MOHAWKS

The Mohawks were a part of the Iroquois Nation (League of Six Nations.) They lived in what is now Upstate, New York and parts of Canada near two bodies of water they are the St.Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.


Since the Mohawks were part of the Iroquois tribe they too, shared the tradition of building longhouses. Longhouses were often made of hollow trees and branches and other tools they found in nature. Longhouses fit at least twenty families, the length of the longhouses varied, depending on the size of the family that occupied them. All members of the Mohawk Tribe belonged to a clan. A clan was a group of people who were descendants of the same person. In Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes the oldest woman was always the head of the clan. Clans were often named after the animals and birds found in nature.The symbol of the clan was used to decorate household items and the fronts of the longhouses.

In the Mohawk tribe, it was tradition that the women made all the decisions, while the men were out hunting or fishing to provide food for their families. Women stayed home with the children and used any deerskin or other type of fur that was left over to make traditional garments such as: breechcloths (for men) and skirts (for themselves). Breechcloths (also known as breechclout) were like a form of pants or leggings for the Native Americans. They looked like loincloths and were often decorated with colorful beads and stitching. Breechcloth styles varied on the tribe wearing them.

Native Americans were treated very cruelly by the United States Government. They showed them no respect and saw them as savages. Native Americans weren't really accepted anywhere in the United States. They were often forced out of their homeland because the government sent them somewhere else and they had no choice but to do as they were told. The government went back on their word many times. They told the Native Americans they could have a piece of land to themselves but in a heartbeat that land was taken away from them. Almost all Native Americans had to deal with this type of discrimination, because many Americans saw them as a strange group who didn't really belong anywhere. Now Mohawks aren't really bothered any more by the government. Since they live on reservations they don't follow the government's rules, they follow their own rules instead.

Today, descendants of the Mohawks and some other Iroquois tribes can be found scattered throughout parts of New York, Wisconsin, Ontario, Oklahoma, and Quebec (Canada). Some can even be found in Rochester, New York and a small amount of them can even be found in some parts of Brooklyn!!! Today most Mohawks do not live in longhouses, they live in regular homes or trailers, however a few longhouses can still be found on Mohawk reservations. Most present day tribes live totally different lives compared to their ancestors, their life-styles and habits are much more modern.

The Iroquois were a widely-spread group of people who shared many of the same customs and traditions. The Iroquois had six tribes. They were the Mohawks, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the sixth the Tuscaroras (joined after the nations formed).