THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS IOI 



and mighty tree) and we shall call it Jo-ne-rak-deh-ke-wah * (the 

 tree of the great long leaves). 



" Now this tree which we have planted shall shoot forth four 

 great, long, white roots (Jo-doh-ra-ken-rah-ko-wah). 2 These great, 

 long, white roots shall shoot forth one to the north and one to the 

 south and one to the east and one to the west, and we shall place 

 on the top of it Oh-don-yonh 3 (an eagle) which has great power 

 of long vision, and we shall transact all our business beneath the 

 shade of this great tree. The meaning of planting this great tree, 

 Skarehhehsegowah, is to symbolize Ka-yah-ne-renh-ko-wa, which 

 means Great Peace, and Jo-deh-ra-ken-rah-ke-wah, meaning Good 

 Tidings of Peace and Power. The nations of the earth shall see 

 it and shall accept and follow the roots and shall follow them to 

 the tree and when they arrive here you shall receive them and shall 

 seat them in the midst of your confederacy. The object of placing 

 an eagle, Skadji'ena', on the top of the great, tall tree is that it may 

 watch the roots which extend to the north and to the south and to 

 the east and to the west, and whose duty shall be to discover if any 

 evil is approaching your confederacy, and he shall scream loudly 

 and give the alarm and all the nations of the confederacy at once 

 shall heed the alarm and come to the rescue." 



Then Dekanahwideh again said : " We shall now combine our 

 individual power into one great power which is this confederacy 

 and we shall therefore symbolize the union of these powers by each 

 nation contributing one arrow, which we shall tie up together in a 

 bundle which, when it is made and completely tied together, no one 

 can bend or break." 



Then Dekanahwideh further said : " We have now completed 

 this union by securing one arrow from each nation. It is not good 

 that one should be lacking or taken from the bundle, for it would 

 weaken our power and it would be still worse if two arrows were 

 taken from the bundle. And if three arrows were taken any one 

 could break the remaining arrows in the bundle." 



Then Dekanahwideh continued his address and said : " We shall 

 tie this bundle of arrows together with deer sinew which is strong, 

 durable and lasting and then also this institution shall be sUong 

 and unchangeable. This bundle of arrows signifies that all the lords 

 and all the warriors and all the women of the Confederacy have 

 become united as one person." 



1 Ona"dedjisko'na skaskohai'na', Big long leaves, big limber tree. 



2 Djok'dehesgo'na. 



3 The "upper world eagle" is called skadji'ena'. 



