9) MUTUAL-AID

The Great Law of Peace,  (Great Law of the Longhouse)  http://www.manataka.org/page135.html Kaianerekowa Hotinonsionne outlines the Constitution of the People of the Longhouse confederacy six nations Haudenosaunee (Rotinosaunee).  This document is remarkable in the whole world for describing a cultural system of government based in Mutual Aid.  While the religions of the world abstract peace and love because their citizens do not live these practices, the Longhouse (apartment-like) and Pueblo (townhouse-like) peoples of the world lived clustered and in constant relations of peace, mutual-aid and love.The Great Law is a universal law practiced by all indigenous peoples around the world based in two main practices of mutual-aid:

1. Living in multihome proximity within the Longhouse (apartment-like) & Pueblo (townhouse-like) buildings.  By planning for individual and family privacy as well as opportunities to interact in critical mass 'economy' (Greek 'oikos' = 'home' + 'namein' = 'manage' from 'manus' = 'hand' = 'care & nurture').  Typically indigenous planners reached for 50 - 100 - 150 individuals per multihome complex.  100 people for example represents economies of scale and specialization interacting in complementation among the gifts of female, male, young, middle, old or differentially talented peoples.

2. Inclusive welcoming time-based human resource accounting on the string-shell (eg. Wampum, Esnoguay, Seewan, Kayoni) within the diverse specialized Production Societies.  This accounting integrated functions of 'capital' (Latin 'cap' = 'head' or 'wisdom'), currency, 'condolence' ('social-security'), collegial education (apprentice to elder mentor), math-based communication (statistics), diplomatic-conveyance (shared resource harvesting and relations adjustments), costume (affiliation, identification) and other individual and community values.  In this integrated accounting cycle all were universal owners progressively from youth to elder respecting the value of experience as well as research.  The pride of all indigenous communities was the ability to welcome everyone to participate and partake of the fruits of collaboration.

These two priority mutual-aid processes are leading parts of the Indigenous Circle of Life, Section A-3.

In proximity old, young, handicapped and all ages can interact and aid each other easily.  Longhouse peoples didn't need devoted single-function (often-lavish) buildings and abstract symbolism once a week to recall civility because they practiced mutual-aid throughout their lives.  While religions, co-operatives, non-profits, social-economies governments, education and social-service infrastructures call for 'giving to the poor', Longhouse peoples implement systems of 'giving and receiving' and comprehensive accounting so that all contributions are valorised as complementary parts of the whole.  Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams used the model of the Great Law for creating the USA Constitution.  However living in apartheid separate communities on stolen lands, colonial settlers never learned or understood the 'Economic' (Greek = 'care and nurture of the home and family') Democracy details of Longhouse/Pueblo clustered living and the String-Shell time-based accounting systems which gave strength and control to everyone in their daily lives.  The String-Shell (Wampum, Esnoguay, Seewan, Kayoni, Quipu) employed in the Production Societies accounted for time-based contributions of members into a system of progressive lifetime ownership from young apprentice to elder-master.  Time as an economic common-denominator allowed for Production Societies and the communities in which they operated to welcome everyone in inclusive economy.  People were considered as assets to building livelihood and well-being.  Hence the People of the Longhouse also had formal 'adoption' procedures by which individuals from outside could apply, contribute and join.