Tomorrow is more than a celebration with barbecues, picnics, parades, and fireworks. Yes, it is about winning our independence from Great Britain, and thus our freedom, but it is much, much more than that. It is about a government based upon the principals of, "We the People." Sadly where this idea first came from, and the Forgotten Founders who nurtured it, are ignored by the vast majority of Americans.

A little know fact about The Declaration of Independence is that Benjamin Franklin, often called the "Sage of the 1787 Philadelphia Convention," had befriended members of the Iroquois
(Haudenosaunee) four years earlier. Many of the ideals on which this American Republic was founded can be traced directly back to the Iroquois Confederacy, or League of Five Nations, and their governing principles of peace and individual freedom.

The League of Five Nations, was made up of five individual bands: the Cayugus, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, and Senecas. The "Gayaneshagowa," or “Great Binding Law," was a constitution which gave voice to such democratic ideas and doctrines as; initiative, recall, referendum, and equal suffrage.

When Ben Franklin and the members of the Philadelphia Convention looked for examples of effective government and human liberty upon which to model a Constitution to unite the thirteen colonies, they found it here, in this New World -- not in Greece, usually considered to be the "Cradle of Modern Civilization."

One of the framers of the Constitution, John Rutledge of South Carolina, chair of the drafting committee, read portions of The Great Binding Law to members of the committee. He then asked them to consider a philosophy coming directly from American soil.

The Iroquois Consitiution or Great Binding Law provided the type of central government that was worthy of copying. It provided a blueprint for use in adopting many of the Iroquois most important beliefs into our own Declaration of Independence.

The Great Binding Law is, in fact, America's oldest constitution and its council fire has never been covered since it was first kindled in 1390. By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Iroquois had practiced their own democratic form of government for hundreds of years. The Iroquois reputation for diplomacy and eloquence revealed they had evolved a sophisticated political system founded on reason, not on war.

Faithkeeper Oren Lyons, an Onondaga, states, "The Great Binding Law includes freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right of women to participate in government. Separation of power in government and checks and balances within government are traceable to our Iroquois Constitution."

The Peacemaker legend is central to Iroquoian history and to their belief in a fair and just form of government. It is, in fact, their Bible, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution all rolled up into one.

The tale describes a people who were mired in years and years of violent bloody feuds. The Iroquois lived in a state of perpetual war throughout their homelands in what is now New York State. Even though the tribes were the closest of relatives, they were merciless in their battles against one another.

The people lived in a state of fear so overwhelming that they refused to leave their villages, which were surrounded by wooden stockades, without armed guards at their sides. Crops were often left to rot in the fields because of frequent raids, and ambushes in the nearby forests prevented the men from hunting, resulting in widespread starvation. Many Iroquois abandoned their homes, and fled morth of Lake Ontario,seeking refuge.

In one of these bands of refugees, a very special child was born near the Bay of Quinte in the vicinity of Kingston in southeastern Ontario, Canada .. The Iroquois came to know him as "Dekanawidah" (two river currents flowing together) The Peacemaker traveled among the "People of the Longhouse" for many, many years, spreading his message of peace, unity, and the power of the good mind.

It's a tale of the struggle between good and evil, order and chaos, and the triumph of reason and peace over war and death. It's also a practical guide for establishing unity and balance among diverse communities and is a successful model of how to distribute power in a democratic society to assure individual liberty.

To portray the spirit of democracy, the Peacemaker gave them The Tree of Peace as a symbol of the Great Binding Law. This was a large eastern white pine tree whose four long roots stretched out in the four sacred directions The Peacemaker instructed the Iroquois that any individual or nation seeking an end to war may follow the roots to the Great Tree, where they could seek shelter.

On top of the Great Tree, the Peacemaker placed a mighty Eagle who was to cry out if danger approached the people. Beneath the Great Tree, the leaders of this newly formed Confederacy formed a circle by joining hands. They pledged to uphold the Great Binding Law as they buried their weapons. Thus, the world’s first "United Nations" in North America was created by the Iroquois to promote freedom, liberate mankind from the horrors of war, and secure peace.

Upon hearing the Peacemaker legend, Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, remarked, "This profound action stands as perhaps the oldest effort for disarmament in world history."

The Great Binding Law laid out a government "of the people, by the people and for the people" with three branches: The Onondaga (the Fire Keepers) are the heart of the Confederacy. Similarly, the U.S. presidency (the executive branch) is at the heart of our government.

The League's legislative branch is in two parts: Mohawk and Seneca are Elder Brothers who form the upper house, while Oneida and Cayuga are the Younger Brothers who fornm the lower house. This is similar to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States Congress.

The Iroquois equivalent of a Supreme Court is the Women's Council, which settle disputes and judges legal violations. This extension of liberty and political participation to women surprised many of the eighteenth-century Euro-American observers. However, most Native American culture is matriarchal in nature, with every possession of the man's, except his horse & his rifle, belonging to the women after marriage.

Thomas Jefferson adopted two very specific symbols of the Peacemaker legend for use in forming the new republic. The Tree of Peace became the Tree of Liberty. The Eagle, clutching a bundle of thirteen arrows, became the symbol of the newly formed American government. The Iroquois demonstrated their unity by placing together a bundle of arrows which, collectively, could not be broken. Today, the Eagle that sat atop the Tree of Peace is depicted holding the bundle of arrows on the currency of the United States of America.

It is unfortunate that the Iroquois central role in the creation of the United States government has apparently been a well kept secret. For The Great Binding Law provides a uniquely valuable tool for instruction in the arts of politics and law, negotiation and diplomacy, disarmament and government.

Today the search for world peace is of utmost concern to everyone. As we celebrate America's birthday, we should work to see that this deeper heritage of freedom is rediscovered and exposed to national attention. Beneath the growth of our modern American culture, hidden and forgotten, lie the true roots of freedom.

However, one tiny example can be clearly seen by all, if only they would look and understand what they were seeing. If you look up at the dome of the United States Capitol you can see an example of this heritage. For the bronze Statue of Freedom, designed by Thomas Crawford, features a classical female figure wearing flowing robes. Her right hand rests upon the hilt of a sheathed sword; her left holds the laurel wreath of peace and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes. Her helmet is encircled by stars and features a crest composed of an Eagle's head, feathers, and talons... a shining example of the Native Americans gift to this country.






















The Statue of Freedom



Here is a list of books you might enjoy reading on this subject ...


A Basic Call to Consciousness: The Haudenosaunee Address to the Western World, Geneva, Switzerland, Autumn 1977 - Akwesasne Notes

The White Roots of Peace:Iroquois Book of Life – Paul A W Wallace - Chauncy Press, 1986

Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World - Jack Weatherford -Ballantine Books, 1989

Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America – Jack Weatherford - Ballantine Books, 1992

Savages and Civilization: Who Will Survive? – Jack Weatherford - Ballantine Books, 1995

Forgotten Founders: Benjamin Franklin, the Iroquois, and the Rationale for the American Revolution – Bruce E Johanson - Gambit Inc. Publishers, 1982