A clan is a group of people who have a common ancestor. Among the Iroquoians, the clan was formed around the female ancestor: this is called a matrilineal line. The eldest was the one who made important decisions for the clan members.
In the village, each clan lived in one or more longhouses. When a couple formed, the man would go and live in his spouse’s longhouse and join her clan.
There were several clans in all of the villages; for example, there was a bear, wolf or turtle clan in each village. Thus, members of the same clan felt a sense of belonging even if they did not live in the same village.
The clans identified with an animal that represented certain qualities, such as deer, beaver or heron.