Constitution Articles 27 - 34

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Read the 117 Articles of the Iroquois Confederacy Constitution. This page contains Articles 27 - 34.

The Iroquois Confederacy was a powerful confederation of Native American Indians which was originally composed of 5 tribes consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca people. The Great Law of Peace was the basis of the Iroquois Confederacy Constitution which was brought to the tribes by the prophet Deganawida and his spokesman, Hiawatha. 

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Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Articles 27 - 34

Articles 27 - 34 of the original Iroquois Confederacy Constitution are detailed on this page.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution
The Constitution Of The Iroquois Nations
The Great Binding Law, Gayanashagowa

Articles 27 - 34

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 27
27. All Lords of the Five Nations Confederacy must be honest in all things. They must not idle or gossip, but be men possessing those honorable qualities that make true royaneh. It shall be a serious wrong for anyone to lead a Lord into trivial affairs, for the people must ever hold their Lords high in estimation out of respect to their honorable positions.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 28
28. When a candidate Lord is to be installed he shall furnish four strings of shells (or wampum) one span in length bound together at one end. Such will constitute the evidence of his pledge to the Confederate Lords that he will live according to the constitution of the Great Peace and exercise justice in all affairs. When the pledge is furnished the Speaker of the Council must hold the shell strings in his hand and address the o27osite side of the Council Fire and he shall commence his address saying: "Now behold him. He has now become a Confederate Lord. See how splendid he looks." An address may then follow. At the end of it he shall send the bunch of shell strings to the oposite side and they shall be received as evidence of the pledge. Then shall the o27osite side say: "We now do crown you with the sacred emblem of the deer's antlers, the emblem of your Lordship. You shall now become a mentor of the people of the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin shall be seven spans -- which is to say that you shall be proof against anger, offensive actions and criticism. Your heart shall be filled with peace and good will and your mind filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people of the Confederacy. With endless patience you shall carry out your duty and your firmness shall be tempered with tenderness for your people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodgement in your mind and all your words and actions shall be marked with calm deliberation. In all of your deliberations in the Confederate Council, in your efforts at law making, in all your official acts, self interest shall be cast into oblivion. Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right. Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground -- the unborn of the future Nation."

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 29
29. When a Lordship title is to be conferred, the candidate Lord shall furnish the cooked venison, the corn bread and the corn soup, together with other necessary things and the labor for the Conferring of Titles Festival.

 

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 30
30. The Lords of the Confederacy may confer the Lordship title upon a candidate whenever the Great Law is recited, if there be a candidate, for the Great Law speaks all the rules.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 31
31. If a Lord of the Confederacy should become seriously ill and be thought near death, the women who are heirs of his title shall go to his house and lift his crown of deer antlers, the emblem of his Lordship, and place them at one side. If the Creator spares him and he rises from his bed of sickness he may rise with the antlers on his brow. The following words shall be used to temporarily remove the antlers:

"Now our comrade Lord (or our relative Lord) the time has come when we must approach you in your illness. We remove for a time the deer's antlers from your brow, we remove the emblem of your Lordship title. The Great Law has decreed that no Lord should end his life with the antlers on his brow. We therefore lay them aside in the room. If the Creator spares you and you recover from your illness you shall rise from your bed with the antlers on your brow as before and you shall resume your duties as Lord of the Confederacy and you may labor again for the Confederate people."

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 32
32. If a Lord of the Confederacy should die while the Council of the Five Nations is in session the Council shall adjourn for ten days. No Confederate Council shall sit within ten days of the death of a Lord of the Confederacy. If the Three Brothers (the Mohawk, the Onondaga and the Seneca) should lose one of their Lords by death, the Younger Brothers (the Oneida and the Cayuga) shall come to the surviving Lords of the Three Brothers on the tenth day and console them. If the Younger Brothers lose one of their Lords then the Three Brothers shall come to them and console them. And the consolation shall be the reading of the contents of the thirteen shell (wampum) strings of Ayonhwhathah. At the termination of this rite a successor shall be appointed, to be appointed by the women heirs of the Lordship title. If the women are not yet ready to place their nominee before the Lords the Speaker shall say, "Come let us go out." All shall leave the Council or the place of gathering. The installation shall then wait until such a time as the women are ready. The Speaker shall lead the way from the house by saying, "Let us depart to the edge of the woods and lie in waiting on our bellies." When the women title holders shall have chosen one of their sons the Confederate Lords will assemble in two places, the Younger Brothers in one place and the Three Older Brothers in another. The Lords who are to console the mourning Lords shall choose one of their number to sing the Pacification Hymn as they journey to the sorrowing Lords. The singer shall lead the way and the Lords and the people shall follow. When they reach the sorrowing Lords they shall hail the candidate Lord and perform the rite of Conferring the Lordship Title.

 

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 33
33. When a Confederate Lord dies, the surviving relatives shall immediately dispatch a messenger, a member of another clan, to the Lords in another locality. When the runner comes within hailing distance of the locality he shall utter a sad wail, thus: "Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah!" The sound shall be repeated three times and then again and again at intervals as many times as the distance may require. When the runner arrives at the settlement the people shall assemble and one must ask him the nature of his sad message. He shall then say, "Let us consider." Then he shall tell them of the death of the Lord. He shall deliver to them a string of shells (wampum) and say "Here is the testimony, you have heard the message." He may then return home. It now becomes the duty of the Lords of the locality to send runners to other localities and each locality shall send other messengers until all Lords are notified. Runners shall travel day and night.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Article 34
34. If a Lord dies and there is no candidate qualified for the office in the family of the women title holders, the Lords of the Nation shall give the title into the hands of a sister family in the clan until such a time as the original family produces a candidate, when the title shall be restored to the rightful owners. No Lordship title may be carried into the grave. The Lords of the Confederacy may dispossess a dead Lord of his title even at the grave.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Articles 27 - 34
Read about the History and founding of the Iroquois Confederacy. The full text of the 117 Articles of the Iroquois Confederacy Constitution can be accessed via the following links:

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 01 - 12 : Role of the Great Council

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 13 - 19 : Council membership, Wampum

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 20 - 26 : Eligibility and Resignation

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 27 - 34 : Candidates

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 35 - 54 : Election of Pine Tree Chiefs,
Names, Duties and Rights of War Chiefs, Women, Clans and Consanguinity


Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 55 - 65 : Official Symbolism and Wampum

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 66 - 78 : Laws of Adoption, Laws of Emigration
and Rights of Foreign Nations


Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 79 - 91 : Rights and Powers of War

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 92 - 106 : Treason or Secession of a Nation,
Rights of the People of the Five Nations, Religious Ceremonies Protected


Iroquois Confederacy Constitution: Articles 107 - 117 : Protection of the House, Funeral Addresses

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution
The 117 articles of the original Iroquois Confederacy Constitution are detailed in this section of the website. The words and text were prepared by Gerald Murphy and distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the National Public Telecomputing Network.

Iroquois Confederacy Constitution

  • The Iroquois Confederacy Constitution of Native Americans
  • Text of the Articles 27 - 34
  • Interesting facts and info for kids and schools
  • Read the words of the Articles of the Iroquois Confederacy Constitution
  • Native Americans pictures and videos for kids

Pictures and Videos of Native Americans
The Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Articles 27 - 34. Discover the vast selection of pictures which relate to the History of Native Americans. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes that can be used as a really useful educational history resource for kids and children of all ages. We have included pictures and videos to accompany the main topic of this section - Iroquois Confederacy Constitution. The videos enable fast access to the images, paintings and pictures together with information and many historical facts. All of the articles and pages can be accessed via the Native Indian Tribes Index - a great educational resource for kids.

 

Teaching resource - Teachers - Kids - Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Articles 27 - 34 - Articles - Text - Words - Iroquois - Confederacy - Constitution - League - Nativeamericans - Native Indian Americans - North American Indians - Kids - Homework - Teachers - Children - Studies - Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Articles 27-34 - Iroquois Confederacy Constitution - Written By Linda Alchin

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