The Great LawSome fuzzy-headed academician says on the internet:
Ridiculous. This is just the sort of politically correct but factually indefensible silliness that I abhor. I have in front of me a copy of the Iroquois Constitution written by an Archeologist from the State Museum in New York named Arthur C. Parker, in 1915. This fact that it was written in English is not a puzzlement when you consider that the Indians had not developed a written language until Sequoyah began to toy with the idea about 1809. The lack of the ability to write down their ideas places the Indians in an awkward situation if they are going to change the world with a new form of government. The founder of the Confederacy was, according to this author, Dekanawida, born near Ontario, Canada. During his travels, Dekanawida supposedly associated himself with a Mohawk fellow (People who Possess Flint) and for some unexplained reason, re-named him Hahyonhwatha, or Hiawatha, (He who has misplaced something, but knows where to find it). According to this oral tradition, Dekanawida, the Lord, while scintillating and sagacious, had a speech impediment and sounded like Mel Tillis on the Tonight Show. If we accept the ancient lore, Dekanawida counted on Hiawatha as a mouthpiece to do his speaking for him. The Iroquois Constitution is rife with references to the, "Tree of the Great Long Leaves". Under the shade of the Long Leaves the Native Americans spread the soft white feathery down of the globe thistle to keep their backsides from going to sleep during long committee meetings. The Indigenous People would sit and watch the Council Fire while the great white roots spread from the Tree of Peace, one to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west which is a good idea when it came time to summon all the Confederate Lords to assemble beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves. When the Lords are assembled the Council Fire is kindled, the fire may be made from just about any kind of wood you can find, but not with chestnut wood, that is strictly forbidden in the bylaws. The non-Chestnut wood smoke of the Confederate Council Fire ascends and pierces the sky so that other nations can see the Council Fire of the Great Peace. It is unclear why Chestnut wood was disallowed. My thought is that far-seeing women wanted to save some of the nicer wood for furniture or book shelves. Everyone had their job to do. The Onondaga (People on the Hills) were entrusted with the Keeping of the non-chestnut wood Council Fire. Adodarhoh, and his thirteen cousin Lords, would sit under the spreading branches of the Tree of Peace spread soft with the feathery down of the globe thistle. Here they enjoy the shade and take turns (required by the constitution) to keep the space about the Council Fire clean, allowing neither dust nor dirt to accumulate. The original legislation required that a bird's wing was to be used as a broom. The Onondaga were issued a staff as a weapon against "crawling creatures". The Onondaga were charged in the Great Law to beat any snake away and keep him from becoming a conflagrant in the Council Fire. The Council of the Mohawk was divided into three parties of three tribes each. The third party was required to listen to the discussion of the first and second parties but could not discuss it, unless an error was made in which case they were to "call attention to it". When the case was decided by the two parties it was then referred to the Seneca Lords for their decision. When the Seneca Lords decided, in accord with the Mohawk Lords, the case was referred to the Cayuga (People at the Mucky Land) and Oneida (Granite People). There were no instructions in the Great Law for the Tuscarora. The Tuscarora (Shirt Wearing People) were left out because they came into the union after the constitution became oral and before it was made into a wampum belt. (More about this later). tomorrow you will learn about "Wampum" There will be a short quiz after the break |