LEARNING LONGHOUSE

Going from east to west in what is today New York State, the original five nations were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.  The Tuscarora Nation applied for and gained entrance to the League in the early 1700s.  Now there are six Iroquois Nations. Some Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) continue to live on their original territory.  After the American Revolution many moved to communities outside their original territory, but maintain sovereign lands in these new areas.

 

Although the Haudenosaunee live in 17 communities, some great distances from each other, and while these 17 communities have their own political structure and governing bodies, most  Haudenosaunee still consider themselves part of the Iroquois Confederacy.  Forty-nine chiefs from each of the five original nations make up the governing body. The Peacekeeper is the fiftieth chief, and his chief’s title remains vacant. The Tuscarora are represented in councils by the Oneida.  Sub-Chiefs, Pine Tree Chiefs, Clan Mothers, and Faithkeepers are all part of the political structure of the Confederacy.  The Confederacy structure is even more complex today because duplicate chiefs exist in communities in the US and Canada. The  Haudenosaunee, however, are trying to resolve this situation in order to maintain a united Confederacy.

 

This body of chiefs, however, is not officially recognized by the United States or Canadian governments. There are some  Haudenosaunee who do not recognize their authority either, but the symbol of the Confederacy as established by the Peacemaker, remains a vital aspect of  Haudenosaunee identity.