The Iroquois of the Northeast: We Were Here First: The Native Americans by KaaVonia Hinton, Purple Toad Publishing, Kennett Square Pennsylvania, 2014.
A book that gives you a feel for being Iroquois. Hiawatha lived through the dark times, when five Iroquois Nations were constantly at war. He was the first to listen to the words of the peacemaker, Dikanawideh. Together they were able to unite the five nations in peace, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga and later Tuscarora. They lived in peace for many years and buried weapons under the tree of peace which they moved to Onondaga land, the middla of the tribes. The built communities inside stockades. The lived in longhouses which they built inside the stockade. Longhouses were not only homes but others were hospitals, schools and spiritual places.
The Iroquois celebrated the Green Corn Festival every year to give thanks for the crops. They grew corn, beans and squash, the three sisters. They also hunted and fished. They made clothes of animal skins. They would often travel by canoes made of elm bark. They also celebrated the Midwinter Festival. They would make masks from corn husks.
The coming of Europeans split the peace. During the Revolutionary War most Iroquois nations sided with the British. George Washington sent foces against them and they burnt their crops. Most fled to Fort Niagara. Some fought against the Americans and the Oneida and Tuscarora.
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