Doodems

Doodems are clan-based kinship groups found among Iroquoian-speaking peoples, most notably the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). The term doodem comes from Iroquoian languages and denotes a social unit that distributes lineage, marriage, and ceremonial responsibilities. The plural doodems refers to the collection of such clans within a community.

In Haudenosaunee societies, each person belongs to a single doodem, and genealogical descent is traced through the mother’s line (matrilineal). This matrilineal framework affects social structures, inheritance, and political roles. Marriage typically occurs outside one’s own doodem (exogamy), helping to create wider kinship networks across clans. Clan mothers, who oversee clan affairs, historically hold significant authority, including the power to nominate or depose chiefs and to influence decisions at the village level. While the modern political system varies by nation, the clan system continues to shape cultural roles and ceremonial responsibilities in many communities.

Clans are often named after animals or natural symbols, and the exact doodem names and structures vary between nations and communities within the Haudenosaunee and broader Iroquoian-speaking groups. Because of this variation, there is no single pan-Iroquoian doodem list. The concept of doodems is primarily studied in anthropology and ethnography as a foundational element of kinship, governance, and cultural identity.

Today, doodems remain a reference point in cultural education and in discussions of traditional governance and kinship, though contemporary practices may differ from historical arrangements.