Iroquois Written Constitution

The Iroquois are an American Indian confederacy of New York originally consisting of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes. They originally settled along the St. Lawrence River which is located in what is now known as New York State. Most Iroquois remained in upstate New York but some traveled to Ohio to join relatives and others moved to places like Kansas. There is not a concrete date for when the Iroquois tribe was established but “some estimates put this as far back as 900 A.D., but the general consensus is sometime around 1570” (http://tolatsga.org/iro.html). The founder of the Iroquois Confederacy is acknowledged to be Dekanawida, who was from the Mohawk tribe. Around the time of its foundation, there were …show more content…
The League of Nations had a written constitution that served as a set of rights and agreements that all the people had to honor. The Iroquois had a written constitution so there would be no dispute between what was acceptable and what was considered against the law. In this case, the law was the aspects of the written constitution that, if followed, ensures safety and cooperation between citizens. Likewise, the United States Constitution serves as “The Law of the Land” and everyone within the country must abide by its principles. In both instances, a constitution helps the government function to its fullest potential because it structures the government and lays out the responsibilities and laws of the people residing within the country. As stated earlier, an important aspect of the Iroquois government included the idea of representatives that speak on behalf of their electees. An exceprt from the Iroquois Constitution states, “35-Should any man of the Nation assist with special ability or show great interest in the affairs of the Nation, if he proves himself wise, honest and worthy of confidence, the Confederate Lords may elect him to a seat with them and he may sit in the Confederate Council” (http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/iroquois.asp). This exemplifies two important ideas mentioned previously. This statement shows the importance of a written …show more content…
The main supernatural being was known as the Great Spirit, who was responsible for the creation of human beings, plants, animals, and the forces of good in nature. They believed that the Great Spirit influenced the lives of many people and indirectly guided their decisions. Aside from the main Great Spirit, other important deities included the Thunderer, Three Sisters, and the spirits of Maize, Beans, and Squash, who were said to specialize in specific prayer requests. If there were any conflicts with The Great Spirit, they believed that diseases and other misfortunes were the results and visible consequences of the disputes. According to the Iroquois, Communication with the Great Spirit could not be done directly by an ordinary human. However, through burning tabbaco, they believed that “the smoke carried their messages skyward to the creator” (http://elearning.la.psu.edu/anth/146/lesson-5/lesson-page-2). Another aspect of their religion was their reliance on dreams. “Dreams were regarded as supernatural messages that had to be addressed for continued health” (http://elearning.la.psu.edu/anth/146/lesson-5/lesson-page-2). The Iroquois regarded dreams as very important signs, and a lot of attention was given to interpreting dreams. At festivals, many people enjoyed participating in the activity of dream guessing to show the value they placed on