped them integrate into the so called white society faster and easily which in turn helped them find common ground and it saved th e Iroquois from being fully wiped out. (Culture summary: Iroquois. Up. 6-9). The Iroquois have a wholly collective duty and also have related attitudes towards property ownership. These concepts have had great meaning to the Iroquois and have influenced and molded their society greatly. It has shaped they way the Iroquois formed their economic yester, political systems, social relationships, and religion.This has led to many openly different worldviews about the Iroquois people. The Iroquois people had a very simple system of government that functioned without many problems. With the emergence of the Europeans, things started to change everywhere they turned a corner. 45720053340Notwithstanding the simplicity of Indian life, and its barrenness of those higher social enjoyments which pertain to refined communities, Indian society was bound together by permanent institutions, governed by fixed laws, and impelled and aided by well-established usages and customs.The diversified powers, motives, and restraints embraced within them, exercised an important influence upon their social life, and therefore they present fruitful and interesting subjects of investigation. To form a judgment of the Indian character, which is founded upon knowledge of his motives and principles of action, he must be seen in his social relations. But it is not deemed advisable to consider these topics minutely. The Iroquois resided in permanent villages. Not knowing the use of wells, they fixed their residences upon the banks of fivers and lakes, or in the vicinity of copious springs.About the period of the formation of the League, when they were exposed to the inroads of hostile nations, and the warfare of migratory bands, their villages were compact and stockade. (L Morgan 306) NOTWITHSTANDING the simplicity of Indian life, and its barrenness of those higher social enjoyments which pertain to refined communities, Indian society was bound together by permanent institutions, governed by fixed laws, and impelled and guided by well-established usages and customs.The diversified powers, motives, and restraints embraced within them, exercised an important influence upon their social life, and therefore they present fruitful and interesting subjects of investigation. To form a judgment of the Indian character, which is founded upon knowledge of his motives and principles of action, he must be seen in his social relations. But it is not deemed advisable to consider these topics minutely. The Iroquois resided in permanent villages. Not knowing the use of wells, they fixed their residences upon the banks of rivers and lakes, or in the vicinity of copious brings.