4 M1A - Native Americans in New York

The Iroquois traditionally lived in what is now upstate New York, subsisting on wild plant foods, game, and fish from the area's fertile forests and teeming waterways, along with corn, beans, and squash. Long ago the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes formed the League of the Five Nations. Despite its ideal of cooperation, the League was fearsome in war as it attempted to extend its rule. In the 16th century, the League challenged other Indian groups for access to European traders and their goods, siding first with the French, then with the Dutch and English.

Their history, beliefs, way of life, and situation today.

The Iroquois Confederacy was formed when five Native American nations agreed to unite in peace and accept a constitution that guaranteed each nation equal representation in government and the freedom to preserve its own traditions. Later expanding to six nations, the Iroquois Confederacy was an inspiration to the founders of the United States. This book details their religion and culture, while telling the story of their journey from ancient times to today.

Tehanetorens is a master story teller in the Mohawk tradition. In Legends of the Iroquois ancient stories are presented both in pictographs and with an English translation. The text is beautifully supported with illustrations by the accomplished Iroquois artist Kahionhes. The legends carry us deep into a Native American culture and teach basic lessons about what it means to be a human being.