The Six Nations oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth
The Six Nations, also known by the French term, Iroquois Confederacy, call themselves the Hau de no sau nee meaning People of the Long House. The Six Nations include the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and the Tuscaroras, but the Tuscaroras migrated into Iroquois country in the early eighteenth century. All together they make the oldest participatory democracy. A participatory generates opportunities for all member of society to make significant contributions to all political decisions and policies that affect their lives. After reading the article I learned that the first U.S form of government, which was a representative democracy, tried to emulate this form of governance. Benjamin Franklin was highly inspired by the native Americans and he considered natives part of the American identity. Even so that the model of our dollars derives from Iroquois Covenant Chain imagery. I didn’t know this until now, but it's interesting and ironic considering all the conflict and desire to expand into territories occupied by Native American tribes.
Let us think for a moment, and imagine if we lived in a participatory democracy? Perhaps, we would be able to see improvements in our lifestyles, more opportunities, the ability for those deeply affected by the system to voice their opinions freely. Who knows…The people of the longhouse really knew what they were doing. They called themselves in this way because its symbolic to unity, longevity, and life. A Mohawk spokesman once said:
"We now plant a Tree whose tops will reach the sun, and its Branches spread far abroad, so that it shall be seen afar off; and we shall shelter ourselves under it, and live in Peace"
https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/71d7f83c-3fe4-4b11-82a2-c151cd3769f4.p
http://www.wou.edu/~tmcwilliams08/659833.pdf
Participatory democracy has had a far-reaching affect on democracy as we know it today and throughout history. However, this has not been without debate. Grinde and Johansen point out that his concept has been heavily contested, and the idea that the Iroquois helped shape democracy has however passed into the realm of general knowledge. They equate this as being accepted knowledge with the same length and breadth of Indigenous oral history about “Turtle Island,” and beyond as a means of adding significance and scope of acceptance.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, Iroquois influence on shaping democracy has been included in many publications including books, scholarly journals, periodicals, including book reviews, newspapers and news service articles, columns, letters, book reviews, and websites Additionally, according to Grinde and Johansen, the topic of Iroquois influence on democracy has been raised in many other venues including documentary films, a commencement speech at Wellesley College by Gloria Steinem; a radio essay by Hugh Downs; a presidential proclamation by former president Bill Clinton. They go on to explain that the topic of Iroquoian influence on democracy also has its Library of Congress classification, citation in numerous legal journals, as well as being mentioned by Janet Reno in a speech when she served as U.S. Attorney General (77).
That said, Grinde and Johansen contend that there are still a wide range of opinions on Iroquois influence on democracy, and in their work they use the example of Dalai Lama, who embraces it while on the other hand a modern day historian Richard White of Stanford University who does not fully support the theory. They go on to point out that this is becoming more accepted in educational enterprises and state curriculum guides, as well as political science reference works. It is quite interesting when one considers the shear range of reactions and attention that this topic has demanded over the years.
References:
Johansen, Bruce E., and Donald A. Jr Grinde. "Reaching The Grassroots: The Worldwide Diffusion Of Iroquois Democratic Traditions." American Indian Culture & Research Journal 27.2 (2003): 77-91. Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 23 Feb. 2016.