HCS Inc. - Information Databases - Freedom Documents
The IROQUOIS Constitution
ABOUT THE IROQUOIS CONSTITUTION:
During the bi-centennial year of The Constitution of the United
States, a number of books were written concerning the origin of that
long-revered document. One of these, The Genius of the People, alleged
that after the many weeks of debate a committee sat to combine the many
agreements into one formal document. The chairman of the committee was
John Rutledge of South Carolina. He had served in an earlier time,
along with Ben Franklin and others, at the Stamp Act Congress, held in
Albany, New York. This Committee of Detail was having trouble deciding
just how to formalize the many items of discussion into one document
that would satisfy one and all. Rutledge proposed they model the new
government they were forming into something along the lines of the
Iroquois League of Nations, which had been functioning as a democratic
government for hundreds of years, and which he had observed in Albany.
While there were many desirable, as well as undesirable, models from
ancient and modern histories in Europe and what we know now as the
Middle East, only the Iroquois had a system that seemed to meet most
of the demands espoused by the many parties to the debates. The Genius
of the People alleged that the Iroquois had a Constitution which began:
"We the people, to form a union. . ."
That one sentence was enough to light a fire under me, and cause
me to do some deep research into ancient Iroquoian lore. I never did
find that one sentence backed up in what writings there are concerning
the ancient Iroquois. But I DID find sufficient data and evidence to
convince me that the Iroquois most certainly did have a considerable
influence on the drafting of our own Constitution, and we present-day
Americans owe them a very large debt. At the time of the founding of
the Iroquois League of Nations, no written language existed; we have
only the early stories which were passed down from generation to
generation, until such time as there was a written language, and
interpreters available, to record that early history. One such
document is listed below.
There are several other documents now available in various places
which refer to the original founding of the Iroquois, and they seem to
substantiate this document as probably truthful and accurate. This
version was prepared by Arthur C. Parker, Archeologist of the State
Museum in New York in 1915, and published by the University of the
State of New York as Bulletin 184 on April 1, 1916. It is entitled:
The Constitution of the Five Nations - or - The Iroquois Book of the
Great Law. In it, you will find close parallels to our Executive,
Legislative and Judiciary branches of government as originally described
in our U. S. Constitution.
You will find it very difficult to keep in mind that it survives
after some 500 or 600 years, and was originated by people that our
ancestors mistakenly considered as "savages". Some sources place the
origin of the Five Nation Confederacy as early as 1390 AD, but others
insist it was prepared about 1450-1500 AD; in any case, it was well
before any possible contamination by European invaders. Early explorers
and colonists found the Iroquois well established, as they had been
for many generations: with a democratic government; with a form of
religion that acknowledged a Creator in heaven; with a strong sense of
family which was based on, and controlled by, their women; and many
other surprises you will soon discover.
It must also be pointed out that this document refers to the "Five"
Nations, while other references to the Confederacy speak of the "Six"
nations. From the inception, there were the Five Nations discussed in
this Constitution. In about 1715, the Tuscarora Nation, once part of
the Iroquois peoples in a much earlier period of their history, moved up
from North Carolina to avoid warfare with the invading white settlers,
and were adopted into the Confederacy. At this point in time, the
Iroquois controlled many parts of our now eastern states from their
homelands in what is now New York state. The original Five Nations were:
Mohawk: People Possessors of the Flint
Onondaga: People on the Hills
Seneca: Great Hill People
Oneida: Granite People
Cayuga: People at the Mucky Land
Tuscarora: Shirt Wearing People became the Sixth Nation.
The founder of the Confederacy of the Five Nations is generally
acknowledged to be Dekanawida, born near the Bay of Quinte, in
southeastern Ontario, Canada. During his travels, he associated
himself with a Mohawk tribal lord in what is now New York, and named
him Hahyonhwatha (Hiawatha) (He who has misplaced something, but knows
where to find it). Hiawatha left his family and friends, and joined
Dekanawida in his travels, becoming his chief spokesman. One legend has
it that Dekanawida, while brilliant, had a speech impediment, and
depended on Hiawatha to do his public speaking for him. Together, they
traveled the length and breadth of the lands on the south shores of
Lakes Erie and Ontario, as well as the river to the sea, now known as
the St. Lawrence. These were the homelands of tribes with a common
heritage, but who had been warring with one another for many years.
Dekanawida united them into a League of Nations that we now call the
Iroquois League. Centuries later, Longfellow "borrowed" the name of
Hiawatha to be his hero in a fictional legend; there is no other
connection between the two Hiawathas nor their stories.
Here is their original Constitution, as best it can be
recontructed from legend and spoken history. Read it and be
amazed...keep in mind it is over 500 years old!
------------------------------------
Prepared by Gerald Murphy
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE IROQUOIS NATIONS:
THE GREAT BINDING LAW, GAYANASHAGOWA
1. I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations' Confederate Lords
I plant the Tree of Great Peace. I plant it in your territory,
Adodarhoh, and the Onondaga Nation, in the territory of you who are
Firekeepers.
I name the tree the Tree of the Great Long Leaves. Under the
shade of this Tree of the Great Peace we spread the soft white feathery
down of the globe thistle as seats for you, Adodarhoh, and your cousin
Lords.
We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery down
of the globe thistle, there beneath the shade of the spreading branches
of the Tree of Peace. There shall you sit and watch the Council Fire of
the Confederacy of the Five Nations, and all the affairs of the Five
Nations shall be transacted at this place before you, Adodarhoh, and
your cousin Lords, by the Confederate Lords of the Five Nations.
2. Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one to the
north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. The name
of these roots is The Great White Roots and their nature is Peace and
Strength. If any man or any nation outside the Five Nations shall obey
the laws of the Great Peace and make known their disposition to the
Lords of the Confederacy, they may trace the Roots to the Tree and if
their minds are clean and they are obedient and promise to obey the
wishes of the Confederate Council, they shall be welcomed to take
shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves.
We place at the top of the Tree of the Long Leaves an Eagle who is
able to see afar. If he sees in the distance any evil approaching or
any danger threatening he will at once warn the people of the
Confederacy.
3. To you Adodarhoh, the Onondaga cousin Lords, I and the other
Confederate Lords have entrusted the caretaking and the watching of
the Five Nations Council Fire.
When there is any business to be transacted and the Confederate
Council is not in session, a messenger shall be dispatched either to
Adodarhoh, Hononwirehtonh or Skanawatih, Fire Keepers, or to their War
Chiefs with a full statement of the case desired to be considered.
Then shall Adodarhoh call his cousin (associate) Lords together and
consider whether or not the case is of sufficient importance to demand
the attention of the Confederate Council. If so, Adodarhoh shall
dispatch messengers to summon all the Confederate Lords to assemble
beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves.
When the Lords are assembled the Council Fire shall be kindled,
but not with chestnut wood, and Adodarhoh shall formally open the Council.
Then shall Adodarhoh and his cousin Lords, the Fire Keepers, announce
the subject for discussion.
The Smoke of the Confederate Council Fire shall ever ascend and
pierce the sky so that other nations who may be allies may see the
Council Fire of the Great Peace.
Adodarhoh and his cousin Lords are entrusted with the Keeping of
the Council Fire.
4. You, Adodarhoh, and your thirteen cousin Lords, shall faithfully
keep the space about the Council Fire clean and you shall allow neither
dust nor dirt to accumulate. I lay a Long Wing before you as a broom.
As a weapon against a crawling creature I lay a staff with you so that
you may thrust it away from the Council Fire. If you fail to cast it
out then call the rest of the United Lords to your aid.
5. The Council of the Mohawk shall be divided into three parties
as follows: Tekarihoken, Ayonhwhathah and Shadekariwade are the first
party; Sharenhowaneh, Deyoenhegwenh and Oghrenghrehgowah are the second
party, and Dehennakrineh, Aghstawenserenthah and Shoskoharowaneh are the
third party. The third party is to listen only to the discussion of the
first and second parties and if an error is made or the proceeding is
irregular they are to call attention to it, and when the case is right
and properly decided by the two parties they shall confirm the decision
of the two parties and refer the case to the Seneca Lords for their
decision. When the Seneca Lords have decided in accord with the Mohawk
Lords, the case or question shall be referred to the Cayuga and Oneida
Lords on the opposite side of the house.
6. I, Dekanawidah, appoint the Mohawk Lords the heads and the leaders
of the Five Nations Confederacy. The Mohawk Lords are the foundation of
the Great Peace and it shall, therefore, be against the Great Binding Law
to pass measures in the Confederate Council after the Mohawk Lords have
protested against them.
No council of the Confederate Lords shall be legal unless all the
Mohawk Lords are present.
7. Whenever the Confederate Lords shall assemble for the purpose of
holding a council, the Onondaga Lords shall open it by expressing their
gratitude to their cousin Lords and greeting them, and they shall make
an address and offer thanks to the earth where men dwell, to the streams
of water, the pools, the springs and the lakes, to the maize and the
fruits, to the medicinal herbs and trees, to the forest trees for their
usefulness, to the animals that serve as food and give their pelts for
clothing, to the great winds and the lesser winds, to the Thunderers,
to the Sun, the mighty warrior, to the moon, to the messengers of the
Creator who reveal his wishes and to the Great Creator who dwells in
the heavens above, who gives all the things useful to men, and who is
the source and the ruler of health and life.
Then shall the Onondaga Lords declare the council open.
The council shall not sit after darkness has set in.
8. The Firekeepers shall formally open and close all councils of the
Confederate Lords, and they shall pass upon all matters deliberated upon
by the two sides and render their decision. Every Onondaga Lord (or his
deputy) must be present at every Confederate Council and must agree with
the majority without unwarrantable dissent, so that a unanimous decision
may be rendered.
If Adodarhoh or any of his cousin Lords are absent from a
Confederate Council, any other Firekeeper may open and close the
Council, but the Firekeepers present may not give any decisions, unless
the matter is of small importance.
9. All the business of the Five Nations Confederate Council shall be
conducted by the two combined bodies of Confederate Lords. First the
question shall be passed upon by the Mohawk and Seneca Lords, then it
shall be discussed and passed by the Oneida and Cayuga Lords. Their
decisions shall then be referred to the Onondaga Lords, (Fire Keepers)
for final judgement.
The same process shall obtain when a question is brought before
the council by an individual or a War Chief.
10. In all cases the procedure must be as follows: when the Mohawk and
Seneca Lords have unanimously agreed upon a question, they shall report
their decision to the Cayuga and Oneida Lords who shall deliberate upon
the question and report a unanimous decision to the Mohawk Lords.
The Mohawk Lords will then report the standing of the case to the
Firekeepers, who shall render a decision as they see fit in case of a
disagreement by the two bodies, or confirm the decisions of the two
bodies if they are identical. The Fire Keepers shall then report their
decision to the Mohawk Lords who shall announce it to the open council.
11. If through any misunderstanding or obstinacy on the part of the
Fire Keepers, they render a decision at variance with that of the Two
Sides, the Two Sides shall reconsider the matter and if their decisions
are jointly the same as before they shall report to the Fire Keepers
who are then compelled to confirm their joint decision.
12. When a case comes before the Onondaga Lords (Fire Keepers) for
discussion and decsion, Adodarho shall introduce the matter to his
comrade Lords who shall then discuss it in their two bodies. Every
Onondaga Lord except Hononwiretonh shall deliberate and he shall listen
only. When a unanimous decision shall have been reached by the two
bodies of Fire Keepers, Adodarho shall notify Hononwiretonh of the fact
when he shall confirm it. He shall refuse to confirm a decision if it
is not unanimously agreed upon by both sides of the Fire Keepers.
13. No Lord shall ask a question of the body of Confederate Lords when
they are discussing a case, question or proposition. He may only
deliberate in a low tone with the separate body of which he is a member.
14. When the Council of the Five Nation Lords shall convene they shall
appoint a speaker for the day. He shall be a Lord of either the Mohawk,
Onondaga or Seneca Nation. The next day the Council shall appoint
another speaker, but the first speaker may be reappointed if there is no
objection, but a speaker's term shall not be regarded more than for the
day.
15. No individual or foreign nation interested in a case, question or
proposition shall have any voice in the Confederate Council except to
answer a question put to him or them by the speaker for the Lords.
16. If the conditions which shall arise at any future time call for an
addition to or change of this law, the case shall be carefully considered
and if a new beam seems necessary or beneficial, the proposed change shall
be voted upon and if adopted it shall be called, "Added to the Rafters".
Rights, Duties and Qualifications of Lords
17. A bunch of a certain number of shell (wampum) strings each two spans
in length shall be given to each of the female families in which the
Lordship titles are vested. The right of bestowing the title shall be
hereditary in the family of the females legally possessing the bunch of
shell strings and the strings shall be the token that the females of the
family have the proprietary right to the Lordship title for all time to
come, subject to certain restrictions hereinafter mentioned.
18. If any Confederate Lord neglects or refuses to attend the
Confederate Council, the other Lords of the Nation of which he is a
member shall require their War Chief to request the female sponsors of
the Lord so guilty of defection to demand his attendance of the Council.
If he refuses, the women holding the title shall immediately select
another candidate for the title.
No Lord shall be asked more than once to attend the Confederate
Council.
19. If at any time it shall be manifest that a Confederate Lord has not
in mind the welfare of the people or disobeys the rules of this Great
Law, the men or women of the Confederacy, or both jointly, shall come to
the Council and upbraid the erring Lord through his War Chief. If the
complaint of the people through the War Chief is not heeded the first
time it shall be uttered again and then if no attention is given a
third complaint and warning shall be given. If the Lord is contumacious
the matter shall go to the council of War Chiefs. The War Chiefs shall
then divest the erring Lord of his title by order of the women in whom
the titleship is vested. When the Lord is deposed the women shall notify
the Confederate Lords through their War Chief, and the Confederate Lords
shall sanction the act. The women will then select another of their sons
as a candidate and the Lords shall elect him. Then shall the chosen one
be installed by the Installation Ceremony. When a Lord is to be deposed,
his War Chief shall address him as follows:
"So you, __________, disregard and set at naught the warnings of
your women relatives. So you fling the warnings over your shoulder to
cast them behind you. "Behold the brightness of the Sun and in the
brightness of the Sun's light I depose you of your title and remove the
sacred emblem of your Lordship title. I remove from your brow the
deer's antlers, which was the emblem of your position and token of your
nobility. I now depose you and return the antlers to the women whose
heritage they are."
The War Chief shall now address the women of the deposed Lord and
say:
"Mothers, as I have now deposed your Lord, I now return to you the
emblem and the title of Lordship, therefore repossess them."
Again addressing himself to the deposed Lord he shall say:
"As I have now deposed and discharged you so you are now no longer
Lord. You shall now go your way alone, the rest of the people of the
Confederacy will not go with you, for we know not the kind of mind that
possesses you. As the Creator has nothing to do with wrong so he will
not come to rescue you from the precipice of destruction in which you
have cast yourself. You shall never be restored to the position which
you once occupied."
Then shall the War Chief address himself to the Lords of the Nation
to which the deposed Lord belongs and say:
"Know you, my Lords, that I have taken the deer's antlers from the
brow of ___________, the emblem of his position and token of his
greatness."
The Lords of the Confederacy shall then have no other alternative
than to sanction the discharge of the offending Lord.
20. If a Lord of the Confederacy of the Five Nations should commit
murder the other Lords of the Nation shall assemble at the place where
the corpse lies and prepare to depose the criminal Lord. If it is
impossible to meet at the scene of the crime the Lords shall discuss
the matter at the next Council of their Nation and request their War
Chief to depose the Lord guilty of crime, to "bury" his women relatives
and to transfer the Lordship title to a sister family.
The War Chief shall address the Lord guilty of murder and say:
"So you, __________ (giving his name) did kill __________
(naming the slain man), with your own hands! You have comitted a grave
sin in the eyes of the Creator. Behold the bright light of the Sun, and
in the brightness of the Sun's light I depose you of your title and
remove the horns, the sacred emblems of your Lordship title. I remove
from your brow the deer's antlers, which was the emblem of your position
and token of your nobility. I now depose you and expel you and you shall
depart at once from the territory of the Five Nations Confederacy and
nevermore return again. We, the Five Nations Confederacy, moreover,
bury your women relatives because the ancient Lordship title was never
intended to have any union with bloodshed. Henceforth it shall not be
their heritage. By the evil deed that you have done they have forfeited
it forever.."
The War Chief shall then hand the title to a sister family and he
shall address it and say:
"Our mothers, ____________, listen attentively while I address you
on a solemn and important subject. I hereby transfer to you an ancient
Lordship title for a great calamity has befallen it in the hands of the
family of a former Lord. We trust that you, our mothers, will always
guard it, and that you will warn your Lord always to be dutiful and to
advise his people to ever live in love, poeace and harmony that a great
calamity may never happen again."
21. Certain physical defects in a Confederate Lord make him ineligible
to sit in the Confederate Council. Such defects are infancy, idiocy,
blindness, deafness, dumbness and impotency. When a Confederate Lord
is restricted by any of these condition, a deputy shall be appointed by
his sponsors to act for him, but in case of extreme necessity the
restricted Lord may exercise his rights.
22. If a Confederate Lord desires to resign his title he shall notify
the Lords of the Nation of which he is a member of his intention. If
his coactive Lords refuse to accept his resignation he may not resign
his title.
A Lord in proposing to resign may recommend any proper candidate
which recommendation shall be received by the Lords, but unless
confirmed and nominated by the women who hold the title the candidate
so named shall not be considered.
23. Any Lord of the Five Nations Confederacy may construct shell
strings (or wampum belts) of any size or length as pledges or records
of matters of national or international importance.
When it is necessary to dispatch a shell string by a War Chief or
other messenger as the token of a summons, the messenger shall recite
the contents of the string to the party to whom it is sent. That party
shall repeat the message and there has been a sumons he shall make ready
for the journey.
Any of the people of the Five Nations may use shells (or wampum) as
the record of a pledge, contract or an agreement entered into and the
same shall be binding as soon as shell strings shall have been exchanged
by both parties.
24. The Lords of the Confederacy of the Five Nations shall be mentors
of the people for all time. The thickness of their skin shall be seven
spans -- which is to say that they shall be proof against anger,
offensive actions and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace
and good will and their minds filled with a yearning for the welfare of
the people of the Confederacy. With endless patience they shall carry
out their duty and their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness
for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgement in their
minds and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm
deliberation.
25. If a Lord of the Confederacy should seek to establish any authority
independent of the jurisdiction of the Confederacy of the Great Peace,
which is the Five Nations, he shall be warned three times in open council,
first by the women relatives, second by the men relatives and finally by
the Lords of the Confederacy of the Nation to which he belongs. If the
offending Lord is still obdurate he shall be dismissed by the War Chief
of his nation for refusing to conform to the laws of the Great Peace.
His nation shall then install the candidate nominated by the female name
holders of his family.
26. It shall be the duty of all of the Five Nations Confederate Lords,
from time to time as occasion demands, to act as mentors and spiritual
guides of their people and remind them of their Creator's will and words.
They shall say:
"Hearken, that peace may continue unto future days!
"Always listen to the words of the Great Creator, for he has spoken.
"United people, let not evil find lodging in your minds.
"For the Great Creator has spoken and the cause of Peace shall not
become old.
"The cause of peace shall not die if you remember the Great Creator."
Every Confederate Lord shall speak words such as these to promote peace.
27. All Lords of the Five Nations Confederacy must be honest in all
things. They must not idle or gossip, but be men possessing those
honorable qualities that make true royaneh. It shall be a serious wrong
for anyone to lead a Lord into trivial affairs, for the people must ever
hold their Lords high in estimation out of respect to their honorable
positions.
28. When a candidate Lord is to be installed he shall furnish four
strings of shells (or wampum) one span in length bound together at one
end. Such will constitute the evidence of his pledge to the
Confederate Lords that he will live according to the constitution of the
Great Peace and exercise justice in all affairs.
When the pledge is furnished the Speaker of the Council must hold
the shell strings in his hand and address the opposite side of the
Council Fire and he shall commence his address saying: "Now behold him.
He has now become a Confederate Lord. See how splendid he looks."
An address may then follow. At the end of it he shall send the bunch of
shell strings to the oposite side and they shall be received as evidence
of the pledge. Then shall the opposite side say:
"We now do crown you with the sacred emblem of the deer's antlers,
the emblem of your Lordship. You shall now become a mentor of the people
of the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin shall be seven spans
-- which is to say that you shall be proof against anger, offensive
actions and criticism. Your heart shall be filled with peace and good
will and your mind filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people
of the Confederacy. With endless patience you shall carry out your duty
and your firmness shall be tempered with tenderness for your people.
Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgement in your mind and all your
words and actions shall be marked with calm deliberation. In all of
your deliberations in the Confederate Council, in your efforts at law
making, in all your official acts, self interest shall be cast into
oblivion. Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the
nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may
do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right.
Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in
view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those
whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground -- the unborn of
the future Nation."
29. When a Lordship title is to be conferred, the candidate Lord shall
furnish the cooked venison, the corn bread and the corn soup, together
with other necessary things and the labor for the Conferring of Titles
Festival.
30. The Lords of the Confederacy may confer the Lordship title upon a
candidate whenever the Great Law is recited, if there be a candidate,
for the Great Law speaks all the rules.
31. If a Lord of the Confederacy should become seriously ill and be
thought near death, the women who are heirs of his title shall go to
his house and lift his crown of deer antlers, the emblem of his Lordship,
and place them at one side. If the Creator spares him and he rises from
his bed of sickness he may rise with the antlers on his brow.
The following words shall be used to temporarily remove the antlers:
"Now our comrade Lord (or our relative Lord) the time has come when
we must approach you in your illness. We remove for a time the deer's
antlers from your brow, we remove the emblem of your Lordship title.
The Great Law has decreed that no Lord should end his life with the
antlers on his brow. We therefore lay them aside in the room. If the
Creator spares you and you recover from your illness you shall rise
from your bed with the antlers on your brow as before and you shall
resume your duties as Lord of the Confederacy and you may labor again
for the Confederate people."
32. If a Lord of the Confederacy should die while the Council of the
Five Nations is in session the Council shall adjourn for ten days.
No Confederate Council shall sit within ten days of the death of a Lord
of the Confederacy. If the Three Brothers (the Mohawk, the Onondaga and
the Seneca) should lose one of their Lords by death, the Younger
Brothers (the Oneida and the Cayuga) shall come to the surviving Lords
of the Three Brothers on the tenth day and console them. If the Younger
Brothers lose one of their Lords then the Three Brothers shall come to
them and console them. And the consolation shall be the reading of the
contents of the thirteen shell (wampum) strings of Ayonhwhathah. At the
termination of this rite a successor shall be appointed, to be appointed
by the women heirs of the Lordship title. If the women are not yet ready
to place their nominee before the Lords the Speaker shall say, "Come let
us go out." All shall leave the Council or the place of gathering.
The installation shall then wait until such a time as the women are ready.
The Speaker shall lead the way from the house by saying, "Let us depart
to the edge of the woods and lie in waiting on our bellies."
When the women title holders shall have chosen one of their sons the
Confederate Lords will assemble in two places, the Younger Brothers in
one place and the Three Older Brothers in another. The Lords who are to
console the mourning Lords shall choose one of their number to sing the
Pacification Hymn as they journey to the sorrowing Lords. The singer
shall lead the way and the Lords and the people shall follow. When they
reach the sorrowing Lords they shall hail the candidate Lord and perform
the rite of Conferring the Lordship Title.
33. When a Confederate Lord dies, the surviving relatives shall
immediately dispatch a messenger, a member of another clan, to the Lords
in another locality. When the runner comes within hailing distance of
the locality he shall utter a sad wail, thus: "Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah!".
The sound shall be repeated three times and then again and again at
intervals as many times as the distance may require. When the runner
arrives at the settlement the people shall assemble and one must ask him
the nature of his sad message. He shall then say, "Let us consider."
Then he shall tell them of the death of the Lord. He shall deliver to
them a string of shells (wampum) and say "Here is the testimony, you
have heard the message." He may then return home.
It now becomes the duty of the Lords of the locality to send runners
to other localities and each locality shall send other messengers until
all Lords are notified. Runners shall travel day and night.
34. If a Lord dies and there is no candidate qualified for the office in
the family of the women title holders, the Lords of the Nation shall give
the title into the hands of a sister family in the clan until such a time
as the original family produces a candidate, when the title shall be
restored to the rightful owners.
No Lordship title may be carried into the grave. The Lords of the
Confederacy may dispossess a dead Lord of his title even at the grave.
Election of Pine Tree Chiefs
35. Should any man of the Nation assist with special ability or show
great interest in the affairs of the Nation, if he proves himself wise,
honest and worthy of confidence, the Confederate Lords may elect him to
a seat with them and he may sit in the Confederate Council. He shall
be proclaimed a 'Pine Tree sprung up for the Nation' and shall be
installed as such at the next assembly for the installation of Lords.
Should he ever do anything contrary to the rules of the Great Peace, he
may not be deposed from office -- no one shall cut him down -- but
thereafter everyone shall be deaf to his voice and his advice. Should he
resign his seat and title no one shall prevent him. A Pine Tree chief
has no authority to name a successor nor is his title hereditary.
Names, Duties and Rights of War Chiefs
36. The title names of the Chief Confederate Lords' War Chiefs shall be:
Ayonwaehs, War Chief under Lord Takarihoken (Mohawk)
Kahonwahdironh, War Chief under Lord Odatshedeh (Oneida)
Ayendes, War Chief under Lord Adodarhoh (Onondaga)
Wenenhs, War Chief under Lord Dekaenyonh (Cayuga)
Shoneradowaneh, War Chief under Lord Skanyadariyo (Seneca)
The women heirs of each head Lord's title shall be the heirs of
the War Chief's title of their respective Lord. The War Chiefs shall
be selected from the eligible sons of the female families holding the
head Lordship titles.
37. There shall be one War Chief for each Nation and their duties
shall be to carry messages for their Lords and to take up the arms of
war in case of emergency. They shall not participate in the proceed-
ings of the Confederate Council but shall watch its progress and in
case of an erroneous action by a Lord they shall receive the complaints
of the people and convey the warnings of the women to him. The people
who wish to convey messages to the Lords in the Confederate Council
shall do so through the War Chief of their Nation. It shall ever be
his duty to lay the cases, questions and propositions of the people
before the Confederate Council.
38. When a War Chief dies another shall be installed by the same rite
as that by which a Lord is installed.
39. If a War Chief acts contrary to instructions or against the
provisions of the Laws of the Great Peace, doing so in the capacity of
his office, he shall be deposed by his women relatives and by his men
relatives. Either the women or the men alone or jointly may act in
such a case. The women title holders shall then choose another
candidate.
40. When the Lords of the Confederacy take occasion to dispatch a
messenger in behalf of the Confederate Council, they shall wrap up any
matter they may send and instruct the messenger to remember his errand,
to turn not aside but to proceed faithfully to his destination and
deliver his message according to every instruction.
41. If a message borne by a runner is the warning of an invasion he
shall whoop, "Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah," twice and repeat at short intervals;
then again at a longer interval.
If a human being is found dead, the finder shall not touch the
body but return home immediately shouting at short intervals, "Koo-weh!"
Clans and Consanguinity
42. Among the Five Nations and their posterity there shall be the
following original clans: Great Name Bearer, Ancient Name Bearer,
Great Bear, Ancient Bear, Turtle, Painted Turtle, Standing Rock,
Large Plover, Deer, Pigeon Hawk, Eel, Ball, Opposite-Side-of-the-Hand,
and Wild Potatoes. These clans distributed through their respective
Nations, shall be the sole owners and holders of the soil of the
country and in them is it vested as a birthright.
43. People of the Five Nations members of a certain clan shall
recognize every other member of that clan, irrespective of the Nation,
as relatives. Men and women, therefore, members of the same clan are
forbidden to marry.
44. The lineal descent of the people of the Five Nations shall run in
the female line. Women shall be considered the progenitors of the
Nation. They shall own the land and the soil. Men and women shall
follow the status of the mother.
45. The women heirs of the Confederated Lordship titles shall be
called Royaneh (Noble) for all time to come.
46. The women of the Forty Eight (now fifty) Royaneh families shall be
the heirs of the Authorized Names for all time to come. When an infant
of the Five Nations is given an Authorized Name at the Midwinter
Festival or at the Ripe Corn Festival, one in the cousinhood of which
the infant is a member shall be appointed a speaker. He shall then
announce to the opposite cousinhood the names of the father and the
mother of the child together with the clan of the mother. Then the
speaker shall announce the child's name twice. The uncle of the child
shall then take the child in his arms and walking up and down the room
shall sing: "My head is firm, I am of the Confederacy." As he sings
the opposite cousinhood shall respond by chanting, "Hyenh, Hyenh, Hyenh,
Hyenh," until the song is ended.
47. If the female heirs of a Confederate Lord's title become extinct,
the title right shall be given by the Lords of the Confederacy to the
sister family whom they shall elect and that family shall hold the name
and transmit it to their (female) heirs, but they shall not appoint any
of their sons as a candidate for a title until all the eligible men of
the former family shall have died or otherwise have become ineligible.
48. If all the heirs of a Lordship title become extinct, and all the
families in the clan, then the title shall be given by the Lords of the
Confederacy to the family in a sister clan whom they shall elect.
49. If any of the Royaneh women, heirs of a titleship, shall wilfully
withhold a Lordship or other title and refuse to bestow it, or if such
heirs abandon, forsake or despise their heritage, then shall such women
be deemed buried and their family extinct. The titleship shall then
revert to a sister family or clan upon application and complaint.
The Lords of the Confederacy shall elect the family or clan which shall
in future hold the title.
50. The Royaneh women of the Confederacy heirs of the Lordship titles
shall elect two women of their family as cooks for the Lord when the
people shall assemble at his house for business or other purposes.
It is not good nor honorable for a Confederate Lord to allow his
people whom he has called to go hungry.
51. When a Lord holds a conference in his home, his wife, if she
wishes, may prepare the food for the Union Lords who assemble with him.
This is an honorable right which she may exercise and an expression of
her esteem.
52. The Royaneh women, heirs of the Lordship titles, shall, should it
be necessary, correct and admonish the holders of their titles. Those
only who attend the Council may do this and those who do not shall not
object to what has been said nor strive to undo the action.
53. When the Royaneh women, holders of a Lordship title, select one of
their sons as a candidate, they shall select one who is trustworthy, of
good character, of honest disposition, one who manages his own affairs,
supports his own family, if any, and who has proven a faithful man to
his Nation.
54. When a Lordship title becomes vacant through death or other cause,
the Royaneh women of the clan in which the title is hereditary shall
hold a council and shall choose one from among their sons to fill the
office made vacant. Such a candidate shall not be the father of any
Confederate Lord.
If the choice is unanimous the name is referred to the men
relatives of the clan. If they should disapprove it shall be their duty
to select a candidate from among their own number. If then the men and
women are unable to decide which of the two candidates shall be named,
then the matter shall be referred to the Confederate Lords in the Clan.
They shall decide which candidate shall be named. If the men and the
women agree to a candidate his name shall be referred to the sister
clans for confirmation. If the sister clans confirm the choice, they
shall refer their action to their Confederate Lords who shall ratify
the choice and present it to their cousin Lords, and if the cousin
Lords confirm the name then the candidate shall be installed by the
proper ceremony for the conferring of Lordship titles.
Official Symbolism
55. A large bunch of shell strings, in the making of which the Five
Nations Confederate Lords have equally contributed, shall symbolize
the completeness of the union and certify the pledge of the nations
represented by the Confederate Lords of the Mohawk, the Oneida, the
Onondaga, the Cayuga and the Senecca, that all are united and formed
into one body or union called the Union of the Great Law, which they
have established
A bunch of shell strings is to be the symbol of the council fire
of the Five Nations Confederacy. And the Lord whom the council of Fire
Keepers shall appoint to speak for them in opening the council shall
hold the strands of shells in his hands when speaking. When he
finishes speaking he shall deposit the strings on an elevated place
(or pole) so that all the assembled Lords and the people may see it
and know that the council is open and in progress.
When the council adjourns the Lord who has been appointed by his
comrade Lords to close it shall take the strands of shells in his hands
and address the assembled Lords. Thus will the council adjourn until
such time and place as appointed by the council. Then shall the shell
strings be placed in a place for safekeeping.
Every five years the Five Nations Confederate Lords and the people
shall assemble together and shall ask one another if their minds are
still in the same spirit of unity for the Great Binding Law and if any
of the Five Nations shall not pledge continuance and steadfastness to
the pledge of unity then the Great Binding Law shall dissolve.
56. Five strings of shell tied together as one shall represent the
Five Nations. Each string shall represent one territory and the whole
a completely united territory known as the Five Nations Confederate
territory.
57. Five arrows shall be bound together very strong and each arrow
shall represent one nation. As the five arrows are strongly bound this
shall symbolize the complete union of the nations. Thus are the Five
Nations united completely and enfolded together, united into one head,
one body and one mind. Therefore they shall labor, legislate and
council together for the interest of future generations. The Lords of
the Confederacy shall eat together from one bowl the feast of cooked
beaver's tail. While they are eating they are to use no sharp utensils
for if they should they might accidentally cut one another and bloodshed
would follow. All measures must be taken to prevent the spilling of
blood in any way.
58. There are now the Five Nations Confederate Lords standing with
joined hands in a circle. This signifies and provides that should any
one of the Confederate Lords leave the council and this Confederacy his
crown of deer's horns, the emblem of his Lordship title, together with
his birthright, shall lodge on the arms of the Union Lords whose hands
are so joined. He forfeits his title and the crown falls from his brow
but it shall remain in the Confederacy.
A further meaning of this is that if any time any one of the
Confederate Lords choose to submit to the law of a foreign people he is
no longer in but out of the Confederacy, and persons of this class
shall be called "They have alienated themselves." Likewise such persons
who submit to laws of foreign nations shall forfeit all birthrights and
claims on the Five Nations Confederacy and territory.
You, the Five Nations Confederate Lords, be firm so that if a tree
falls on your joined arms it shall not separate or weaken your hold.
So shall the strength of the union be preserved.
59. A bunch of wampum shells on strings, three spans of the hand in
length, the upper half of the bunch being white and the lower half
black, and formed from equal contributions of the men of the Five
Nations, shall be a token that the men have combined themselves into
one head, one body and one thought, and it shall also symbolize their
ratification of the peace pact of the Confederacy, whereby the Lords of
the Five Nations have established the Great Peace.
The white portion of the shell strings represent the women and
the black portion the men. The black portion, furthermore, is a token
of power and authority vested in the men of the Five Nations.
This string of wampum vests the people with the right to correct
their erring Lords. In case a part or all the Lords pursue a course
not vouched for by the people and heed not the third warning of their
women relatives, then the matter shall be taken to the General Council
of the women of the Five Nations. If the Lords notified and warned
three times fail to heed, then the case falls into the hands of the men
of the Five Nations. The War Chiefs shall then, by right of such power
and authority, enter the open concil to warn the Lord or Lords to return
from the wrong course. If the Lords heed the warning they shall say,
"we will reply tomorrow." If then an answer is returned in favor of
justice and in accord with this Great Law, then the Lords shall
individualy pledge themselves again by again furnishing the necessary
shells for the pledge. Then shall the War Chief or Chiefs exhort the
Lords urging them to be just and true.
Should it happen that the Lords refuse to heed the third warning,
then two courses are open: either the men may decide in their council
to depose the Lord or Lords or to club them to death with war clubs.
Should they in their council decide to take the first course the War
Chief shall address the Lord or Lords, saying: "Since you the Lords
of the Five Nations have refused to return to the procedure of the
Constitution, we now declare your seats vacant, we take off your horns,
the token of your Lordship, and others shall be chosen and installed
in your seats, therefore vacate your seats."
Should the men in their council adopt the second course, the War
Chief shall order his men to enter the council, to take positions beside
the Lords, sitting bewteen them wherever possible. When this is
accomplished the War Chief holding in his outstretched hand a bunch
of black wampum strings shall say to the erring Lords: "So now, Lords
of the Five United Nations, harken to these last words from your men.
You have not heeded the warnings of the women relatives, you have not
heeded the warnings of the General Council of women and you have not
heeded the warnings of the men of the nations, all urging you to return
to the right course of action. Since you are determined to resist and
to withhold justice from your people there is only one course for us to
adopt." At this point the War Chief shall let drop the bunch of black
wampum and the men shall spring to their feet and club the erring Lords
to death. Any erring Lord may submit before the War Chief lets fall the
black wampum. Then his execution is withheld.
The black wampum here used symbolizes that the power to execute is
buried but that it may be raised up again by the men. It is buried but
when occasion arises they may pull it up and derive their power and
authority to act as here described.
60. A broad dark belt of wampum of thirty-eight rows, having a white
heart in the center, on either side of which are two white squares all
connected with the heart by white rows of beads shall be the emblem of
the unity of the Five Nations.
[ ed note: This is the Hiawatha Belt, now in the Congressional Library.]
The first of the squares on the left represents the Mohawk nation
and its territory; the second square on the left and the one near the
heart, represents the Oneida nation and its territory; the white heart
in the middle represents the Onondaga nation and its territory, and it
also means that the heart of the Five Nations is single in its loyalty
to the Great Peace, that the Great Peace is lodged in the heart (meaning
the Onondaga Lords), and that the Council Fire is to burn there for the
Five Nations, and further, it means that the authority is given to
advance the cause of peace whereby hostile nations out of the
Confederacy shall cease warfare; the white square to the right of the
heart represents the Cayuga nation and its territory and the fourth and
last white square represents the Seneca nation and its territory.
White shall here symbolize that no evil or jealous thoughts shall
creep into the minds of the Lords while in Council under the Great Peace.
White, the emblem of peace, love, charity and equity surrounds and guards
the Five Nations.
61. Should a great calamity threaten the generations rising and
living of the Five United Nations, then he who is able to climb to
the top of the Tree of the Great Long Leaves may do so. When, then,
he reaches the top of the tree he shall look about in all directions,
and, should he see that evil things indeed are approaching, then he
shall call to the people of the Five United Nations assembled beneath
the Tree of the Great Long Leaves and say: "A calamity threatens your
happiness."
Then shall the Lords convene in council and discuss the impending
evil.
When all the truths relating to the trouble shall be fully known
and found to be truths, then shall the people seek o