The Great Law of Peace

On the formation of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy and democracy

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since my last blog post! Boy, has a lot happened in that time! First, the United States has a new President. Then, history was made as Madame Vice President Kamala Harris became not only the first female Vice President, but the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) female Vice President! I am particularly excited about this, since I am a BIPOC person who hails from a maternal society (Onondaga).

Women have always played an important role in Haudenosaunee democracy, so I couldn’t be happier to see the people of the United States truly embrace female officials! Along with Madame Vice President Harris (at 2nd in command) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (at 3rd in command), there are also a record number of women now serving in the 117th Congress.

Sadly, we also witnessed the 1st ever violent attack on the Capital and the 117th Congress; and, as a direct result of that attack, the U.S. now also has its first ever twice impeached President.

Since we’ve all been focused on politics and government, I’d like to talk about the formation of the oldest living participatory democracy on earth, the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy. Our democratic government originated with the Great Law of Peace.

Scholars like to say that the Great Law of Peace is the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Constitution. I, along with many other Haudenosaunee, find that statement demeaning. While the Great Law of Peace provides us a model for the structure of our union (the Iroquois Confederacy) and democracy, it is also a complete guide on how to live, act, and think, given to us by the Creator. It is a guide to achieving PEACE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE and HEALTH. It’s key principles- peace, equity/justice, and the power of the good mind/REASON- are the foundation of not only Haudenosaunee democracy, but of Haudenosaunee being. Haudenosaunee democracy exists, because we adhere to the complete teachings of the Great Law of Peace.

The Great Law of Peace was presented to the Haudenosaunee over a thousand years ago, when the Creator saw we had forgotten our ways. Back then we were 5 Nations (Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas), and we were at war with each other. Our actions saddened the Creator, so he sent a messenger (the Peacemaker) to deliver a message (the Great Law of Peace) that would return us to peace. 

The Peacemaker was born on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. As soon as he could speak, he spoke of peace and the message Creator had given him. When old enough to travel on his own, he informed his mother and grandmother that he was off to bring peace to the warring people (Haudenosaunee). He carved a canoe made entirely of white stone and set out for the warring nations. 

While traveling to the warring nations, the Peacemaker encountered a woman who had no allegiance to any specific nation, but she did provide food and shelter and she promoted the continuation of the fighting between the warring nations.

The Peacemaker informed this woman that her actions saddened the Creator and were promoting war. He delivered Creator’s message of peace to the woman. After hearing the message, she agreed to change her ways. Since she agreed to follow the message, the Peacemaker set aside a special duty for the women of the five nations- they would be Clan Mothers. A Clan Mother watches over the members of her clan and counsels them in a peaceful way. She also has the special duty of selecting the male leaders of her clan. It is her lifelong duty to ensure that the male leaders of the clan lead in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Great Law of Peace.

After the woman agreed to adhere to the message of peace, the Peacemaker traveled to the eastern most nation, the Mohawks. He knew if his plan was to work, he needed to convince the most feared leaders; so that is who he sought everywhere he went. From place to place, the Peacemaker shared the Creator’s plan. He explained how one nation could easily be broken, but that five arrows bound together with one heart, one mind and one law were powerful. He demonstrated the weakness of 1 arrow (easily snapping it) and the strength of 5 arrows bound together (which could not be broken). The Mohawks liked the plan but were weary of a trap, so they tested The Peacemaker. When the Peacemaker passed their test, the Mohawks became the first nation to accept the peace.

The Peacemaker continued traveling west, using the arrow metaphor everywhere he went. Peace grew. When he arrived at Onondaga, Tadodaho (a man so evil his body was twisted and snakes grew from his head) refused the message of peace. Another Onondaga man, Hiawatha, liked the message, so he began to speak about ending the war. But Tadodaho would hear nothing of it, so he killed Hiawatha’s family. 

Hiawatha became so grief stricken that he no longer thought of peace, until one day he came upon a lake and found white and purple clam shells. Hiawatha strung these shells together and found stringing the shells gave him peace. Once he discovered that peace, Hiawatha decided to join the Peacemaker and help him spread the Creator’s message.

When all four nations (Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas and Senecas) agreed to join in the peace, the Peacemaker, Hiawatha, and the leaders from the other nations returned to Onondaga to confront Tadodaho. They knew they must convince him to join them in the message of peace.

Tadodaho used his sorcerous ways to try and stop them (as they traveled to meet him), but he couldn’t prevent them. This time, the Peacemaker had an idea to help convince Tadodaho to accept the message of peace. He offered Tadodaho a special duty- to preside over the Grand Council of Chiefs. It would be his duty to make sure that the Grand Council of Chiefs from all 5 nations made their decisions with a good mind, for the good of all, and for the good of future generations. Tadodaho was pleased with the offer. He agreed to accept the special duty and to live in peace.

When Tadodaho accepted the message of peace, the others combed the snakes from his hair and his body straightened. To symbolize this union of peace, the Peacemaker uprooted a great white pine tree and all 50 leaders threw their weapons of hatred, jealousy, anger and war into the hole. A mighty stream washed them away. When they replanted the tree, the Peacemaker put an eagle on top of it. The eagle was placed there to look far and wide and to warn the Haudenosaunee of any dangers on the horizon which might disturb this great peace. The tree from that day forward became known as the Tree of Peace. To this day, 50 chiefs represent all of the clans from all Haudenosaunee nations. They are known as the Grand Council of Chiefs. Each nation maintains its individual status & leadership, but common causes (of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy) are decided by the Grand Council. Every chief has equal say in the Grand Council, and they work together on all matters related to the Haudenosaunee.

A wampum belt, the Hiawatha Belt, was made to commemorate the formation of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. In 1722 the Tuscarora joined our Confederacy. Over a thousand years later, we continue to live by the message of the Great Law of Peace. Scholars claim our Confederacy (and democracy) formed in 1142; our traditional oral teaching informs us that this occurred much earlier.

During the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, it was erroneously reported by Anderson Cooper that the United States was the oldest continuous democracy on earth. Mr. Cooper and I are of a similar age, so I am aware that certain facts were not taught in history classes when we were in school. Today, many schools in the U.S. and Canada (as well as other countries around the world) now teach Haudenosaunee history. They also examine how our democracy influenced the U.S. government.

U.S. democracy is a couple hundred years old. It is now widely acknowledged that the Haudenosaunee, our democracy, and the Great Law of Peace influenced the Founding Fathers, the union of the 13 colonies, and the U.S. Constitution and democracy. The concepts of individual liberty, separation of powers, balance of power, designated authorities, and strength in unity so impressed Benjamin Franklin that he wrote about and referenced the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois model more than once. 

In 1744, at the signing of the Treaty of Lancaster, Onondaga leader, Canassatego, urged the 13 colonies to unite as the Iroquois had. Benjamin Franklin was so inspired by Canassatego’s speech, he printed it: 

“We heartily recommend Union and a good Agreement between you our Brethren,” Canassatego said. “Never disagree, but preserve a strict Friendship for one another, and thereby you, as well as we, will become the stronger. Our wise Forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations; this has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful confederacy; and, by your observing the same Methods our wise Forefathers have taken, you will acquire fresh Strength and Power; therefore whatever befalls you, never fall out one with another.” Franklin even used the metaphor that many arrows cannot be broken as easily as one, which inspired the bundle of 13 arrows held by an eagle in the Great Seal of the United States and on the dollar bill.

In 1751, after the Haudenosaunee shared much of the teachings from the Great Law of Peace with Benjamin Franklin, he wrote to his printer colleague, James Parker, that “It would be a strange thing if Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a scheme for such an union, and be able to execute it in such a manner as that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like union should be impracticable for ten or a dozen English colonies.” Yes, you read that right- we were frequently referred to as “ignorant savages,” yet Franklin clearly admired our union/Confederacy and democracy.

Benjamin Franklin was so impressed with the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy, he referenced the Iroquois model as he presented his Plan of Union at the Albany Congress in 1754; and, he invited representatives from the Haudenosaunee to attend the Congress along with the 7 colonies. Later, in 1776, he invited Grand Council Members to address the Continental Congress.

While there are distinct differences between the democracies outlined in the Great Law of Peace and the U.S. Constitution, the Haudenosaunee influence is clear. 

In my personal opinion, the biggest difference between the Haudenosaunee and U.S. democracies is that the U.S. initially failed to include women. Women were not guaranteed the right to vote in the U.S. until 1920; and, the U.S. did not have a female official until 1917, when Jeannette Rankin was sworn in as a Member of the House of Representatives.

Two other huge differences between our democracies involve terms & compensation. Clan Mothers and Chiefs are elected for life, and their positions are unpaid. They can be removed if they fail to perform their duties (as outlined in the Great Law of Peace), but that rarely occurs. This is vastly different from the paid positions of U.S. officials who serve term limits.

Below are links to resources which provide a comparison chart of the Haudenosaunee/Great Law of Peace and the U.S. Constitution. The National Museum of the American Indian is particularly informative as it is the museum’s Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators (PDF). Also take a look at the PBS series on the Haudenosaunee.