Growing Up Iroquois (Everyday Life)
When the Iroquois got married the husband and wife exchanged wedding baskets which were mutli-colored and decorated with beads. Mothers would often carry babies in cradle boards on their backs and children would often play with each other and toys such as cornhusk dolls. As they got older they started going to school and doing chores. The more chores that they had to do, the less time that they got to play. They would go fishing or hunting with their fathers and they enjoyed playing lacrosse. The Iroquois also loved to paint. At first they painted on the surface of animal hides but in 1821 they began to use canvas and paper. They began to use painting as a way to bring out their culture. They painted animals, nature, clan symbols and many other objects. They would often use baskets for carrying food and washing corn kernels. Before the colonial people came, the Iroquois used pots made from clay with a round bottom and covered with designs. When the colonial people came, they brought metals. The old clay pots were then replaced with metal ones. Medicine bags were an importantant part of the Iroquois arts and crafts. The bag contained animal and bird skins, herbs, tobacco and pipes, which they believed would protect them from evil.