Period+5+Iroquois

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Dwellings
written by Brent **Iroquois Dwellings** By Brent The [|Iroquois] main building style was the [|longhouse]. The longhouse usually had a rectangular base and had flat walls at each end but a rounded roof. They were typically from 60 to 150 feet long, 20 to 30 feet wide and about 20 feet tall. They were made out of elm, hickory, maple and birch wood and bark. These had doors at each end were made of four foot wide by 6 to 8 foot slabs of elm bark. The longhouses housed 15 to 20 families each and were divided into sections for each family by thin walls made out of animal hides. In each section there were raised wood framed platforms used as beds. These dwellings had central fires with smoke holes in the ceiling. Even though the longhouse was primarily used as a living space they were also used as political and social meeting places. The rectangular yet dome roofed longhouse is now a commonly known about house style of the Iroquois Native Americans. Other Iroquois dwellings include the [|wigwam]. 

Lifestyle
written by Claudia Slifka The Iroquois lived a very [|diverse] lifestyle. Their lifestyles, daily, was mostly trading and farming. They were very skilled farmers. Their important crops were, corn, beans, and squash. The objects they traded was for food and money. Young boys were trained for war, because when they got older they could make those skills useful for hunting. Men hunt, traded, and fought to keep their families healthy. Women mostly made [|clothing] and cooking. They were very skilled [|crafts] men. This is some ways of the Iroquois lifestyles.

 = Religion = written by Owen Around the late 1700’s Iroquois religion changed, a prophet named Handsome Lake combined the teachings of Christianity and beliefs of the Iroquois, the religion was called the Longhouse religion. Handsome Lake was a respected herbalist a medicine man who used the natural healing powers of plants. Throughout Handsome Lake’s life he would spread his new religion. Handsome Lake faced many challenges while trying to spread his new religion, for example in some villages people refused to believe his new ideas. In 1815, while Handsome Lake was visiting the Onondaga Reservation, he died. Two years later, in 1818 the story of Handsome Lake's life and teachings were put into a collection called the Code of Handsome Lake. The Longhouse Religion is still practiced by many Iroquois today, although it contains some Christian ideas.