Chapter 6; THE GREAT LAW OF PEACE
The Confederacy arose centuries ago among separate
warring communities as a way to create harmony, unity and respect among human
beings. Implicit to Iroquois political philosophy is a commitment to the
highest principles of human Liberty, where laws in recognition of individual
liberty and justice surpasses any European parallel. Faithkeeper, Oren Lyons,
an Onondaga, states that "the Great Law of Peace includes freedom of
speech, freedom of religion, and the right of women to participate in government. Separation of power in government and checks
and balances within governments are traceable to our Iroquois Constitution,
ideas learned by colonists". The
central idea underlying Iroquois political philosophy is that Peace is the will
of the Creator and the ultimate spiritual goals and natural order among humans.
The principles of Iroquois government embodied in the great law of peace or
transmitted by a historical figure called the Peacemaker, his teachings
emphasize the power of reason to insure righteousness, justice and health among
humans. Peace came to the Iroquois not through war and conquest but through the
exercise of reason guided by the spiritual mind. The Iroquois League is based
not on force of arms or rule of law but spiritual concepts of natural law
applied to human society. By David Yarrow
At the planting of a Tree of Peace in
Philadelphia in 1986, Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp explained, "in the beginning
when our Creator made humans, everything needed to survive was provided. Our Creator asked only one thing, never
forget to appreciate the gifts of Mother Earth. Our people were instructed how
to be grateful and how to survive."
When the people forgot the Original instructions
to survive, there was a dark age of war, and injustice.
"The
creator sent a Peacemaker with a message to be Righteous and Just and make a
good future for our children, seven generations to come. He called all warring
people together and told them as long as there was killing there would be no
peace of mind. There must be an effort by humans for peace to prevail. Through logic, reasoning and spiritual
renewal, he inspired the Warriors to bury their weapons, and atop planted a
Tree of Peace.”
Legend of the Peacemaker and the Founding of the Great
Law of Peace
A long time ago an event took place on the shores
of Onondaga Lake in upstate New York that was to have far reaching effects even
to this day. The event took place long
before written history, long before Europeans came to America. It was so paramount in fact that we can
envision all of creation being present.
There was
much bloodshed among the five separate warring nations that the people lived in
fear of death. Everywhere there was
death, mourning and pain, the people had no hope. The Peacemaker, born of a
virgin, heard of the distress of the people and was sent by the Creator to put
an end to war. He held the Vision for
Peace on Earth.
Traveling
from nation to nation he first came to a house where a woman lived on the path
between the warring nations. As she listened to the Peacemaker speak of his
idea of peace, a seed was planted in her mind and she took hold of the idea
saying, "I agree with you, this is indeed good news that you
bring." Because she was the first
person to take hold of the idea of Peace the Peacemaker honored her as the
Mother of Nations and therefore the clan mother's held the honored position of
holding the titles for the Chiefs and appointing new chiefs.
Again the
Peacemaker set out to spread the good news from nation to nation saying,
"tell your Chiefs the Peace is on its way.” In the wilderness, the Peacemaker met
Hiawatha, an Onondaga chief who was grieving the loss of his daughters. His
mind was bent low in sorrow as he built a fire each night he wove words into
wampum saying, “if only there was someone to console me with these words, I
could get my mind up and see the light of a new day". Hearing the words of Hiawatha, the Peacemaker
came and speaking the words of condolence held in the wampum, he dried the
tears from Hiawatha's eyes using the white fawn skin, wiping away the clouds
from his mind, so he could think clearly once again. As Hiawatha listened, he
took hold of the idea that there is no death.
The Peacemaker honored Hiawatha, the man of fire, to be his speaker and together
they sent out word to all First Nation peoples to gather on the shores of
Onondaga Lake to await the Great Peace that was coming.
The event
was so great in time that it took many days for the multitude to gather around
their council fires on the shores of Onondaga, the animals too drawing
near. Legend states that as the people
gathered awaiting the arrival of Hiawatha a great darkness came over the sky
blocking out the smiling face of the Great Spirit or the Sun. Arriving in his mystical canoe made of white
granite, the Peacemaker and Hiawatha arrived on the third day. There were reports of a sound of great wings
flapping overhead but because of the darkness, people could not see and fear
surrounded them.
The
Peacemaker gathered all the people who were at war in a great circle around the
tree of War. Selecting the Great White
Pine of the North East woodland he then uprooted the tree and instructed the
people to bury all their weapons beneath the upturned roots. A stream ran beneath and washed the weapons
away so that future generations would never pick them up again. Then the tree was made to stand upright, it
became the Tree of Peace with white roots spreading in the four directions.
Placing the eagle at the top of the tree, the people were to be like the tree
made upright in the Law, and to use the high mind of the Creator, like the
Eagle that sits on top of the tree.
Appealing to the highest and clearest thinking of the Chiefs of the five
nations, the only evil blocking the formation of the Confederacy was Atotaro,
an Onondaga chief whose mind was so twisted that it was as snakes growing out
of his head and his body had 7 crooks in it.
To complete the peace meant all of the people must put their minds
together in agreement for peace. To bring
about the new man the new mind in Atotaro meant that the Peacemaker and
Hiawatha by singing the song of peace so perfectly as to reach deep into the
heart of the man and by appealing to his high mind, the spirit of the man,
bring about the new being. Together the Peacemaker and Hiawatha traveled to
where Atotaro was waiting for them; the Peacemaker sang the song of peace and
Hiawatha explained the words of the Law, so that the spirit and the Law worked
together bringing about the change of mind in Atotaro.
Traveling in the Whitestone canoe, the Peacemaker
and Hiawatha set out to persuade Atotaro of the Great Peace. The Peacemaker
singing the peace hymn and Hiawatha holding the wampum in his hand, thus the
words of the Law were spoken:
“These are the words of the great
Law, on these words we shall build the house of Peace, the Long House with five
fires that is yet one household, these are the words of righteousness and
health and power, the words we bring constitute the new mind which is the will
of the Holder of the Heavens. There
shall be Righteousness when men desire Justice, Health, when men obey Reason,
Power when men accept the Great Law.
These things shall be given form in the longhouse where five nations
shall live in quiet as one family at this very place, Atotaro, where the Chiefs
of the five nations will assemble, I shall plant the Tree of Peace and its
roots shall extend to far places of the earth so that all mankind may have the
shelter of the great law.". from The
White Roots of Peace by Paul Wallace
Moving swiftly, the Peacemaker and Hiawatha
returned to the awaiting Chiefs, saying, "come quickly, the time is now
arriving on the shore where Atotaro was waiting. The Peacemaker explained,
“here is power, these are the five nations, their strength is greater than your
strength but their voice shall be your voice when you speak in Council, and all
men will hear you, this will be your strength in the future, the Will of a
United People." then the mind of
Atotaro was made straight and Hiawatha combed the snakes out of his hair, the
Peacemaker laid his hand on his head and said, " the work is finished,
your mind is made straight your head is now combed, the seven crooks have been
taken from your body, now you have a new mind, now you will henceforth preside
over the Council, and shall strive in all ways to make Reason and the Peaceful
Mind prevail. Your voice will be the voice of the Great Law. All men will hear
you and find Peace. “Then the Peacemaker placed the antlers on the heads of the
chiefs in sign of their authority and gave them the words of the Law”.
Quotes from
White Roots of Peace, by Paul Wallace
Significance of the Great Law of Peace
Perhaps it was at that time when the Great Peace
was established that the disc blocking the sun moved, and the Light of a new
Dawn for the Human being and for all the sacred circle of life. The Tree of evil was uprooted and the Great
Law of Peace, was planted in the Planetary heart and consciousness of Mother Earth.
Using nature and the atmosphere of the forest to
set the pattern for peace, life, unity and equality for eternity, the
Peacemaker continued. Holding the Sacred
Wampum in his hand, he gave the condolence of the confederate lords appointed
as chiefs to represent the 5 nations. Stating, "the designs signify the
fourteen sachems who are the keepers of the Central Council Fire of the Five
Nations Confederacy and it shall be the duty of Tadodaho, the principal
Onondaga Chief and his colleges to be the keepers of the Great Council at
Onondaga.". The Central Council
fire symbolized the Fire that never dies, the eternal flame of love that is the
spiritual essence or "orenda" residing in the heart of every human
being.
Continuing, the Peacemaker spread out a great
white belt of wampum under the Tree of Peace, signifying Purity and Peace. And a great wing to use whenever any evil
approaches the great white wampum, the great wing will be used to sweep it
away.
Continuing, the Peacemaker said, "Now we
shall combine our individual power into ONE GREAT POWER which is the
Confederacy. And we shall symbolize the union of these powers by each Nation
contributing one arrow which we shall tie together in a bundle which when it is
made and tied together, no one can bend or break."
Therefore, bringing the people together in a
Circle, the Peacemaker continued, "You Chiefs shall be symbolized as Trees
of the Five Confederate Nations. We
therefore bind ourselves together by taking hold of each other's hands firmly
and forming a circle so strong that if a tree shall fall on it, it could
neither shake nor break it, and thus our people and our children and
grandchildren shall remain in the circle in security, peace and happiness"
"And if any chief who is crowned with the
emblem of the Deer's horns shall break through this circle of unity, his horns
shall become fastened in the circle, and if he shall go through it, the horns
shall remain in the circle and he shall no longer be a chief. You chiefs shall always be guided in all your
councils and deliberations by the good tidings of Peace and Power. You chiefs of the different nations of the
confederacy, I charge you to cultivate the good feelings of friendship, love
and honor among yourselves. I have now
fulfilled my duty in assisting you in the establishment and pattern of the
Confederacy, and if this confederation is carefully guarded it shall continue
and endure from generation to generation and as long as the sun shines."
"The pure white wampum strings will be the
emblem of the Council Fire and it shall be that when the firekeepers open the
council, he will pick up this string of wampum and hold it on his hand while he
is offering thanksgiving to the Great Ruler of the Heavens. (The Formal Thanksgiving Address is offered
before and after every council meeting.) And there will be a custom that
whenever the annual confederate council meets, we will smoke the pipe of
Peace."
"The Pattern for Peace given first Nations
People by the Peacemaker is rich with symbolism. The Circle represents the
Universe and all sacred life forms, within the circle all the kingdoms of
Nature are represented as sacred, each with it'[s sacred point of view. The Peacemaker set a foundation for Peace
based on Communication. That by putting
their minds together as the "One Mind of Creator" all problems could
be solved through reasoning. As
agreement is reached, the identification becomes one of Peace."
"The Great Peace was founded upon the
sovereignty of a common Law of Truth, as statesmanship lies in the Will of the
People for Peace. First United Nations
people were united in spirit for the purpose of Peace on Earth. Given the
sacred duty as Peacekeepers, their function was to maintain the Peace in their
own Six Nations while extending the Peace to all Nations". Through their ceremonies, they maintain the
balance of the Earth by reciting the Thanksgiving Address, giving thanks to the
Earth and giving thanks to their Creator and acknowledging the Creator's Law of
ONE.
Quotes from: “Great
Law of Peace” by Yvonne and Jacob Thomas Dec. 14, 1990
