Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy includes the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onodaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora Nations. They call themselves the Hodinoso:ni, which means "House Builders". This name is symbolic, comparing the political structure of the Confederacy to a longhouse. The longhouse is a long, narrow multi-family dwelling with one door at each end.
A man called Peacemaker united the nations nearly 600 years ago, thus creating one of the oldest known democracies. Some of their principles and government policies are now found in the United States Constitution. Their Great Law of Peace is based on concepts of family, community, stewardship, and structure. Today they live in both the US and Canada.
About the Flag:
The flag of the Iroquois Confederacy symbolizes the "Hiawatha Belt": a wampum belt representing the peace agreement between five of the nations. The square on the right represents the Mohawk, Keepers of the Eastern Door. The next square stands for the Oneida. The 'tree' is for the Onondaga, the Keepers of the 'Fire' for all nations. The next square represents the Cayuga. At the far left, stands the Seneca, Keepers of the Western Door. (The Tuscarora joined later.) The white lines that join the figures symbolize the Path of Peace.
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