1. Aboriginal Government
The Iroquois Confederacy

3. Sovereignty
Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a sovereign or sovereign state.
Royal rank, authority, or power.
Complete independence and self-government.
A territory existing as an independent state.

4. The Iroquois Confederacy
People of the Iroquois Confederacy are known today as the Haudenosaunee
Livelihood as accomplished farmers enabled people to establish communities
Developed a complex system based on democratic principles
Power of government began with the individual and flowed outward to the family, clan, village, nation, and then Confederacy

5. There were about 500 distinct aboriginal nations at the time of first contact with Europeans

7. Aboriginal Perspectives on Government
At the time of first contact, Aboriginal people had well established, long standing governments in place as complex as any found in Europe
Each nation recognized the sovereignty of the other; with many forming trade and political alliances with others
All aboriginal societies contained all elements of political communities and nationhood: their own cultures, languages, values, heritage, and territoriality

8. Aboriginal Government Systems
Egalitarian
A political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights.
Generally it applies to being held equal under the law and society at large.

9. Aboriginal Government Systems
Democratic
A form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system.
All members of the society (citizens) have equal access to power and all members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties.

10. Aboriginal Government Structures
Government structures in each Aboriginal societies varied
Grounded in world view based on spirituality and living in balance with the environment
Valued and respected the rights of individuals
All had role in the decision making process

11. European Government Systems
Absolute Monarchy
A monarchical form of government where the king or queen has absolute power over all aspects of his/her subjects' lives
Society is divided by rigid social classes structure
There is no constitution or legal restriction on the monarch's power

12. The Iroquois Confederacy
Who: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca
What: Consisted of five First Nations
When: Can be traced back to CE (Tuscaroras joined in 1722)
Where: Living south of Lake Ontario
Why: The original five First Nations were in a constant state of war and peace between them was needed

13. The Iroquois Confederacy
Founded by Dekanahwideh who travelled urging the Nations to join together under the Great Law of Peace
The Great Law of Peace was an unwritten constitution passed down orally from generation to generation
The Great Law of Peace was used as an influence when the American Constitution was created
Motto of the Five Nations was “One Heart, One Mind, One Law”
European illustration by Francis Drake in 1884 depicts Dekanahwideh (left), with his disciple Hiawatha (centre), meeting Atotarho, chief of the Great Council

14. The Iroquois Confederacy
A constitution is a statement of the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or group, such as the Canada’s constitution, The Constitution Act, 1867
Can be written or unwritten
These are the laws which state how we are to govern ourselves

15. The Iroquois Confederacy
Symbol of the Confederacy is the Longhouse
Traditional seating places:
Mohawk: Guarded East Door
Seneca: Guarded West Door
Onondaga: Tended Hearth and Fire
Cayuga: Sitting to the South of the Fire
Onieda: Sitting to the North of the Fire

16. Longhouse

18. Longhouse Seating

19. The Iroquois Confederacy
Culture was matrilineal – families and clans trace ancestral lines on the mother’s side
Men still became chiefs
Oldest woman in village was known as the Clan Mother – held balance of power and had authority to appoint and remove chiefs
Other roles – caretakers of the land, controlling family economic interests, and educating younger generations

20. The Iroquois Confederacy
Clan chiefs in village formed village council
A village chief was selected to serve on the Nations Council
Nations Council Chief selected for Confederacy Council
Form of representative democracy – members voted on issues at annual meetings – consensus required