Overview

""Nation Iroquoise"" presents an intriguing mystery. Found in the Bibliotheque Mazarine in Paris and in the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, the unsigned and undated manuscript Nation Iroquoise is an absorbing and informative eyewitness account of the daily life and societal structure of the Oneida Iroquois in the 17th century. The ""Nation Iroquoise"" manuscript is arguably one of the earliest known comprehensive descriptions of an Iroquois group. Rich in ethnographic detail, the work is replete with valuable information about the traditional Oneidas: the role of women in tribal councils; mortuary customs; religious beliefs and rituals; warfare; the function of the clan system in tribal governance; the impact of alcohol; and the topography, flora, and fauna of the Oneida territory. It also offers important information about the famed Iroquois Confederacy during the 1600s. Drawing on multiple strands of evidence and following a trail of clues within the ""Nation Iroquoise"" manuscript and elsewhere, Jose Antonio Brandao presents the results of a fascinating and convincing piece of detective work. He explains who might have written the manuscript as well as its contribution to our understanding of the Iroquois and their culture.

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9780803213234

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Reviews

A first-rate piece of scholarship that adds significantly to our knowledge of Iroquoian life since its time period falls between two major descriptions of Iroquoian life--the Van den Bogaert journal (1634-1635) and the classic of Iroquois ethnography written by Jesuit Father Joseph-Francois Lafitau in 1727. . . . This carefully edited and translated edition has real value to scholars of the Iroquois as well as to specialists of New York's colonial past. --Laurence M. Hauptman, New York History --Laurence M. Hauptman New York History

A first-rate piece of scholarship that adds significantly to our knowledge of Iroquoian life since its time period falls between two major descriptions of Iroquoian life--the Van den Bogaert journal (1634-1635) and the classic of Iroquois ethnography written by Jesuit Father Joseph-Francois Lafitau in 1727. . . . This carefully edited and translated edition has real value to scholars of the Iroquois as well as to specialists of New York's colonial past. --Laurence M. Hauptman, New York History

A first-rate piece of scholarship that adds significantly to our knowledge of Iroquoian life since its time period falls between two major descriptions of Iroquoian life--the Van den Bogaert journal (1634 1635) and the classic of Iroquois ethnography written by Jesuit Father Joseph-Francois Lafitau in 1727. . . . This carefully edited and translated edition has real value to scholars of the Iroquois as well as to specialists of New York s colonial past. Laurence M. Hauptman, <i>New York</i><i> History</i>--Laurence M. Hauptman New York History

Author Information

José António Brandão is an associate professor of history at Western Michigan University. He is the author of ""Your fyre shall burn no more"": Iroquois Policy toward New France and Its Native Allies to 1701 (Nebraska 1997). K. Janet Ritch teaches at York University and the University of Toronto and is a professional translator in Middle and Modern French.

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