Food and Land
The Iroquois farmed the same land year after year. The land first needed to be cleared and this was always done by the men. After the trees were cut down, they were were girdled together because it was easier for them to be burned along with the stumps. The roots were left to dry before being removed.
After this was done, the women leveled the ground around the remains of the stumps using large, hook shaped wooden rakes. The women worked hard to produce the basic foods that were required for their survival and this allowed the men to be free to travel, to trade and to raid. The little girls worked beside their mothers and aunts.
The seasons divided the agricultural year into 4 different seasons. Springtime brought warmer weather ; the sap began to flow freely, new buds began to appear, and the frozen ground finally began to thaw and was ready to be worked. Summer was a dry, warm and long season and during this time the corn (which they referred to as Maize) and other crops such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and wild cherries began to ripen to be ready for harvest.
Tobacco was another important crop that was grown by the Iroquois men because it was used in their ceremonies. During the summer season, scouts and sentries were always present, because they needed to guard against enemy attacks which could result in endangering their food supply. When autumn arrived, the maple, birch and beech trees began to change into the beautiful fall colours. The corn, pumpkin and squash were also changing and were ready to be harvested as well. Winter brought a lot of snow and the lakes and rivers were frozen.
The women soaked the seeds of corn in water to make them ready to sprout and they used small wooden spades. Then nine or ten holes were poked into each of the mounds of dirt and then the seeds were planted in them. The mounds protected the seeds from the cold and discouraged weeds from growing. In the same field as the corn, many different kinds of beans were grown. Sunflowers were grown for the oil in their seeds which was used for cooking and they rubbed it on their bodies for protection from the cold or the sun or to soothe cuts and sounds.
Pumpkin, melon and squash seeds were sprouted in the trays spread with light oil and then they were moved outside and planted in the fields. At harvest time, some of the women picked the ears of corn and put them into large baskets. Others then carried the baskets to the longhouses where the third group of women would then cook for the workers. At night, the men worked with the women to bind the cars of corn into bundles and then they were hung from the roof beams of the longhouses. Once the corn was dried, the women and girls scraped the kernels off the cobs with a tool that was made out of a deer jaw. This was necessary because they needed to store food for the winter--time, when it was scarce.
Basic crops consisted of corn, beans and squash and were known as the "three sisters". The "sisters" refers to the spirits of these plants. Women planted the three vegetables together in rows, so that the bean stalks would wind around the corn stalks for support. Corn is the most important crop of the "Three Sisters". There were many varieties of corn. One was a Bread Corn, which was very starchy. It could be dried and stored for later use. Flint corn was dried and stores so they could use it all year long. Green corn was a tender, milky white corn which was cooked on the cob.
The squash grew between these, to shade the ground, keep it moist and stop weeds from growing. Beans were also dried and kept in bark containers with lids. Squash and pumpkins were placed in deep, bark-lined pits in the houses and then they were covered with earth. Wild plums, grapes, cherries, berries and sweet crab apples were also gathered along with many different kinds of nuts (chestnuts, walnuts and hickory). They also gathered maple syrup which was used as their only sweetener. This was also stored in seamless bark containers made in the shape of boats.
The villagers also ate seeds and nuts out of their shells and cooked and mashed them with powdered meat. They also used milkweed, mustard greens, dandelions and skunk cabbage in salads or stews. Wild mushrooms were frequently added to soups and were also boiled and fried as a side dish. Fruits and herbs were made into juices and teas. The sap from trees could be boiled to make syrup used to sweeten food. Camping trips were arranged so that a years supply of maple syrup could be taken. All of the children also received delicious sweet treats from the maple syrup that was greatly enjoyed by all. Once the hot maple syrup was poured into molds, then laid of top of the snow to freeze and it hardened and turned into maple sugar.
Trout, sturgeon and white-wish were brought by the men to the clan. In the forests, they hunted for bears, elk, deer, rabbits and wolves. They were shot with bows and arrows or they were caught in traps and snares. A snare was made by bending a young tree down and attaching it to the ground with a loop that would catch an animal by its hind legs. Game birds were very plentiful along with wild turkeys, geese, ducks, herons, pigeons and partridges.
Once the food was stored in the longhouse, the women were the ones who controlled the food supply. When there was a threat of a war that the women did not agree with, they simply withheld foods from them for the journey. Also, in council meetings that were not proceeding along as they wished, they would refuse to prepare meals for the councilors.
Water was boiled by dropping heated stones into a clay pot full of water. When slower cooking was required, they hung clay pots over a fire. Bread was made out of ground corn and the loaves were a small and flat shape. Families ate only one large meal a day and it was usually eaten in the late morning. Utensils were made out of wood and bark. They were always in the habit of giving thanks for their ancestors and for all of the living creatures. The also gave thanks for the sun, moon, stars, wind thunder, water, trees and fire. It was also very interesting that they asked silent permission from the animals that they killed and then thanked them for providing food and clothing.