Iroquois women at work grinding corn or dried berries (1664 engraving).

The economy of the Iroquois originally focused on communal production and combined elements of both horticulture and hunter-gatherer systems. The tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy and other Northern Iroquoian-speaking peoples, including the Huron, lived in the region including what is now New York State and the Great Lakes area. The Iroquois Confederacy was composed of five different tribes — a sixth was added later — who had banded together shortly before European contact. While not Iroquois, the Huron peoples fell into the same linguistic group and shared an economy similar to the Iroquois. The Iroquois peoples were predominantly agricultural, harvesting the "Three Sisters" commonly grown by Native American groups: maize, beans, and squash. They developed certain cultural customs related to their lifestyle. Among these developments were ideas concerning the nature and management of property. Image File history File links Iroquois_women_work. ... Image File history File links Iroquois_women_work. ... Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: horticulture as used in anthropology, a label for agriculture as used in small-scale societies. ... In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ... http://www. ... The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the League of Peace and Power) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. ... Iroquoian languages The Iroquoian languages are a Native American language family. ... This article is about the First Nations people, the Wyandot, also known as the Huron. ... NY redirects here. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of Native Americans in North America: squash, maize (or corn), and climbing beans. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... “Corn” redirects here. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... Species - hubbard squash, buttercup squash - cushaw squash C. moschata- butternut squash C. pepo- most pumpkins, acorn squash, summer squash References: ITIS 223652002-11-06 Hortus Third Squashes are four species of the genus Cucurbita, also called pumpkins and marrows depending on variety or the nationality of the speaker. ... Property designates those things that are commonly recognized as being the possessions of a person or group. ...

The Iroquois developed a system of economics very different from the now dominant Western variety. This system was characterized by such components as communal land ownership, division of labor by gender, and trade mostly based on gift economics. This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... Division of labour is the breakdown of labour into specific, circumscribed tasks for maximum efficiency of output in the context of manufacturing. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A gift economy is an economic system in which the prevalent mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo (the Latin term for the concept of a favor for a favor). Typically, this occurs in a cultural context where...

Contact with Europeans in the early 1600s had a profound impact on the economy of the Iroquois. At first, they became important trading partners, but the expansion of European settlement upset the balance of the Iroquois economy. By 1800 the Iroquois had been confined to reservations, and they had to adapt their traditional economic system. In the 20th century, some of the Iroquois groups took advantage of their independent status on the reservation and started Indian casinos. Other Iroquois have incorporated themselves directly into the outside economies off the reservation. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... BIA map of reservations in the United States Tribal sovereignty: Map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted. ... // Native American gambling enterprises comprise gambling businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land, which have limited sovereignty and therefore the ability to exist outside of direct state regulation. ...

Land ownership

Latter-day Iroquois longhouse housing several hundred people.

The Huron had an essentially communal system of land ownership. The French Catholic missionary Gabriel Sagard described the fundamentals. The Huron had "as much land as they need[ed]."^[1] As a result the Huron could give families their own land and still have a large amount of excess land owned communally. Any Huron was free to clear the land and farm. He maintained possession of the land as long as he continued to actively cultivate and tend the fields. Once he abandoned the land, it reverted to communal ownership, and anyone could take it up for themselves.^[2] While the Huron did seem to have lands designated for the individual, the significance of this possession may be of little relevance; the placement of corn storage vessels in the longhouses, which contained multiple families in one kinship group, suggests the occupants of a given longhouse held all production in common.^[3] Image File history File links Long_House_Iroquois_Allen. ... Image File history File links Long_House_Iroquois_Allen. ... This article is about state ownership. ... Gabriel Sagard, baptized Théodat, was a Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Recollect order (French: Récollet) who arrived in New France June 28, 1623 to join four other members of his order who had arrrived in 1615. ... Later day Iroquois longhouse housing several hundred people Interior of a longhouse with Chief Powhatan (detail of John Smith map, 1612) Longhouses were built by native peoples in various parts of North America, sometimes reaching over 100 meters long (330 ft) but generally around 5 to 7 meters wide (16...

The Iroquois had a similar communal system of land distribution. The tribe owned all lands but gave out tracts to the different clans for further distribution among households for cultivation. The land would be redistributed among the households every few years, and a clan could request a redistribution of tracts when the Clan Mothers' Council gathered.^[4] Those clans that abused their allocated land or otherwise did not take care of it would be warned and eventually punished by the Clan Mothers' Council by having the land redistributed to another clan.^[5] Land property was really only the concern of the women, since it was the women's job to cultivate food and not the men's.^[6]

The Clan Mothers' Council also reserved certain areas of land to be worked by the women of all the different clans. Food from such lands, called kěndiǔ"gwǎ'ge' hodi'yěn'tho, would be used at festivals and large council gatherings.^[7]

Division of labor: agriculture and forestry

The division of labor reflected the dualistic split into have common in the Iroquois cultural mind. The twin gods Sapling (East) and Flint (West) embodied the dualistic notion of two complementary halves. Dualism was applied to labor with each gender taking a clearly defined role that complemented the work of the other. Women did all work involving the field while men did all work involving the forest including the manufacture of anything involving wood.^[8] The Iroquois men were responsible for hunting, trading, and fighting, while the women took care of farming, food gathering, and housekeeping. This gendered division of labor was the predominate means of dividing work in Iroquois society.^[9] At the time of contact with Europeans, Iroquois women produced about 65% of the good and the men 35%.^[10] The combined production of food was successful to the point where famine and hunger were extremely rare--early Europeans settlers often envied the success of Iroquois food production.^[11] It has been suggested that Combative dualism be merged into this article or section. ... “Hunter” redirects here. ... Look up Trade in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Trade centers on the exchange of goods and/or services. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Foraging just means looking for food (or, metaphorically, anything else). ... Housekeeping is the maintenance of a clean environment, usually in a house, but it also applies to industrial, commercial, and institutional settings. ...

The Iroquois system of work matched their system of land ownership. Since the Iroquois owned property together, they worked together as well. The women performed difficult work in large groups, going from field to field helping one another work each others' land. Together they would sow the fields as a "mistress of the field" distributed a set amount of seeds to each of the women.^[12] The Iroquois women of each agricultural group would select an old but active member of their group to act as their leader for that year and agree to follow her directions. The women performed other work cooperatively as well. The women would cut their own wood, but their leader would oversee the collective carrying of the wood back to the village.^[13] The women's clans performed other work, and according to Mary Jemison, a white woman assimilated as an Indian, the collective effort averted "every jealously of one having done more or less work than another."^[14] Mary Jemison’s family came to America, most likely from Ireland, and settled outside of Philadelphia; Mary was born on the passage to America. ...

Samuel de Champlain's sketch of a Huron deer hunt; Huron men make noise and drive animals along a V-shaped fence towards an apex where they are captured and killed.

The Iroquois men also organized themselves in a cooperative fashion. Of course, the men acted collectively during military actions, as there is little sense in a single individual fighting entirely alone in battle.^[15] The other jobs of men, such as hunting and fishing, also involved cooperative elements similar to women's cooperation. However, the men differed from the women in that they more often organized as a whole village rather than as a clan.^[16] The men organized hunting parties where they used extensive cooperation to kill a large amount of game. One first hand account told of a large hunting party that built a large brush fence in a forest forming a V. The hunters burned the forest from the open side of the V, forcing the animals to run towards the point where the village's hunters waited in an opening. A hundred deer could be killed at a time under such a plan.^[17] Image File history File links Huron_deer_hunt_V_Champlain. ... Image File history File links Huron_deer_hunt_V_Champlain. ... Samuel de Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) Samuel de Champlain, the father of New France, was born around 1580 in the town of Brouage, a seaport on Frances west coast. ... Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ... A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor. ... “Fawn” redirects here. ...

Native Americans of unknown tribe fishing in fashion similar to Iroquois.

The men also fished in large groups. Extensive fishing expeditions often took place where men in canoes with weirs and nets covered entire streams to reap large amounts of fish, sometimes a thousand in half of a day.^[18] A hunting or fishing party's takings were considered common property and would be divided among the party by the leader or taken to the village for a feast.^[19] Hunting and fishing were not always cooperative efforts, but the Iroquois generally did better in parties than as individuals.^[20] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (527x640, 285 KB) Summary From LOC. Theodor de Bry engraving after a John White watercolor. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (527x640, 285 KB) Summary From LOC. Theodor de Bry engraving after a John White watercolor. ... Canoe at El Nido, Philippines A canoe is a relatively small human-powered boat. ... The bridge and weir mechanism at Sturminster Newton on the River Stour, Dorset. ... Bird netting on wine grapes Net may refer to: A device made by fibers woven in a grid-like structure, as in fishing net, a soccer goal, or the court divider in tennis; In circuit design, a collection of terminals that are or should be connected to each other electrically...

Trade

The cooperative production and communal distribution of goods made internal trade within the Iroquois Confederacy pointless, but external trade with tribes in regions with resources the Iroquois lacked served a purpose.^[21] The Iroquois traded excess corn and tobacco for the pelts from the tribes to the north and the wampum from the tribes to the east.^[22] The Iroquois used present-giving more often than any other mode of exchange. Present-giving reflected the reciprocity in Iroquois society. The exchange would begin with one clan giving another tribe or clan a present with the expectation of some sort of needed commodity being given in return.this is not blah This form of trade ties to the Iroquois culture's tendency to share property and cooperate in labor. In all cases no explicit agreement is made, but one service is performed for the community or another member of the community's good with the expectation that the community or another individual would give back.^[23] External trade offered one of the few opportunities for individual enterprise in Iroquois society. A person who discovered a new trading route had the exclusive right to trade along the same route in the future; however, clans would still collectivize trading routes to gain a monopoly on a certain type of trade.^[24] This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A gift economy is an economic system in which the prevalent mode of exchange is for goods and services to be given without explicit agreement upon a quid pro quo. ... In cultural anthropology, reciprocity is a way of defining peoples informal trading of goods and labor; that is, peoples informal economic systems. ...

Iroquois with Western goods, presumably acquired through trade (French engraving, 1722).

The arrival of Europeans created the opportunity for greatly expanded trade. Furs were in demand in Europe, and they could be acquired cheaply from Indians in exchange for manufactured goods the Indians could not make themselves.^[25] Trade did not always benefit the Indians. The British took advantage of the gift-giving culture. They showered the Iroquois with European goods, making them dependent on such items as rifles and metal axes. The Iroquois had little choice but to trade for gunpowder after they had discarded their other weapons. The British primarily used these gifts to gain support among the Iroquois for fighting against the French.^[26] The Iroquois also traded for alcohol, a substance they did not have before the arrival of Europeans. Eventually, this would have a very negative impact on Iroquois society. The problem became so bad by 1753 that Scarrooyady, an Iroquois Chief, had to petition the Governor of Pennsylvania to intervene in trade: "Your Traders now bring scarce anything but Rum and Flour; they bring little powder and lead, or other valuable goods . . . and get all the skins that should go to pay the debts we have contracted for goods bought of the Fair Traders; by this means we not only ruin ourselves but them too. These wicked Whiskey Sellers, when they have once got the Indians in liquor, make them sell their very clothes from their backs. In short, if this practice be continued, we must be inevitably ruined."^[27] Image File history File links Iroquois_western_goods. ... Image File history File links Iroquois_western_goods. ... List of Pennsylvania Governors The office of Pennsylvania governor was created by the states Constitution of 1790. ...

Impact on Iroquois culture and society

The structure of the Iroquois economy created a unique property and work ethic. The threat of theft was almost nonexistent, since little was held by the individual except basic tools and implements that were so prevalent they had little value. The only goods worth stealing would have been wampum.^[28] While a theft-free society can be respected by all, communal systems such as that of the Iroquois are often criticized for not providing any incentive to work. In order for the Iroquois to succeed without an individual incentive, they had to develop a communal work ethic. Virtue became synonymous with productivity. The idealized Iroquois man was a good warrior and productive hunter while the perfect woman excelled in agriculture and housekeeping.^[29] By emphasizing an individual's usefulness to society, the Iroquois created a mindset that encouraged their members to contribute even though they received similar benefits no matter how hard they worked. Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

As a result of their communal system, some would expect the Iroquois to have a culture of dependence without individuality. The Iroquois, however, had a strong tradition of autonomous responsibility. Iroquois men were taught to be self-disciplined, self-reliant, and responsible as well as stoic.^[30] The Iroquois attempted to eliminate any feelings of dependency during childhood and foster a desire for responsibility. At the same time, the child would have to participate in a communal culture, so children were taught to think as individuals but work for the community.^[31]

Modern economy

Turning Stone Casino near Verona, New York.

Many Iroquois have been fully integrated into the surrounding Western economy of the United States and Canada. For others their economic involvement is more isolated in the reservation. Whether directly involved in the outside economy or not, most of the Iroquois economy is now greatly influenced by national and world economies. The Iroquois have been involved in the steel construction industry for over a hundred years, with many men from the Mohawk^[32] nations working on such high-steel projects as the Empire State Building and World Trade Center.^[33] Inside the reservation the economic situation has often been bleak. For instance, the U.S. side of the Mohawk reservation has recently had unemployment as high as 46 percent.^[34] Many reservations have successful businesses, however. The Seneca reservation contains the City of Salamanca, New York, a center of the hardwoods industry^[35] with a Native American population of 13 percent. The Seneca make use of their independent reservation status to sell gasoline and cigarettes tax free and run high-stakes bingo operations. The Seneca have also debated opening Indian casinos.^[36] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1800x1195, 1628 KB)Turning Stone Casino image from news/publicity site Source URL: http://oneidanews. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1800x1195, 1628 KB)Turning Stone Casino image from news/publicity site Source URL: http://oneidanews. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... BIA map of reservations in the United States Tribal sovereignty: Map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted. ... The Mohawk (Kanienkeh or Kanienkehaka meaning People of the Flint) are an indigenous people of North America who live around Lake Ontario and the St. ... The Empire State Building in New York The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York, NY. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. ... This article is about the former World Trade Center (Twin Towers) in New York City. ... An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ... Salamanca is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. ... NY redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Housie. ... In 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that as sovereign political entities, Native American tribes could operate gaming facilities free of state regulation. ...

The Oneida have already set up casinos on their reservations in New York and Wisconsin. The Oneida are one of the largest employers in northeastern Wisconsin with over 3,000 employees, including 975 people in tribal government. The Tribe manages over 16 million dollars in federal and private grant monies and a wide range of programs, including those authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.^[37] The Oneida business ventures have brought millions of dollars into the community and improved the standard of living.^[38] The Oneida (Onyotaa:ka or Onayotekaono, meaning the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone) are a Native American/First Nations people and comprise one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42°30N to 47°3N  - Longitude 86°49W to 92°54W Population  Ranked... The Standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people and the way these services and goods are distributed within a population. ...

Land after the Europeans arrived

The Iroquois system of land management had to change with the coming of the Europeans and the forced isolation to reservations. The Iroquois had a system of collectively owned land free to be used as needed by their members. While this system was not wholly collective as land was distributed to individual family groups, the Iroquois lacked the Western conception of property as a commodity.^[39] After the Europeans arrived and placed the Iroquois on reservations, the natives had to adjust their property system to a more Western model. Despite the influence of Western culture, the Iroquois have maintained a unique view of property over the years. Modern-day Iroquois Doug George-Kanentiio sums up his perception of the Iroquois property view: The Iroquois have "no absolute right to claim territory for purely monetary purposes. Our Creator gave us our aboriginal lands in trust with very specific rules regarding its uses. We are caretakers of our Mother Earth, not lords of the land. Our claims are valid only so far as we dwell in peace and harmony upon her."^[40] BIA map of reservations in the United States Tribal sovereignty: Map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted. ... Commodity is a term that refers to goods that are mined or agriculturally produced. ...

Similar sentiments were expressed in a statement by the Iroquois Council of Chiefs (or Haudenosaunee) in 1981. The Council distinguished the "Western European concepts of land ownership" from the Iroquois view that "the earth is sacred" and "was created for all to use forever—not to be exploited merely for this present generation." Land is not just a commodity and "In no event is land for sale." The statement goes on, "Under Haudenosaunee law, Gayanerkowa, the land is held by the women of each clan. It is principally the women who are responsible for the land, who farm it, and who care for it for the future generations. When the Confederacy was formed, the separate nations formed one union. The territory of each nation became Confederacy land even though each nation continued to have a special interest in its historic territory."^[41] The Council's statement reflects the persistence of a unique view of property among the Iroquois.

The system of the Grand River Iroquois (two Iroquois reservations in Canada) integrated the traditional Iroquois property structure with the new way of life after being confined to a reservation. The reservation was established under two deeds in the eighteenth century. These deeds gave corporate ownership of the reservation lands to the Six Nations of the Iroquois.^[42] Individuals would then take a perpetual lease on a piece of land from the Confederacy.^[43] The Iroquois idea that land came into one's possession if cared for and reverted to public control if left alone persisted in reservation property law. In one property dispute case, the Iroquois Council sided with the claimant who had made improvements and cultivated the land over the one who had left it alone.^[44] The natural resources on the land belonged to the tribe as a whole and not to those who possessed the particular parcel.^[45] The Iroquois leased the right to extract stone from the lands in one instance and fixed royalties on all the production.^[46] After natural gas had been discovered on the reservation, the Six Nations took direct ownership of the natural gas wells and paid those who had wells on their land compensation only for damages done by gas extraction.^[47] This setup closely resembled the precontact land distribution system where the tribes actually owned the land and distributed it for use but not unconditional ownership. Another instance of traditional Iroquois property views impacting modern-day Indian life involves the purchase of land in New York State by the Seneca-Cayuga tribe, perhaps for a casino. The casino would be an additional collectively owned revenue maker. The Seneca-Cayuga already own a bingo hall, a gas station, and a cigarette factory.^[48] The later-day organization of reservation property directly reflects the influence of the precontact view of land ownership. Six Nations of the Grand River is the name applied to two contiguous Indian reserves southeast of Brantford, Ontario, Canada – Six Nations reserve no. ... For other uses, see Seneca. ... The Cayuga nation (Guyohkohnyo or the People of the Great Swamp) was one of the five original constituents of the Iroquois, a confederacy of Indians in New York. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Notes

References

External links

• Encyclopedic entry on the Iroquois - contains decent economic information and links to the Iroquois nations
• CarnegieMusuems.org - Iroquois - Information on Iroquois including agriculture and steel construction.
• A Mohawk Iroquois Village: An Exhibit at the New York State Museum - Dioramas of Iroquois Villages online with text
• Iroquois Grand Council page - information on landed property

Iroquois-owned enterprises

• Oneida Enterprises - businesses owned by the Oneida nation
• Turning Stone Casino - run by the Oneida in Verona, NY.
• Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel - run by the Seneca in Niagara Falls, NY.
• Seneca Allegany Casino - run by the Seneca in Salamanca, NY.

v • d • e Iroquois Confederacy
Nations	Seneca · Cayuga · Onondaga · Oneida · Mohawk · Tuscarora
Topics	Economy · Languages · Mythology · Great Law of Peace · The Great Peacemaker