The Haudenosaunee or Iroquois arrived in this area in 900 C.E. and remained until the early 1700’s. The title Haudenosaunee translates to ‘People of the Longhouse.’ In this context, Haudenosaunee refers to more than a group of people. It is a philosophy, a way of life and a body of customs that stretch beyond location and proximity to one another.

The Haudenosaunee lived in villages of communal longhouses, in a single area for 15 to 20 years and would move once the soil had become depleted. Each long house was shared amongst 6 to 8 families. The Haudenosaunee follow a matrilineal social system, wherein mothers are heads of families, holding much power in the community. Women planted and cared for the crops under the direction of a clan mother.

Eventually these peoples moved back south across the Great Lakes to their traditional homelands, due to a war that was between the Mohawk/Seneca, and the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Anishnaabeg, over a violation of a treaty between the two groups.