1. The Eastern Woodlands
People of the Eastern Woodlands developed a variety of cultures based on hunting and farming.

2. The Iroquois

3. The Eastern Woodlands

4. The Eastern Woodlands
The legend of Deganawidah (day gahn uh WEE duh) having a vision of ending the bloody battles helped to save many lives.

5. The Eastern Woodlands
The legend continues with the belief that Hiawatha (high uh WAH thuh) convinced five warring group to join together in a “Great Peace.”

6. The Iroquois League consisted of five tribes including the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk.

7. Later, a sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined the Iroquois league.
The Eastern Woodlands
Later, a sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined the Iroquois league.

8. The Eastern Woodlands
The five tribes sent 50 representatives – all men – to a Great Council.

9. The Eastern Woodlands
The Iroquois Trail linked the lands of the League. Today, the New York Thruway follows part of the route of the Iroquois Trail.

10. The Iroquois
The Iroquois lived in the Eastern Woodlands region. This thick forest area provided an endless supply of wood.

11. Living in the Woodlands
The people hunted animals that were plentiful
They used the skins and furs of these animals for clothing

12. Longhouse
The families lived in a “longhouse” that was made from young trees and slabs of elm bark.

13. Longhouse

14. A longhouse could be as long as 150 feet, half of a football field.
Each longhouse was divided into living areas for as many as 12 different families.

15. Beliefs and Customs
Like other Native Americans, the Iroquois felt a deep connection to the animals, the trees, and other resources around them.

16. Beliefs and Customs
When an Iroquois hunter killed a deer, he knelt beside it and spoke to it. He thanked it for the food and clothing it would provide for his family. Only then did he take out his skinning knife.

17. Beliefs and Customs
A wampum belt might serve as a gift to honor a marriage. It might even be given to comfort someone after the death of a loved one.
An Iroquois wampum was often made from polished seashells that were woven into a belt.

18. The Iroquois Today
There are about 50,000 Iroquois today. Many live on reservations – land set aside by the United States for Native Americans – in northern New York state.

19. The Iroquois Today
League members, mainly from the Mohawk tribe, have become skilled builders of city skyscrapers. They are known as “high iron” men, putting up girders as high as a thousand feet above the ground.

20. Native Americans of North America
A “Red-Wing” finish line production of LES©
Created by: Billy Hopkins

21. Native Americans of North America
Late 1500’s Iroquois lands – Five tribes join to form the Iroquois league
Late 1700’s Cheyenne lands – The Cheyenne use of horses brings changes to their way of life
Today Hopi lands- Hopi villages include Oraibi, probably the oldest town in the United States.
Today Kwakiutl lands – Potlatches are held among the Kwakiutl and other Northwest Coast Indians.