Haudenosaunee: Map & History
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois, is a confederacy of Iroquoian Indigenous peoples in northeast North America.
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The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois, is a confederacy of Iroquoian Indigenous peoples in northeast North America. They have also been called the Six Nations. The Haudenosaunee originally comprised the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca peoples. After 1722, the Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora migrated from the southeast and were accepted into the Confederacy.
Modern Countries Once Part of Haudenosaunee
At its mapped extent, Haudenosaunee covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Haudenosaunee's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Haudenosaunee in Depth
History
The Haudenosaunee League was established prior to European contact, with the banding together of five Iroquoian peoples living south of the Great Lakes into "The Great League of Peace". Many archaeologists and anthropologists believe that the League was formed about 1450, though arguments have been made for dates as early as the solar eclipse of August 31, 1142.
The founders of the League are traditionally held to be Dekanawida the Great Peacemaker, Hiawatha, and Jigonhsasee the Mother of Nations, whose home acted as a sort of United Nations. They brought the Peacemaker's Great Law of Peace to the five Iroquoian nations who were fighting, raiding, and feuding with each other and with other tribes, both Algonkian and Iroquoian.
Government
The Grand Council of the Six Nations is an assembly of 56 Hoyenah (chiefs). Chief offices are hereditary within their clan. When a position becomes vacant a candidate is selected from among the members of the clan and "raised up" by a council of all chiefs. The new chief gives up his old name and is thereafter addressed by the title.
When anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan studied the Grand Council in the 19th century, he interpreted it as a central government. This interpretation became influential, but Richter argues that while the Grand Council served an important ceremonial role, it was not a government in the sense that Morgan thought.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Haudenosaunee (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Haudenosaunee: Key Facts
| Capital | Onondaga |
|---|---|
| Religions | Protestantism, Catholicism, Longhouse Religion |
| Form of government | confederation |
Facts from Wikidata Q68518 (CC0).
Haudenosaunee Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Haudenosaunee appears, with the other states of the time.
Haudenosaunee Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 570,383 km² in 1684 CE.
Haudenosaunee: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Haudenosaunee exist?
Haudenosaunee is dated to 1450 CE – 1782 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of Haudenosaunee?
The capital of Haudenosaunee was Onondaga.
How large was Haudenosaunee at its peak?
At its peak in 1684 Haudenosaunee covered about 570,383 km².
How did the map of Haudenosaunee change over time?
Haudenosaunee appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1500 CE to 1700 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad