Name:___________________________________________

OUTCOMES:

Social 6 Iroquois Confederacy

Unit Exam

How was the Iroquois Confederacy structured?

What was the role and status of women within the Iroquois Confederacy?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of consensus as a decision-making model
of government?
How did the Six Nations use the consensus-building process?
How did the Wampum Belt address collective identity?
How did the social structure of the Iroquois Confederacy impact its political structure?
To what extent did the decision-making process within the Iroquois Confederacy reflect
the democratic ideals of equity and fairness?

Part I. Matching (1 point each; 10 points)

Match each term with the correct description. Terms can only be used and some may not be
used at all. Please use CAPITAL LETTERS.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Haudenosaunee
Confederacy
Clan
Collective identity
Generation

F.
G.
H.
I.

Symbol
Consensus
Clan system
Clan mother

J. War chief
K. Pine tree chief
L. Wampum

_______ 1. Successive descendants in a family

_______ 2. A shared belief system that includes the same culture/language/values
_______ 3. An image, objects, or word that has a meaning associated with it
_______ 4. People of the longhouse; also known as the Iroquois
_______ 5. Oldest female in a clan
_______ 6. A peaceful partnership between several nations
_______ 7. A system that balances loyalty to the clan with loyalty to the nation
_______ 8. Large group of families that is related to one another; each one is
associated with a different animal
_______ 9. A decision-making system where everyone has a voice and must come to
an agreement


_______
10. An Iroquois tradition used
to record stories

Name: ______________________________

Part II. Multiple Choice (1 point each; 17 points)

Answer the following questions by circling the BEST answer.

1. What idea is shown in the diagram above?

a. The needs of a society as a whole should take priority over individual
needs
b. Chiefs were wiser than other members of society due to noble birth
and therefore the chiefs should have the privilege of making decisions
c. All people are equal and all peoples opinions are equally important
d. Governing the society and making decisions was a responsibility of the
Clan Mother
2. The political structure of the Iroquois Confederacy:
a. Reflects the social structure of the Iroquois society since in both the
political and social structure, men and women had important and
influential roles
b. Was opposite that of the social structure, with women holding more
political power than men
c. Was unrelated to the social structure
d. And the social structure of the Iroquois Confederacy were the same
with women serving as the chiefs of the home and nation, and then
men serving to do physical labour at home

3. The Iroquois Confederacy was created with the goals of doing which of the
following?
a. Ending the conflict between some aboriginal North American nations
and creating a partnership among these nations
b. Creating peace between French fur traders and First Nations groups
c. Assimilating the weaker Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes
d. Bringing together all First Nations people in North America into a
nation that could defend itself against European settlers

Name: ______________________________

4. The wampum was introduced to the Iroquois people by Hiawatha according

to Iroquois legend. They used wampum to record historical events, preserve
important messages, and help them remember the Great Law of Peace. By
recording the important events in their history and culture, the wampum
was a way of preserving the collective identity of the Iroquois.
The meaning of collective identity as used above can best be defined as:
a. Way of making fair decisions
b. Political group
c. Shared belief system
d. List of topics to be discussed
5. Jerry overhears Miss Bowie talking about different ways of making
decisions. He hears her say, Using this method requires that people must
act in the best interests of all people, be open minded, compromise, and
listen to one another. Jerry realizes that she is talking about:
a. Creating a confederacy
b. Using consensus as a decision-making method
c. Conservative style politics
d. How a clan system works
6. The Great Law of Peace, the set of rules the Iroquois live by, gives clan
mothers the power of chieftainship. This gives them the responsibility of:
a. Selecting the chiefs of her clan
b. Acting as chief of her clan
c. Participating in the Council of Chiefs
d. Leading the Grand Council
7. Evidence of decisions made years ago by the Grand Council can be found
on:
a. Tree bark
b. Peace pipes
c. Walls of caves
d. Wampum belts

Name: ______________________________

Speaker from the Cayuga Bear Clan:

"Using this method to make a decision made sure that the needs of all the nations
were met."
Speaker from the Mohawk Deer Clan:
"Using this technique to reach a decision sometimes took several days to come
up with a solutions which was fair and agreeable to everyone."
Speaker from the Seneca Beaver Clan:
"Making a decision this way allowed every clan and nation to be able to share
their ideas and thoughts."
Speaker from the Oneida Turtle Clan:
"We met and talked and discussed what to do at great length and had a fair
solution created, but, by the time we had all agreed to a solution, it was too late
for the actions we chose."
8. The narrative from the speaker from the Cayuga Bear Clan and the speaker
from the Seneca Beaver Clan both speak of one advantage to using
consensus as a decision-making method, which is?
a. It can take a long time to make a decision
b. They enjoy meeting and working together
c. The opinions of all clans/nations are given equal consideration
d. It minimizes the amount of discussion and number of people required
to make a decision
9. The narrative from the speaker from the Mohawk Deer Clan and the speaker
from the Oneida Turtle clan both refer to one of the problems with using
consensus as a decision-making model. This problem can be summarized as:
a. Time
b. Fairness
c. Equity
d. Group dynamics

Name: ______________________________

My daughter Onatah of the Onondaga Turtle clan will marry Orenda of the
Cayuga Bear Clan in the fall after the crops are harvested and a celebratory
feast can be held.
10. According to Iroquois tradition and social structure, which clan will the
newlywed couple belong to and live with?
a. Cayuga Bear Clan
b. Onondaga Turtle Clan
c. Cayuga Turtle Clan
d. Onondaga Bear Clan
11. The use of consensus as a way of making decisions by the Iroquois reflected
their beliefs that:
a. All people are equal and it is only fair that the needs and opinions of
all people are considered
b. Decisions should be made slowly and they should never be rushed into
c. Accepting the choice of the majority of people was the only fair way to
make a decision
d. Only the wise Elders should discuss matters and make decisions based
on their knowledge and experience
12. The Iroquois Confederacy functioned because members of the
confederation created laws to protect all members of the Confederacy and
also created a:
a. Direct style democracy called the Gayaneshakgowa
b. Social hierarchy of the nations
c. Representative style democracy called the Grand Council
d. Clan mothers to govern the tribes and serve as chiefs in the
government

Name: ______________________________

13. The roles of men and women in the Confederacy can best be described as:
a. Different, but both men and women share responsibilities for all the
chores equally
b. Different because in the Confederacy the women were involved in
leadership and decision-making, but the men were not
c. Different because men were considered superior to women, who were
not allowed a role in the leadership of society
d. Different, but both held important positions of respect in their society
14. The members of the Iroquois Confederacy placed a great deal of value on
things like equality and fairness, and these values were reflected in the
Iroquois Confederacy by establishing:
a. A chief clan from which future chiefs would be selected to act as
leaders and decision makers
b. A series of separate self-governing nations
c. Majority rule when voting on important matters
d. A democratic style of government
15. Which nation was represented by the most chiefs on the Grand Council and
acted as the Fire Keepers?
a. Oneida
b. Cayuga
c. Seneca
d. Onondaga
16. In which way were the chiefs grouped on the Grand Council?
a. The pine tree chiefs and the war chiefs
b. The Younger Brothers and the Elder Brothers
c. The Onondaga vs. all other chiefs
d. There was no system of grouping
17. At the Grand Council, the Mohawk Nation was responsible for?
a. Arranging the seating order of each nation
b. Recording the votes of the different nations
c. Organizing the sharing of food after the meeting
d. Announcing any decisions that had been made

Name: ______________________________

Part III. Short Answer (10 points)

Respond to the questions in clear and complete sentences.

1. Identify and explain two key similarities and two key differences
between democracy in the Iroquois Confederacy and democracy in
Canada. (4 marks)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

2. In your opinion, was the Iroquois Confederacys democracy fair and

effective? Why or why not? Provide at least two reasons for your
argument. (3 marks)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Name: ______________________________

3. Describe 2 characteristics a Clan Mother looked for when selecting a

chief. What was one reason a Clan Mother might choose to remove a chief
from the Grand Council? (3 marks)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
BONUS: Name one of the Three Sisters crops grown by the Iroquois!
_______________________________________________________