The Iroquois Constitution

The Iroquois was a powerful tribe of Native Americans who lived in what is now the Northeastern United States. During the fourteenth century, an Iroquoian mystic and prophet named Dekanawidah traveled from village to village urging the Iroquoian speaking peoples to stop fighting and band together in peace in brotherhood. Dekanawidah’s efforts led to the foundation of the Iroquois Confederation of the Five Nation, a league of five Iroquois tribes: Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga.

Constitutions. A constitution is a written or unwritten system of fundamental laws and principals governing a society. The Iroquois Constitution, which was originally unwritten, was first presented to confederate lords of the Five Nations in a speech by Dekanawidah. The confederate lords memorized it and recorded it in symbols on strings of shells.In most constitutions, laws and principals are listed in straightforward, factual manner. Because the Iroquois Constitution was spoken rather than written, it had to be presented in way that would hold the listener’s attention. Thereafter, it uses elegant phrasing and metaphors to describe the foundation of the confederation and the system by which the confederation will be governed.

Three Principles emphasized in the Iroquois Constitution:1. Open membership2. Justice for all3. Integrity of the pledged word

Consider: What does the Council Fire represent?The fire represents the peace that exists between nations and the hope that it will be everlasting.

What is the function of the confederate council?It is responsible for relations with foreign tribes, and it makes laws for the confederacy.

What sort of behavior is expected of its members?They must be honest, unbiased, and just in their actions. However, their justice must be tempered with mercy. In their deliberations, they should be calm rather than emotional. They should respond well to criticism. They must consider the welfare of all people, now and in the future.

Metaphor:An implied comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things without the use of like or as.

In most constitutions the rules and principals are presented in a direct manner. In contrast, many of the ideas in the Iroquois Constitution are revealed through metaphors.

For what is the planting of the Tree of Great Knowledge a metaphor?***The establishment of peace among the five nations.

What does Dekanawidah’s comment mean when he says that any nation outside of the Five Nations “shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree of Long Leaves?”

That other tribes will be able to join the confederation.

Vocabulary:

confederate dispositiondeliberation