The Iroquois Confederacy was a political union of six Native American nations in northeastern North America: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later the Tuscaroras. They lived in what is now New York state and were farmers, hunters, and gatherers who grew the three sisters of corn, beans, and squash. They had a oral tradition and used wampum belts to tell stories, living together in long houses led by a sachem chief.