Where religion and the supernatural are concerned, the Iroquois acknowledged the existence of many supernatural beings. However, they considered there to be two major forces in the universes, the famous "Twin Boys":

Creator, or Upholder of the Skies was the Good Twin, who had brought forth all the good things upon the earththe cultivated plants, rivers, animals and man. The Evil Twin, of Flint, had created the poisonous plants, monstrous animals and all sorts of impediments upon the earth.

The Good Twin would come to be called the "Great Spirit" by the white men.

Where the women of the tribes are concerned, Iroquois women are unique in history for one simple reason: they possessed most of the power within their society. Some cultures allowed women to be a powerful force in their society, but not many. The Iroquois women, however, enjoyed such use of power that they were able t

These seemingly modern "model" Indians were often misunderstood by the settlers and colonials as filthy savages and practitioners of rank superstition. Whenever the Indians discussed "metaphysics," the Colonials were likely to hear stories of how men had turned into beasts. They considered this rank superstition, unable to understand that these myths may have been merely a metaphor for some physical or natural phenomenon that had occurred. In addition, the Iroquois were seen as sinful because of what were perceived to be "filthy" practices and habits by the Europeans:

Jennings, Francis. The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism, and the Cant of Conquest. North Carolina: North Carolina Press, 1975.

The Iroquois were quite an unusual, almost "model" people in the way they lived their