Joshua Trung - Native American Research Report

Research Question: How did the colonisation of North America impact one particular group of indigenous people on the continent?

1. What are two or three Native American tribes that seem interesting to you?

Iroquois

Sioux

Navajo

2. Look for information about one of the groups. If there seems to be plenty of information, stick with that group. If not, look for information on another group. Then write (in the space below) the group you plan to research for this assignment.

I plan to research about the Iroquois people.

3. Find out where the group lived throughout history—what parts of North America. Describe the group’s geographical location or range in the space below.

The Iroquois lived on the eastern shores of Lake Ontario, curving upward from the lake. The vast majority of their territory is now modern-day New York. However, during their golden age, they gained control of a much larger territory. These observations were taken straight from the map.

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4. Identify the pressures brought by settlers from Europe. What impacts did this particular group experience as a result of European colonisation?

The colonists encouraged the Iroquois to hunt for beaver fur. Initially, they hunted in their own territory, but as the beaver population declined, they began to expand their territories southward. The Beaver Wars are a brutal and bloody episode that follows. Though the Beaver Wars were not 'directly' caused by European colonisation, the desire for beaver furs incentivized the Iroquois and other nations to participate in this bloody war.

When the French and Indian War broke out, the colonists put pressure on Native American tribes to choose sides. The Iroquois chose to support the British during the war because of prior relationships and geographical location. The French fought them fiercely during the war, but Britain didn't seem to care because it was too preoccupied with its colonisation efforts in Quebec. As a result of this experience, the Iroquois were forced to endure years of war, losing men and disrupting their society with little assistance from their ally.

The colonists put pressure on the Iroquois to choose sides in the Revolutionary War, either with the Americans or the British. The Iroquois Confederation initially refused to take part in the fighting. However, when it became clear that they needed to curry favour with the war's winners, the country was divided over who they would ally with. The Oneida and Tuscarora (who later joined the Conferation) sided with the Americans, while the other four tribes supported the British. During the war, because the colonies occupied the Iroquois' territory, they routinely burned their houses after raiding them. The division on both sides also resulted in fighting between Iroquois, which never occurred since the tribes were united. This went so wrong that the Confederation was shattered after the war.

Following the war, a series of treaties were signed that effectively took away the Iroquois' homelands. Because the Iroquois were now much weaker, they agreed to these treaties, and their land was reduced to a fraction of what it had been.

Sources:

Overly Sarcastic Productions. “History Summarized: Iroquois Native Americans.” YouTube, 7 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTG45DSSgdE. Accessed 17 June 2023.

AlternateHistoryHub. “What Were the Beaver Wars?” YouTube, 3 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fo_45qFj4A. Accessed 17 June 2023.

5. What is the status of the group today? Do they remain an organised tribe or nation? What role do they play in American culture and politics?

Over 125,000 Iroquois people live in the United States and Canada. There are approximately 28,000 Iroquois living on or near the reservation in New York, and another 30,000 in Canada. Nonetheless, a large number of Iroquois prefer to live in urban areas rather than on reservations. The Iroquois Confederation's tribes are federally recognised by the United States. According to Enclopedia.com, the League of Iroquois was formed after the war but has little power against the governments of the United States and Canada.

The Iroquois are well-known for their "Great Law of Peace." Initially, the Iroquois Confederation was made up of five tribes that had been at odds for a long time until each tribe agreed to this law and made peace with one another, effectively forming one nation. That country, made up of five states, would have representatives who met in one house to discuss the country's future and what steps they would take. They would then hold a vote to determine whether the unified states agreed to continue with the plan. This law was officially recognised by Congress in 1988 as acknowledging that the United States' governmental structure was directly based on the governmental structure of the Iroquois Confederation. The Iroquois government had a direct impact on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Sources:

Iroquois .⁠

" Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. . Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2023 <

https://www.encyclopedia.com⁠

“Iroquois People Now.” The Iroquois, theiroquoisstory.weebly.com/iroquois-people-now.html. Accessed 17 June 2023.

Overly Sarcastic Productions. “History Summarized: Iroquois Native Americans.” YouTube, 7 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTG45DSSgdE. Accessed 17 June 2023.

Historia Civilis. “The Iroquois Confederacy.” YouTube, 20 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4gU2Tsv6hY. Accessed 17 June 2023.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Iroquois.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois. Accessed 17 June 2023.

6. Now integrate all of your findings into a brief report. Feel free to copy and paste phrases or sentences from your answers to the questions above—as long as they are your own words. Remember, your report should answer your research question.

The Iroquois people, often overlooked but undeniably significant during America's colonisation era, wielded land, power, and a unique governmental structure that all contributed to their prestige. The Iroquois, not merely a single tribe but rather a federation comprising five tribes—the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca—saw their federation structure officially acknowledged by Congress in 1988 as a foundation upon which the United States' governmental structure was built. Their homeland curves upward along the eastern shores of Lake Ontario, with the majority of their territory now encompassing modern-day New York. However, during their golden age, they exerted control over a considerably larger expanse, spanning the states surrounding Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, from New York to parts of Indiana and Illinois. Alas, despite their might, the colonisation of the New World brought forth profound ramifications, inciting them to embark on the Beaver War and coercing them into picking sides in the French and Indian War as well as the Revolutionary War. Ultimately, they lost most, if not all, of their ancestral lands.

Beaver fur, known for its warmth, resilience, and status, allured great demand in the Western World. The beaver population in Europe, though, dwindled drastically due to overhunting, prompting businesses and traders to venture into the New World as a new source of beavers to meet the high demands. Initially, the Iroquois engaged in hunting within their own territory. However, as the beaver population declined, they expanded their domains southward, instigating the brutal and bloody conflict known as the Beaver Wars. While European colonisation cannot be attributed as the direct cause of this war, the demand for beaver furs served as a compelling incentive for the Iroquois and other nations to participate in this bloodshed that wouldn’t otherwise have happened.

After the Beaver Wars, two more conflicts emerged: the French and Indian War (1754–1763) and the Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The French and Indian War placed immense pressure on Native American tribes to align themselves with either camp. The Iroquois, given their geographical location and prior alliances, opted to support the British. Despite their valour, the French relentlessly opposed them during the war, while Britain, preoccupied with its colonisation efforts in Quebec, displayed little concern for their ally. As a result, the Iroquois endured years of warfare, suffering losses and social disruption with little aid from their purported allies. In the Revolutionary War, pressure once again mounted for the Iroquois to choose sides, either supporting the American colonies or remaining loyal to the British. Initially, the Iroquois Confederation staunchly declined to engage in the conflict. However, as it became increasingly apparent that their future hinged upon winning the favour of the victors, internal divisions arose regarding which side to align with. While the Oneida and Tuscarora tribes chose to side with the Americans, the remaining four tribes lent their support to the British. During the war, as the colonies occupied the countryside close to the Iroquois, they frequently committed raids, burning the Iroquois homes down. The schism within the Iroquois ranks led one Iroquois tribe to fight with another, an event that never happened in the history of the Iroquois Confederation. This internal fighting dealt a fatal blow to the unity among the tribes, and the Confederation was sometimes shattered after the war.

In the aftermath of the war, a series of treaties were signed, effectively stripping the Iroquois of their homelands. Weakened by the war, the Iroquois were left with no options other than consenting to these agreements, leading to a substantial reduction of their land until ultimately losing all of it. Presently, over 125,000 Iroquois individuals reside in the United States and Canada, with some residing on or near reservations, while others have settled in urban centres and towns. The United States federally recognises all tribes within the Iroquois Confederation. Today, the Iroquois Confederacy, formed after the war, still exists, albeit with very little influence over the governments of the United States and Canada.

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