The Iroquois depended on the natural resources around them to meet all of their basic needs.  Because they lived in the Eastern Woodlands of North America, their food, clothing, and shelter, as well as the materials for making their tools and weapons came from their environment. Their villages were located near lakes and streams that provided water for drinking, fishing, and a means of transportation.

Shelter

     Winters in the northeast are cold and long, and the Iroquois needed shelter from the elements.  They lived in villages surrounded by high fences called palisades, or stockades. The houses they built were known as longhouses.  To build longhouses, saplings were bent into frames, placed in holes dug into the ground, and covered with large sheets of elm bark. More poles were placed over the elm bark and tied securely with rope made from tree fibers, to hold the bark in place. Doors were placed at each end of the longhouse. There were no windows.
     Longhouses were very long and rectangular in shape. Most were between 20-30 feet wide, and varied in length depending on how many families lived in them.  Some longhouses reached lengths of up to 300 feet.  Many families lived in each longhouse.
      The inside space was divided up evenly between the families that lived there.  Each family's space was about 20 feet long.  Families lived, on each side of a center aisle, which ran the length of the longhouse.  Fires built for cooking, heating, and light were made in the center of the aisle   They were shared by the two families across from each other.  Holes cut in the roof, above each fire allowed smoke to escape.
     Family belongings were kept on platforms, or shelves, built from saplings.  On these shelves, the family also sat, worked and slept.  The platforms were covered with furs, animal skins, and mats woven from cornhusks or strips of bark. The family sat and slept on the lower shelves.  The upper shelves stored tools, weapons, and other belongings. Dried vegetables and herbs were stored in baskets on the top shelves or hung from the poles in the longhouses.

Clothing

     The Iroquois used the skins and furs of many woodland animals to make their clothing. Deerskin was most often used, as it was soft and durable.  They sewed deerskin into breech cloths, leggings, tunics, and moccasins with needles made from animal bones. Moccasins might also be woven from plant and tree fibers. Dyed porcupine quills or small shell beads decorated the clothing of the Iroquois.

Food

      The Iroquois grew corn, squash, and beans. They called these crops "The Three Sisters."  The women cultivated these crops in fields near their villages using tools made from the bones of animals.  Sunflowers, gourds, and pumpkins were also grown.  
     They gathered nuts, roots, and berries in season and stored them for use during the winter months.  A variety of native woodland plants were gathered for use as medicines, tobacco, and dyes for clothing.  The Iroquois tapped maple trees for sap which was then made into syrup.
     The men and boys hunted and fished. The meat of several varieties of woodland animals and waterfowl was eaten by the Iroquois.  Eels and many types of fish were netted or speared for food.

Tools and Weapons

     The Iroquois made their tools and weapons from stone, bones, and natural materials found in the woodlands. Deer antlers could be used to pierce deerskins or bark. Gardening tools such as hoes were made from large deer bones.  Tool handles were made from tree branches or saplings. The jawbone of a deer could be used to scrape corn from the cob.  Small bones of birds were made into sewing needles and fishing hooks.  Axe heads were ground to sharpness from hard stones.  Flint was used for arrow and spear points. Bowstrings were made from sinew, the strong string-like tendons in deer's leg.
     Cooking and storage utensils were also made from the natural resources found in the woodland environment.  Clay was dug to make cooking pots. Baskets were woven from plant and tree fibers.  Pouches made from the skins of animals were used to carry and store supplies