An Iroquois Indian Woman - Essay Example

We only lived and cultivated lands within the period of 10-20 years after the soil proved infertile due to the worn-out form of farming. Although we stayed along the streams, we later moved on to hilltops so that we could protect ourselves from the attacking tribes and even used palisades that had watch towers to spot invaders (De 17-27).

Farmlands were cleared by men and women followed by the actual planting by using tiny wooden spades in creating mounds. We believed that mounds would play a major role in protecting the seeds from cold and that the three crops grown could provide both physical and spiritual sustainers of life. We used a companion planting method in growing corn. We used to plant three main crops which included corn, squash, and beans which were commonly referred to as “Three Sisters”. We always planted the crops together at a very close distance where some flat-topped mounds of soil were created for every cluster of crops. Every mound was almost 30cm high and 50cm wide, and numerous corn seeds were collectively planted in the middle of the mounds and rotten fish or even eels were buried together with the seeds to act as fertilizer (De 17-27).

It was interesting to note that the crops mutually benefited from each other the maize provided its stalk for the beans to climb, beans provided nitrogen for other plants to utilize, and squash nicely covered the ground to prevent the growth of weeds and retain moisture in the soil. We strongly believed that the mixture of maize and beans provided a great balanced diet. The natural relationship of the three crops was very vital, hence, requiring us to plant them together. During the harvest crops were gathered, and women and senior girls did the part of scrapping the kernels off the corn ears immediately after the corn dried and later stored in the containers made of bark. We made a nice soup from the dry corn and bread with the grounded ones (Kleinberg, Boris & Ruiz 30-35).

Apart from the three crops, we grew sunflowers so that we could use oil from their seeds in cooking, protecting us from the sun or cold after rubbing on our bodies and even in healing cuts. Women could gather fruits at times as men hunted bears, beavers, rabbits, or deer using bows and arrows or even trapping the animals in snares. Despite the abundance of food, we ate only one great meal in the late morning using our wooden spoons, bowls, or shells. We used deerskin and other animals’ hides and furs to make our clothes which we commonly used both for protection and decoration. We wore our clothes considering different times of the year: during the summer we used loincloths of soft deerskin, while during cold weather men got dressed in leather leggings and tunics and women in skirts and leggings. Shells, beads, and porcupine quills provided a lovely decoration for clothes, necklaces, and bracelets (Kleinberg, Boris & Ruiz 30-35).

Our customs and beliefs were simply amazing. We believed that there existed numerous spirit forces that were created by a supreme being such as the sky spirit which included the moon and the sun as well as the earth spirits which included animals and plants. Every Iroquoian believed that their dreams would become true, and it was, therefore, common to see someone cutting him or herself in a harmless way whenever he or she dreamt of being wounded (Kleinberg, Boris & Ruiz 30-35). Furthermore, every village had a distinct longhouse that was used for ceremonies. Some of our sacred traditions included false faces or medicine masks with crooked noses to honor the legendary giant that guaranteed the protection of the community. Other several festivals almost summed up to six per year that we held at different times such as the New Year Festival, the Green Corn, and the Harvest of Thanksgiving Festival (De 27-37).

It is also important to note that tribes were organized into many clans, and every clan was headed by the oldest woman who controlled food, chose chiefs, and organized marriages. A clan must descend from a common female ancestor, and the clan members of similar ages called themselves brothers and sisters. A tie to one’s clan was regarded to be an important thing even after marriage. A woman was supposed to marry a man from another clan and remain loyal and close to her clan more than even to her husband. We loved each other and stayed in peace most of the time.