has been adapted in a haircut style, called “the Mohawk,” worn by teenage boys.Iroquois women wore their hair long and braided. Their clothing was simple — deerskin skirts that were below the knees, and leggings like the men’s. In cold weather, they added a loose cape-like blouse with deep fringes along the edges.The government of the Iroquois is somewhat hard to explain. First, the clan mothers were the ones who nominated the man that can possibly become chief. The people were the ones that “voted” for the chief. Once they have found a chief, he is the chief for the rest of his life unless he does not do what the people want. If the chief does not do what the people want, he has three chances to stop or he will be no longer be the chief. Ceremonies and festivals played an important role in the lives of the Iroquois. Most of these events were to honor the Great Spirit who provided good crops and plentiful game. Some ceremonies were held to ward off the Evil Spirit. Members of the False Face Society did yearly combat with the spirit who made people ill. A sick person often had a dream in which someone wearing a grotesque mask appeared. When this happened, the family of the sick person called on the False Face Society for help to perform healing ceremonies.Members of the society wore large, ugly, disgusting carved masks when they came to the long house of the sick person. They also carried noisemakers made of turtle shells filled with pebbles. They danced around the sick person, chanted, rattled the noise makers, and sprinkled tobacco ashes over the sickly one.Once the sick person was cured, he became a member of the False Face Society. His first assignment was to carve his own mask. According to legend, the design had to be the same as the face he saw in his dream. Supposedly, each mask had different features. The mouth, for instance, it might be crooked or straight-lipped, or it might be open with th...
