4.4 How Was the Confederacy Structured?

You can compare the confederacy to the longhouse; the longhouse protected each family member from the enemies and the confederacy stretched over the whole territory, protecting the Six Nations.

The Chiefs

Hoyaneh 

• Male leaders of each nation

• Means caretaker of the peace

• Are now called chiefs

The duty of the chiefs was to teach and spiritually guide their people, as well as remind the people of how the Creator wanted them to live their lives in peace.  

Although the chiefs were the same as everyone in the tribe, they were treated with great respect because of their wisdom and other special qualities.  Not only did they take care of the Great Law of Peace, they had many other responsibilities:

• care for the welfare and affairs of the clan, nation and the Confederacy.

• uphold the rule of law in their society

Other Chiefs

War chiefs - selected by the nation to sit on the Grand council, during war time.

Pine Tree Chiefs - selected to join the Grand Council, by the chiefs, because they had a special interest in public affairs and showed special abilities.

The Grand Council

This is a group of 50 chiefs who represent the Six Nations.  

• Mohawk Nation - 9 chiefs

• Oneida Nation - 9 chiefs (Tuscarora was not part of the Confederacy yet and were represented by the Oneida Chiefs)

• Onondaga Nation - 14 chiefs

• Cayuga Nation - 10 chiefs

• Seneca Nation - 8 chiefs

The Real Boss

The clan mother was the only person who could remove a chief from his position, if she felt he was not doing his job properly.  Some reasons might be:

• committing a serious crime

• not attending Grand Council meetings

• not listening to the people or representing their views

• not looking after the welfare of his people

The clan mother would be responsible for selecting the new chief.  She also made sure all decisions made by the Grand Council were "in line" with the Great Law of Peace and that all voices were heard and treated respectfully.

The Seventh Generation

generation - the descendants in a line of a family.  

The seventh generation was something to consider when making decision for the group.  All changes and choices made for the clan would affect the 7th generation, more than 200 years in the future.  

We expect our government to do the same for us.  

Do you think that our governments are passing laws which are strong enough to protect our environment?  Health care?  Human rights?

You can compare the confederacy to the longhouse; the longhouse protected each family member from the enemies and the confederacy stretched over the whole territory, protecting the Six Nations.

We just heard about the Confederacy being compared to the longhouse. Let's look into greater detail on this comparison. 

This is called an analogy. The Longhouse is an analogy of the Confederacy. 

Your task is to create an analogy that explains what you feel our constitution can be compared to. 

Work through these example analogies by clicking on the slides below. 

Now for something a bit more difficult...

In the space below spend 3 minutes doing a quick write using this prompt...

Longhouse : Confederacy:: _______________ : Canadian Constitution

This statement is read as a comparison (ratio in Math); "longhouse is to Confederacy as ______________ is to Canadian Constitution.

In the box on your handout, complete the statement, filling in the blank with your analogy. Then you are to draw the analogy and label the characteristics and indicate what parts are compared to the Constitution. 

Step 1: Fill in the definitions provided below. It is easier to fill them in before you cut. There are some blank ones that are being used for additional words. Remember not to write the vocabulary word at the very top of the blank page or else it will get hidden by the staple.

Step 2: Cut out Cover and and vocabulary cards.

Step 3: Staple vocabulary papers together at the top of the middle section of the cover.

Step 4: Close cover side and glue onto your lapbook as shown in the example.