Iroquis painted by Artmaster Studio.
This line represents the Eastern Woodland Cultures of America, most prominently the Iroquois, both before their contact with European settlers or traders forever changed their methods of warfare, and after that contact, with the military response of the tribes. The Iroquois Confederacy may have been founded as early as 1450, or even earlier. The startdate is really unknown because it is not known when the weapons and tactics of these peoples first evolved.
Until it was made obsolete by European firearms, at least some warriors, most likely nobles, wore body armour and wore backshields, and these have been accurately depicted as period art shows them. These are said to have fought in close order in wedges. The rest, the braves, have a variety of weapons and equipment, some with the chopped oval shield made of wood. They can be used in warbands or as skirmishers. We have also made a seperate pack of tribesmen with spears, who may be mixed in with the other tribesmen or may be used as standalone "subject tribes" as required by some rules systems.
There are also sets to provide your armies with tribesmen with Dutch muskets, with which the Eastern Forest Cultures quickly became very proficient indeed. There is also a set of later warriors with tomahawks.
Finally we have two different chiefs to lead your armies -- an early chief in armour and bearing the traditional symbol of authority, the wampum belt, and wearing headgear of deerskin with eagle feathers and deer antlers, as well as a later chief iunarmoured. This model is provided with eight skirmishing musketeers, the though being that these can be mixed in with the standing/advancing musketeers.
The early army is interesting in the Field of Glory rules as it is an impact foot army with some shooting ability, and is one of the few American armies with heavy foot, and the later army is thought by some to be the best native American army in the Field of Glory Renaissance rules.
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