A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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Submitted by John Kahionhes Fadden Many winters and summers in the past the Creator came to the earth to see the many works He had produced. He saw the many beautiful colors of the flowers, the green of the forest, and the sparkling waters, among many other things. He saw that the Onkwehón:we were continuing with the instructions of life, celebrating with ceremony, and being thankful for the wondrous things from the earth that gives them sustenance. He sensed the wonderful odors in the air in...
It is provided thus: The father of a child of great comeliness, learning ability or specially loved because of some circumstances may, at the will of the child's clan select a name from his own (the father's) clan and bestow it by ceremony, such as is provided. This name shall be only temporary, and shall be called "a name hung about the neck". It is provided thus: Should any person, a member of the League of Five Nations, especially esteem a man or woman of another clan or of a foreign nation,...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens This belt was used in the mourning ceremonies for a Chief (Hoyaneh). The two diamonds signifies the opposite Brother or Sisterhoods, one of which mourned and one of which condoled. The V-shaped design represents the chief's antlers, his title or symbol of chieftainship. It is provided thus: If the Three Elder Brothers (Mohawk, Onondaga, and Seneca) shall lose one of their chiefs by death, the Younger Brothers {Cayuga, Tuscarora, and...
The Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs, Clan Mothers, and Faithkeepers announce Strawberry Ceremony to be held Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. The Leadership agreed on how the proceedings will go. It will start at 8:00am with the wampum being put in the center of the floor for the people to make amends to Shonkwaiatison (Our Creator). After the wampum is retrieved from the center, the Ohenton Karihwatehkwen (opening) followed by the 1st O’stoserakowa (Feather Dance). Strawberry drink will be passed around to the people to give thanks to Shonkwa...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: if a chief of the League should die while the Council of the Five Nations is in session, the Council shall adjourn for ten days. No Council of the League shall sit within ten days of the death of a chief of the League. If the three Brothers, Ashennihontatakenah, (the Mohawks, the Onondagas and the Senecas) should lose one of their chiefs by death, the Younger Brothers, Iatatekanah, (the Cayugas, the Oneidas and the...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: When a candidate chief is to be installed, he shall furnish four strings of shell wampum one span length bound together at one end. Such will constitute the evidence of his pledge to the Chiefs of the League that he will live according to the Constitution of the Great Peace and exercise justice in all affairs. When the pledge is finished, the speaker of the council must hold the wampum strings in his hand and...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens This belt was used by the women of the nation to symbolize their authority for adopting a prisoner of war. The belt removed the cloud of the women's mourning and made a son of the captive. It could save a life if presented by a woman. It is provided thus: Any member of the Five Nations, who through esteem or other feelings, wishes to adopt an individual, a family, or a number of families, may offer adoption to him or them, and if...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: To you, Adodarhoh and your cousin chiefs, fourteen of you altogether, this shall be your duty. You shall keep The Confederate Council Fire (Government) clean all around. You shall allow no dust or dirt to be seen around the Council Fire. I therefore lay a seagull wing near you. Take this wing and sweep the dust and dirt away from the Council Fire. If you see any crawling creature approaching the Confederate Council Fire, I lay a stick by you with which you are to...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens This belt records certain laws of the Confederacy and was used in the League councils by the presiding Chief in welcoming other nation delegates. A review of some of these laws is as follows: It is provided thus; when a chieftainship title is to be conferred, the candidate chief shall furnish the cooked venison, the corn bread, and the corn soup together with other necessary things and the labor for the conferring of the title's...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens Long ago when the Mohawk People lived in the villages beside the Mohawk River in what is now New York State, the Mohawk Clans lived in separate villages: Bear Clan People lived in one village, Turtle Clan People in another, and Wolf Clan People had their own village where there lived three Mohawk girls. These girls could never meet without quarreling with each other. They quarreled so often that other people began to notice them....
Before there was an elected system of governance in Akwesasne, the community was governed by Community Life Chiefs. These Life Chiefs were known as the Rotinonkwiseres, which means "They Have Long hair." These men were chosen by the Clanmothers, as is tradition among the Haudenosaunee. For centuries, this was the way the Mohawk community of Akwesasne had decided to choose their leaders. The newly formed government of Canada had a different plan and a law to determine Akwesasne leaders that were...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens This belt was one of the Constitutional Memorials and signified the essential unity of the clans "who sat opposite each other about the Fire." The white background signifies peace, unity, and friendship. It is provided thus: That in the Confederate Iroquois Nation, the people bearing the same name, the same clan, shall recognize one another as relatives irrespective of their nation and shall treat one another as such. Therefore a man...
This belt was formerly held by Donehogawah or General Ely S. Parker. It means "Five Council Fires" or "Death Belt" of the five Iroquois Nations, the Confederacy of the Iroquois. The Death Belts were in the custody of The Keepers of the East and West Door of the Haudenosaunee. This one was always held by the Donehogawah, the Keeper of the Western Door, the watcher and army guard of the Confederacy. (The Mohawks of the Eastern Door likewise had their copy of this particular belt.) This belt...
Any belt could be used as a war belt by painting it red. It is provided thus: The title names of the War Chiefs of the League shall be as follows: Ayonewehs, War Chief under Chief Takarihoken (Mohawk) Kahonwaitiron, War Chief under Chief Otatsheteh (Oneida) Ayentes, War Chief under Chief Atotarho (Onondaga) Wenens, War Chief under Chief Dekaenyon (Cayuga) Shoneratowaneh, War Chief under Chief Skanyatariio (Seneca) It is provided thus: The women heirs of each head chief’s title shall be the heirs of the War Chief’s title of their respective chi...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: There shall be one War Chief from each nation, and their duties shall be to carry messages for their Chiefs, and to take up arms in case of emergency. They shall not participate in the proceedings of the Council of the League, but shall watch its progress and in case of an erroneous action by a Chief, they shall receive the complaints of the people and convey the warning of the women to him. The people who wish to...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens Mohawk Clan Chieftainship wampum strings are a record of the leaders of the Mohawk Nation. The keeper of this record was of the Wolf Clan, whose title is Sarehowane. There should be similar records of the other four nations of the original Iroquois states. The Mohawk Nations has nine chiefs, thus the nine strings in this record. The small string of wampum uniting them symbolizes that the chiefs shall all be of one mind. The nine wampum...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens Among the Iroquois, women have the privilege of nominating the Chiefs. It is provided thus: We give and assign the sacred chieftainship titles and the soil of our land to all of our Mothers, the Women of the Five Nations, and they shall be proprietors of the same. If they see their Chiefs acting contrary to constitutional justice, that they are not counseling for the interest of the people generally, the women relatives of the erring chiefs shall come (the War Chief acting in their...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: A bunch of wampum strings, three spans of the hand in length, the upper half of the bunch being white and the lower half black, and formed from equal contributions of the men of the Five Nations, shall be the token that the men have combined themselves into one head, one body, and one thought. It shall symbolize their ratification of the Peace Pact of the league, whereby the Chiefs of the Five Nations have establish...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens It is provided thus: Any Chief of the League of the Five Nations may construct shell strings or wampum belts of any size or length as pledges or records of matters of national or international importance. When it is necessary to dispatch a shell string by a war chief or messenger as a token of a summons, the messenger shall recite the contents of the string to the party to whom it is sent. That party will repeat the message and return the shell string, and if there has been a summons,...
Reprinted from Wampum Belts of the Iroquois by Tehanetorens This belt is the widest belt known. It represents an ever-growing tree. It is provided thus: I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations Confederate Chiefs I plant the Tree of The Great Peace. I plant it in your territory, Adadarho, and the Onondaga Nation, in the territory of you who are The Firekeepers. - I 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...
By Tehanetorens Hiawatha (Ayonwatha) Belt The Hiawatha (Ayonwatha) Belt, a broad dark belt of wampum of thirty-eight rows, having a white heart or Great Tree in the center, on either side of which are two white squares, all connected with the heart by white rows of wampum shall be the emblem of the unity of the Five Nations. 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...
This is a record of the foundation of the Confederacy when it was formed around 1452 (or much earlier) by the Great Peacemaker and his helper Ayonwatha (Hiawatha). Of all Iroquois wampum records, this is the most sacred. Each of the fifty strings represents one of the chiefs of the original Five Nations, the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. When the Confederacy was formed, the Peacemaker had each of the fifty chiefs join hands in a circle, and he ordained that all should be of equal rank and carry individual titles. So that...
By Tehanetorens Facts About Wampum While reading a wampum belt, special care was made to hold the belt correctly. Usually when the message or speech was half finished, the speaker would turn the belt over. A certain amount of wampum could ransom a murderer or captured prisoner. A clan, one of whose members had been killed, could hand a wampum belt to a noted warrior. If the belt was accepted by the warrior, it meant that he would take over the responsibility of getting revenge for the clan and thus uphold their honor, the honor of the members....
By Tehanetorens To most people a wampum belt means any beaded belt made by Indians. Glass beads were introduced by white traders, and with these the Indian people did beautiful embroidery work. Before the introduction of glass beads, embroidery work was made with porcupine quills. The long hair from the bell or chin whiskers of moose was also used. With the introduction of the crude glass bead, the far more artistic porcupine quill and moose hair embroidery became a lost skill. The true wampum bead was not made of glass. Along the Atlantic...
Reprinted from "Traditional Dress" by Adolf Hungrywolf Hand-sewn items are generally stitched up inside out. When the completed item is turned right side out, the stitches should be barely visible between the even seam. These stitches can be hidden altogether if a thin strip of material is sewn between the two main layers and the stitches are kept quite firm. Sometimes a strip of contrasting material is used this way, with very pleasing results. Red wool cloth, for instance, makes a beautiful...