The Iroquois were a branch of North American Indians who belonged to the Hokan-Siouan linguistic family. They were the initiators of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Iroquois League, a North American Indian confederation consisting of five nations joined together for greater strength, commerce and survival: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca (founded 1570). Around 1722, the Tuscarora joined the League, and these people inhabited what is now the north and west sides of New York’s Hudson River. These Indians numbered 5,500, and materially, politically and militarily their culture was the most advanced in the Eastern Woodlands..
The Iroquois conceived of themselves as living in a metaphorical longhouse in which each nation had a role. For example, the Mohawks guarded the eastern door. By allowing …