What are some similarities and differences between Iroquoian speaking nations and the Inca around 1500?
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Elementary Cycle 2: GHC
LEARN/RÉCIT. in 2025.The content of this document, unless otherwise noted, is licensed under Creative Commons by-nc-sa 4.0. Documents contained in this file were originally by RÉCIT univers social (RECITUS) with adaptations by LEARN/RÉCIT. CC-BY-NC-SA.
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Aspect: Territory
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What is similar? What is different?
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Where? What? When? Who?
Image source: Recitus. Translated in English by LEARN/RÉCIT. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Image source: Recitus. Translated in English by LEARN/RÉCIT. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Aspect: Demographics (population)
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The Inca Empire had a very large population. Around 1500, there were 8 million people. To compare, the population of the entire province of Quebec was around 8.6 million in 2023. The Inca Empire had a very large population. The Incas lived everywhere on their territory, even in the mountains.
There were about 100 000 Iroquoian people in Iroquoia around 1500. This was before the Europeans arrived in North America. We cannot know exactly how many people lived there at the time because the Iroquoians did not conduct censuses. It was a society without writing; instead, it had oral traditions. Many different Nations were part of the Iroquoian language family.
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Aspect: Social
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Life in Inca society was highly structured. Men and women were divided into nine age categories that determined the tasks they had to do. The kids usually worked with their parents, than took on more independent tasks. In Inca society, the man was considered the head of the family. It was a patrilineal society.
Among the Iroquoian people, society was divided between men and women, who had different tasks. A woman never did the work of a man and vice versa. All work was equally important, however, because tasks complemented each other to ensure the survival of the entire group. Iroquoian Nations tended to be matrilineal. The clan mother was the head of each family.
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Aspect: Political
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Inca government and society were run by the emperor, known as the Sapa Inca. His authority was absolute. He did not have to consult anyone or obtain a consensus when making a decision. His decisions were enforced by the officials, priests and governors. Inca society was a bit like a pyramid. The Sapa Inca was at the top and every layer of society beneath him had to obey his decisions. This is called a hierarchical society.
Aspect: Cultural
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Inca religion was based on the worship of the Sun god. This was the most powerful god and it was considered to be a source of warmth, life and fertility.
The Incas also believed in other gods who were less powerful than the Sun, but who were very important in everyday life. They believed that gods and spirits inhabited objects and places like mountains, rivers and buildings. It was an animist religion.
According to many Indigenous peoples’ beliefs, every person, animal, plant and object is inhabited by a spirit. This is called animism or an animist religion. Over the course of their lives, people come into contact with many spirits and it is very important for them to have a harmonious relationship with the spirits around them.
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Aspect: Economy
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Among the Incas, most goods were traded by the emperor, who made sure each region had everything it needed. However, farmers could also trade goods at the city markets, especially for precious items like gold, silver or feathers. The Incas bartered because they did not have a currency.
The Nations that were part of the Algonquian and Iroquoian language families were different in one important way: the Iroquoian Nations practised farming. In fact, farming was the reason why they had become sedentary; in other words, to remain in the same place. Farming involved a lot of work and from spring to fall, the Iroquoian people were constantly at work in the fields.
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