Among Iroquois people, social dancing is important to the life of every community. Sometimes dances are held simply to bring the community together. Other times the social dancing supports the larger religious festivals like the maple syrup, green corn or even the most important festival in the Iroquois calendar, the mid-winter festival. Most activities take place in the longhouse. The Iroquois people call themselves the “Haudensaunee” meaning “people of the longhouse”