The Mohawk: History And History Of The Mohawk

1396 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Life with the mohawk indians

The continent of North America is 200 million years old. Since that period, many diverse groups of people have developed and flourished on this continent. Over time, these groups have diversified and become very distinctive in their traits. Perhaps one of the most interesting groups of people was the Iroquois, which included the fascinating tribe of the Mohawk. The Mohawk tribe is incredibly unique in many ways.
The Mohawk lived in upstate New York, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River and in southern Canada. There are no written records of Mohawks but, “longhouse construction dates to at least 1100 ad.” (Iroquois). Farming began around 1300 or 1400. They were a maize centered culture. The cultivation of maize led to a population boom and more warfare to expand into new territory. Ceremonial cannibalism began in 1400. The region they live in is mountainous and rocky, therefor farming is limited. They would farm and hunt in one area until the soil was exhausted or the wild animals ran low. They would stay in any one place from 5-20 years.
The Mohawk are a part of the Iroquois, which are very connected in culture and language. They made a confederacy around 1600, and there are no know records of any other group of tribes doing this before 1600. Originally composed of 5 tribes (the Tuscarora didn’t join till 1722) the tribes had a place in the metaphorical longhouse. They were the “Kanyengehaga”, or “people of the flint” (Ritchie) because of the flinty place where they lived. They were the guardians of the eastern door, which would become a crucial position when trade began with the early settlers. The other tribes were the Oneidas, Onondaga, Seneca, and Cayuga. The Iroquois council was composed of Sachems. Sachems were council me...

... middle of paper ...

...d, which led to a 15 minute gun fight. One Canadian was killed. After 78 days the Mohawk laid down their weapons. However, the golf course was not built. (Chiefs).
Another way the Mohawk are still affected by their culture is that they celebrate traditional ceremonies in the customary dress. Some couples also have both a Christian wedding and a traditional Mohawk wedding, or incorporate elements from both. (Mohawk Indian Tribe Facts).
The Mohawk are a very unique tribe. They have a rich history, though closely linked with the Iroquois, is exclusive to them alone. Over time, they learned and developed amazing skills and techniques that helped them to survive. Even today, their culture is very strong and centralizes them, no matter how far apart they live. Therefore the Mohawk tribe has a rich history and culture that can’t be matched by any other group in history.

Show More
Related

  • Oka Crisis Research Paper

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Mohawk warriors were peaceful protestors, and succeeded in protecting their land. They resisted great pain and suffering and were rewarded for their sacrifice.

    Read More

  • Definitions of Words Relating to Colonial America

    3632 Words  | 8 Pages

    1.Iroquois Confederacy— confederation of five indigenous North American peoples, or nations, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca; founded c.1570.

    Read More

  • How Did The Environment Affect The Native American Indians With Particular Reference To The Woodlan

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    Indians lived all over America, in many different environments including the flatlands, the forests, the mountains, the deserts, the prairies, on the coast, and even in the arctic. All these Environments affected the different Indians in different ways, so that different Indians evolved over time.

    Read More

  • Native Americans' Longhouse

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Iroquois tribe was part of an alliance with five other tribes throughout New York that banded together against enemies, talked about land, and traded with each other. These peaceful people operated in a democracy, one of the first seen in the early world. Much is known about these tribes due to the missionaries which were sent out in the 1600’s. The Jesuits, an order of the Catholic Church devoted to teaching, spent the time to move out into the unknown world, live with these people, and teach them the ways of Catholicism. In doing this, they documented everything they saw and provided accurate accounts of the building of these structures.

    Read More

  • Quapaw Tribe of Indians

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    As mentioned in the introduction, the Quapaw tribe did not originate in northeastern Oklahoma. They in fact, were first known to be in the Ohio River Valley, which consists of several states in the northeastern United States. The first historical reports of the Quapaw Tribe were noted in the DeSoto Expedition of 1539-1543 (Thompson 360). Historians are unsure as to when the Quapaws actually settled in the lower Mississippi Valley and Arkansas River Valleys. Some believe that they may have not settled in these areas until the mid-seventeenth century, but others say that evidence they have found contradicts that information. One source says the Quapaw Indians lived in four villages near the Arkansas and Mississippi River and were first contact...

    Read More

  • The Powhatan Tribe

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever heard of the Powhatan tribe? If not, let me share a little fact about them. Powhatan means “waterfall” in the Virginia Algonquian language. The Powhatans didn't live in tepees. They lived in small roundhouses called wigwams, or in larger Iroquois-style longhouses.

    Read More

  • Karankawan Indians

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many Native American civilizations are well known. However, many stereotypes are created based on the belief that all Native Americans were similar. There is one native tribe that has the most controversy revolving around it. That was the culture of the Karankawas. Until just recently most known information came from words of mouth, and there were many distorted views on this great nation.

    Read More

  • The Native Americans' Lack of Materialism

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    People have been living in America for countless years, even before Europeans had discovered and populated it. These people, named Native Americans or American Indians, have a unique and singular culture and lifestyle unlike any other. Native Americans were divided into several groups or tribes. Each one tribe developed an own language, housing, clothing, and other cultural aspects. As we take a look into their society’s customs we can learn additional information about the lives of these indigenous people of the United States.

    Read More

  • Native Americans: The Original Inhabitants of America

    2245 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Algonquians on the other hand had tried to take over the Iroquoian territory. The Iroquois had fought and won a battle with the Algonquians for the territory they had lost for 20 years. Other than these two main groups, the Iroquois people were well rounded. All of the many families in a clan, many clans in a tribe, and many tribes make what is known as the one Iroquois Confederacy. Some of the famous people who were a big part of the Iroquoian culture were Deganawida and Hiawatha. Deganawida along with Hiawatha were the two founders of the Iroquoian Confederacy. They both organized a few of the Native American tribes and made it into a political and cultural confederacy. Another famous Iroquoian person is Dina A. John, who was a resident of the Onondaga tribe and survived the Van Shaik Expedition. She had also served in the War of 1812 and became an artist and entrepreneur in New York. These famous people are representing for what the Iroquois Confederacy has become. Contrary to what many historians believed, based on the narratives of this essay one would unequivocally conclude that indeed Native-Americans were never impoverish nor culturally

    Read More

  • History Of The Cheyenne Indians

    3318 Words  | 7 Pages

    The earliest known records of the Cheyenne Indians are from the mid 1600s. They were a nomadic peoples whom lived completely off the land. Originally, the Cheyennes lived in larger masses, residing in homes they called wigwams. Eventually, as they became a nomadic peoples, they converted to the usage of a teepee as a home. A Cheyenne teepee was primarily made of buffalo-hide and could be easily moved form place to place, following along behind the buffalo herds. The hunting of buffalo was no easy feat, as the Cheyennes hunted on foot, with bow and arrow. However, the Cheyennes thrived on buffalo; their meat provided food, there hides provided warmth, and the bones allowed for bows, cooking utensils and toys. Also, the sinew made bowstring and sewing equipment.

    Read More

  • The Iroquois: The Language Of The Iroquois

    1804 Words  | 4 Pages

    They were warlike and went out on expeditions to places in New Brunswick, Massachusetts, parts of Maine, and the north shore of Lake Huron. Excursions have been documented all the way to Ohio-Mississippi valley. “’The character of all these [Iroquois] Nations is warlike and cruel,’ wrote Jesuit missionary Paul Le Jeune in 1657.” (Richter, 528) They had different purposes for war than Europeans did. Thus, since the Europeans did not understand the similarities and differences, they were called savage. The Iroquois did not wage war all the time though. The Hudson Bay Company and the Northwestern Fur Company employed Iroquois as canoe men; they were also employed by private enterprises connected with the fur trade or exploration. The Iroquois employed by the Hudson Bay Company “are reputed to have been the most expert in the country, and many stories are told of their skill and spirit of adventure.” (Chamberlain, 460) They also hunted beaver for corporations, sometimes with their families with them. Iroquois were employed as “canoe men, guides, carriers, and voyagers in the service of the Hudson Bay Company.” (Chamberlain, 460) Some of the Iroquois went as far as the Rocky Mountains, where they stayed and brought their culture with them. As time passed though, they mixed cultures until one could hardly tell they were part Iroquois. They did bring dug-outs, the crossbow, and teaching of the Jesuit fathers to

    Read More

  • The Shawnee Tribe In The Native Language

    74 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the native language of the Shawnee people, Algonquian, the name of the tribe means “Southerner”. The Shawnee tribe was originally lived in the southern parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. They were drove out of their native lands in the 16660’s by the Iroquois for the rich hunting lands. By 1730 most of the Shawnee had returned to their native lands. Having been wandering without a home for almost 70

    Read More

  • Cheyenne Indian Tribe

    1678 Words  | 4 Pages

    At first, this tribe moved from the Great Lakes region to the North Dakota area. This happened in the 1600-1700s. Also at this time, the Cheyenne were a sedentary tribe who relied on agriculture and pottery. Though, in the 1800s, they decided to abandon this lifestyle and become nomadic and move to South Dakota (Black Hills), Wyoming, and Colorado areas. No matter where the Cheyenne lived, they always kept their natural language, which was part of the Algonquin language family (Lewis). The Cheyenne tribe, like other tribes, had their own lifestyle, beliefs, and customs and also had conflicts with the whites. Even today, the Cheyenne Indians exist and are living well.

    Read More

  • Native American Spiritual Beliefs

    2347 Words  | 5 Pages

    Like many Americans I initially grouped all Native Americans into one melting pot. During the Haskell Indian Nations cultural day, on June 21,st 2010, the speakers talked about how different tribes are not the same; they have different beliefs...

    Read More

  • Iroquois Haudenosau Knee

    1968 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Iroquois or the Haudenosaunee, also referred to collectively as the Five Nations of the seventeenth century were a historically significant and powerful Native American confederacy. They became known as the Iroquois League or Iroquois Confederacy of the northeast. In the seventeenth century they became a confederacy comprised of the Native American tribes, the “Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas that stretched from east to west across upstate New York” (Snow 1). Together the Iroquois numbered over 90,000 people that spread across what is now New York, southern Ontario, and some parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Quebec. One remarkable and critical tribe of the Iroquois Nation are the Mohawks Indians, also called the Kanienkehaka.

    Read More

More about The Mohawk: History And History Of The Mohawk

Open Document