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Iroquois Indians
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The Iroquois Indians lived in wigwams and longhouses. Wigwams were made by bending young trees to form the round shape of the home. Over this shape pieces of tree bark were overlapped to protect the Indians from bad weather. Over the bark a layer of thatch, or dried grass, was added. A small hole from the top allowed smoke from the fires to escape. Beds were matting covered with animal skin.
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The first white men to live among them were French Jesuit Priests, who spend many years of their lives trying to convert the Indians to Christianity. Led by Hiawatha during the Revolution, the Iroquois formed the Iroquois Confederacy.2
The baffled Indians despatched a messenger to a band of five hundred Iroquois at the mouth of the Richelieu, where they were only waiting for the remainder of the army to attack Quebec. The grand plan must now all be delayed by this little band behind their rude palisades. For five days the two hundred Iroquois kept up a harassing fire from behind trees, and waited for reinforcements. Meanwhile the inmates of the fort had but dry hominy for food, and were suffering for water. Under cover of a fire from the fort, some of them managed to run down to the river and get water in what few vessels they had. But this was but a drop to the thirsty men.
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The Navajo Indians raised sheeps for wool, which the woman wove into rugs and brilliant geometric designs. The Navajo wove wool on looms outside their hogans.The Mexicans taught the Navajo how to make silver jewelry.
With their well-known fickleness, the Indians were now discouraged, and would fain have abandoned the siege. But the pride of the Five Nations was in the way of this. Volunteers to lead in an assault were called for. Bundles of little sticks were thrown upon the ground, and those brave enough to dare the front of the battle picked them up. Large shields were made of split logs, and, with this protection, the army advanced on the poor little fort with its worn and fainting defenders. Notwithstanding their brave fire, the Indians reached the palisades and commenced hewing to make a breach.
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The origin of the name Iroquois is uncertain, although it seems to have involved French adaptations of Indian words. Among the possibilities that have been suggested are a blending of hiro (an Iroquois word used to conclude a speech) and koué (an exclamation); ierokwa ("they who smoke"); iakwai ("bear"); or the Algonquian words irin ("real") and ako ("snake") with the French -ois termination. One likely interpretation of the origin of the name is the theory that it comes from the Algonquian word "Irinakhoiw," which the French spelled with the -ois suffix. The French spelling roughly translates into "real adders" and would be consistent with the tendency of European cultures to take and use derogatory terms from enemy nations to identify various Native groups.
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