30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



THE COUNCIL OF THE GREAT PEACE 



THE GREAT BINDING LAW, GAYANASHAGOWA 

 i I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations' Confederate 

 Lords 1 I plant the Tree of the Great Peace. I plant it in your 

 territory, Adodarhoh, and the Onondaga Nation, in the territory 

 of you who are Firekeepers. 



1 name the tree the Tree of the Great Long Leaves. Under the 

 shade of this Tree of the Great Peace we spread the soft white 

 feathery down of the globe thistle as seats for you, Adodarhoh, 

 and your cousin Lords. 



We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery 

 down of the globe thistle, there beneath the shade of the spreading 

 branches of the Tree of Peace. There shall you sit and watch 

 the Council Fire of the Confederacy of the Five Nations, and all 

 the affairs of the Five Nations shall be transacted at this place 

 before you, Adodarhoh, and your cousin Lords, by the Confederate 

 Lords of the Five Nations, (i— I, TLL). 2 



2 Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one 

 to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. 

 The name of these roots is The Great White Roots and their nature 

 is Peace and Strength. 



If any man or any nation outside the Five Nations shall obey the 

 laws of the Great Peace and make known their disposition to the 

 Lords of the Confederacy, they may trace the Roots to the Tree 

 and if their minds are clean and they are obedient and promise to 

 obey the wishes of the Confederate Council, they shall be welcomed 

 to take shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves. 



We place at the top of the Tree of the Long Leaves an Eagle 

 who is able to see afar. If he sees in the distance any evil ap- 

 proaching or any danger threatening he will at once warn the people 

 of the Confederacy. (2— II, TLL). 



3 To you Adodarhoh, the Onondaga cousin Lords, I and the 

 other Confederate Lords have entrusted the caretaking and the 

 watching of the Five Nations Council Fire. 



When there is any business to be transacted and the Confederate 

 Council is not in session, a messenger shall be dispatched either to 



1 Royaneh is always translated " lord." 



2 The abbreviations after each law refer to the sections in the original 

 code and their numbers. TLL, means Tree of the Long Leaves; EUC, 

 Emblematical Union Compact, and LPW, Skanawita's Laws of Peace and 

 War. The first number in Roman numerals refers to the original number 

 of the law, the second number, in Arabic numerals, to the section number 

 in the division of the law named by the abbreviation following. 



