Overview
The Great Law of Peace (Kaianerekowah) of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) was established by the Great Peacemaker, Deganawida, between the 10th and 15th centuries. It united the Five Nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca — into a confederacy governed by consensus, accountability, and balance of power. The Tuscarora later joined as the sixth nation.
This document, published by the American Indian Program at Cornell University through the Northeast Indian Quarterly, presents the Great Law of Peace alongside the U.S. Constitution in a side-by-side comparison. The parallels are striking and historically documented: the structure of checks and balances, representative governance, impeachment procedures, and federalism that Americans consider foundational to their republic were practiced by the Haudenosaunee for centuries before 1787.
Congress formally acknowledged this influence in H. Con. Res. 331 (1988), recognizing that "the confederation of the original Thirteen Colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy."
Governance Structure Comparison
| Great Law of Peace (Kaianerekowah) | U.S. Constitution (1787) |
|---|---|
| Grand Council of Chiefs — 50 chiefs (sachems) from the clans of the Five Nations deliberate on matters of the Confederacy | U.S. Congress — Senate and House of Representatives form the legislative branch |
| Clan Mothers select, nominate, and can remove chiefs who fail in their duties | Electoral process and impeachment provisions for removal of officials |
| Three deliberative bodies: Mohawk/Seneca (Elder Brothers), Oneida/Cayuga (Younger Brothers), Onondaga (Firekeepers who break ties) | Bicameral legislature (Senate + House) with executive branch as tie-breaker/veto |
| Consensus-based decision making — all decisions require agreement through deliberation | Majority vote system with supermajority requirements for amendments and treaties |
| Tree of Peace — symbol of unity; eagle atop watches for danger; weapons buried beneath | National symbols — eagle adopted as national emblem; "domestic tranquility" and "common defense" |
| Pine Tree Chiefs — meritocratic leaders elevated for special ability, regardless of clan | Appointed officials — cabinet members and judges selected on merit |
| Each nation retains internal sovereignty while confederating for common purposes | Federalism — states retain powers not delegated to the federal government (10th Amendment) |
Selection & Accountability of Leaders
Under the Great Law, women hold the foundational political power. The Clan Mothers of each nation nominate the chiefs (sachems) who will represent their clan in the Grand Council. A chief must be honest, of good character, have no criminal record, support his own family, and be free of personal grievances.
If a chief fails in his duties, the Great Law provides a structured removal process remarkably similar to impeachment:
The women of the Confederacy issue a first warning through the War Chief
If he does not reform, a second warning is given
If he still fails, the matter comes before the Grand Council, which sanctions his removal. The women then select a new candidate.
This system of accountability — nomination by the people, service with standards, and removal for cause — predates the U.S. Constitution's impeachment provisions by centuries. The Haudenosaunee system is notably more advanced in one critical respect: women controlled the nomination and removal process, a right American women would not achieve in any form until the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Historical Influence on the U.S. Constitution
Benjamin Franklin and other colonial leaders met extensively with Haudenosaunee representatives. Franklin's 1754 Albany Plan of Union was directly modeled on the Iroquois Confederacy's structure. At the Albany Congress, Mohawk Chief Hendrick (Tiyanoga) addressed the colonial delegates, and Franklin himself later wrote: "It would be a strange thing if Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a scheme for such a union, and yet a like union should be impracticable for ten or a dozen English colonies."
In the spring of 1776, the Continental Congress invited Iroquois leaders to address them in Philadelphia. American Indian Agent George Morgan and others facilitated ongoing consultations. John Hancock, as President of Congress, instructed Morgan to take "a great peace belt with 13 diamonds and 2,500 wampum beads," inviting the Iroquois to "the first U.S. Indian Peace Treaty."
The structural parallels are unmistakable: the concept of a federal union of sovereign states, checks and balances, separation of powers, representative governance, freedom of speech in council, and the process of constitutional amendment all have clear antecedents in the Haudenosaunee system.
Congressional Recognition (1988)
"America owes to the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indian Nations for their demonstration of enlightened, democratic principles of government and their example of a free association of independent Indian nations."
Congress also reaffirmed:
- (2) The constitutionally recognized government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes, which has historically been the cornerstone of this nation's official Indian policy
- (3) The trust responsibility and obligation of the United States Government to Indian Tribes, including Alaska Natives, for preservation, protection and enhancement of health, education, social and economic assistance
- (4) The need to exercise utmost good faith in upholding its treaties with the various Tribes, as the Tribes understood them to be, and the duty of a Great Nation to uphold its legal and moral obligations
Significance for Agency Tribal Nations
The Great Law of Peace demonstrates that tribal governance systems predate and directly influenced the United States Constitution. This is not a matter of historical curiosity — it is foundational to the legal and moral authority of tribal sovereignty.
Tribal nations are not subordinate political entities created by federal statute. They are the original democratic governments of this continent, with governance traditions stretching back centuries before European contact. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy operated a constitutional democracy with representative government, separation of powers, impeachment procedures, and individual rights protections while Europe was still ruled by absolute monarchs.
For ATN's sovereignty arguments, the Great Law of Peace establishes that:
- Inherent sovereignty is real and documented — tribal self-governance is not a privilege granted by the federal government but a pre-existing right
- Tribal governance is sophisticated and effective — the Haudenosaunee system has operated continuously for centuries
- The American system borrowed from tribal models — the U.S. government itself is partially derived from indigenous governance
- Women's leadership in governance — the Clan Mother system demonstrates advanced democratic principles the U.S. took 167 years to partially adopt