In which modern U.S. state are the Haudenosaunee's central lands and institutions largely located?

• A. New York
• B. Pennsylvania
• C. Vermont
• D. Ohio

Answer: (A)

Think about where the Haudenosaunee built and maintained their central leadership and traditional homeland. The Iroquois Confederacy’ s formal governance—the Great Council and the ceremonial center of the Longhouse—was anchored in the Onondaga homeland, near present-day Syracuse, in upstate New York. From there, their influence spread through the Mohawk River valley and the Finger Lakes region, making New York the heartland where their core lands and institutions were located for much of their history. While Haudenosaunee communities today exist beyond that area (including in Canada), the United States’ central hub of Haudenosaunee life and governance was in what is now upstate New York.