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. 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. 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. Every Onondaga Lord except Hononwiretonh shall deliberate and he shall listen only. If he sees in the distance any evil approaching or any danger threatening he will at once warn the people of the Confederacy. 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. the Five Nations confederate lords b. to discuss the affairs of the Five Nations and create an official constitution oratory skills were prized by the Iroquois because that is how they communicated, within their own … These provisions will look familiar to people versed in documents such as the U.S Constitution and other founding government documents. It was passed down orally throughout history. John Rutledge of South Carolina, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, is said to have read lengthy tracts of Six Nations law to the other framers, beginning with the words "We, the people, to form a union, to establish peace, equity, and order..."[35] In October 1988, the U.S. Congress passed Concurrent Resolution 331 to recognize the influence of the Iroquois Constitution upon the American Constitution and Bill of Rights. 2. Did you know that before the U.S. Constitution there was another constitution which laid out details on immigration, relationships with foreign countries, and how new laws would be passed? The council shall not sit after darkness has set in. [8] Joseph Brant and John Norton commented on details of the narrative as early as 1801 and published since. 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. I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations' Confederate Lords I plant the Tree of Great Peace. I, Dekanawidah, appoint the Mohawk Lords the heads and the leaders of the Five Nations Confederacy. We place at the top of the Tree of the Long Leaves an Eagle who is able to see afar. If so, Adodarhoh shall dispatch messengers to summon all the Confederate Lords to assemble beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves. 14. Their decisions shall then be referred to the Onondaga Lords, (Fire Keepers) for final judgement. Horatio Hale published one in 1883 he traced somewhat earlier[6] which was reprinted by William N. Fenton, following Arthur Caswell Parker, in 1968. A foreign nation, which in this sense means another tribe, could be admitted on a temporary basis to the Confederacy of the Five Nations. The laws were first recorded and transmitted not in written language, but by means of wampum symbols that conveyed meaning. Finally, there were religious elements throughout. I lay a Long Wing before you as a broom. [13] Wallace also published a separate book without stating his source in 1946 called The Iroquois book of Life - White Roots of Peace, which was later revised and extended with endorsements by Iroqouis chiefs and Iroquoian historian John Mohawk in 1986 and 1994. 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. [37] Haudenosaunee historian Elisabeth J. Tooker has pointed to several differences between the two forms of government, notably that all decisions were made by a consensus of male chiefs who gained their position through a combination of blood descent and selection by female relatives, that representation was on the basis of the number of clans in the group rather than the size or population of the clans, that the topics discussed were decided by a single tribe. "[40][41], The Law Lesson Summary. 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. The Constitution was viewed as representing the ‘Creator’, and the Council was supposed to provide spiritual guidance to the people. There is debate over when exactly the Iroquois Constitution originated because at first it was not written down, but instead passed down orally. When the Lords are assembled the Council Fire shall be kindled, but not with chestnut wood, and Adodarhoh shall formally open the Council. In this lesson, you’ll learn about the history of the Iroquois Constitution, including the main provisions, groups involved, and similarities to the U.S. Constitution.