THE HAUDENOSAUNEE: NATIVE NATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

By: Jenny Viviana Romn G.

For all of us, it is very important to know our origins, because, even though our cultures were colonized and destroyed, today we still conserve some aspects from Indian people. This situation is exactly the same in all cultures, even if they are European, frican, or merican. For that reason, in this essay the !ix "ations

#native community$ of the %nited !tates will be characterized with regard to their names, traditions, beliefs, values and other important aspects.

There is another relevant issue& they will be remarked as a community, because each nation belongs to a large group' that implies a lot of re(uirements to live with the others. In this way, you will discover what the wisdom key is for them, and how immense is the difference between them and us.

In the first apart, you will have the possibility of know the !ix "ations at a glance. )ater on, you will know some of their social structures, in order to understand the different male and female roles. lso beliefs, values, philosophies and collective

structures will be analyzed. Those are the crux of the Indian though.

The principal ob*ect of this document is to emphasize the importance of not forgetting that native communities always have lots of things to teach us, since they have always lived here in peace, with a lot of love to give to others' they are really wise nations.

THE HAUDENOSAUNEE: OVERVIEW

The Indian community, also known by the French term, +Iro(uois ,onfederacy-, call themselves the .au de no sau nee #ho dee noe sho nee$ meaning People Building a Long House, instead of /Iro(uois./ The word /Iro(uois/ has not the same meaning as .audenosaunee word. It is derived from a French version of a .uron Indian named that was applied to our ancestors and it was considered offensive, meaning /0lack !nakes./

The longhouse was a metaphor introduced at the time of the formation of the ,onfederacy, meaning that the people are meant to live together as families in the same house. Today, this means that those who support the traditions, beliefs, values and authority of the ,onfederacy are known as .audenosaunee.

)ocated

in

the

northeastern

region

of

"orth

merica,

originally

the

.audenosaunee, that today has six nations, had five and included the 1ohawks, 2neidas, 2nondagas, ,ayugas, and !enecas. The sixth nation, the Tuscaroras, migrated into Iro(uois country in the early eighteenth century. The uniting of these "ations was envisioned as a union in peace as one extended )onghouse with each "ation having their own hearth fire. In other words, each "ation would have a shared sovereignty in the .audenosaunee ,onfederacy, and the responsibility to protect the 3eace, the "atural 4orld, and the Future 5enerations to come, while retaining the sovereignty over their own "ations.

GENERAL FACTS OF THE SIX NATIONS

The Cayuga call themselves Gayogoho:no, which means 3eople of the 5reat !wamps. This name refers to the marshy lands that were a part of their original homelands. The 5ayogoho&no are also known as the 3eople of the 3ipe. They are known as the +6ounger 0rothers-, that is, they have a downward position in the 5rand ,ouncil of ,hiefs. The ,ayuga have five clans, they are Turtle, 0ear, 4olf, .eron, and !nipe.

The Mohawk were the first "ation to accept the 5reat )aw of 3eace from the 3eacemaker as he and iionwatha #.iawatha$ travelled to the Five "ations. For

that reason, they are known as the Elder 0rothers. They call themselves +7eepers of the Eastern 8oor-, according to their duty to protect the .audenosaunee ,onfederacy from trouble that may approach from the east.

The One !a call themselves 2nyota9a&ka, which means 3eople of the !tanding !tone. The name refers to the large rock that each 2neida village had where they would gather to conduct ceremonial activities. The 2nyota9a&ka also have ,lan 1others #female leaders$, from each clan #Turtle, 0ear, : 4olf$. There are also faith;keepers who, among their responsibilities, have the responsibility to be spiritual advisors. The Onon!aga are called 2noda9gega, sometimes spelled 2nontakeka or 2nondagaono, which means 3eople of the .ills. They are one of the oldest nations that formed the community. 7nown as the +Fire;keepers-, the 2noda9gega have five clans& 0eaver, Turtle, 4olf, 8eer, and Eel. The Sene"a call themselves 2nondowahgah, which means the 3eople of the 5reat .ill. The name refers to the !eneca9s belief that they emerged into this world from under !outh .ill, which is located near ,anandaigua )ake in what is now "ew 6ork !tate. The !eneca are also known as the +7eepers of the 4estern 8oor-, and they have eight clans& Turtle, 0ear, 4olf, 0eaver, !nipe, .eron, 8eer, and .awk.

The Tu#"a$o$a# are also known as the /!ka;ru;ren/. It means /those of the Indian hemp/ or /hemp gatherers/ because they originally wore woven hemp shirts. Their clans are& Turtle, 4olf, 0ear, 0eaver, !nipe, Eel, and !and Turtle<8eer. Tuscaroras become the !ixth "ation of the Iro(uois ,onfederacy in =>??. They are the 6ounger 0rothers with the 2neida and ,ayuga "ations.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE ,lans are very important. ,lan identity impacts on almost all aspects of the social, political and spiritual organization of the community which has a solid structure. 4omen have a very important role in this structure. They are matrilineal, which means that the clans are passed down from one9s mother. The oldest woman of the clan is called the +,lan 1other-. The clan mother, whose position is hereditary, is responsible for the welfare of the clan. !he names all the people of the clan' she holds a position in nominating, installing and removing the male chief. !he also monitors his actions and counsels the people of her clan, in order to maintain social harmony. !ome people think that when a man marries a woman, he becomes her clan, this is untrue. If a person was born in a clan, that clan stays yours through out your life. 2n the other hand, the .audenosaunee call the male leaders /.oyaneh,/ meaning /,aretakers of the 3eace./ Each nation has a different number of ,hiefs, but all of

the .oyaneh have the same power and authority. The chief is the /voice/ of the family clan. !ome clans have more than one chief. There is no /head/ chief. Each .oyaneh has to be elected by the ,lan 1other. !he has to look for a man who could be trusted to look after the welfare of the people. It is said that the ,hief holds the law, the people and the religion +in the palm of their hand-.

%ELIEFS AND &HILOSO&H'

In other respect, it is possible to say that they have a total union with nature& The universe is full of living beings ; sun, moon, stars, earth, winds, and rain. There is a living spirit in all things ; animals, plants, minerals, water, and winds. That is the reason for their desire of care and protect each single being. Is a basic matter that white people can not understand& "ature is life, people can not destroy life, can not destroy themselves.

They live according to principles of !kennen #3eace$, 7ariwiio #The 5ood 4ord$, and 7asatensera #strength$, which are the base of peace, e(uality, respect, love, and *ustice. There are shared values held by each generation that contribute to the concept of the self. @alues are shared principles that are considered important in life. In the .audenosaunee culture, it is very important to think collectively, considering the future generations. In all cases, there has to be a consensus in decision making, considering all points of view.

Those strong beliefs referring to collective life arise from a sound individual understanding& an Indian always has to develop a strong sense of self;worth without being egotistic, because +Everyone is e(ual and is a full partner in the society, no matter what their age-. The *oining of the Five "ations is perhaps the oldest example of nations uniting under a single form of government and spirituality. Interestingly, the

.audenosaunee make no distinction between what is political and what is spiritual, for their spiritual leaders are also the political leaders. It is a good example of a deep union, which confers them a great strength #physic and spiritual$, faith in front of future and a uni(ue feeling of ownership. In other words, a real community is united not only to discuss and agree to economic laws' they have to unite in order to share their past, their principles, their values, etc. 1any !outh merican nations #including ,olombia, of course$, should go in this direction. ll people in the world can learn to respect, to hear, to lookA to love the others, but they have to make the decision first. There is not a better example& The whole native community made a wise decision for living together a long time ago, and that became a belief, a form of life' they transmitted it to their sons, and the sons of their sonsAthere can be no doubt that this is the reason for they are still living in this world, and we all can learn how to do this.

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