Shared resources and labor
Narrated text:
“Cooperation was the hallmark of Haudenosaunee society. People shared the workload for cultivating crops, hunting and fishing, gathering materials like firewood, and making all the clothing, tools and utensils needed to live comfortably. They shared the labor of cultivating gathering foods, harvesting crops and even building the longhouses every 10-20 years.
“To achieve this, Gender Equity was essential. Women were respected and had social, political and economic responsibilities. Together, men and women, worked to create stable households, semi-permanent, self-sustaining communities. Sometimes, new longhouses had to be constructed to replace decaying ones.”
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Division of Labor
Men built longhouses and did primary hunting, trapping and fishing. Women ran the household, made pottery, tanned hides, gathered foods, and cultivated crops.
Men built longhouses and did primary hunting, trapping and fishing. Women ran the household, made pottery, tanned hides, gathered foods, and cultivated crops.
Cooperation
Working bees organized to plant, cultivate and harvest crops. Corn was dried for storage. Everyone contributed as best they could to ensure the survival of the village.
Working bees organized to plant, cultivate and harvest crops. Corn was dried for storage. Everyone contributed as best they could to ensure the survival of the village.
Sharing
No one went homeless, hungry or sick for long. Food was shared equally. People specialized in making things and traded so everyone had the clothes, tools and utensils they needed.
No one went homeless, hungry or sick for long. Food was shared equally. People specialized in making things and traded so everyone had the clothes, tools and utensils they needed.