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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.
[ ed note: chestnut wood throws out sparks in burning, thereby creating a disturbance in 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 return the shell string and if 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 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!"
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 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 brethern. 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 oposite side and reply to his
own speech and song. He shall thus act for both sidesa 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.
Laws of Adoption
66. The father of a
child of great comliness, 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.
Laws of Emigration
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.
Rights of Foreign Nations
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
annuled 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
pursuade other nations to accept the Great Peace.
Rights and Powers of War
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 powerr 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.
Treason or Secession of a Nation
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.
Rights of the People of the Five Nations
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 appointeed
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.
Religious Ceremonies Protected
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 Thansgiving 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.
The Installation Song
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.
Protection of the House
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.
Funeral Addresses
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 remainderis 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).
[ Editors note: the above ellipses and 'etc.' remarks are transcribed directly from the text I copied. ]
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 Cleveland Free-Net - aa300)
Distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN).
Permission
is hereby granted to download, reprint, and/or otherwise redistribute
this file, provided appropriate point of origin credit is given to the
preparer(s) and the National Public Telecomputing Network.
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