The Mohawk Tribe

The Mohawk tribe lived in what is today upstate NY and Canada. Lived next to these bordering tribes Oneida,Delaware,Mochican,Abenaki,and Laurentians.Their enemies called them Algokian which means ''man eaters.''But in their own language called Kanienkehaka it meant ''people of the flint.''

The Mohawk lived in villages of their shelter called longhouses.A longhouse was a large wood-frame building covered with elm bark.Could be 100 feet long, an entire clan lived in it,and up to about 60 people per longhouse.Today,longhouses are only used for different types of purposes.The Mohawks today live in modern houses and apartment buildings,just like us.

The Mohawk Indians were a tribe of farming.Mohawk women palnted crops such as corn,beans,and squash. They would also harvest wild berries and herbs.As,for the men they would hunt deer and elk,fished in the rivers.Traditional Mohawk foods included cornbread, soups, and stews, were cooked on a stone hearths.

The Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes were known for their mask carving and other types of art. Which is considered a sacred art form, outsiders are still not permitted to view these masks. Beadwork and the more demanding porcupine quillwork are the common Mohawk crafts. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency. But they were consider culturally important as art material. Wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.

Today the Mohawk helped the building of NY skyscapers. Such as the Empire State Building and other skyscapers. Construction companies felt Mohawks are ''well-skilled'',didn't fear heights and were brave to work in daring conditions. But their contracts lower than average wages and limited labor union membership. Not only they did construction they had alot of casinos and ran alot of casino computers.

Mohawk tribe had wars with eastern tribes such as Wabanaki tribes, Algonquin, Ojibway, and the Mohican. In war, Mohawk men used their bows and arrows or fought with clubs, spears and shields. Other important tools used by the Mohawks included stone adzes (hand axes for woodworking). Flint knives for skinning animals, wooden hoes for farming. The Mohawks and other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers, steaming wood that it can be bent to curve tools.
This is my work and research on the Mohawk Tribe. I would like to thank these websites for giving some information. These wesites are wikipedia.org and bigorrin.org. I hope you've enjoyed the reasearch I did for this project. THE END