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Iroquois ConfederacyHow First Nations Helped Shape the Modern
World
BACKGROUNDWho are they?
The Iroquoian Confederacy is NOT a tribe/nation it is a political and cultural union of several different nations/tribes
As you can see in the map these nations are based in what is now the provinces of Ontario and Quebec as well as the state of New York
Location
The original confederacy consisted of 5 nations the: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca peoples.
The Mohawk tribe lived along the Mohawk River of the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York to South Quebec and East Ontario - Possessors of the Flint.
The Seneca tribe lived in New York State south of Lake Ontario and were the were the largest nation of the Iroquois Confederacy - Great Hill People
The Onondaga tribe lived between Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River - People on the Hills
The Oneida tribe lived east of Lake Ontario, around Oneida Lake - Granite People
The Cayuga tribe lived around Cayuga Lake in New York State - People of the Great Swamp
The Nations of the Confederacy
Prior to the confederacy the various nations were often at war with each other
For warriors honor could only be gained through bravery and aggression in battle, weakness was not tolerated
The constant warfare between the nations was weakening all of them which helped lead to the formation of the Confederacy in around 1450
Life Prior to the Confederacy
The confederationPolitics in the New World
According to tradition the two people most responsible for the formation of the confederation were Deganawida, sometimes known as the Great Peacemaker and his disciple Hiawatha
Major Players
The primary reasons for the formation of the Confederacy include:◦ To eliminate incessant intertribal warfare◦ To create peace and give united strength◦ To create a powerful force of tribes ◦ To safeguard existing Iroquois territory and defend
against invasion◦ To expand their territories◦ To establish a democratic government with
representatives from each of the tribes to ensure fairness and equity
Reasons
The Confederation’s constitution, sometimes called the Great Law of Peace, was recorded on the Hiawatha Wampum Belt (see top picture)
It is also symbolized in the tree of peace (see bottom picture)
Official Symbols
There were to be 50 chiefs, these chiefs had to be married and have children but there was no age limit and are appointed for life
The 50th chief is the league’s spiritual leader, and is the only one selected by the entire people
The Clan Mothers (a group of women leaders) were the only people who could remove a chief, after having given him a warning
In addition the head of the 50 chiefs is appointed by the Clan Mothers
Iroquois Government
Iroquois political and diplomatic decisions are made on the local level, and are based on assessments of community consensus.
Unanimity in public acts was essential to the Council, no Iroquois treaty was binding unless it was ratified by 75% of the male voters and 75% of the mothers of the nation.
In revising Council laws and customs, a consent of two-thirds of the mothers was required.
Iroquois Government
ImpactHow the Iroquois helped to change the world
While no historians argue that the Iroquoian Confederation was the basis for the US Constitution a number argue that it influenced the US Constitution
Those arguments include:◦ American government divided into 2 houses (House of
Representatives and Senate), the Grand Council is divided into 3 (Elder Brothers, Younger Brothers and Onondaga)
◦ Both groups had ingrained checks and balances in their governments
◦ Both documents stress prosperity and liberty as goals for their people
◦ Both groups had a federation style government with a focus on local rather than centralized power
Impact on American Government
France would become involved in the American War of Independence in 1778
This involvement would bring many French military leaders into close ties with America’s founding fathers and their ideals
Further one of the more influential American founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, became America’s Ambassador to France from 1776-1783. His writings would catch the imagination of the new French thinkers
The high debt France incurred directly supporting the Americans, in addition to fighting the British on the sea were one of the most important factors leading to the French Revolution. At least part of this debt was incurred fighting the Iroquois who were allies of the British
Influencing France
The End