How Did Imperialism Affect The Haudenosaunee

Imperialism/Colonization and the Haudenosaunee

The year of 1142 marked the formation of the Haudenosaunee; A year when the group of alliances was exempt of all the tangible social, political and economic legacies that historical globalization would later impose. Centuries before Europeans arrived, the area now called upper New York State was occupied by six First Nation tribes, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and the Tuscora. Prior to the proposal of creating a confederacy, these nations had their own separate territories, and were often at war with each other. With the collective creation of the Great Law of Peace, they were governed under a constitution that symbolized political alliance, unity, and shaped the basis of their

Due to the political and economic impairment, loss of culture through assimilation and disease, and displacement along with territorial loss, it has become evident that imperialism/colonization did not improve the lives of the Haudenosaunee.

French and Dutch colonization embodied a false sense of economic and political security in the Haudenosaunee. During colonization, various goods were introduced and adapted for both settlers and the Indigenous. Trade often establishes alliances, as it creates a mutual dependency between two groups and it improves the overall quality of life. However, because of existing rivals between indigenous tribes, competition to trade with Europeans significantly increased, and as a result, indigenous tribes become dependant on European goods. Not only did this make them more vulnerable to European dominance, but it incentivized war with rival indigenous tribes rather than deterring it. Ultimately, trade worsens the pre-existing indigenous rivalry, and causes an over reliance on valuable European goods. Before European contact, the Haudenosaunee lived under a very unique system, characterized by factors such as common ownership of land and trade based on

Since indigenous groups developed allies through establishing trade with European settlers, they were obliged to support the process of splitting up lands and dividing it to certain groups. As new boundaries were created in response to European conflicts, they were coerced into abiding by the terms and agreements made by their European proxy, even if it meant intaking demographic alterations to their homeland. When the Thirteen Colonies sought independence from the British, the Haudenosaunee found themselves in a deadlock, accustomed to believing that their once British ally, was a unified group and had no desire to engage in another civil conflict. However, their intentions for neutrality did not stand, as tensions increased from both the British and their Thirteen Colonies. Ultimately, the American Revolution erupted onto Haudenosaunee territory. The subsequent formation of the United States created a new international boundary line with Canada, which divided their original territory. Unable to agree on a unified course of action, the confederacy split; Each tribe made its own decision. The Oneida and the Tuscarora sided with the American colonists, while the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga and Cayuga went with their once alliant British. The tribes that sided with the British suffered the most due to the Thirteen Colonies’