| Iroquois
Indian Museum Howes Cave, NY |
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This statement sums up the purpose of this unique building, designed to look like a traditional longhouse. It is the home of the largest collection of modern Iroquois art, as well as a significant archeological collection. We spent a quiet Sunday learning about the Iroquois Confederacy, made up of six Indian nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. Harrison and Amanda enjoyed making crafts in the Children's Iroquois Museum downstairs. |
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We learned the legend of why corn husk dolls have no faces. "There was a time when all corn husk dolls had faces. They were sent by the Creator to be the playmate of the children." "One day when they were in the woods, the corn husk doll discovered a pond. Looking into the pond she saw her reflection. She knelt down and began to admire herself. She stayed there for a very long time and forgot about the children. Soon, the children were in danger and the corn husk doll was nowhere to be found. . .The creator saw her and he told her: 'You were given a job to protect the children and you forgot your instructions!' As punishment he took away her face and said 'from now on, corn husk dolls will have no face.' The lesson to be learned is that we should not be too preoccupied with our looks. It is more important to develop our mind and have a good heart. From that point on, corn husk dolls were made without faces." --Tammy Tarbell, Mohawk |
The
Iroquois (A First Americans Book) |
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At the time of "first contact," when the Europeans came in contact with the Native Americans, most of the sports the Europeans played were one-on-one combat games, like jousting, wrestling, and so forth. The Ancient Greeks didn't have any team sports in their Olympic games. |
From the Dover Coloring book Woodlands Indians by Peter F. Copeland |
) Harrison
tried his hand at pounding corn into meal. "I tried smashing corn
with a mortar and pestle made of wood. Stone versions of this, called mano
and matate do the same thing, with a little bit of grit in your meal. It's
easy at first, but I got tired after a while. I'm glad I didn't have to
do it for hours like the Iroquois did." |
) Click
Here for a full size image of Amanda's Corn Spirit
drawing. |
){kind=small} Amanda
drew a picture of a sculpture representing the Corn Spirit. "This
Corn Spirit is one of the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are Corn, Beans
and Squash. These three things were important to the Indians because they
kept them alive. If you look to the right, you will see my drawing of the
sculpture on the left. The Corn Spirit is very complicated. It has many,
many kernels of corn carved in the rock." |
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 Faces
(Click Here
for more faces) |
 Recommend
a face |
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| The Iroquois Indian Museum is located about 30 miles west of Albany in a town called Howes Cave, just off I-88. Nearby is the Howe Caverns and Museum where you can explore some interesting geological formations. |
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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"We
ask the Creator that we always be available for educating the people
of both cultures so that we can better understand each other."
--Jim Sky, Onondaga Iroquois Trustee
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COLOR
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Hiawatha
(Picture Puffins))
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Giving
Thanks : A Native American Good Morning Message (Reading Rainbow Book)
The
Ambiguous Iroquois Empire : The Covenant Chain Confederation of
Indian Tribes With English Colonies from Its Beginnings to the Lancaster
Treaty O 
Always
a People : Oral Histories of Contemporary Woodland Indians