d into the long house of his wife and the children became members of her clan. The clan mothers were also the ones that voted for the chief.The food of the Iroquois was mostly based on agriculture. Corn, beans, and squash were called “deohako” or “life supporters.” Their importance to the Iroquois was clearly demonstrated by the six annual agricultural festivals held with prayers of gratitude for their harvests. Women were the ones that harvested and collected crops under the supervision of the clan mother. Men left the village in the fall to hunt and returned about mid-winter. The primary occupation of the men was warfare, aside for building the villages and clearing land.The clothing of the Iroquois were mostly made out of deer. In cold weather, the men wore a tunic-like shirt with fringed edges. In both cold and warm weather, they wore leggings, seamed up the front, without fringes. The seams of the leggings were covered with fancy stitches, like embroidery. The leggings reached down to the top of the moccasins (furry shoes) and often dragged on the ground. For special occasions, the men wore a short kilt over the leggings.In warm weather, men usually wore just legging and a breechclout. A breechclout was a piece of fabric about 18 inches wide that passed between the legs. It was held to the waist by a belt and hung down to the knees in the front and back. After the arrival of the white man, the Iroquois male began to carry a tobacco pouch. It hung at his waist and was attached to a shoulder strap that crossed his chest. The Iroquois man sometimes wore an unusual feather-covered cap. It conformed to the shape of his head. In the center of the hat, one or two feathers stood up.Most of the men, especially warriors, cut off most of their hair. They left a tuft that stood up in the center and back of the head. This was called a “roach.” One or too feathers were added for decoration. This Iroquois style...
