What happened when a couple married in traditional H society?

• A. Wife moves into husband's longhouse and changes clans.
• B. They form a new clan by themselves.
• C. Husband moves into wife's longhouse, but did not change clans; they have responsibilities to mother's family.
• D. Clans merge and names change.

Answer: (C)

In Haudenosaunee society, clan identity is matrilineal and households are matrilocal. This means that descent and clan membership run through the mother, and after marriage the husband moves into the wife’s longhouse, while still belonging to his own clan. The couple’s main ties and responsibilities shift to the wife’s maternal family, and children inherit the mother’s clan. So the correct idea is that the husband moves into the wife’s longhouse and does not change clans, with duties tied to the mother’s family. The other options would contradict the system—forming a new clan, changing one’s own clan, or merging clans—none of which fits how Haudenosaunee kinship and longhouse structure operate.