The Iroquois Constitution
Question: What does the "constitution" of the League of the Iroquois
reveal about the culture and politics of this Native American society?
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 1, 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
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 decision, 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"
.
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 committed 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, peace 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 return the shell string and if there has been a summons
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
opposite 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
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.
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.
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 proceedings 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!"
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.
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 Seneca, 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 council
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 individually 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 between 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.
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 out a Tree of Ka-hon-ka-ah-go-nah, [a great swamp Elm], and when they shall
find it they shall assemble their heads together and lodge for a time between
its roots. Then, their labors being finished, they may hope for happiness for
many days after.
62 When the Confederate Council of the Five Nations declares for a
reading of the belts of shell calling to mind these laws, they shall provide
for the reader a specially made mat woven of the fibers of wild hemp. The mat
shall not be used again, for such formality is called the honoring of the
importance of the law.
63 Should two sons of opposite sides of the council fire agree in a
desire to hear the reciting of the laws of the Great Peace and so refresh their
memories in the way ordained by the founder of the Confederacy, they shall
notify Adodarho. He then shall consult with five of
his coactive Lords and they in turn shall consult with their eight brethren.
Then should they decide to accede to the request of the two sons from opposite
sides of the Council Fire, Adodarho shall send
messengers to notify the Chief Lords of each of the Five Nations. Then they shall
despatch their War Chiefs to notify their brother and
cousin Lords of the meeting and its time and place.
When all have come and have assembled, Adodarhoh,
in conjunction with his cousin Lords, shall appoint one Lord who shall repeat
the laws of the Great Peace. Then shall they announce who they have chosen to
repeat the laws of the Great Peace to the two sons. Then shall the chosen one
repeat the laws of the Great Peace.
64 At the ceremony of the installation of Lords if there is only one
expert speaker and singer of the law and the Pacification Hymn to stand at the
council fire, then when this speaker and singer has finished addressing one
side of the fire he shall go to the opposite side and reply to his own speech
and song. He shall thus act for both sides of the fire until the entire
ceremony has been completed. Such a speaker and singer shall be termed the
"Two Faced" because he speaks and sings for both sides of the fire.
65 I, Dekanawida, and the Union Lords, now
uproot the tallest pine tree and into the cavity thereby made we cast all
weapons of war. Into the depths of the earth, down into the deep underearth currents of water flowing to unknown regions we
cast all the weapons of strife. We bury them from sight and we plant again the
tree. Thus shall the Great Peace be established and hostilities shall no longer
be known between the Five Nations but peace to the
United People.
66 The father of a child of great comeliness,
learning, ability or specially loved because of some circumstance may, at the
will of the child's clan, select a name from his own (the father's) clan and
bestow it by ceremony, such as is provided. This naming shall be only temporary
and shall be called, "A name hung about the neck."
67 Should any person, a member of the Five Nations' Confederacy,
specially esteem a man or woman of another clan or of a foreign nation, he may
choose a name and bestow it upon that person so esteemed. The naming shall be
in accord with the ceremony of bestowing names. Such a name is only a temporary
one and shall be called "A name hung about the neck." A short string
of shells shall be delivered with the name as a record and a pledge.
68 Should any member of the Five Nations, a family or person belonging
to a foreign nation submit a proposal for adoption into a clan of one of the
Five Nations, he or they shall furnish a string of shells, a span in length, as
a pledge to the clan into which he or they wish to be adopted. The Lords of the
nation shall then consider the proposal and submit a decision.
69 Any member of the Five Nations who through esteem or other feeling
wishes to adopt an individual, a family or number of families may offer
adoption to him or them and if accepted the matter shall be brought to the
attention of the Lords for confirmation and the Lords must confirm adoption.
70 When the adoption of anyone shall have been confirmed by the Lords of
the Nation, the Lords shall address the people of their nation and say:
"Now you of our nation, be informed that such a person, such a family or
such families have ceased forever to bear their birth nation's name and have
buried it in the depths of the earth. Henceforth let no one of our nation ever
mention the original name or nation of their birth. To do so will be to hasten
the end of our peace.
71 When any person or family belonging to the Five
Nations desires to abandon their birth nation and the territory of the Five
Nations, they shall inform the Lords of their nation and the Confederate
Council of the Five Nations shall take cognizance of it.
72 When any person or any of the people of the Five Nations emigrate and
reside in a region distant from the territory of the Five Nations Confederacy,
the Lords of the Five Nations at will may send a messenger carrying a broad
belt of black shells and when the messenger arrives he shall call the people
together or address them personally displaying the belt of shells and they
shall know that this is an order for them to return to their original homes and
to their council fires.
73 The soil of the earth from one end of the land to
the other is the property of the people who inhabit it. By birthright the Ongwehonweh (Original beings) are the owners of the soil
which they own and occupy and none other may hold it. The same law has been
held from the oldest times.
The Great Creator has made us of the one blood and of the
same soil he made us and as only different tongues constitute
different nations he established different hunting grounds and territories and
made boundary lines between them.
74 When any alien nation or individual is admitted into the Five Nations
the admission shall be understood only to be a temporary one. Should the person
or nation create loss, do wrong or cause suffering of any kind to endanger the
peace of the Confederacy, the Confederate Lords shall order one of their war
chiefs to reprimand him or them and if a similar offence is again committed the
offending party or parties shall be expelled from the territory of the Five
United Nations.
75 When a member of an alien nation comes to the territory of the Five
Nations and seeks refuge and permanent residence, the Lords of the Nation to
which he comes shall extend hospitality and make him a member of the nation.
Then shall he be accorded equal rights and privileges in all matters except as
after mentioned.
76 No body of alien people who have been adopted temporarily shall have
a vote in the council of the Lords of the Confederacy, for only they who have
been invested with Lordship titles may vote in the Council. Aliens have nothing
by blood to make claim to a vote and should they have it, not knowing all the
traditions of the Confederacy, might go against its Great Peace. In this manner
the Great Peace would be endangered and perhaps be destroyed.
77 When the Lords of the Confederacy decide to admit a foreign nation
and an adoption is made, the Lords shall inform the adopted nation that its
admission is only temporary. They shall also say to the nation that it must never
try to control, to interfere with or to injure the Five Nations nor disregard
the Great Peace or any of its rules or customs. That in no
way should they cause disturbance or injury. Then should the adopted
nation disregard these injunctions, their adoption shall be annulled and they
shall be expelled.
The expulsion shall be in the following manner: The council
shall appoint one of their War Chiefs to convey the message of annulment and he
shall say, "You (naming the nation) listen to me while I speak. I am here
to inform you again of the will of the Five Nations' Council. It was clearly
made known to you at a former time. Now the Lords of the Five Nations have
decided to expel you and cast you out. We disown you now and annul your
adoption. Therefore you must look for a path in which to go and lead away all
your people. It was you, not we, who committed wrong and caused this sentence
of annulment. So then go your way and depart from the territory of the Five
Nations and from the Confederacy."
78 Whenever a foreign nation enters the Confederacy or accepts the Great
Peace, the Five Nations and the foreign nation shall enter into an agreement
and compact by which the foreign nation shall endeavor to persuade other
nations to accept the Great Peace.
79 Skanawatih shall be
vested with a double office, duty and with double authority. One-half of his
being shall hold the Lordship title and the other half shall hold the title of
War Chief. In the event of war he shall notify the five War Chiefs of the
Confederacy and command them to prepare for war and have their men ready at the
appointed time and place for engagement with the enemy of the Great Peace.
80 When the Confederate Council of the Five Nations has for its object
the establishment of the Great Peace among the people of an outside nation and
that nation refuses to accept the Great Peace, then by such refusal they bring
a declaration of war upon themselves from the Five Nations. Then shall the Five
Nations seek to establish the Great Peace by a conquest of the rebellious
nation.
81 When the men of the Five Nations, now called forth to become
warriors, are ready for battle with an obstinate opposing nation that has
refused to accept the Great Peace, then one of the five War Chiefs shall be
chosen by the warriors of the Five Nations to lead the army into battle. It
shall be the duty of the War Chief so chosen to come before his warriors and
address them. His aim shall be to impress upon them the necessity of good
behavior and strict obedience to all the commands of the War Chiefs. He shall
deliver an oration exhorting them with great zeal to be brave and courageous
and never to be guilty of cowardice. At the conclusion of his oration he shall
march forward and commence the War Song and he shall sing:
Now I am greatly surprised
And, therefore I shall use it
The power of my War Song.
I am of the Five Nations
And I shall make supplication
To the Almighty Creator.
He has furnished this army.
My warriors shall be mighty
In the strength of the Creator.
Between him and my song they are
For it was he who gave the song
This war song that I sing!
82 When the warriors of the Five Nations are on an
expedition against an enemy, the War Chief shall sing the War Song as he
approaches the country of the enemy and not cease until his scouts have
reported that the army is near the enemies' lines when the War Chief shall
approach with great caution and prepare for the attack.
83 When peace shall have been established by the termination of the war
against a foreign nation, then the War Chief shall cause all the weapons of war
to be taken from the nation. Then shall the Great Peace be established and that
nation shall observe all the rules of the Great Peace for all time to come.
84 Whenever a foreign nation is conquered or has by their own will
accepted the Great Peace their own system of internal government may continue,
but they must cease all warfare against other nations.
85 Whenever a war against a foreign nation is pushed until that nation
is about exterminated because of its refusal to accept the Great Peace and if
that nation shall by its obstinacy become exterminated, all their rights,
property and territory shall become the property of the Five Nations.
86 Whenever a foreign nation is conquered and the survivors are brought
into the territory of the Five Nations' Confederacy and placed under the Great
Peace the two shall be known as the Conqueror and the Conquered. A symbolic
relationship shall be devised and be placed in some symbolic position. The
conquered nation shall have no voice in the councils of the Confederacy in the
body of the Lords.
87 When the War of the Five Nations on a foreign rebellious nation is
ended, peace shall be restored to that nation by a withdrawal of all their weapons
of war by the War Chief of the Five Nations. When all the terms of peace shall
have been agreed upon a state of friendship shall be established.
88 When the proposition to establish the Great Peace is made to a
foreign nation it shall be done in mutual council. The foreign nation is to be
persuaded by reason and urged to come into the Great Peace. If the Five Nations
fail to obtain the consent of the nation at the first council a second council
shall be held and upon a second failure a third council shall be held and this
third council shall end the peaceful methods of persuasion. At the third
council the War Chief of the Five nations shall
address the Chief of the foreign nation and request him three times to accept
the Great Peace. If refusal steadfastly follows the War Chief shall let the
bunch of white lake shells drop from his outstretched hand to the ground and
shall bound quickly forward and club the offending chief to death. War shall
thereby be declared and the War Chief shall have his warriors at his back to
meet any emergency. War must continue until the contest is won by the Five
Nations.
89 When the Lords of the Five Nations propose to meet in conference with
a foreign nation with proposals for an acceptance of the Great Peace, a large
band of warriors shall conceal themselves in a secure place safe from the
espionage of the foreign nation but as near at hand as possible. Two warriors
shall accompany the Union Lord who carries the proposals and these warriors
shall be especially cunning. Should the Lord be attacked, these warriors shall
hasten back to the army of warriors with the news of the calamity which fell
through the treachery of the foreign nation.
90 When the Five Nations' Council declares war any Lord of the
Confederacy may enlist with the warriors by temporarily renouncing his sacred
Lordship title which he holds through the election of his women relatives. The
title then reverts to them and they may bestow it upon another temporarily
until the war is over when the Lord, if living, may resume his title and seat
in the Council.
91 A certain wampum belt of black beads shall be the emblem of the
authority of the Five War Chiefs to take up the weapons of war and with their
men to resist invasion. This shall be called a war in defense of the territory.
92 If a nation, part of a nation, or more than one
nation within the Five Nations should in any way endeavor to destroy the Great
Peace by neglect or violating its laws and resolve to dissolve the Confederacy,
such a nation or such nations shall be deemed guilty of treason and called
enemies of the Confederacy and the Great Peace.
It shall then be the duty of the Lords of the Confederacy who
remain faithful to resolve to warn the offending people. They shall be warned
once and if a second warning is necessary they shall be driven from the
territory of the Confederacy by the War Chiefs and his men.
93 Whenever a specially important matter or a great
emergency is presented before the Confederate Council and the nature of the
matter affects the entire body of the Five Nations, threatening their utter
ruin, then the Lords of the Confederacy must submit the matter to the decision
of their people and the decision of the people shall affect the decision of the
Confederate Council. This decision shall be a confirmation of the voice of the
people.
94 The men of every clan of the Five Nations shall have a Council Fire
ever burning in readiness for a council of the clan. When it seems necessary
for a council to be held to discuss the welfare of the clans, then the men may
gather about the fire. This council shall have the same rights as the council
of the women.
95 The women of every clan of the Five Nations shall have a Council Fire
ever burning in readiness for a council of the clan. When in their opinion it
seems necessary for the interest of the people they shall hold a council and
their decisions and recommendations shall be introduced before the Council of
the Lords by the War Chief for its consideration.
96 All the Clan council fires of a nation or of the Five Nations may
unite into one general council fire, or delegates from all the council fires
may be appointed to unite in a general council for discussing the interests of
the people. The people shall have the right to make appointments and to
delegate their power to others of their number. When their council shall have
come to a conclusion on any matter, their decision shall be reported to the
Council of the Nation or to the Confederate Council (as the case may require)
by the War Chief or the War Chiefs.
97 Before the real people united their nations, each nation had its
council fires. Before the Great Peace their councils were held. The five
Council Fires shall continue to burn as before and they are not quenched. The
Lords of each nation in future shall settle their nation's affairs at this
council fire governed always by the laws and rules of the council of the
Confederacy and by the Great Peace.
98 If either a nephew or a niece see an irregularity in the performance
of the functions of the Great Peace and its laws, in the Confederate Council or
in the conferring of Lordship titles in an improper way, through their War
Chief they may demand that such actions become subject to correction and that
the matter conform to the ways prescribed by the laws of the Great Peace.
99 The rites and festivals of each nation shall
remain undisturbed and shall continue as before because they were given by the
people of old times as useful and necessary for the good of men.
100 It shall be the duty of the Lords of each brotherhood to confer at
the approach of the time of the Midwinter Thanksgiving and to notify their
people of the approaching festival. They shall hold a council over the matter
and arrange its details and begin the Thanksgiving five days after the moon of Dis-ko-nah is new. The people shall assemble at the
appointed place and the nephews shall notify the people of the time and place.
From the beginning to the end the Lords shall preside over the Thanksgiving and
address the people from time to time.
101 It shall be the duty of the appointed managers of the Thanksgiving
festivals to do all that is needed for carrying out the duties of the
occasions.
The recognized festivals of Thanksgiving shall be the
Midwinter Thanksgiving, the Maple or Sugar-making Thanksgiving, the Raspberry
Thanksgiving, the Strawberry Thanksgiving, the Cornplanting
Thanksgiving, the Corn Hoeing Thanksgiving, the Little Festival of Green Corn,
the Great Festival of Ripe Corn and the complete Thanksgiving for the Harvest.
Each nation's festivals shall be held in their Long Houses.
102 When the Thanksgiving for the Green Corn comes the special managers,
both the men and women, shall give it careful attention and do their duties
properly.
103 When the Ripe Corn Thanksgiving is celebrated the Lords of the
Nation must give it the same attention as they give to the Midwinter
Thanksgiving.
104 Whenever any man proves himself by his good life and his knowledge
of good things, naturally fitted as a teacher of good things, he shall be
recognized by the Lords as a teacher of peace and religion and the people shall
hear him.
105 The song used in installing the new Lord of the
Confederacy shall be sung by Adodarhoh and it shall
be:
"Haii, haii
Agwah wi-yoh
" " A-kon-he-watha
" " Ska-we-ye-se-go-wah
" " Yon-gwa-wih
" " Ya-kon-he-wa-tha
Haii, haii It is good
indeed
" " (That) a broom,
" " A great wing,
" " It is given me
" " For a sweeping instrument."
106 Whenever a person properly entitled desires to
learn the Pacification Song he is privileged to do so but he must prepare a
feast at which his teachers may sit with him and sing. The feast is provided
that no misfortune may befall them for singing the song on an occasion when no
chief is installed.
107 A certain sign shall be known to all the people
of the Five Nations which shall denote that the owner or occupant of a house is
absent. A stick or pole in a slanting or leaning position shall indicate this
and be the sign. Every person not entitled to enter the house by right of
living within it upon seeing such a sign shall not approach the house either by
day or by night but shall keep as far away as his business will permit.
108 At the funeral of a Lord of the Confederacy, say: Now we become
reconciled as you start away. You were once a Lord of the Five Nations'
Confederacy and the United People trusted you. Now we release you for it is
true that it is no longer possible for us to walk about together on the earth.
Now, therefore, we lay it (the body) here. Here we lay it away. Now then we say
to you, 'Persevere onward to the place where the Creator dwells in peace. Let
not the things of the earth hinder you. Let nothing that transpired while yet
you lived hinder you. In hunting you once took delight; in the game of Lacrosse
you once took delight and in the feasts and pleasant occasions your mind was
amused, but now do not allow thoughts of these things to give you trouble. Let
not your relatives hinder you and also let not your friends and associates
trouble your mind. Regard none of these things.'
"Now then, in turn, you here present who were related to
this man and you who were his friends and associates, behold the path that is
yours also! Soon we ourselves will be left in that place. For this reason hold
yourselves in restraint as you go from place to place. In your actions and in
your conversation do no idle thing. Speak not idle talk neither gossip. Be
careful of this and speak not and do not give way to evil behavior. One year is
the time that you must abstain from unseemly levity but if you can not do this
for ceremony, ten days is the time to regard these things for respect."
109 At the funeral of a War Chief, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. You were
once a War Chief of the Five Nations' Confederacy and the United People trusted
you as their guard from the enemy." (The remainder is the same as the
address at the funeral of a Lord).
110 At the funeral of a Warrior, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. Once you
were a devoted provider and protector of your family and you were ever ready to
take part in battles for the Five Nations' Confederacy. The United People
trusted you." (The remainder is the same as the address at the funeral of
a Lord).
111 At the funeral of a young man, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. In the
beginning of your career you are taken away and the flower of your life is
withered away." (The remainder is the same as the address at the funeral
of a Lord).
112 At the funeral of a chief woman, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. You were
once a chief woman in the Five Nations' Confederacy. You once were a mother of
the nations. Now we release you for it is true that it is no longer possible
for us to walk about together on the earth. Now, therefore, we lay it (the
body) here. Here we lay it away. Now then we say to you, 'Persevere onward to
the place where the Creator dwells in peace. Let not the things of the earth
hinder you. Let nothing that transpired while you lived hinder you. Looking
after your family was a sacred duty and you were faithful. You were one of the
many joint heirs of the Lordship titles. Feastings were yours and you had
pleasant occasions. . ." (The remainder is the same as the address at the
funeral of a Lord).
113 At the funeral of a woman of the people, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. You were
once a woman in the flower of life and the bloom is now withered away. You once
held a sacred position as a mother of the nation. (Etc.)
Looking after your family was a sacred duty and you were faithful. Feastings .
. . (etc.)" (The remainder is the same as the address at the funeral of a
Lord).
114 At the funeral of an infant or young woman, say:
"Now we become reconciled as you start away. You were a
tender bud and gladdened our hearts for only a few days. Now the bloom has
withered away . . . (etc.) Let none of the things that
transpired on earth hinder you. Let nothing that happened while you lived
hinder you." (The remainder is the same as the address at the funeral of a
Lord).
115 When an infant dies within three days, mourning shall continue only
five days. Then shall you gather the little boys and girls at the house of
mourning and at the funeral feast a speaker shall address the children and bid
them be happy once more, though by a death, gloom has been cast over them. Then
shall the black clouds roll away and the sky shall show blue once more. Then
shall the children be again in sunshine.
116 When a dead person is brought to the burial place, the speaker on
the opposite side of the Council Fire shall bid the bereaved family cheer their
minds once again and rekindle their hearth fires in peace,
to put their house in order and once again be in brightness for darkness has
covered them. He shall say that the black clouds shall roll away and that the
bright blue sky is visible once more. Therefore shall they be in peace in the
sunshine again.
117 Three strings of shell one span in length shall be employed in
addressing the assemblage at the burial of the dead. The speaker shall say:
"Hearken you who are here, this body is
to be covered. Assemble in this place again ten days hence for it is the decree
of the Creator that mourning shall cease when ten days have expired. Then shall
a feast be made."
Then at the expiration of ten days the speaker shall say:
"Continue to listen you who are here. The ten
days of mourning have expired and your minds must now be freed of sorrow as
before the loss of a relative. The relatives have decided to make a little
compensation to those who have assisted at the funeral. It is a mere expression
of thanks. This is to the one who did the cooking while the body was lying in
the house. Let her come forward and receive this gift and be dismissed from the
task." In substance this shall be repeated for every one who assisted in
any way until all have been remembered.
Prepared by Gerald Murphy (The
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1 Chestnut wood throws out sparks and hisses, thereby disturbing the conference.