The Symbolism Of The Iroquois Constitution

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The Iroquois Constitution is a political document which the mystic and prophet
Dekanawidah, someone who travelled from village to village to urge their residents to stop fighting and join together, establishes the Iroquois Confederacy. The document was originally, not a document at all. The Iroquois were bound together by the Great Binding Law (or Great Law of Peace), which was an oral recitation passed down from generation to generation. The memories of these speeches were recorded in wampum shells, which allowed the Iroquois Constitution to be written down in the nineteenth century. Through the translation that is provided by Arthur C. Parker, it can be inferred that the Iroquois had very close-knit ties with the flora and fauna that surrounded …show more content…

Beneath the shade of its overarching branches, while sitting on the soft and feathery down of globe thistles, any and all of the affairs that concerned the Five Nations will be handled by the confederacy. The Tree of Peace is also the provider of shelter for people who have originated outside of the Five Nations but have stumbled upon the Tree of Long Leaves, who may be able to join the Iroquois society as long as they agree to obey the laws that have been laid down by the council. In the Iroquois Constitution, the Tree of Long Leaves symbolizes peace, unity, and order. It is where all of the affairs of the Five Nations are taken care of, and it is where anyone and everyone is welcomed if they promise not to upset the gentle balance of the confederacy and cause disorder and mayhem among the …show more content…

The Great White Roots, which expands in the directions of all the world’s four quarters (which are north, east, south, and west) and lead people to the Tree of Long Leaves and the Iroquois Confederacy. Subsequently, they will state whether or not they will obey the council’s wishes before they are accepted into the Iroquois society. The Great White Roots are recognized to be the embodiment peace and strength in the document, but they also embody the idea of unification since they have brought people from different corners of the Iroquois’ known world to peacefully link