When studying history prior to the 21st century, it is common to assume that the knowledge and lifestyles of Indigenous peoples have had little influence on the development of major Western European philosophical traditions. Many today see Western European philosophical thought as mainly originating in Europe, where a sense of intellectual superiority was often directed at the rest of the known world. At the time, Indigenous-based understandings were regarded as “savage” and were considered intellectually inferior to be important parts of philosophical thought and practice. This perspective ignores the subtle yet meaningful ways Indigenous worldviews have indirectly influenced broader philosophical discussions.

Similarly, in political theory, figures like Frederick Engels, whose partnership with Karl Marx led to the development of Marxist ideas, are often praised for their revolutionary impact. Yet, an often-overlooked influence on Engels’ work was his study of Indigenous societies, primarily through the groundbreaking research of American anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan on the Iroquois Confederacy. Morgan’s insights provided Engels with an essential perspective on the social structures and relationships of early human groups, demonstrating how Indigenous knowledge subtly informed and shaped broader socialist and revolutionary ideas.

The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, was an advanced political and social union formed as early as 1142. The Confederacy consisted of five (later six) nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. This political alliance had long symbolized stability and cooperation among its member nations. Morgan’s study of the Iroquois, particularly their social structure, had a profound impact on Engels, who saw in them a model of what human societies might have looked like before the emergence of class divisions, private property, and patriarchal control. The Haudenosaunee had developed a form of governance and social organization that sharply contrasted with the feudal, monarchical, and capitalist societies of 19th-century Europe.

In particular, one of the most notable aspects of Iroquois society was its egalitarian nature, particularly in terms of gender relations. While much of the Western world during Morgan’s study and Engels’ writing was rooted in deeply patriarchal systems, where men held almost all political, economic, and social power, the Iroquois Confederacy was built on a system of matrilineal descent. This meant that family lineage and inheritance came through the mother’s side. In such a society, women held significant influence both within their families and in the political sphere. Women were responsible for selecting the male chiefs who represented their clans in the Confederacy’s governing council, and they had the authority to remove chiefs who did not act in the best interests of the people.

This level of political agency for women was almost nonexistent in European societies at that time. In medieval and early modern Europe, women were often viewed as property, either owned by their fathers or husbands. In most European cultures, women were denied rights to own property, make political decisions, or vote on political issues. Their legal rights were limited, and their roles were predominantly confined to domestic spheres. European laws frequently explicitly endorsed practices like wife-beating and marital rape, leaving women with little legal protection in cases of domestic abuse. In contrast, the Iroquois, with their matrilineal and consensus-based system, created a much more equitable society, challenging our assumptions and encouraging us to adopt a more open-minded perspective on history.

This recognition of the Iroquois as a potential model for a more just and humane society became an important source of inspiration for Engels. His interest in Indigenous societies as alternatives to European capitalist and patriarchal systems was especially influenced by Lewis H. Morgan’s work, who spent many years living among the Iroquois and documenting their social and political structures. Morgan’s Ancient Society (1877) presented an evolutionary model of social development, suggesting that human societies passed through distinct stages: savagery, barbarism, and civilization. Although modern anthropology has since rejected this linear view of societal progress, the framework offered by Engels provided a new perspective on human history. Morgan’s description of the Iroquois, in particular, offered a real example of a pre-class society where wealth was shared, power was more evenly distributed, and gender roles were less rigid.

Engels, deeply influenced by Morgan’s work, responded with his influential book, The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State (1884). In this book, Engels argued that the emergence of private property, patriarchy, and state structures was the key event that led to the creation of class divisions and the oppression of women. For Engels, these developments were historical accidents, not eternal features of human nature. He used the Iroquois as a central example in his argument, suggesting that before the rise of private property, humans lived in communal societies where resources and authority were shared equally among the people. In Engels’ eyes, the Iroquois represented a “primitive communism,” a stage of human development that was destroyed by the rise of private ownership and the consolidation of power in the hands of a few.

The idea that a society could operate without police, prisons, or violence against women was groundbreaking at the time. Engels’ study of the Iroquois Confederacy contributed to his broader theory of historical materialism, which argued that the development of society is shaped by material conditions of life, especially economic factors. In other words, historical materialism claims that a society’s economic system is the main factor determining its social and political structures. He believed that the rise of private property and the division of labor created class distinctions, which in turn led to systems of oppression like patriarchy and the state. The Iroquois provided a view of a society that had avoided these developments, suggesting that human society could function in a way that was more democratic, egalitarian, and free from violence.

Lenin and other socialist revolutionaries later adopted the idea that societies like the Iroquois offered an alternative to capitalism and patriarchy. The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, for example, aimed to overthrow not only the economic exploitation of workers but also the gender-based oppression women faced under czarist rule. The influence of thinkers like Engels, who were inspired by studying Indigenous cultures such as those of the Iroquois, is evident in how early socialist movements advocated for gender equality and the dismantling of hierarchical social systems. For these revolutionaries, the Iroquois represented more than mere curiosity; they were a blueprint for alternative social organization, showing that different ways of structuring human societies, free from capitalism, patriarchy, and exploitation, had existed for thousands of years independently of Western European influence.

Miguel Douglas

Miguel Douglas is the executive director of American Indian Republic and is an enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. He has written extensively on Indian gaming and its effects on American Indian communities. He has received a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Washington.