Iroquois Confederacy

Iroquois Confederacy or Iroquois League ĭrˈəkwoiˌ, –kwäˌ [key], North American confederation of indigenous peoples, initially comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca; the native name for the confederated peoples is the Haudenosaunee. The Iroquoian branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages) included numerous other Native American groups of the E United States and E Canada. In the early 17th cent. this confederacy of Five Nations (later to become six when the Tuscarora, who also speak an Iroquoian language, joined) inhabited New York state from the Hudson River N to the St. Lawrence River and W to the Genesee River.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Iroquois Today
• In the American Revolution
• Relationship with the French and the British
• Rise to Power
• Traditional Culture and Political Organization
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: North American indigenous peoples