SKARONHIASE'KO:WA THE GREAT WHITE PINE TREE

Continued from last week…

KARO:TA

TREE TRUNK

The trunk of the great white pine symbolizes the fifty chiefs of the Five, Nations. Together they draw on the nourishment of the roots; Peace (Sken:nen), and Unity (Ska’nikon:ra) to provide the support for the branches which shelter the confederacy. Bound together they are the strong fibers that carry nourishment to the individual needles.

Each individual chief can also be symbolized as a tree. The peacemaker told the founding leaders, “Now you are all standing up on the land and you shall be tall tree trunks, rooted tree trunks.

Everyone shall be on the same level. You are the ones that will stand in front, at your backs the people will stand. We will then bind ourselves together by taking hold of each other’s hands and forming a circle so strong that if the tree shall ever fall, we shall protect it from hitting the ground and shattering the peace that has been established.

TEKA’NEN:RES

SPREADING BRANCHES

The branches of the great white pine signify the shelter provided by the great peace.

As the roots spread, the crown will grow with its branches spreading ever wider to offer protection; the fruit or reward of the Ka’nikonhri:io (good mind) which the Peacemaker planted. At the end of each branch are the clusters of needles, five in a bundle symbolizing the original five nations of the confederacy:

The Ever-Growing Tree belt shows a pine tree with eight whorls of spreading branches. The belt contains 50 rows of Wampum representing the 50 leaders. The eight whorls represent the five Nations, plus the three principles of Kaienera’ko:wa (The Great Law): Karihwi:io, Ka’shatstenhsera, and Sken:nen.

ONEN:TA KA:NEN

PINECONE

In white pines the tree does not reach maturity until the ripe old age of twenty (unlike other pines which mature much earlier). It is only then that you will begin to see the growth of pinecones. The ability of the terminal bud to change into the reproductive organs of the white pine is a signal that it is ready for giving birth to offspring and for the responsibilities of parenting. As the roots spread to the four comers it is the mature pine that will provide the leadership model and support and shelter for those seeking the wisdom of the teachings it represents.

OHONTE’

EVERGREEN

Green despite the bitter cold of winter when most plants have shed their signs of life and lies dormant, waiting for the warmer weather of spring! Evergreen takes us back to the creation story when the twins were creating the life forms for earth. Sawiskera would often compete with his brother. When Teharonhiawako would create a rose, Shawiskaran would put thorns on it. In this way together their creations created the delicate balance that exists on the earth today.

It is said that Teharonhiawako loved his creations so much that Sawiskera resented all the attention he lavished on them. To get back at his brother he created winter, putting to rest all of Teharonhiawako’s creations. However, one family of plants resisted - the conifers. As long as the sun still shines the evergreen can resist the chill of winter and remind us of warmth and growth in the midst of the cold and dark. Thus, like the evergreen, the league of peace should be able to endure season after season of difficulties (winter) knowing that as long as they respect the Creator, summer will come again. The green of the pine is not showy among the other trees, but it is enduring and reliable.

AK:WEKS

EAGLE

On top of the great tree of peace sits the bald eagle, the symbol of the firekeeper Atotahrho. Chosen as the leader of the birds for his piercing vision and superior strength, he protects the confederacy from his perch. He alone can see far enough to watch the ends of the roots as they spread to the four comers of the earth. He can see if there is impending trouble from individual or nation. He watches not only for aggression, which would hack at the root, but for any sign of a bad mind that will attack the three principles of the confederacy. When he senses danger, he will cry out three times warning the Rotiianeson. It is the role of the firekeeper to utter this cry in order to gather the nations’ leaders. Together they will address the issue that is threatening them.

TSHITEWAHTSI: ’A KARAHKHWA

THE RISING SUN, OUR ELDEST BROTHER

It was Skywoman’s uncle (her mother’s eldest brother) who first gave instructions to her mother to keep her and her brother apart; down fended. He was preparing them for the role they would play in the creation of the earth. It is he who shines down on the mother earth, performing his duty every day. When our eldest brother begins to shine, he awakens our minds. The higher and hotter he gets in the sky, the greater our thinking powers. This awakening effect can also be seen in the opening of flowers and the early morning songs of the birds. While the sun rises the day is sacred to the Creator. That is why most ceremonies are done in the early part of the day, and council meetings end before the setting of the sun.

The Peacemaker carried out his teaching in the morning; it was in the early hours of the day that he spoke with Aionwahtha and the people of the villages. It was the next morning, after his testing at Cohoe’s Falls, that people spotted the fire that signaled his presence and the truth of his message. This awakening of the leaders is symbolized by the sun. As the message of peace grew stronger in the minds of the people it was like the rising of the sun.