First Installment-The Iroquois

In the last century in U.S. history, the idea has become prevalent that our founding fathers either invented the idea of our Confederation of free states, or used only their knowledge of the ancient Greek and Roman societies in their forming of the same. This is not so and it was known not to be so by most U.S. citizens up until the early 1900's.

Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson, Adams and others studied the Iroquois Confederation of tribes intently and that Confederation of tribes had an influence on them when writing the Articles of Confederation and later the U.S. Constitution. They called some of the leading chiefs in to teach them and the fledgling Congress the details of how the Iroquois Confederation worked.

Some time in the early 1500's, the northeastern (NY) tribes of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onandagas, Senecas and Cayugas formed a complex political league for mutual defense and cooperation in trade. That League was still functioning up until the late 1700's. In the mid 1700's the Tuscarora's from the southeast were also admitted to the League. The scholars and politicians who formed the government of the United States studied the League of the Iroquois and wrote down the details they learned. Thus, a written copy of it's details is still available to us today. Under it's provisions each tribe had a set number of men (congressmen?) who represented them when the council fires were lit. Contrary to popular notions, there was not one chief over each tribe. There were war chiefs and peace chiefs. The clan mothers, (usually the eldest female of each clan in the tribe) had the power of recall on any of these chiefs at any time. The details of this Constitution are fascinating and are available online.

Benjamin Franklin attended councils and he wrote about what he saw there in these words�.

Franklin: "Having frequent occasion to hold public councils, they have acquired great order and decency in conducting them.......The old men sit in the foremost ranks, the warriors in the next, then the women and children.......

He that would speak rises. The rest observe a profound silence. When he has finished and sits down, they leave him five or six minutes to recollect, that if he has omitted anything he intended to say, or has anything to add, he may rise again and deliver it. To interrupt another, even in common conversation, is reckoned highly indecent. How different it is from the conduct of a polite British House of Commons, where scarce a day passes without some Confusion that makes the Speaker hoarse in calling to order.............."

Franklin: "They generally study oratory, the best speaker having the most influence...."

All were heard respectfully at councils. The council did not end until all who wished to be heard, had been heard on an issue. No one was forced to comply with the wishes of others. In extreme cases of disagreement, no one HAD to take part in whatever decision ruled. No tribe was forced to go to war. No individual was forced to go to war. A decision was reached and all who agreed followed it. Those who did not, were as respected as the others. By our way of thinking today, such a League could not function! I remind you here that it functioned as long as our own society has. Well over 200 years. It was broken only by the American Revolution. The Oneidas, some of the Tuscaroras and some tribes not in the League such as the Stockbridge Muncee Mohicans, fought on the Colonialist's side in the American Revolution. Most of the Iroquois fought for the British and most of them moved to Canada after the Revolutionary War.

At the end of that war, the Indians were treated the same, no matter which side they had fought on. Despite both the American and British government passing laws of support and protection for the tribes, no protection or support was forthcoming. NY State had laws, as well as the federal Congress, that no land sales of Indian lands to whites were legal unless approved by the state and National legislature. These were passed because so many land speculators lied and tricked the Indians out of their land. In spite of those laws, the tricks, lies and illegal maneuverings of land speculators continued��successfully. They made such a mess, in fact, that today's Supreme Court is still struggling with this issue. Most of the Iroquois moved into Canada after the Revolutionary War. Some remained and live in NY state to this day. Many of the Oneidas moved to WI in the 1820's and 1830's because of the illegal encroachments on their land by white settlers. They bought the land in WI themselves with money they made from the sale of their NY land. The Federal government assisted in the purchase negotiations with the tribes that were native to WI. The results were the same. The land issues are still in the courts today. There has been no encompassing solution as the Supreme Court still struggles to find some fair and legal answer to the long trail of documented and breaking of treaties by the white settlers and their state governments on Indian lands.

In the early 1900's, for whatever reason, these facts began to be left out of history textbooks. Some say it was an effort to instill a false sense of pride in our early history, some say it was a propaganda move to ensure compliance of young men in fighting wars that our Congress declared. I do not know the reasons. I only know that it happened and the paper trail is there for anyone to read if they want to know the truth.

I do not agree with the manipulation of other's minds. It doesn't matter to me who is doing it, whether it is a government or a neighbor. To me it is both wrong and insulting. It is a very weak people indeed who cannot know the truth about past mistakes without damaging their love of country. It is not only weak, it is foolhardy. An ignorant people cannot maintain the critical thought necessary to maintain a free society. In the end, lying to ourselves about our history will not only destroy us, we will not even know why.

I also hear people remark, when these issues come up for discussion, that they were not here when all this happened and the implication is that we as US citizens in the current age bear no responsibility to address these issues. That is a statement not only devoid of ethics, it is devoid of reason.You and I were not here when the Constitution was ratified either, but I daresay you want it's rights and privileges the same as I do. We are part of a country that has made errors and committed crimes against a native population. If we accept the privileges this country offers us, we must also bear the responsibilities for the former actions. I do not refer to reparations. I refer to recognizing, admitting and making some reasonable attempts to right those wrongs. People also make statements about the Indians pay no taxes. That is not true. While the tribes themselves are sovereign nations according to the Supreme Court, I do know that most of them which operate casinos have agreements with their respective county and state governments whereby they give millions of dollars each year for road building and similar civic responsibilities.

I hear Americans wonder why so many countries despise us. I wondered that also, but I found out. Yes, we are a good people. So are the bulk of humanity good people. But, we have our hypocrisies and there is only one answer to that. We MUST face them and acknowledge them and use our past errors in a sincere attempt to not make the mistakes over again. It is long past time that America lived up to her words about equality and justice.

Reading list on the Iroquois:

League of the Iroquois by Lewis Henry Morgan Apologies to the Iroquois by Edmund Wilson

The Iroquois in the American Revolution by Barbara Graymont

The Ordeal of the Longhouse by Daniel K. Richter

The Iroquois Restoration by Richard Aquila

The Oneida Indian Experience Jack Campisi and Laurence Hauptman

Parker on the Iroquois by Arthur C. Parker

The Oneida Indian Journey by Laurence Hauptman and L. Gordon McLester lll

The Old New York Frontier by Francis Whiting Halsey