For the Eastern Woodland Indians, fire was an essential part of community life, important not only for survival but also symbolically. It provided light and heat for food preparation and warmth, and because food was shared, a kettle often cooked over the fire throughout the day. The Iroquois expressed this unity in the saying, "Boil in one kettle, eat out of one dish, and with one spoon, and so be one." The central fire was also a gathering place for councils and rituals, where problems were shared, discussed, and answered with counsel. The best-known central fire was at Onondaga in present-day New York, the seat of government for the Six Nations of the Iroquois since the beginning of the confederation. Woodland Indians also used fire to clear parts of the forest, creating open land to plant corn, beans, squash, and tobacco and open grassland where deer, elk, and buffalo could feed.
