The Huron Indians were a proud Indian nation with a well-defined governmental system. The Huron nation was divided into sub-tribes or clans. Their history is filled with wars, which led to loss of territory and forced many sub-tribes to relocate to safer territory. The Huron were not nomadic tribes; they had many great villages each with its own government representative.
The Huron lived in communal dwellings consisting of large log style homes . Most log houses ranged between 45-55 meters or 150- 180 ft long. They were made of slabs of bark over pole frames. The longest log house ever found measured 125m and was found in New York. During the peaceful years the Huron’s hunted and fished and used bows and arrows and spears. The Huron were able to catch almost anything they wanted to eat. They were a diverse group of people who lead a very diverse life and had a direct impact on the land and the people who inhabited it.
The Huron government was divided into a republican style of government; the larger villages were captains for peace during times of conflict, each large village had a well-defined jurisdiction. The tribes in the Huron nation each have their own distinct past and heritage. The Huron nation was divided into sub-tribes also called clans. The major sub-nations of the Huron are the Arendahronon (rock sub-tribe), the Attigneenongnahac (bear sub-tribe), the Attignawantan (cord sub-tribe), and the Tahontaenrat (deer sub-tribe). The Huron nation did not always exist in such peace and harmony. The history of the Huron depicts a once-proud Indian nation that suffered through many wars and lost many people and territory.
At the height of the Huron nation, it was a mighty force to be reckoned with and had an extensive territory. The Huron territory once spanned from the Niagara River on the east, to the St. Claire River and lake to the west, and Lake Erie on the south. The Huron nation lived a peaceful life and maintained their vast territory for many years. The population in 1535 numbered between 30,000-45,000. After years of warring and a epidemic in 1640 their population declines to less than 10,000.
Themajor enemyof the Huron nation was the Iroquois Indians and while warring the Huron nation lost many lives and much of their territory. The neutral nations were forced into the war when the neutral nation of Oue Rohronans, who lived near the Iroquois territory were savagely attacked. That forced the neutral nations to pick sides and by 1625 they had merged either with the Huron or the Iroquois. The Huron were never the same vast empire again. The attack on the neutral tribes lead to years of war and hardships that forced the Huron to seek refuge away from they homeland and lead to the dispersal of the remaining tribes. The remaining members of the cord tribe merged with the Huron tribes that fled to Quebec, while the members of the rock clan merged with the Onodagas, and the remaining bear clan merged with the Mohawks The once mighty Huron nation whose territory was vast and endless had been reduced to a government sanctioned reservations in the United States and Canada.
The Huron nation, with all its sub-tribes and clans, was forced onto reservations, forced to relocate during the years of wars with the Iroquois nation. The once proud and prominent government was reduced to a few lone tribes who were able to escape the wars and make new lives for themselves on the reservations.
Written by: Katy (Kathryn) Fisher
Encyclopedia. CD-ROM Encarta Electronic publishing 1999
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