Legends, Traditions and Laws of the Iroquois or Six Nations and History of the Tuscarora Indians

Description

Fascinating information about the Iroquois Confederacy and the inclusion of the Tuscarora who lived in the North Carolina area but were driven out by British settlers and conflicts between them. My favorite section discussed the life of Mary Jemison who was kidnapped as an 8 year old and while always wanting to come back to her people, eventually chose to stay with the Seneca because she had married by age 14 and her husband and children wouldn’t be accepted by the “whites” as she was by the Indians. Mary was given land by her second husband by the Genesee River but saw most Seneca sell their land as “fire water” became more available and the men became less able to manage their lives. The Senecas would be moved to a reservation near Buffalo, NY. Much of the book is taken up by treaties between the United States government and New York State. Those are good documents if you need to refer to them but not exciting reading. But the stories about the Iroquois and the Tuscarora Indians is absorbing and meaningful.