42 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



caches were protected from thieves as well as fires (S 95). To pre- 

 vent the spread of fire, the houses were separated from each other 

 by 3 or 4 paces (C 125). 



In each village, one longhouse was built larger than the others so 

 that the people could gather in it for ceremonials and meetings.^^ 

 Sometimes this house was as much as 25 or 30 brasses long ( JK 10 : 

 181). 



When one of the villagers had no house to live in, all the people 

 built one for him, either completely or to the extent that the occupants 

 could finish it easily themselves. The decision to build the house was 

 made in full council and each day the summons to work was cried 

 through the village so that all could gather at the appointed hour 

 (S 79). These houses were probably built during the season of the 

 year when the bark used for the covering was suitable (S 81). 



The villages were moved and rebuilt every 8 to 12 years as the land 

 became exhausted and firewood scarce (JR 10: 275; 11: 7; 15: 153; 

 19: 133; of. JR 8: 89-91; S 92-93) or, in certain districts, every 10, 

 15, or 30 years (C 124; S 92).=° They were moved a distance of 1, 2, 

 or 3 leagues, but if forced to move as a result of enemy attacks, the 

 distance was greater, as when the Onondaga moved some 40 or 50 

 leagues (C 124-125) . In at least one instance, the village was relocated 

 in the spring (JR 8: 101). 



GOVERNMENT 



CHIEFS 



The "old men" in a village decided all matters within the village 

 and their advice was tantamount to an order (JR 10: 15).=^ One 50- 

 year-old Huron man, after he had been told that he could not go to 

 the seminary, emphasized this attitude in his reply to the Jesuits. He 

 told them : 



It seems to me that you are not right to prefer children to grown men. Young 

 people are not listened to in our country; if they should relate wonders, they 

 would not be believed. But men speak; they have solid understanding, and 



«• The houses of the Iroquois chiefs also generally were longer than those of others 

 (Beauchamp 1905: 104-105; 1907: 426). For example, Cornplanter's house in the settle- 

 ment where he was chief was somewhat larger than the others (Jackson 1830 a: 29). 



This practice of gathering in a large building for purely religious ceremonies and for 

 ceremonies that have political implications still survives among the Iroquois : they still 

 gather in what is called a "Longhouse" to perform their ceremonies, a building that 

 serves the followers of Handsome Lake as a church. Like the old longhouse, It is rec- 

 tangular in plan with benches for the congregation along both long walls. 



''*' In general, Iroquoian villages were moved frequently (see, for example, Fenton 1940 d). 

 Fenton (1951 b : 42) suggests that the movement of the Iroquois villages was due to deple- 

 tion of game as well as exhaustion of the soil and scarcity of firewood ; Handle (1951 : 

 172-173) disagrees. 



^ Among many North American Indians, the old men were the most influential in the 

 affairs of the village : they spoke most frequently in council and their advice was usually 

 followed. 



