THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS 47 



Should the men in their council adopt the second course, the 

 War Chief shall order his men to enter the council, to take positions 

 beside the Lords, sitting between them wherever possible. When 

 this is accomplished the War Chief holding in his outstretched hand 

 a bunch of black wampum strings shall say to the erring Lords : 

 " So now, Lords of the Five United Nations, harken to these last 

 words from your men. You have not heeded the warnings of the 

 women relatives, you have not heeded the warnings of the General 

 Council of women and you have not heeded the warnings of the 

 men of the nations, all urging you to return to the right course of 

 action. Since you are determined to resist and to withhold justice 

 from your people there is only one course for us to adopt." At 

 this point the War Chief shall let drop the bunch of black wampum 

 and the men shall spring to their feet and club the erring Lords 

 to death. Any erring Lord may submit before the War Chief 

 lets fall the black wampum. Then his execution is withheld. 



The black wampum here used symbolizes that the power to exe- 

 cute is buried but that it may be raised up again by the men. It is 

 buried but when occasion arises they may pull it up and derive 

 their power and authority to act as here described. (SPW 81 XII). 



60 A broad dark belt of wampum of thirty-eight rows, having a 

 white heart in the center, on either side of which are two white 

 squares all connected with the heart by white rows of beads shall 

 be the emblem of the unity of the Five Nations. 1 



The first of the squares on the left represents the Mohawk nation 

 and its territory; the second square on the left and the one near 

 the heart, represents the Oneida nation and its territory; the white 

 heart in the middle represents the Onondaga nation and its terri- 

 tory, and it also means that the heart of the Five Nations is single 

 in its loyalty to the Great Peace, that the Great Peace is lodged in 

 the heart (meaning with Onondaga Confederate Lords), and that 

 the Council Fire is to burn there for the Five Nations, and further, 

 it means that the authority is given to advance the cause of peace 

 whereby hostile nations out of the Confederacy shall cease warfare; 

 the white square to the right of the heart represents the Cayuga 

 nation and its territory and the fourth and last white square repre- 

 sents the Seneca nation and its territory. 



White shall here symbolize that no evil or jealous thoughts shall 

 creep into the minds of the Lords while in council under the Great 



1 This is the " Hiawatha Belt " purchased by John Boyd Thatcher of 

 Albany and now in the Congressional Library. 



