Reciprocity Inside and Outside Iroquois Essay

Over the course of his text the Ordeal of the Longhouse: The peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization Donald Richter attempts to piece together what remains of the Iroquoian oral tradition, to understand the cultural as well as the political motivations behind different actions of the League. Richter would likely agree with Fixico that understanding the role of Iroquois mythology is vital to understanding how the tribes expressed themselves within the League. The ritual responsibilities towards the village, tribe, family of the Iroquois does show what Fixico calls a "visual and circular" orientation, rather than a linear and verbal tradition, and all tribes' interpretations of history eschewed easy linear interpretations of the relationship of the past to the present (Fixico xii). "Clans had reciprocal obligations centering on ceremonial gift giving and mutual ritual duties" (Richter 21). The League's conflicts with its Indian and new European neighbors, were marked with conflict because of perceived a lack of reciprocity regarding trade (Richter 52). Yet this increase in trade came at a heavy price -- a fragmentation of the alliances of the League, the internal culture of reciprocity, and more conflicts between the Iroquois and neighboring tribes.

Eventually, however, the type of tribal reciprocity that had existed in the past could not stifle the escalating tensions between the different composite League factions based in real-world issues. More and more of the League tribes became dependant upon relations with Europeans rather than between the League members themselves.At times, some Iroquois tribes favored the French, for example, because of their individual tribe's need for trade. As the French supporters began to gain in power tensions between the pro-French tribes and the Mohawks aligned with the English were exacerbated. European economic customs began to be adopted from the mid 1700s on. The Iroquois, once so dependant upon war as a part of their cultural expression, thus became increasingly dependant upon the Europeans for their defense, and goods and weapons, including alcohol. The reciprocal relationships of the tribes became less important, and individual families became the social unit, mimicking the European model. Alcoholism and immigration also tore the tribe apart. The Iroquois began to sell more of their land and sign more treaties with the Europeans. In response to their contact with European culture, their culture had changed.

Thus, although the formation of the Iroquois League may have seemed a sign of strength, the summit of a culture that celebrated both war and reciprocity, in reality it was the last gasp of Native American power. No real, lasting reciprocal relations with Europeans were achieved, and fighting for control over European trade merely created more divisions between League members as well as outsider tribes. Rather than a culture of reciprocity, a culture of division was fostered during this era.

Works Cited

Fixico, Donald Lee. The American Indian Mind. New York: Routledge, 2003.

Richter, Donald. The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The peoples of the Iroquois League in.....