The role of the longhouse in Iroquois society goes beyond the physical structure of the household. To understand the affects and underlying causes of longhouse structural change, one must understand the societal and cultural significance of the built environment in Iroquois everyday life. The longhouse was a category of material culture with which one’s role in the society was produced (Birch 2012). The structure of everyday life, including kin relationships, inheritance, prestige, and even political power were symbolically embodied in the longhouse (O’Gorman 2010). Some postulate that the significance of the longhouse was so integral to structuring Iroquois society that it was essential to the interactions and boundary-forming practices that …show more content…
Kapches proposes that spatial dynamics do not develop randomly, but are a representation of increased social control over the physical layout of the space. Kapches studied the social role spatial dynamics among Ontario Iroquoian longhouses. She found that the frequency of the organized space indicated increased control of the matrilocal residence pattern over the built environment. By analyzing the structural dynamics of Iroquois longhouses in the archaeological record, Kapches proposes that one can narrate societal changes and developments. The pre-contact period is characterized by the coalescence of communities in both the Ontario and League areas of the Iroquois. The expansion of fortified villages and increasing size of longhouses is evident in sites such as the Draper Village. Though the structures grew in length- some reaching over 100 meters- the village area per person decreased, causing a higher population density within the village. The longhouses at the Draper site also show an increase in the amount of organized space and regularity of the spatial dynamics (Birch …show more content…
The abandonment altogether of the traditional longhouse in favor of log cabins indicates a massive reorganization of society. The disruption of traditional subsistence patterns caused by the Revolutionary war and the relocation of League Iroquoian people disrupted the matrilineal system (McCarthy 2010, Shoemaker 1991). An increasing economic importance of European-speaking males among the native groups and their insistence on a neolocal residence pattern played a major role in the breakup of traditional longhouses. The movement onto reservations required a less mobile economy and eventually the adoption of cabins on dispersed farmsteads (Snow 2001). It is important to note, however, that though the physical structure of the longhouse was abandoned, its symbolic meaning played a key role in the cultural stability of some of the tribes- notably the Onondaga. Though the longhouse is no longer the familial residences of the people, it is still regarded as the central meeting place and guardian of the central fire- as the Onondaga were themselves in historic
Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang, 1983. Print.
“Tracing a single Native American family from the 1780’s through the 1920’s posed a number of challenges,” for Claudio Saunt, author of Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family. (pg. 217) A family tree is comprised of genealogical data that has many branches that take form by twisting, turning, and attempting to accurately represent descendants from the oldest to the youngest. “The Grayson family of the Creek Nation traces its origins to the late 1700’s, when Robert Grierson, a Scotsman, and Sinnugee, a Creek woman, settled down together in what is now north-central Alabama. Today, their descendants number in the thousands and have scores of surnames.” (pg. 3)
When the Europeans first migrated to America, they didn’t know much about the ancestral background of the different types of the Indian tribes that were settled in Virginia and along the East Coast. Many of the Indian tribes became hostile towards the colonist because the colonists were interfering with their way of life. This lead the natives to attempt to destroy the frontier settlements. Many forts in this area were erected to protect the settlers and their families. One the historical land...
Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang, 1983. Print.
"Creole Materialities: Archaeological Explorations Of Hybridized Realities On A North American Plantation. " Journal of Historical Sociology 23.1 (2010): 16-39. Academic Search Complete. 27 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Web.
Have you ever heard of the Powhatan tribe? If not let me share a little fact about them. Powhatan means “waterfall” in the Virginia Algonquian language. The Powhatans didn't live in tepees. They lived in small roundhouses called wigwams, or in larger Iroquois-style longhouses. Another fact is Powhatan warriors used tomahawks or wooden war clubs. They also carried shields. Powhatan hunters used bows and arrows. If you would like to learn more about the Powhatan tribe please continue reading this paper. You will learn all about the Powhatan and how they lived. Enjoy.
Throughout the 1925-1975 period, the Native American population of the United States has faced many obstacles. Just a few years before, they had been suppressed by the federal government’s “Anti-Long Hair” policy for all Native American males. This would set the stage for future cultural restraint on the Indians. However, they continued to fight for equality. All through this time period, the experience of the Native American culture has been a struggle for equality in their homeland.
Mandan villages were the center of the social, spiritual, and economic lives of the Mandan Indians. Villages were strategically located on bluffs overlooking the river for defense purposes, limiting attacks to one land approach. The Mandan lived in earth lodges, which are extremely large, round huts that are 15 feet high and 40-60 feet in diameter. Each hut had a vestibule entrance, much like the pattern of an Eskimo igloo, and a square hole on top, which served as a smokestack. Each earth lodge housed 10-30 people and their belongings, and villages contained 50-120 earth lodges. The frame of an earth lodge was made from tree trunks, which were covered with criss-crossed willow branches. Over the branches they placed dirt and sod, which coined the term earth lodge. This type of construction made the roofs strong enough to support people on nights of good weather. The floors of earth lodges were made of dirt and the middle was dug out to make a bench around the outer edge of the lodge. Encompassing...
The furnishings found in each hut also provide indications of how the people lived. In the centre of all the huts lay a fireplace that is thought to be the only source of heat and light in the entire hou...
The Makah lived in long houses. The houses were made out of cedar wood strips. The homes were usually permanent. The houses were group homes so more than one family lived in a home. The outside would normally have a totem pole outside the front of the house. These were poles with faces of animals on them and they told the history of the family. On the insi...
Discussions in the 1970’s and 1980’s within both sides of the debate indicate population change, behavior change and natural processes to be the large determining factors (Attenbrow, 2004). Many archaeologists accepted there was a continuing increase over time in the number of archaeological sites established and used, as well as in the number of artefacts accumulated in individual sites, particularly in the past 5000 years (eg. Johnson 1979:39; Bowdler1981; Morwood 1984:371, 1986, 1987; Ross 1984, 1985:87; Beaton 1985: 16-18; Fletcher-Jones 1985: 282, 286; Lourandos 1985a: 393-411, 1985b: 38; White and Habgood 1985; Hiscock 1986) (Attenbrow, 2004). Population change refers to the changes in number of people or size of the population, behavioural changes referring to changes to activities such as tool manufacturing, subsistence practices as well as the use of space within a site (Attenbrow, 2004). Whilst natural processes include geomorphological and biological process that may have affected the archaeological record (At...
Native Americans chose to live off the land such as animals and the trees for houses from the time of early civilization in the Americas to when Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic. In Thomas Morton’s writing he said “they gather poles in the woods and put eh great end of them in the ground, placing them in form of a circle.”
Sandefur, G. (n.d.). American Indian reservations: The first underclass areas? Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/focus/pdfs/foc121f.pdf
People have been living in America for countless years, even before Europeans had discovered and populated it. These people, named Native Americans or American Indians, have a unique and singular culture and lifestyle unlike any other. Native Americans were divided into several groups or tribes. Each one tribe developed an own language, housing, clothing, and other cultural aspects. As we take a look into their society’s customs we can learn additional information about the lives of these indigenous people of the United States.
Ember, Carol R., Melvin Ember, and Peter N. Peregrine. "Ch. 13: Origins of Cities and States." Anthropology. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 215+. Print.