American Civilizations

The Iroquois was a group of tribes speaking related languages living in the eastern Great Lakes region. Five of these tribes in upper New York - the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca – formed the Iroquois League in the late 1500s. Chief Hiawatha helped establish the league, and the goal of the Iroquois League was to promote cooperation among the tribes and joint defense. This contributed to the success of the Iroquois and other tribes of the Iroquois alliance because it provided a league of defense. The North Americans, overall, traded with each other, had similar religious beliefs, and shared social patterns:

- TRADE: Trade linked the tribes of North America. For example, the Chinook people established a lively marketplace that brought together trade goods from all over the West. The Mississippian trade network also stretched from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

- RELIGION: Also, many Native Americans had the same religious beliefs. Nearly all of them believed that the world around them was filled with nature spirits. Some groups held up one supreme being, or a Great Spirit, above all others. North Americans believed that the spirits gave them customs and rituals to guide them in their lives. If people therefore practiced these rituals, they would live in pace. Their religious beliefs also included great respect for the land. For example, Native Americans tried to alter the land as little as possible.

- SOCIAL: Generally in Native American society, the family unit was the extended family, including children, parents, grandparents, and other close relatives. Some tribes further organized families into clans, groups of families descended from a common ancestor. In some tribes, clan members lived together. Many Native American clans used totems, which refers to a natural object with which a clan, individual, or group identifies itself. It was a symbol of the unity of a group or clan. It also helped define certain behaviors and the social relationships of a group.