Haudenosaunee means the “People of the Longhouse." They are also known as the Iroquois. The Iroquois Confederacy  is a United Nations made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations. 

Haudenosaunee traditional territory extended from the Schoharie Creek through the Mohawk Valley to the Genesee River.   

There is some debate regarding when the Iroquois Confederacy was established.  Historians and archeologists agree that it was in existence by 1630. The oral tradition of the Haudenosaunee state that the Confederacy was founded more than 1,000 years ago “on the last day that the green corn was ready”.

The Haudenosaunee are matrilineal.  Each person belongs to the same clan as his or her mother. The nine principle clans include the Bear, Wolf, Turtle, Beaver, Heron, Snipe, Hawk, Deer, and Eel.