The Great Law of Peace: Alternative Inter-Nation(al) Practices and the Iroquoian Confederacy

Abstract

In one sense. The Great Law of Peace, a document of the Iroquois nations - the Mohawks, the Seneca, the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Onondaga - appears to be merely a straightforward and uncomplicated text about the relations between nations. The Great Law, which is at least five hundred years old (and possibly much older), is composed of 117 wampum that codify a number of inter-nation (al) matters of the Iroquoian people.1 It therefore parallels many contemporary treaties, conventions, or charters. Wampum 72 through to 92, in particular, codify the principles of international relations and war. When the War of the Five Nations on a foreign rebellious nation is ended, wampum 87 reads, peace shall be restored to that nation by a withdrawal of all their weapons of war by the War Chief. Wampum 71 establishes the procedures for emigration: When a person or family belonging to the Five Nations desires to abandon their Nation and the territory of the Five Nations they shall inform the chiefs of their Nations and the Council of the League of Five Nations shall take notice of it. Wampum 36 through to 41 establish the selection procedures and functions of the war chiefs. Interestingly, when contrasted with the United Nations Charter, with its emphasis on collective security, some of the provisions of the Great Law appear to be harsh. Wampum 85, for example, declares that [w]henever a war against a foreign nation is pushed until that nation is about exterminated ... all their rights, property, and territory shall become the property of the Five Nations. A more careful perusal of The Great Law of Peace, however, reveals that many essential and fundamental aspects of life are covered in