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Which Indigenous peoples formed powerful tribal federations in eastern North America?

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North America

In eastern North America, several Indigenous peoples formed powerful tribal federations, most notably the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy) and the Powhatan confederacy.12

  • Haudenosaunee Confederacy: Originally composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, the Tuscarora joined later in 1722. Known for their sophisticated political system and the Great Law of Peace, they became a dominant power in the Northeast, playing a strategic role in the colonial struggle between the French and British.134
  • Powhatan Confederacy: Formed by the chief Powhatan shortly before 1607, this alliance included at least 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes in the tidewater region of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay.2

Other groups, such as the Wendat Confederacy (Huron), also formed defensive coalitions to protect their territories, though these were ultimately less effective against the expansionist campaigns of the Haudenosaunee.13