essay

Iroquois since 1820

handbook of north american indians. northeast • 15 • Published In 1978 • Pages: 449-465 [dc]

By: Tooker, Elisabeth.

Abstract

During the first two decades of the nineteenth century, the various social, economic, and political consequences of the Iroquois defeat by the Americans in the Revolution, were apparent. Many Iroquois, including a large number who had been loyal to the British, moved to reserves in Canada, while others remained in their old homelands which were now part of the United States of America. 'The once powerful and independent Iroquois confederacy had become 'nations within nations'' (p. 449). By 1820 it was clear to the Iroquois that in order to deal with whites as neighbors they would have to change their whole economic base of existence (e.g., from a hunting-gathering society to one based essentially on sedendary agriculture). This article traces the various changes that took place in the society from the early nineteenth to the late twentieth century (ca. 1970s). Tooker describes the loss of Indian lands, the establishment of reservations, missionization, changes in political, economic, and religious structures, medicine societies, curing practices, and modern (ca. 1970s) reservation life.

HRAF PubDate

1996

Region

North America

Sub Region

Eastern Woodlands

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 1994

Field Date

no date

Coverage Date

variable

Coverage Place

United States and Canada

Notes

Elisabeth Tooker

GPO Stock no.: 047-000-00351-2

Bibliography included as document no. 54

LCCN

77017162

LCSH

Iroquois Indians