At Cattaraugus and Allegheny, and the clans still exist, but the chiefs function in a religious way

What are the Clans?


The clan is the basic unit of social organization among the Iroquois, with the women holding primary responsibility for the function of the clans. . This system is still in place at Tonawanda, Tuscarora, Onondaga as the primary form of governance, and at Akwesasne and Oneida there are both a traditional council of chiefs which operate independently from the elected tribal council. At Cattaraugus and Allegheny, and the clans still exist, but the chiefs function in a religious way only, not as a form of government. At those to communities the form of government is called the Seneca Nation of Indians.

A clan is a group of families that share a common female ancestry. Members of one clan are considered relatives and intermarriage in the same clan is forbidden. Clans are named after animals that have special assistance to the people - water (turtle, eel, beaver); land (bear, deer, wolf), sky (snipe, heron, hawk). Clanship identity is very important to the Haudenosaunee.

Children inherit the clan of their mother. If a Mohawk woman of the Wolf Clan marries a Tuscarora man of the Beaver Clan, their children will be Mohawks of the Wolf Clan. If a Tuscarora woman marries a Tuscarora of he beaver clan, their children will be Tuscaroras of the Beaver clan. If a Indian man marries a non-Indian, their children will not have a Haudenosaunee nationality nor a clan. Identity can be seen as a series of concentric circles. In the center is the fireside family (your mother an father and sisters and brothers); next is the extended family (your clan); next is you nationality (the nation); then is union of nations (Haudenosaunee).

Each nation has a different number of clans, with all having the turtle, bear and wolf clans. Each clan may have more than one Hoyaneh. As an example, among the Mohawk, there are three turtle Hoyaneh, three wolf Hoyaneh, and three bear Hoyaneh, making nine chiefs altogether that make up their national council of chiefs, who serve as the Mohawk delegates to the Grand Council of Chiefs. The Onondaga have 14 hoyaneh; the Seneca have 8; the Cayuga have 10; the Oneida have 9; and the Tuscarora have 6.