The Iroquois Confederation was founded by an indigenous leader named Hiawatha, who helped promote peace among the tribes after a long period of war. This is believed to have happened sometime in the fifteenth or sixteenth century.
The first contact of the Iroquois with non-indigenous people came in the 16th century. The first Europeans the Iroquois met were missionaries and merchants. The conflicts began in 1609, when French explorer Samuel de Champlain led a force that attacked them. The French were allies of the Algonquian Indians, enemies of the Iroquois.
The Iroquois teamed up with the British, offering them animal skins in exchange for European items like metal tools and firearms. As a result, they managed to expel several tribes from their traditional lands, such as the Huronians and the Eries.
