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Glite Dictionary
Iroquois League

Iroquois League

8.6
A group of Native American tribes in northeastern North America that joined together
  • proper noun
  • /ˈɪrəˌkwɔɪ lɪɡ/
translation icon : Liga Iroquesa
  • After 1722, the Tuscarora joined the Iroquois League, resulting in it being called the Six Nations.

Examples

  • The Iroquois League played a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of northeastern North America.

  • Historians often discuss the structure and governance of the Iroquois League as a model of federalism.

  • The Iroquois League was a powerful confederation.

  • Did the Iroquois League influence American democracy?

  • The Iroquois League played a significant role in North American history as a confederation of tribes.

  • The members of the Iroquois League worked together to maintain peace and cooperation among their nations.

  • In the 18th century, the Iroquois League served as an influential alliance in the struggle against European colonization.

Synonyms

Haudenosaunee
vsIroquois League
5 9.9

A group of Indigenous nations in northeastern North America

is the English name rather than the traditional indigenous name
League of Iroquois
vsIroquois League
8.5

A group of five Iroquois tribes in eastern North America that formed a political alliance and later added a sixth

uses the more familiar English ordering for the confederation name
Six Nations
vsIroquois League
7.4

A group of six Native American tribes including Mohawk and Oneida

focuses on the original five tribes before the sixth joined
Five Nations
vsIroquois League
8.2

A group of five Iroquois tribes in northeastern North America that make rules and fight together when needed

is broader, including the later addition that made six members
federation of tribes
vsIroquois League
  • US
6.4

An alliance of several tribes that join to act together

is a specific historical confederation, not a generic tribal alliance

Surface Forms

Iroquois League main

Morphology

Iroquois + league

The compound pairs the proper name 'Iroquois' (the people) with 'league' (an organized alliance), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an alliance or confederation of the Iroquois. This is a straightforward, compositional noun + noun construction following common cross-linguistic patterns, making the meaning directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Iroquois League comes from several Native American nations joining together like a team to keep peace and make common rules. Leaders met in a longhouse and used a wampum belt, a belt of shell beads, to show they agreed, so the name means 'a group of tribes that worked together'.