THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS 35 



When a Lord is to be deposed, his War Chief shall address him 

 as follows : 



" So you, , disregard and set at naught the warn- 

 ings of your women relatives. So you fling the warnings over 

 your shoulder to cast them behind you. 



" Behold the brightness of the Sun and in the brightness of the 

 Sun's light I depose you of your title and remove the sacred emblem 

 of your Lordship title. I remove from your brow the deer's ant- 

 lers, which was the emblem of your position and token of your 

 nobility. I now depose you and return the antlers to the women 

 whose heritage they are." 



The War Chief shall now address the women of the deposed 

 Lord and say: 



" Mothers, as I have now deposed your Lord, I now return to 

 you the emblem and the title of Lordship, therefore repossess 

 them." 



Again addressing himself to the deposed Lord he shall say : 



" As I have now deposed and discharged you so you are now no 

 longer Lord. You shall now go your way alone, the rest of the 

 people of the Confederacy will not go with you, for we know not 

 the kind of mind that possesses you. As the Creator has nothing 

 to do with wrong so he will not come to res:ue you from the preci- 

 pice of destruction in which you have cast yourself. You shall 

 never be restored to the position which you once occupied." 



Then shall the War Chief address himself to the Lords of the 

 Nation to which the deposed Lord belongs and say: 



" Know you, my Lords, that I have taken the deer's antlers from 



the brpw of , the emblem of his position and token of 



his greatness." 



The Lords of the Confederacy shall then have no other alter- 

 native than to sanction the discharge of the offending Lord. (42- 

 XLII, TLL). 



20 If a Lord of the Confederacy of the Five Nations should 

 commit murder the other Lords of the Nation shall assemble at the 

 place where the corpse lies and prepare to depose the criminal Lord. 

 If it is impossible to meet at the scene of the crime the Lords 

 shall discuss the matter at the next Council of their nation and re- 

 quest their War Chief to depose the Lord guilty of crime, to 

 " bury " his women relatives and to transfer the Lordship title to 

 a sister family. 



2 



