¹     The Iroquois people lived in the Northeast. They were called the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, or Seneca. They called themselves "the people of the longhouse." They believed they were part of a huge longhouse of people. The Mohawk tribe guarded the eastern "door" near the Mohawk River. The Seneca guarded the western "door" near Lake Erie.
 
²     Each town of Iroquois had a longhouse where the people lived. It was a building with a roof. It could hold 12 or more families. It had doors at both ends. There was a smoke-hole in the roof because a fire was made inside the longhouse. Each family had its own section. A part in the middle of the longhouse was where everyone could meet.
 
³     Iroquois tribes organized into clans. A clan was a family with a common ancestor. A clan was made up of the grandchildren or great-grandchildren of this ancestor. An older woman was in charge of each clan. She owned the crops and the houses. She held a lot of power. The Iroquois also had chiefs.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable