The Haudenosaunee, popularized as the "Iroquois Confederation", may well be one of the the oldest participatory democracies in the world. The Icelandic Althing dates earlier. The name means "building a longhouse". Original investigators were skeptical of Iroquois claims, but there has been no real information to contradict this, and some data to corroborate it.

Not much is known about the man, Deganawida (also spelt "Deganawidah". He may be legendary, but as with many legends, based on something of truth. According to most stories, he was not a tribal member of any of the five original tribes (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida or Mohawk). It is known that these tribes began to appear in the central New York state area around 1000 AD, when they turned towards reliance on agriculture.

Populaton pressure brought the five main tribes into often-violent conflict. Also, the need to exact vengance when one tribal or family member was killed only exacerbated the problem.

Enter Deganawida. He came from the far north, in many accounts. He was the product, it was said, of a virgin birth. He was shamanistic, and bore words of peace, which he was unable to express. Speculation is that he had a stutter, or some other speech impediment. My guess is it could have been a language barrier. He met up with a very good speaker, the Onondaga named Ayenwatha (aka "Hiawatha"), who became his mouthpiece for peace.

Tododaho was the powerful leader of the Onondaga, who thought any notion of bringing peace was a betrayal of his tribal cause. The cause of peace nearly ended when Tododaho killed Ayenwatha's daughters - or when another tribe's raid killed them, the tales differ here. However, Ayenwatha cut short the cycle of vengeance, and was determined that none should ever experience this type of loss again. In the end, it firmed his resolve to assist Deganawida.

It took time, but the two men convinced the other four tribes to join in alliance, but Tododaho and his Onondaga remained holdouts. He was warned that the five tribes would fall into darkness if they didn't ally, but Tododaho ignored the warning.

A solar eclipse soon after this changed Tododaho's mind. He joined the alliance, under the condition that his primary village would be the home for the confederation.

A tally of generations of Haudenosaunee leaders indicates a rough age for the beginning of the confederation. Also, a total solar eclipse visible in New York state last occurred on August 31, 1142, three centuries prior to the arrival of Columbus. There were no others until after 1600.

We can therefore potentially date the beginnings of the Haudenosaunee Confederation to 1142.

Next post will be: How this confederacy worked.

Resources:

* 1491, by Charles C. Mann, Knopf, 2005. ISBN 9-781400-040063.
* Six Nations: Oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth