Indigenous Tribes & Culture: How Colonialism and Borderlands Affected Tribal Nations

Mohawk Culture before the arrival of European Colonists

Before European colonists arrived in North America in 1609 there existed what was later known as the Iroquois Confederation. This was an alliance composed of five native tribes called the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and the Mohawk. The Mohawk were referred to in the Confederation as "Keepers of the Eastern Door", this was because they were located in the East and closest to the Atlantic Ocean and were responsible for protecting the Eastern part of the Iroquois Confederation. Each tribe in the Confederation possessed its own republican constitution, and authority and rank within the tribes was composed of age and merit. The Mohawk Indians lived in an area known as the Mohawk River Valley in present day New York State.

Known as  the most powerful of the Five Nations and were also celebrated as having the strongest and bravest warriors. Warfare was a key element to Mohawk culture and they prided themselves on their bravery in battle and there were constant skirmishes with other tribes such as the Huron Indians located in the east and the Algonquian Tribes in the north. Participating in a war party was a key benchmark in a Mohawk youth's progress towards adulthood, and by participating the youth would also have the chance to hone his martial skills and learn from older veteran warriors of the tribe.

Prowess in battle also provided for Mohawk men several benefits within the tribe itself, such as the prospects of a marriage into a powerful family and even increase his chances of being selected as a leader within the tribe itself. Mohawk warrior culture also was concerned with how a notable warrior or leader provided for others in the tribe, such as his ability to provide the tribe with what was referred to a war feasts. If the feast was a success, it would be much easier for the Mohawk warrior to attract other warriors to lead in a war party. The Mohawk were known as such ruthless fighters that several of the smaller tribes in the area were forced to pay tribute, others were simply absorbed into the tribe by being conquered by the Mohawk warriors.  

Apart from the bloody business of war the Mohawk people lived a life of farming and hunting. The women of the tribe would be in charge of raising crops such as corn (maize) and the men would hunt animals such as elk and deer in the fall and fish the local rivers and streams in the summer months. Living together in villages Mohawk extended families lived together in what is known as longhouses, this means that not only would your mother, father and siblings live in the longhouse but possibly your aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents as well. Mohawk village life was centered around these families and the daily tasks each member had to complete each day, be it tending the corn fields, hunting wild game for dinner, to tanning hides to be made into clothes for the coming months. The leadership structure of the villages was comprised of one or several chiefs, who were also advised by a council of elders. This would be the way of life for the Mohawk people going as far back as the story of their creation, but it would all change with the arrival of the Europeans. 

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