Government


 * Government:**

The Iroquois government had much more than just a tribal government. All of the six different nations of the Iroquois each had a different tribal government. Here is a story that explains the how the Iroquois Confederacy got started. This story was passed down from generation to generation, being retold over and over again.

Once, a long time ago, the Mohawks, Senecas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Cayugas were enemies who fought among each other with every chance they received. One day two wise men had decided that the fighting must come to an end. Their names were Deganawidah and Hyantwatha.

“To war against each other is foolish and evil. Hunters are afraid to go into the forest. Fishermen are afraid to follow the streams. Women are afraid to work in the fields. Because of war, people are starving and suffering. War must end, and Peace must be established for all peoples,” Deganawidah announced.

The five nations heard Deganawidah and understood what he was saying. It made sense to the people and so they threw down their weapons.

These five tribes formed a union, or confederacy. Their government was called The Great Peace Law. It was the first United Nations. Later on, the Tuscarora people joined this government adding on the sixth tribe of this confederacy. Now, the nations that once fought each other worked together. If any of these nations were to be attacked, the injury would be felt by all of the union's other nations, as well.

Denganawida said, “Our confederacy is a Great Tree. It reaches high into the sky so that all people see it and know of it. The eagle watches from its top. The Tree has four white roots and go to the four corners of the world. If any man or nation wants to obey the laws of Peace, they will be welcome to take shelter under the Tree.”

Many nations took shelter under this tree because they obeyed the laws of Peace. If another nation demanded on war, it was always warned three times to obey the Laws of the Great Peace and use words instead of weapons to settle their fight. For many of many years, the Iroquois Confederacy protectd the American colonies from invasions from the north. Without this type of protection during the French and English wars, there would be no United States of America today. White leaders like Benjamin Franklin watched the Confederacy and learned democracy from it. One idea he had learned was that each person should be able to speak without being interrupted. Our United States government today is a lot like that of the Confederacy.