The Mohawk Tribe

The Mohawk tribe is now Known as Kanien'kehake (people of the flint)this means they had alot very hard stone that when struck with steel it sparks.The name Mohawk was gigen to the tribe by the Algonquin.The Mohawk tribe live in what is now upstate NewYork.They were not the only tribe living there.There were other tribes.They were the Cayuga, the Seneca, the Oneida, and the Onondaga.To have peace they started the Iroqoui Confederacy or League.It was to have peace amoung the tribes.
The Mohawk lived in villages.Their shelter are longhouses.They built their longhouses in an environment that is made up of lakes and forests.The longhouses can be as long as 200 feet long.The Longhouse is made out of tree bark, and logs.It's frame is covered in tree bark.A Longhouse could hold as many people.It can hold as many as 15 families or 100 people inside.A Longhouse is built from east to west.
Mohawk hunters used bows and arrows. Mohawk fishermen used spears and fishing poles. In war, Mohawk men used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs, spears and shields.More important tools they used included hand axes, flint knives for skinning animals, and wooden hoes for farming. The Mohawks and other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, they steamed wood so that it could be bent to make curved tools.
The Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes were known for their mask carving.It is considered a sacred art form that outsiders are not permitted to view.Beadwork and porcupine quillwork are more common Mohawk crafts. The Mohawks also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.
Iroquois men hunted deer and other game. Boys were allowed to join the men in hunting after they had killed a deer by themselves. Farming determined the way the Indians lived. The Iroquois moved to new locations when their large fields no longer produced a good crop of beans, corn, and squash. They called beans, squash, and corn "The Three Sisters". The women tended the crops. One favorite food of the Iroquois was corn cakes. It was made by patting corn into round cakes then baking it.
The Iroquois Indians held six big festivals each year. Each festival lasted several days. During these festivals music was made by shaking rattles and beating drums. Rattles were made from gourds and turtle shells. The festivals included the New Year Festival in the winter, the Maple Festival in spring, the Corn Planting Festival, the Strawberry Festival, the Green Corn Festival, and the Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving. The festivals were held to give thanks to the good spirits for health, clothes, food, and happiness.
Mohawks live on and off reservations throughout the northeastern united states and south eastern provinces of canada.