IROQUOIS LONGHOUSE.

This article focuses on the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) longhouses in Northeast America and Upstate New York during the 18th century. The Iroquois Confederacy, comprising tribes such as the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, lived in longhouses—large, wooden, bark-covered structures symbolizing their social organization. These longhouses, typically 20 feet wide and ranging from 180 to over 200 feet in length, contained family compartments with raised platforms for living and sleeping, multiple fires for heating and cooking, and storage areas for personal and communal items. While no longer used as residences, longhouses remain culturally significant and are still constructed for ceremonial and communal purposes. Archaeological findings have enhanced understanding of their traditional construction and use beyond early European accounts.