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Iroquois Constitution
 Rights,
Duties and Qualifications of Lords
Election
of Pine Tree Chiefs
Official
Symbolism
Laws
of Adoption
Rights
and Powers of War
Treason
or Secession of a Nation
The
Installation Song
Protection
of the House
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.
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.
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