(Most of this information is applicable to the other Iroquois tribes, too.)

The Seneca are the "Keepers of the Western Gate" - in other words, they are the Iroquois confederation member tribe located furthrest to the West.

They are a matrilinear society, and lived in extended family longhouses. There were eight clans in the Seneca: the bear, deer, turtle, snipe, heron, beaver, wolf, and hawk clans. Marriages were conducted out of clan, with the husband coming to join his wife in the longhouse, and raising their children as members of the wife's clan. Heading each longhouse was the oldest woman of that house.

Longhouses were up to 150 feet in length, and had doors at either end. Width of a longhouse was around 20 to 25 feet. Roof vents allowed the smoke from small fires to escape. Other than these roof vents and the doors, there were no windows. They housed anywhere from five to twenty families apiece, depending on size.

Strong saplings were used to construct the framework, which was fastened by sinew. An overlay of bark, usually elm bark, kept out the elements. Most cooking was done outside of the longhouse, in communal fashion. Interior fires were largely for warmth. Animal hides might serve as doors.