Iroquoian nations had a well-defined political organization. It started with the clan, the structure that was closest to the daily lives of the people, and went all the way to the confederationThis is a group of people or nations or tribes or provinces that form an “alliance”…., the most remote structure. Look at the diagram above. In order, from bottom to top, were the clan council, the village council, the nation council and finally, the confederationThis is a group of people or nations or tribes or provinces that form an “alliance”…. council.
To make this easier to understand, let’s look at the Bear Clan, which belongs to the Kanien’kehá:ka nation:
1. The Bear Clan council
The clan council elects a representative, called the civil chiefChiefs Definitions: The leaders of the clans and tribes were called chiefs. These men were elected….
2. The village council
The civil chiefs of all the clans in the village meet.
3. The nation council
The civil chiefs of the Kanien’kehá:ka nation meet to discuss issues.
4. The confederationThis is a group of people or nations or tribes or provinces that form an “alliance”…. council
The confederationThis is a group of people or nations or tribes or provinces that form an “alliance”…. was made up of representatives from the five Iroquois nations. By joining forces within a confederationThis is a group of people or nations or tribes or provinces that form an “alliance”…., the Five Nations could help each other for political or economic reasons.
