356 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



to more specific information, as it encouraged carvers to "free asso- 

 ciate" about masks they had seen in the past, those they had made, 

 and the ceremonies in which they are used. Invariably the Indians 

 became more relaxed and talked more spontaneously after I had 

 brought out the pictures. 



The data from Onondaga were gathered and written up in 1950- 

 51. Since that period, continued research has produced new evi- 

 dence on the origins and historical background of Iroquois culture 

 as a whole, and this has been incorporated in the monograph where 

 relevant. The principal findings about the function and meaning 

 of maskmaking on modern Onondaga, however, have not required 

 reformulation and have, if anything, been strengthened by recent 

 developments in other aspects of Iroquois life, 



PATTERNS OF ART IN IROQUOIS CULTURE 



Until recently the Iroquois Indians were believed to have made 

 their appearance in the northeastern portion of the United States 

 relatively late in the prehistoric period. At the time of their dis- 

 covery by Europeans, those known as the Five Tribes were settled 

 in the northern part of New York State where they occupied an in- 

 trusive cultural and linguistic position in an area inhabited by Al- 

 gonquian-speaking peoples. Certain elements in their culture 

 suggested a southern origin: a horticultural economy, matrilineal 

 clans, and a group religious system centered in an annual cycle of 

 harvest festivals, and theories of provenience postulated a migration 

 from the southeastern United States (Fenton, 1940 a, p. 164). Archeo- 

 logical evidence, however, has failed to demonstrate a migration route, 

 and excavations over the last several years indicate an Iroquois 

 development in situ from centers in southeastern Ontario and north- 

 western New York (Ritchie, 1961, pp. 30, 35). Indeed, the shamanis- 

 tic traits in their fraternities and secret societies point toward the 

 north. 



The Iroquois lived in semipermanent villages of from four to five 

 hundred inhabitants. The characteristic dwelling, known as the 

 longhouse, was a large, rectangular, communal structure of poles 

 sheathed with bark. The decay of these bark houses and the ex- 

 haustion of the soil necessitated a removal to a new village site every 

 10 to 12 years. Horticulture was the primary source of subsistence 

 and was a cooperative enterprise carried on by the women. Corn, 

 beans, and squash were the staple crops and were personified in the 

 religious system as the three sisters who supported life. The men 

 assisted in clearing the fields and supplemented the diet by hunting 

 and fishing. 



