Diet
Farming and Agriculture
The Harvest
Farming and agriculture provided most of the Iroquois diet. The Iroquois men were responsible for clearing the fields while the women did the actual planting. They used small wooden spades to make mounds of soil and then poked nine or ten holes in each mound into which they planted seeds. These mounds protected the seeds from sudden cold temperatures. The women not only owned the plantations, they tended to them as well. The Iroquois mainly cultivated fields of corn, squash, and beans. To the Iroquois people squash, corn and beans were "The three sisters" the physical and spiritual sustainers of life. The Iroquois were very grateful for their harvests as a result they held six festivals each year to say prayers of thanks to their gods.
Hunting and Gather
The Iroquois women and children often gathered wild nuts, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs (laid by birds and turtles). These wild foods were often eaten if meat was scarce (along with corn, squash and beans). They gathered sunflowers to use to make sunflower oil, which they used to fry food. They also used sunflower oil for medicinal purposes to treat wounds and as a body lotion to protect their skin from hot or cold weather.
The Iroquois were one of the first people who learned to tap maple trees to harvest maple syrup. The Iroquois had a quite a sweet tooth and were lucky because there were an abundance of Maple Trees. They loved maple sugar in many foods, one such food being heated nuts rolled in maple sugar.
Meat was also a large part of the Iroquois diet, it provided them strength and allowed them to endure the harsh winters.The men were counted on to bring the tribe its meat.The men hunted a vast range of animals using bows and arrows to kill black bear, elk, deer, rabbits, and wolves. They trapped wild turkey, ducks and other birds. They also hunted turtles for their meat and shells. Like many indigenous groups the Iroquois did not waste any part of an animal. Often bones and other unwanted parts were made into tools, spoons, knives and other household items. Whatever the men brought back from the hunt was cooked by the women and shared among the whole village.
The end of winter brought the beautiful months of spring also known as fishing season. The men used huge nets to catch fish. If food was getting low, the men would go out at night with torches, this tactic was used because the light attracted fish into their nets.When they brought the catch back, everyone in the village pitched in to help dry the fish over fires.
The Iroquois were one of the first people who learned to tap maple trees to harvest maple syrup. The Iroquois had a quite a sweet tooth and were lucky because there were an abundance of Maple Trees. They loved maple sugar in many foods, one such food being heated nuts rolled in maple sugar.
Meat was also a large part of the Iroquois diet, it provided them strength and allowed them to endure the harsh winters.The men were counted on to bring the tribe its meat.The men hunted a vast range of animals using bows and arrows to kill black bear, elk, deer, rabbits, and wolves. They trapped wild turkey, ducks and other birds. They also hunted turtles for their meat and shells. Like many indigenous groups the Iroquois did not waste any part of an animal. Often bones and other unwanted parts were made into tools, spoons, knives and other household items. Whatever the men brought back from the hunt was cooked by the women and shared among the whole village.
The end of winter brought the beautiful months of spring also known as fishing season. The men used huge nets to catch fish. If food was getting low, the men would go out at night with torches, this tactic was used because the light attracted fish into their nets.When they brought the catch back, everyone in the village pitched in to help dry the fish over fires.
Storage of Food
The Iroquois were also masters at storing food without modern day technologies like refrigerators and deep freezers. Instead they built storage racks inside that hung from the rafters. Corn was braided, along with squash, and was then hung from the ceiling. Down the center of the longhouse were the family fires, one after another. Meat and fish was often smoked inside the longhouse. vegetables like beans were dried and kept in dark containers with thick lids. To prevent smoke build up longhouses were designed with smoke holes which are similar to current day chimneys. These holes allowed the smoke and heat from the fires to leave the longhouse thus keeping the inside of the house intact. The Iroquois also stored dried food in clay pots. The pots were lined with bark, which kept the mice out. These pots were then filled with dried corn, meat, or vegetables. The pots were buried in bark lined storage pits inside or near the longhouse.
As you can the Iroquois were very innovative people who knew how to survive in the Environment. So why have the traditions and way of life of the Iroquois faded so much?
As you can the Iroquois were very innovative people who knew how to survive in the Environment. So why have the traditions and way of life of the Iroquois faded so much?