Geography

• With the exception of the Tuscarora tribe, which originated in North Carolina, the Iroquois Indians were native to the New York area. Today, the largest populations of Iroquois live in Canada, New York, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
  
  

Origins

• The Iroquois tribes speak different languages. The languages are similar enough that a common ancestry is likely. It is believed that the Iroquois Nation or Confederacy predates European colonization of America. The Tuscarora tribe joined the original five Iroquois Tribes in the 1700s as they traveled north to avoid European settlers.
  
  

First Democracy

• The Iroquois already had an established government when Europeans arrived. The Great or Grand Council was and still is pivotal in Iroquois politics. Individual tribes elect their own political leaders who represent their tribe at the Great Council. Through voting, the council meetings decide on the welfare of the entire Iroquois Nation. The Iroquois government is often called America's first democracy.
  
  

Types

• Iroquois men and women wore leggings and moccasins. The men also wore breechcloths tied around their waist. Men usually went shirtless but were known to wear long-sleeved tunics on occasion. The women wore a longer version of the tunic over their leggings. Hairstyles and tattoos for men varied by tribe and region. Some wore their hair long, decorating it with short feathered headdresses, and others wore their hair in the Mohawk fashion by shaving both sides of their scalp. Iroquois women typically wore their hair very long, only cutting it when they were in mourning.
  
  

Diet

• The Iroquois diet was very diverse, as the tribes were hunters, gatherers, fishermen and farmers. The men were the hunters, with the usual game being deer, wild birds and smaller woodlands animals. The women were the primary gatherers, supplementing their diet with roots, nuts and berries. The Iroquois also farmed native plants like beans, corn and squash. Fish were an important staple in their diet, as they usually lived near rivers and lakes.
  
  

Roles

• Women played an important part in Iroquois life, as the lineages were passed down through the mother's line and women claimed ownership of the land for farming and living. War was the man's domain, as only men could be warriors or war chiefs.