How is land tenure organized in Haudenosaunee communities?

• A. Land is privately owned by families.
• B. Land is held in stewardship by clans and nations; it is not privately owned, and women manage land resources.
• C. Land is owned by the state.
• D. Land is owned by the church.

Answer: (B)

Land is treated as a shared resource held in stewardship by clans and the Haudenosaunee nations, not as private property. In this system, women—through the authority of clan mothers and matrilineal kinship—play a central role in managing land resources and deciding how land and its yields are used for the benefit of the community and future generations. This communal approach reflects the governance and social structure of the Haudenosaunee, where land belongs to the community and is cared for collectively rather than owned by individuals. Concepts like private family ownership, state ownership, or church ownership don’t fit with this tradition.