THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS II 



If, however, the brotherhoods agreed and their decision was not in 

 accord with the wishes of the fire keepers, the fire keepers could 

 only confirm the decision, for absolute unanimity was the law and 

 required for the passage of any question. Provisions to break 

 speedily any deadlock were provided. All the work of the council 

 was done without an executive head, save a temporary speaker 

 appointed by acclamation. Adodarhoh, in spite of his high title, was 

 only the moderator of the fire keepers. 



These " lords " or civil chiefs were nominated by certain noble 

 women in whose families the titles were hereditary; the nomina- 

 tions were confirmed by popular councils both of men and of women 

 and finally by the confederate council. Women thus had great 

 power for not only could they nominate their rulers but also depose 

 them for incompetency in office. Here, then, we find the right of 

 popular nomination, the right of recall and of woman suffrage, all 

 flourishing in the old America of the Red Man and centuries before 

 it became the clamor of the new America of the white invader. 

 Who now shall call Indians and Iroquois savages ! 



Not only were there popular councils to check an overambitious 

 government, but both the men and the women had in their " war 

 chief " a sort of aboriginal public service commissioner who had 

 authority to voice their will before the council. Men of worth who 

 had won their way into the hearts of the people were elected pine 

 tree chiefs with voice but no vote in the governing body. The 

 rights of every man were provided for and all things done for the 

 promotion of the Great Peace. 



Among the interesting things in this Iroquois constitution are 

 the provisions for the official symbols. Many of these symbols, such 

 as the point within a circle, the bundle of arrows, the watchful 

 eagle, are described in detail. The fifteenth string of the Tree of 

 the Long Leaves section, for example, reads : 



" Five arrows shall be bound together very strongly and each 

 arrow shall represent one nation. As the five arrows are strongly 

 bound, this shall symbolize the union of the nations. . . ." 



This reference to the arrows bound together was quoted by King 

 Hendrick in 1755 in his talk with Sir William Johnson. 



Perhaps a more striking paragraph to students of Indian history 

 will be the reference to a certain wampum belt : 



"A broad, dark belt of wampum . . . having a white heart 

 in the center on either side of which are two white squares all 

 connected with the heart by white rows shall be the emblem of the 

 unity of the Five Nations. The white heart in the middle . . . 



