Several hundred years ago, a number of indigenous nations, the Iroquois Nations, in what is now the United States formed a confederation with the aim of safeguarding the future of their people. They understood that their future was based on cooperation, interaction with nature and fundamental equality between men and women as well as equality within and between the different nations.

 

A council was formed where all decisions concerning the nations and interaction within and between nations were made. The members of the Confederate Council were  from the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Tuscarora nations. All participants, called statesmen, had one vote and decisions were made by consensus.

 

The right to appoint a statesman originated from a family within the tribe, a right that was inherited provided that the family followed and protected the common foundation and the common law. If the family deviated from these, they were stripped of the right and the responsibility was transferred to another family.

 

It was the women in the family who inherited the right to appoint the statesman who would represent them. They could also dismiss a statesman who did not follow the basic values ​​or the law by bringing his or her case to the confederation meeting. This right to file a complaint against a statesman also applied to the men of the tribe.

 

The law itself described how one should behave in a number of issues with clear guidelines. This law can be seen in parts reflected in the United States Constitution.

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Further reading is available here; The Great law of Peace

 

I will write some reflection articles around The Great Law of Peace.

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