The longhouse was a long, bark-covered shelter that in some cases housed up to 24 nuclear families. Longhouses usually measured between 15 and 20 meters (50 and 100 feet) long and 3.5 meters (12 feet) wide. Inside, the longhouse was divided into sub-units which generally accommodated two families each. Each division had its own hearth for cooking and keeping warm.

The inside walls of the longhouse were lined with benches. In the summer, the dwellers slept on the benches. In the winter, they slept on floor-mats closer to the fire. One end of the cabin was used for storing provisions for the winter season; surplus food was often stored in underground caches.

For the Six Nations, the longhouse represented far more than a traditional family dwelling; they used it to represent their confederacy. The people of the Six Nations considered themselves a part of the same extended family with the longhouse as their home. The symbolic longhouse was said to have a roof that extended along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, and a floor that runs along most of present-day upstate New York. The Mohawks stand at the "Eastern Door," the Senecas were at the "Western Door," and the Onondaga, in the middle, managed the fire of the Grand Council.