The Six Nations (called the "Iroquois
League" and later the "Iroquois Confederacy" by the French) is
the oldest living participatory democracy we know of. The Iroquois League dates
back to at least the 15th century and was originally made up of the five neighboring
nations of the area; the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk. In 1722
the Tuscarora People moved into the region after being displaced by
Anglo-European settlers and joined the Confederacy, creating what became known
as the Six Nations. The different nations all lived in different regions and
had there own unique cultures, yet they came together in order to protect and
strengthen each other through cooperation as a whole. They believed that they
were like different members of a family all living in one giant invisible
longhouse. That is why they called themselves Haudenosaunee, or people of the
longhouse.
They believed in fair representation, so they
practiced what is known as participatory democracy. A paramount chief, known as
a sachem, would represent each clan at meetings of the Six Nations. The
Haudenosaunee were a matrilineal society, meaning that clans were descended
down maternal lines. Women in their culture were held in high esteem. It was
the elder women of a clan, known as clan mothers, who would elect the sachem
that represented them. They also had the power to revoke the position from
someone who they felt was not acting correctly.
Many
scholars have argued that the representative system of government exemplified
by the Six Nations had a profound impact on the founders of America. Founding
Fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin often attended treaty
councils between English colonists and the Haudenosaunee. It has been argued
that the ideas of equal representation and checks and balances present in the
Six Nations helped to inspire similar ideas when the American system of
government was created. There is no clear consensus between scholars as to the
effect the Iroquois Confederacy had on the founding fathers, but there are
certainly clear parallels between the two systems of government.
Sources:
Andrew, i have been following the history of the Iroquois throughout the course and I think its awesome that we share this interest. The Iroquois is know as a very important nation among native North American culture. The link on the book Forgotten Founders Benjamin Franklin, the Iroquois and the Rationale for the American Revolution, claims that American Indians (principally the Iroquois) played a major role in shaping the ideas of Franklin (and thus, the American Revolution).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/#FF
http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/#FF
I enjoyed reading your post. Strength comes in numbers and I believe that these tribes recognized that in order to keep the integrity of their culture they had to put differences aside and built a strong relationship. It is clear that they had an impact on this country so their efforts were not for nothing.
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