A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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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 convey messages to the Chiefs of the League shall do so...
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 convey messages to the Chiefs of the League shall do so...
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 strings are in three groups representing the three clans of...
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 behalf...
The hereditary Chiefs are usually called Head Chiefs; but are known to the Indians themselves as Nobles or “Lord” Chiefs (Royaner). The original names are maintained and pass to the successors as hereditary titles and pass to the successors as hereditary titles so among other people, so that the Head Chiefs of the present day bear the same names as their ancestors of 1459. The succession is by descent, traced in the female line, and is not simply hereditary, but is partly elective also; there is no person in whom the right of succession ves...
Continued from last week 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 established The Great Peace. The white port...
Continued from last week Purple wampum used in calling a mourning council or condolence for raising a secondary chief or war chief. Invitation Wampum String Purple wampum, used to call a condolence council for a principal chief White wampum to call a religious council. The number of notches on the sticks tell the number of days before the council. - Okkwehonweneha or Indian Way School - It is provided thus: Any Chief of the League of the Five Nations may construct shell strings or wampum belts...
Continued from last week 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 feathery down of the globe thistle as...
Continued from last week 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...
Continued from last week Invitation wampum for a civil or religious council is still used. A small stick attached to the wampum strings and covered with notches tells the number of days before the council is to be held. When a Head Chief or lesser Chief of the confederacy dies, a runner is sent to each nation carrying proper wampum strings. He walks from one end of the reservation to the other, and every once in awhile he will give a certain call (Kwee!). If he gives the call three times, one...
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 mad...
The following are the views of Joey (Te’ho: ronio) David. He feels it is critical to communicate the importance of being supportive and understanding of our young people, because they are the next generation of leaders. He stressed adults need to be aware of the process from dysfunction to a healthy relationship for our young people by allowing them to express their feelings and emotions in a healthy way. The more they know, the more it will help them understand their role in our society. W...
Continued from last week. While the Haudenosaunee were able to create a strong, stable government which respected its’ people, communities, and nations, we were not perfect. The Good Mind requires work and effort and sometimes we can be lazy or forgetful. The ways of the Great Law of Peace require respect, power, and peace, and sometimes, we are rude, weak, and aggressive. While we are not perfect, we acknowledge our responsibility to try. My grandfather used to say that it was very hard to be Haudenosaunee, because we had to study the natural...
Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greeting and thanks to the Creator. The link between the Creator and the Haudenosaunee has been a special one. The Creator assigned to all of the creatures of Creation, the responsibilities to protect...
Reprinted from WORDS THAT COME BEFORE ALL ELSE Environmental Philosophies of the Haudenosaunee We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers. Our Creator has sometimes chosen to use messengers to bring his word to people, as well as to act to protect the people. There have been several messengers to the...
We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to all the Stars. When we give thanks, we often say that we once knew the names and stories of all the stars, and we no longer know them today. But we navigate by the stars at night, and for that...
Onen non:wa ehnon:we nentsitewate? Nikonraie:ra?te ne tsi karonhiat:te rorihwato:ken ehtho tehaiahiakhons ne tsionkwahtsi?a kionhkenekha karahkwa. Ne tehoswa?the:ton tsi niaonkwenonhakie tanon? ‘ee ro?ariha?tonhakie ne tsi ionhontsia:te ne ne sken:nen tsi akontonha? ten:ti ne tsi naho:ten shonkwaientho:wi. Ne tsi nentsitewa:iere ensk tsi entewahwe? non:ni onkwa? nikon:ra tanon tentshitewanonhwara:ton en tshiokwahtsi:?a kionhkehnekha karahkwa. Ehtho niiohtonha?k ne onkwa?nikon:ra. We send greetin...
We put our minds together and give thanks to our eldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the nighttime sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon. We are nations of grandmothers, led by a leader female whom we call Iakisotha Karakwa, or Grandmother Moon. As O...
Now we turn to the west where our Grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers. The Thunderers, what do they mean to the people? What do we mean to the Thunderers? Where do they come from? What do they hold? What is their purpose? How do they affect the people, children and other identities on the earth? Thanksgiving Hegahgwe’s tenehtahkwa hadiwenodagyes etihsoit d...
Continued from last week SECTION II: WHY THE FOUR WINDS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS The Montreal Amendment shall enter into force on 1 January 1999, provided that at least twenty Parties have ratified the Amendment. In the event that this condition has not been fulfilled by that date, the Amendment shall enter into force on the nineteenth day following the date on which twenty Parties have ratified the Amendment. One has to wonder whether or not these international agreements will have a dramatic effect on reducing emissions that impact the Four Winds....
Reprinted from WORDS THAT COME BEFORE ALL ELSE Environmental Philosophies of the Haudenosaunee Continued from Vol. 29 #49 SECTION II: WHY THE FOUR WINDS ARE HAVING PROBLEMS The Four Winds are in trouble because human kind has lost respect for the power of the Four Winds and forgotten their importance to all life. The standard of living that is expected by industrial societies and their associated material goods have been traded for clean, unpolluted air. In trade for refreshing breaths are toxic materials which are the by-products of the...
Indoor Air Quality Types of indoor air pollution include environmental (tobacco smoke, radon, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide), biological agents (molds, spores, animal dander, and bacteria), and organics. We have a very large degree of control on each and every one of these pollutants and can therefore effect changes for a healthier living. Tobacco smoke, of course is generated by cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking. It contains a wide array of compounds including: benzene, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic, carbon monoxide, and respirable...
The Four Winds carry with them another life essential, water. Water in the form of vapor, which falls as rain, snow, or ice pellets. The moisture held in the wind would not be released if it were not for several factors, including temperature difference between two different air masses. Essential to the precipitation process are: a nucleus or dust particle, for the water drop to condense on; and the dew point or the temperature at which a vapor condenses. The dew point can only occur if warm moist air comes into contact with cold dry air. The...
The Four Winds: We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of the seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds. Section I: The Importance of the Four Winds to the Haudenosaunee Scientifically Our Air The air is probably the single most important...
We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds – from the smallest to the largest - we send our joyful greetings and thanks. The Importance of Birds to the Haudenosaunee: Some Changes to Their Land Thanks to the Birds I to o`:soh is a standard linguistic method for spelling the Seneca word for b...
