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  Iroquois Indians are part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. There are six tribes included in the Haudenosaunee: Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Tuscarora. Games were a celebrated part of Iroquois religious and harvest festivals. One of the games the Iroquois played, lacrosse, has become a very popular sport in Europe and America. Games continue to be an important part of Iroquois festivities and are still played on a regular basis.
  
  

Lacrosse

• Lacrosse, according to OneidaIndianNation.com, is not only a game, it is a religious ceremony. By playing the game, the players pay homage to the Creator. Lacrosse is played with a wooden stick that has webbing in the handle. The webbing must be tight enough to throw a ball but not too tight to catch it; the player cannot use his hands or feet for the ball. The object of the game is for the team to hit a tree or pole three times with the ball, which was often made from a tree knot. Iroquois men often played over miles of terrain and trained extensively for games.
  
  

Hoop and Spear

• In April, the land was cleared for planting and the Thunder Ceremony was held. During this ceremony, a game called Hoop and Spear was played. Hoop and Spear took place between two teams of 15 to 30 players. One of the teams would roll a wooden hoop across the cleared land while the other team would throw six-feet-long wooden javelins trying to hit the hoop. If a javelin hit the hoop, the team would win all of the javelins of the opposing team. The team that scored all of the javelins would win the game.
  
  

Snow Snake

• Snow Snake was a winter game that was played after a log had been pulled through the snow to make a track. The "snake" is a polished stick made from hickory or another fine-grained, hard wood. The wood for the snake was carved into a rounded tip and polished. Then it was dried, sanded smooth and shellacked. Melted lead was then poured into a small depression in the tip of the snake to give it weight. If made correctly, the snake could travel up to 100 miles an hour. The snake that traveled the farthest was the winner of the game.
  
  

Peach Stone Game

• This game was played during the mid-winter ceremonies of renewal that took place after the first full moon of the New Year; it was played as an amusement to the Creator. The two players would take turns hitting a wooden bowl with a flat bottom against the floor. Inside the bowl were six peach stones that were blackened on one side. The stones were counted like dice depending on how many colored sides were showing. Friends and relatives of the players would place bets using their valuables and the winner would take all.