The Iroquois (History & Culture of Native Americans)

The term Iroquois describes one of American history's most influential Native American confederacies, the Haudenosaunee, or "People of the Longhouse." Based mainly in present-day New York State, they played a major role in regional trade and diplomacy. The Iroquois also helped influence the democratic ways of life in the new United States through Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father who had observed the Iroquois. Enduring the theft of much of their traditional land base following 1800, the Iroquois fought proposals to force them to leave their homelands. In the midst of this, they preserved their culture, with its year-round thanksgiving cycle and reverence for nature. The Iroquois describes the significant influence these people had on the creation of the modern United States and their continued roles in American society.