New York State Museum Bulletin 



Application pending for entry as second-class matter at the Post Office at Albany, N. Y., 



under the act of August 24, 19 12 



Published monthly by The University of the State of New York 

 No. 184 ALBANY, N. Y. April i, 1916 



The University of the State of New York 



New York State Museum 



John M. Clarke, Director 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS 



OR 

 THE IROQUOIS BOOK OF THE GREAT LAW 



BY 



ARTHUR C. PARKER 



THE IROQUOIS CONSTITUTION 

 The constitution of the Iroquois League is known to the Iroquois 

 as the Great Binding Law, or the Great Immutable Law. Their 

 term for it is Ne" Gayanesha/'gowa. It was transmitted orally 

 from one generation to another through certain of the lords or 

 sachems of the confederacy who had made it their business to 

 learn it. Not until recently have the Iroquois attempted to put 

 their code in written form. For many generations its knowledge 

 has been preserved by a collection of wampum belts and strings, 

 each of which served to recall each law or regulation. Many of 

 the belts and strings became lost or destroyed, and fearing a total 

 destruction of their ancient archives, the Six Nations 1 of New 

 York Indians in 1898 elected The University of the State of New 

 York the official custodian of their wampums. The University 

 accepted the charge and the Legislature passed suitable laws 

 governing the custody of the wampums. In 1908 the Director of 

 the State Museum was proclaimed the keeper of the wampums 

 by Sa-ha-whi, president of the Six Nations. 



1 The Five Nations became the Six Nations, with the admission of the 

 Tuscarora in 1724. 



