The Iroquois Longhouse

The Haudenosaunee people are known as "People of the Longhouse" because of the style of houses they built. The longhouse could be 50 to 300 feet long and from 18 to 25 feet wide. The roof was arched and held up by bent poles. The walls were a framework of poles and were covered with bark. There were no windows but there was an opening for smoke from cooking fires to escape.These openings could be covered during rainy or snowy weather.

Each longhouse was occupied by families of one clan. Often the door had a symbol of that clan over it. Each family had a small amount of space. The family area was usually on two levels much like bunk beds of today. The family slept on the lower level with coverings of various animal skins. Their possessions such as pots, cradleboards, and weapons were stored on the upper level.

The middle of the longhouse was like a hallway. Several fires burned in the open spaces. Families often shared these fires.Storage areas within the longhouse were important since the people lived in a climate with long, cold winters. Dried corn and other vegetables were placed in a deep pit and covered with bark.

Outside the longhouse the women planted and tended to crops such as corn, beans, and squash (the Three Sisters)as well as sunflowers and tobacco. The men hunted deer and the women tanned and dried the hides for use in making clothing, moccasins, and other useful items.

Each Iroquois village had many longhouses depending on the number of people in the village. When an Iroquois couple married, they lived in the longhouse of the wife's family clan. All property belonged to the Iroquois woman and the children belonged to the clan of their mother.