Public Access America

The Iroquois were hunters and gatherers, farmers, and fishermen but the main staples of their diet came from farming. They harvested the three sisters -corn, beans, and squash as well as tobacco for smoking. Their crops were grown in a very specific manner and were managed, grown, and harvested by the women of the tribe. Out of six annual ceremonies, four of them revolved around the corn crops. They would move to a new settlement close to water every 10-30 years as the soil lost its nutrients and the animal and fish population declined. The women of the tribe also gathered wild berries and roots, greens, barks, sunflower, nuts, and herbs for both cooking and for medicine. In early spring, they tapped the sap from Maple trees and turned it into maple syrup. The men were gone during the winter months hunting deer, elk, wild turkey, beaver, fowl, and other woodland animals. Being so close to the St. Lawrence river, they also relied heavily on fishing as a constant source of food. They caught several types of fis