Origins of the Iroquois League: Narratives, Symbols, and Archaeology -- Anthony Wonderley, Paperback

The League of the Iroquois, the most famous native government in North America, dominated intertribal diplomacy in the Northeast and influenced the course of American colonial history for nearly two centuries. The age and early development of the League, however, have long been in dispute. In this highly original book, two anthropological archaeologists with differing approaches and distinct regional interests synthesize their research to explore the underpinnings of the confederacy. Wonderley and Sempowski endeavor to address such issues as when tribes coalesced, when intertribal alliances presaging the League were forged, when the five-nation confederation came to fruition, and what light oral tradition may shine on these developments.

This groundbreaking work develops a new conversation in the field of Indigenous studies, one that deepens our understanding of the Iroquois League's origins.

Author: Anthony Wonderley, Martha L. Sempowski
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 12/04/2019
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780815636670

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2020

About the Author

Anthony Wonderley is the former curator of Collections and Interpretation at the Oneida Community Mansion House. He is the author of Oneida Iroquois: Folklore, Myth, and History and At the Font of the Marvelous: Exploring Oral Narrative and Mythic Imagery of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors.

Martha L. Sempowski is a Resident and Research Fellow at the Rochester Museum Science Center, where she served as the codirector of the Seneca Archaeology Research Project.