Lesson 2-The Great Law: Values and Concepts

Question 1

Overview of Gayesrago:wah- The Great Law of Peace:

Answer 1

-When it was at its worst, the rivers would run red because there were so many dead bodies – that’s how bad the warring got

-The older living democracy in the world

-The world’s only “true democracy” absolutely every citizen has a say

-Influenced modern democracy, especially the US govt structure

Question 2

Overview of Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law:

Answer 2

● Peace
- Peace of mind
- You are in a really good place in your mind, you feel safe secure, centered
- Peace is different than lack of war

● Clan system
- Set up into two different groups
- If one clan is having hard times ex: a death, other side will take over for them
- They do not have peace of mind
- They will not have to cook, do funeral stuff, chores, care for children, etc
- The other side will do it all for them
- Job of the people whose “minds are off the ground” – still have peace of mind
- Other clan’s job to pick them up and be there for them

● Power
- Canada sees power as control
- Power in the Great Law means you are all united and reciprocal processes and supports are in place
- There is so much strength and power in unity
- Why Canadian policy intentionally creates division between Indigenous peoples / communities

● When good minds come together, there is nothing better
- There is nothing that can break apart people that have a good strong mind against a goal
- “Let it be that way in all of your minds”
- If every single one of us has a goal and are on the same page, they cannot stop us
- You can do almost anything

● Righteousness
- Loosely translated
- Not the same Canada uses it (I’m right and you’re wrong)
- Doing the “next right thing”
- Humans are not perfect
- Must make better choices / efforts to do better than yesterday
- Every time something is placed in front of you there is a good and a bad choice, you are going to make the right choice for yourself, others, the earth
- Consistent practice of being a better human than you were before

Question 3

What does Peace mean in Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law?

Answer 3

-Peace of mind
-You are in a really good place in your mind, you feel safe secure, centered
-Peace is different than lack of war

Question 4

Story behind The Great Law of Peace:

Answer 4

-When the rivers ran red, a mother and her pregnant daughter went into hiding
-When daughter had baby told mother she never been with a man
-Grandmother tried three times to kill the baby and get rid of him
-Cut hole in ice, made a fire threw him in the fire, third time had a dream
-Creator said he sent the boy to end the wars
-Message: we don’t know why people are sent here, we don’t know the purpose
-Called “peacemaker”
-Grew up really quickly, had very strong morals
-He had a white stone canoe and people immediately thought something was different about him
-Found 2 scouts (Onondaga) said he had a message of peace
-Wanted to talk to everyone that was part of the war to end it
-Asked to go to the worst place there was
-They told him it was the Mohawks
-They enjoyed the war and killing

Question 5

What does the Clan system mean in Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law?

Answer 5

-Set up into two different groups
-If one clan is having hard times ex: a death, other side will take over for them
-They do not have peace of mind
-They will not have to cook, do funeral stuff, chores, care for children, etc
-The other side will do it all for them
-Job of the people whose “minds are off the ground” – still have peace of mind
-Other clan’s job to pick them up and be there for them

Question 6

What does Power mean in Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law?

Answer 6

-Canada sees power as control
-Power in the Great Law means you are all united and reciprocal processes and supports are in place
-There is so much strength and power in unity
-Why Canadian policy intentionally creates division between Indigenous peoples / communities

Question 7

When good minds come together, there is nothing better. What does that mean in Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law?

Answer 7

-There is nothing that can break apart people that have a good strong mind against a goal
-“Let it be that way in all of your minds”
-If every single one of us has a goal and are on the same page, they cannot stop us
-You can do almost anything

Question 8

What does righteousness mean in Haudenosaunee Values of the Great Law?

Answer 8

-Loosely translated
-Not the same Canada uses it (I’m right and you’re wrong)
-Doing the “next right thing”
-Humans are not perfect
-Must make better choices / efforts to do better than yesterday
-Every time something is placed in front of you there is a good and a bad choice, you are going to make the right choice for yourself, others, the earth
-Consistent practice of being a better human than you were before

Question 9

Overview of Haudenosaunee Core Value System:

Answer 9

The Great Law of Peace estimated around 1132
- Date from the solar eclipse
○ Formation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
● This is the oldest form of true democracy even recorded
○ Every citizen considered an honoured and valued member of society with voices heard no matter age or circumstance
● The inspiration for the US Democracy
○ Bases of the Great Law was that all people would be treated as equals, all voices heard and acknowledges and social structures in place so every person felt supported
The Good Message (1799)
○ How to maintain our ways after colonisation in the midst of land conflict and active colonisation
- Many of the nations (see map) are losing their language speakers/dying language
○ Foretells prophecies for the future, many have already come true
● Seneca prophet and chief Handsome Lake
● “First formal form of resistance” for the Haudenosaunee

Question 10

Overview of Indigenous Original Territories:

Answer 10

● Prior to colonisation of the Americas Indigenous people settled areas of land
○ In a different way than borders are today
● There were many nations who shared neighbouring lands and resources with one another
● Example: Dish with One Spoon wampum belt
○ Pre-contact times between Haudenosaunee, Anishanaabe, neighbouring nations
○ Southern Ontario
● Indigenous nations were living on this land sustainably for thousands of years before settlers
● This agreement seen that all neighbouring nations were able to grow crops, gather food and medicine, hunt, fish, trap, as long as they didn’t do it in excess

Question 11

Overview of Pre-Contact nation to Nation Relations:

Answer 11

● The Dish with One Spoon wampum belt exemplifies pre-contact land and trade agreements between nations
● Act of sharing space for the betterment of all people in the past was an efficient way of establishing territory without the setting of strict borders that could create tensions between nations
● Many Indigenous nations also lived in different places seasonally
○ Maintain food sources to preserve the natural resources of soil and plant life

Question 12

Indigenous Food Systems- Pre-Colonial Times

Answer 12

● While many of these nations had similar beliefs and customs, each and everyone is special, unique, and different from the others
● Each has their own foods, recipes, medicines, and rituals that work with their specific territory
- Depending on their area, many nations were still in ‘hunter/gatherer mode’ until the point of contact
- Haudenosaunee: able to develop agriculture very quickly, foods were given by ‘mother earth’
- Shared responsibility through agriculture created a big community with values
● North: their food was primarily comprised of fish, bear, berries, seal, caribou, and whale
○ Very high fat content suited to needs of people living in extreme cold climates
● West coast: the people’s diets were made up of more seafood such as shrimp, whale, crab, salmon, halibut, muscles
● Prairies: people farmed similar to Haudenosaunee
○ Corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, roots, berries
○ This and seasonal hunting practices sustained communities across the land

Question 13

First Nations Traditional Food Facts Sheet:

Answer 13

● One aspect of Indigenous food sourcing that was common was active participation in cultivating one’s food as well as sharing foods communally.
○ No one went hungry
○ Food and water “belonged” to no one
● These values created connection between Indigenous people and their food sources
○ Why many nations have food ceremonies and thanksgiving practices that allow them to show their gratitude and stay connected to the ones that give sustenance
● Each nation used food & medicines of their land base and traded with neighbour nations
● Very contrary to the way we know food today
○ Now readily available at earliest convenience and extreme variety
- Huge inconsistency/misconception in the belief that the colonizers gave/provided them with food

Question 14

What is the Great Law of Peace?

Answer 14

● Haudenosaunee have sophisticated govt which is recorded by an eclipse that happened during the time of the Peacemaker
● A set of morals, values, and ways of living that prioritise peace amongst all beings
● Teaching brought to the Haudenosaunee people by the “Peacemaker” a Huron messenger that helped the warring nations settle their differences and unite through the power of a Good Mind
● The Good Mind philosophy is based on the guiding principles of The Great Law (peace, power, righteousness)
○ Terms are translated loosely to help those who understand English relate to the ideas but each is not as they seem at first glance

Question 15

Indigenous Nation Names:

Answer 15

● Many of these names are the names Europeans gave to Indigenous Nations
○ Cayuga - Gayogohǫ:nǫ people of the wetlands
○ Mohawk - Kanienkeha people of the flint
○ Ojibway - Anishinaabe
○ Delaware - Lenapé
○ Oneida - Onęyo tga:’ people of the standing stone
○ Seneca - Onodaowa:ga’ people of the mountains
○ Onondaga - Onǫdagehonǫ’ people of the hills

● It’s okay to ask “what does your nation call themselves?
● It is also okay if Indigenous people don’t know the answer to that, as so many are completely disconnected from their language and culture knowledge

• most nations are called their colonized names – that’s not their name!

Question 16

The Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace Story:

Answer 16

● The Peacemaker was born to a Huron woman, near Tyendanega
● He was sent here with a message of peace to end the warring nations fight
● He asked that the one leader who did not participate in the war would join him, this was Hiawahta
● Hiawahta was grieving, he lost his wife and then tragically lost his 3 daughters and grandchild
- He had nothing else to lose so he said he would go meet the man
- Wandered for days
- Started to identify grief as a big issue for people
● Hiawahta met the Peacemaker and put through the first “condolence”
- Used it to hear his grief
- Every time a chief passes away, they put on a ceremony like this for the family
● Hiawatha and the Peacemaker travelled to the Mohawk first, then the Oneida who were in agreeance with the fierce Mohawks
- The people were on board with the philosophies already so it was easier to agree
● The Onondaga nation were unable to agree due to the evil sorcerer Tadadaho who lived near their village
- Hard to sway them because he loved the war
● Hiawahta and the Peacemaker travelled to the Cayuga people who had already heard of the Great Peace and decided to join the league of nations
● Lastly the Seneca nation joined, they had one condition, they would protect the Western Door and would be able to call on war if ever again necessary
- The Seneca has the responsibility to decide if war should begin again
● Tadadaho was a sorcerer who did not want to see the war end, he enjoyed seeing the people in as much pain as he was in
● He was angry, he had been abandoned by his mother
● When the chiefs first approached him he overturned their canoes and sent them away
● Jigonsase was continuing the war by supporting the fight, she was asked to be Tadadaho’s mother
● Tadadaho was asked to use his power for good and help the chiefs
● This position has no clan, it is elected by the chiefs

Question 17

Hodinohso:ni- They Build the House

Answer 17

● Each community selected leaders who would represent their clan and nation
● These hereditary titles are still used today and have been passed down generation to generation
● Mohawk - 9
● Oneida - 9
● Onondaga - 14
● Cayuga - 10
● Seneca - 8

Question 18

The Circle of Wampum

Answer 18

• Agree that all the babies and children are the most important part of the community
• Everyone is supposed to care and nurture the babies and give them the best possible life
• Between ages of 0 and 7 babies are still connected to spirit world – they are able to travel
• They have to make their life as best and nurturing as they can and uplift them as the priority people in the community so they will make the choice to stay because they can leave and go home if they want to
• If babies die they understand that they made the choice to leave
• Circle: (diagram)
• Put all the elders with the babies
• They’re older, more experience, more love and understanding to hand off knowledge and skills to next generation
• Job as the workers (adults) is to care for those people and make sure everyone’s taken care of and safe – that work is to be done communally

Question 19

Haudenosaunee Clans:

Answer 19

● When humans were first made they didn’t know grief
● When the first person passed away the whole community was devastated
● One man had a dream about how the community would be split up, because they would eventually outgrow their community and more people would pass
● The eldest woman from every matrilineal line would go get a pail of water and whatever animal they seen first would become their family’s symbol to differentiate families from one another
● Each woman did and these 9 clans were identified- 3 sky animals, 3 land animals and 3 water animals
● The man put a log across the river and told the people to cross, as many people that made it over would stay on that side of the river, and everyone else on this side. They would console one another in times of need
● Never to marry within their own clan because originally we were all related

Question 20

Iroquois Confederacy: The Beginnings of Democracy video

Answer 20

• Democracy: everyone equal, ability to vote, etc
• Not actually true in Canadian, US, etc society in the past (and even now!)
• Haudenosaunee democracy is a true democracy
• Even the smallest child in the family has the same vote as the parents
• Women, everyone gets a vote
• Even the chiefs and clan mothers’ voices are not higher than the others

Question 21

Haudenosaunee Chiefs Council- One Mind/One Matter

Answer 21

1. Elder Brothers bring forward the matter and announce to council what has come to their door
   - Outer nations
   - Mohawks and Senecas
   - They decide if the matter is important enough to bring it forward
2. All nations deliberate on the matter separately
3. Elder Brothers present their opinions on the matter- Mohawk and Seneca are the Elder brothers, they are our first lines of defence
   - “Our perspective as protectors of the community”
4. All nations deliberate on the matter separately
5. The Younger Brothers will present their opinions on the matter- they are more the educators, social workers, take care of the inside of the house
   - Internal nations
   - Cayugas and Oneidas
   - Internal nations responsibility to teach outside people about the structures and beliefs about how to be Haudenosaunees
   - More gentle minded people have their own ways of thinking
6. All nations deliberate on the matter separately
7. Elder Brothers have a chance to re-present their ideas (if they do, the Younger Brothers can also re-present their new ideas with this in consideration)
8. All nations deliberate on the matter separately
9. If both sides are in agreement, they pass the matter off to the Firekeepers to make a final decision. If the firekeepers agree, they send the matter back to the beginning with their suggestions
   - Onondaga nation
   - Center of it all – see both sides, unbiased
   - Able to find common ground and what’s fair
   - If they say no, they go all the way back to the beginning and start all over with all that information

• Not just the opinion of 50 men, it’s everyone
• Grand Council:
• Looks like a man-only environment, they are consulting, backed by the opinions and voices of the women

Question 22

Consensus Decision Making:

Answer 22

• Finding out what’s best for everyone is hard because everyone wants their opinion to be heard but also needs to hear everyone else
  ● Everyone is seen and heard – even children SHOULD be consulted and their voices heard by all
  ● No moving forward WITHOUT decision making
  ● Consider others, be flexible, communicate effectively, think ahead, coordinate, compromise
  ● Clanmothers collect the opinions of their people (same clan and nation as them) and bring it to the council, she tells the chief the opinions of the people, the chiefs work through to gain “sgaihwa:t” on the matter at hand

Question 23

Traditional Government:

Answer 23

● Pre-dates Colonisation - 1132 AD (eclipse)
● Original “Nations” of North America/Turtle Island
● Nation: a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory
● Hereditary: earned not though family but lineage (nation and clan - ie. Mohawk nation, Wolf Clan, Onondaga nation, Eel clan)
● Not hierarchical/monarch style: older women in that clan and nation watch all children for their gifts, the one who’s gift it is to be a leader will be the one selected to leadership, this will be groomed in them their whole lives (everyone has a purpose/gift)
● Must be of the highest good, willing to work hard

Question 24

Band Council Government:

Answer 24

● Administrators of federal dollars on reserve
● Elected by a voting system similar to Canada’s voting system
● Extremely small population of voters 25,660 population of band members and 1716 people voted
● (6% in comparison to Canada’s 45-50% voting range)
● Modern democracy vs Haudenosaunee democracy:
○ Children and teens cannot vote or have a say
○ Traditional govt is not acknowledged by band council (causes conflict) even though scholars around the world have written about the brilliance of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
● Band council “Chief” – intentionally misleading language