Eleanor Finch
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, predating the U.S. Constitution by several centuries. The Iroquois Constitution is believed to have influenced the democratic principles and federal structure of the U.S. Constitution, as well as notions of individual liberty and the separation of powers. The Iroquois people continue to live under their own constitution and government, and their example has sparked the spread of democratic institutions worldwide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Democratic principles | Union, agreement, friendship |
| Federalist principles | Unification through mutual defense, conducting foreign affairs |
| Multi-state government | Individual liberty, separation of powers |
| Ceremonies to be observed | Grieving over a deceased chief, appointing a new chief |
| Native American symbols and imagery | Bald eagle, bundle of arrows |
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What You'll Learn
The Iroquois Constitution is a form of democracy
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is considered the oldest living participatory democracy on earth. The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker in 1142, united five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee.
The Iroquois Constitution was recorded and kept alive on a two-row wampum belt, which functioned as a mnemonic device for storytellers. The belt depicted symbols that represented the laws of the Iroquois Confederacy. In 1744, the Onondaga leader Canassatego gave a speech urging the contentious 13 colonies to unite, as the Iroquois had done at the signing of the Treaty of Lancaster. This inspired Benjamin Franklin to print Canassatego's speech, which advocated for unity and friendship between the colonies.
The Iroquois Confederacy's political system and democratic principles influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution. In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging this influence. The federal structure of the U.S. Constitution, as well as notions of individual liberty and the separation of powers, are said to have been inspired by the Iroquois example.
The Iroquois continue to live under their own constitution and government, and their influence on the development of democracy is significant and widely recognized.
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It inspired the US Constitution
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy is a union of five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee.
The Iroquois Constitution is believed to have inspired the US Constitution. In 1988, the US Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution. The resolution, titled Concurrent Resolution 331, recognized the influence of the Iroquois Constitution upon the American Constitution and Bill of Rights.
The Iroquois Confederacy is a federalist political system that united five tribes, each handling its own affairs but coming together to solve issues of common importance. This system impressed the framers of the US Constitution, who were looking for a form of government that enabled the assertion of the people's sovereignty over vast geographic expanses. The Iroquois Confederacy's federal structure, as well as its notions of individual liberty and the separation of powers, are believed to have influenced the US Constitution.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the framers of the US Constitution, was influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy. He invited representatives of the Iroquois Nations to the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania in 1744 and the Albany Congress in 1754 to promote three core concepts of their constitution: peace, equity, and justice. Franklin was also inspired by the Iroquois Confederacy's metaphor of "many arrows bound together cannot be broken as easily as one," which became the inspiration for the bundle of 13 arrows held by an eagle in the Great Seal of the United States.
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It is also known as the Great Law of Peace
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois League, dates back several centuries to when the Great Peacemaker founded it by uniting five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the sixth nation, the Tuscarora, joined the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Great Law of Peace was conceived by Dekanawidah, known as the Great Peacemaker, and his spokesman Hiawatha. It was represented by symbols on wampum belts, which functioned as mnemonic devices for storytellers. The laws were first recorded and transmitted by means of wampum, shell-bead belts that encoded the message in a sequence of pictograms. In the 19th century, it was translated into English and other languages.
The Great Law of Peace is a narrative noting laws and ceremonies to be performed at prescribed times. It includes a sequence of ceremonies for grieving over a deceased chief and appointing a new one, known as "The Condolence Maintains the Confederacy."
The Iroquois Constitution and the Great Law of Peace have had a significant influence on the development of democracy and the founding of the United States. The confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system and democratic principles of the Iroquois Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin, for example, was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, advocating for the colonies to unite and improve their security and defence against foreign powers.
In 1988, the United States Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U.S. Constitution. The democratic ideals and federal structure of the Iroquois Constitution inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution, including the notions of individual liberty and the separation of powers.
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It was founded by the Great Peacemaker
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois League, the League of Peace and Power, or the Six Nations, is a union of Native American tribes that dates back several centuries. It was founded by the Great Peacemaker, also known as Deganawida, who, with his spokesman Hiawatha, united the five original nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. The sixth nation, the Tuscarora, joined in 1722.
The Great Peacemaker brought peace to the five nations, who had been enmeshed in continuous inter-tribal conflicts. The Great Law of Peace, also known as Kaianere'kó:wa or Gayanashagowa, served as the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was represented by symbols on wampum belts, which functioned as mnemonic devices for storytellers. The laws were first recorded and transmitted by means of wampum shell-bead belts that encoded the message in a sequence of pictograms.
The Great Law of Peace established a model of federalism, separation of powers, and participatory democracy. It also conferred significant power and status to women in Iroquois culture, who held the ultimate political power, with the ability to appoint or remove male leaders. The Great Law of Peace may have inspired the US Constitution and national symbolism. In 1988, the US Senate passed a resolution acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution and democratic principles.
The Iroquois Confederacy is the oldest living participatory democracy on earth, and its example sparked the spread of democratic institutions across the world. The Great Law of Peace continues to guide the Iroquois today, and they live under their own constitution and government.
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It is represented by symbols on wampum belts
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, refer to themselves as the Haudenosaunee, which means "people of the longhouse". The Great Law of Peace, also known as Gayanashagowa in Mohawk, is the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. The law was represented by symbols on wampum belts, which were conceived by Dekanawidah, known as the Great Peacemaker, and his spokesman Hiawatha. The wampum belts functioned as mnemonic devices for storytellers. The original five member nations ratified this constitution near modern-day Victor, New York, with the sixth nation, the Tuscarora, being added in 1722.
Wampum belts are made of shell beads, typically tubular in shape, often a quarter of an inch long and an eighth of an inch wide. Wampum beads are made from shells of the North Atlantic channeled whelk, and white and purple beads are made from the Western North Atlantic hard-shelled clam. The process of making wampum beads is labor-intensive, as women artisans round small pieces of whelk shells, pierce them with a hole, and then string them together. The beads are then rolled on a grinding stone with water and sand until they are smooth. The beads are then strung or woven on materials like deer hide thongs, sinew, milkweed bast, or basswood fibers.
Before European contact, wampum was used for storytelling, ceremonial gifts, and recording important treaties and historical events. Wampum was also used by the northeastern Indigenous tribes as a means of exchange, strung together in lengths for convenience. Wampum was central to the giving of names, in which the names and titles of deceased persons were passed on to others. Wampum also played a role in establishing and renewing peace between clans and families. When a man met another representing his respective social unit, he would offer a wampum inscribed with mnemonic symbols representing the purpose of the meeting or message.
The Onondaga Nation was trusted with the task of keeping all wampum records and was given the responsibility of being the caretaker of the belts. The circle wampum is a very important belt for the Haudenosaunee, as the equal strands of wampum represent the 50 chiefs, with each chief being equal and united. The longest wampum belt is the 1794 Canandaigua Treaty belt, which is 6 feet long and composed of thirteen figures holding hands connected to two figures and a house.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is the oral constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was conceived by Dekanawidah, known as the Great Peacemaker, and his spokesman Hiawatha.
The Iroquois Confederacy is a union of six nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. They refer to themselves as the Haudenosaunee, or "people of the longhouse".
The Iroquois Constitution is thought to have influenced the US Constitution through its example of a multi-state government, federal structure, individual liberty, and separation of powers.
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union, which advocated for the 13 colonies to unite and improve their security. In 1787, descriptions of the Iroquois Confederacy appeared in the three-volume handbook John Adams wrote for the Constitutional Convention.
