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GUSWHENTA
THE TWO ROW WAMPUM TREATY
OF ALLIANCE
The purpose of presenting the following information here
is to allow the general public and present generations to
become aware of and to know of the existence of the
TWO ROW WAMPUM TREATY - which by this action is in fact in
compliance with some of the stipulations contained within it.
GUSWHENTA (KASWEHNTHA)
TWO ROW WAMPUM BELT
The Two Row Wampum Belt says:
RECORD OF THE TWO ROW WAMPUM BELT
"This symbolizes the agreement under which the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee
welcomed the white peoples to their lands.
'We will NOT be like father and son, but like brothers.
These TWO ROWS will symbolize vessels,
travelling down the same river together.
One will be for the Original People, their laws, their customs,
and the other for the European people and their laws and customs.
We will each travel the river together,
but each in our own boat.
And neither of us will try to steer the other's vessel.'"
The agreement has been kept by the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee to this date.
Sources: Publication - "TURTLE" - Native American Center For The Living Arts
Quarterly Edition Newspaper - Winter 1980 Edition
Translated by: Huron Miller
The first Treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Europeans was recorded in the TWO-ROW WAMPUM BELT in the early 1600's. Oral history has preserved the spirit and intent of that Treaty as follows:
Before the Dutch people came to the lands of the Haudenosaunee, the On-kwe-hon-weh (The Real People) lived very happily, enjoying life the way the Creator intended. The Onkwehonweh were dependent on nature, and taught the Dutch people their customs and art work. The Dutch and the Onkwehonweh became friends so the Dutch said, "We shall pronounce ourselves in friendship", and they decided to make a Treaty and continue in friendship.
The Onkwehonweh called the Dutch "White People". The Onkwehonweh held a special Council informing the people that the time had come for the White Race and the Onkwehonweh to continue as friends so that all the people might walk upon the Earth in Peace, and Love one another. When the Onkwehonwe and the White People understood this kind of friendship, it was made known by both Races that the day had come to pronounce their friendship.
The Onkwehonweh said, "We now have an understanding about our friendship so that the generations to come will also know about our friendship." The Dutch replied, "I will put our friendship in writing." The Onkwehonweh replied, "This is good, but we must never forget to pass it on to all the generations to come." They agreed.
The Whiteman said, "How is the Onkwehonweh going to describe our friendship?" The Onkwehonweh replied, "We must thank the Creator for all his Creations, and greet one another by holding hands to show the Covenant Chain that binds our friendship so that we may walk upon this earth in peace, trust, love, and friendship, and we may smoke the Sacred Tobacco in a pipe which is the symbol of peace."
The Whiteman said he would respect the Onkwehonweh's Belief and pronounce him as a son. The Onkwehonweh replied, "I respect You, Your Belief, and what You say; but You pronounced Yourself as My Father and with this I do not agree, because the Father can tell His Son what to do and also can punish Him." So the Onkwehonweh said, "We will not be like Father and Son, but like Brothers."
The Whiteman said, "The symbol of this Covenant is a Three-Link Chain which binds this Agreement made by US, and there is nothing that will come between US to break the Links of this Chain." The Onkwehonweh said, "This Friendship shall be everlasting and the younger generation will know it and the Rising Faces from Mother Earth will benefit by OUR Agreement."
The Whiteman said, "What Symbols will you go by?" The Onkwehonweh replied, "We will go by these Symbols: When the Creator made Mother Earth, Man was created to walk upon this Earth to enjoy all Nature's fruits, saying no one shall claim Mother Earth except the Rising Faces which are yet to be born. First, as long as the Sun shines upon this Earth, that is how long OUR Agreement will stand; Second, as long as the Water still flows; and Third, as long as the Grass Grows Green at a certain time of the year. Now we have Symbolized this Agreement and it shall be binding forever as long as Mother Earth is still in motion. We have finished and we understand what we have confirmed and this is what OUR Generation should know and learn not to forget."
The Whiteman said, "I confirm what YOU have said and this WE shall always remember. We shall have respect for each other's way of belief, having our own Rights and Power." The Onkwehonweh replied, "I have a Canoe and YOU have a Vessel with sails and this is what WE shall do:
I will put in MY Canoe my Belief and Laws; in YOUR Vessel YOU will put YOUR Belief and Laws; All of MY People in MY Canoe, YOUR People in YOUR Vessel; WE shall put These Boats in the Water and They shall always be Parallel. As long as there is Mother Earth, this will be everlasting."
The Whiteman said, "What will happen supposing YOUR People will like to go into MY Vessel?" The Onkwehonweh replied, "If this happens, then they will have to be guided by MY Canoe. Now the Whiteman understands this Agreement."
The Whiteman said, "What will happen if any of YOUR People may someday want to have one foot in each of the Boats that WE placed parallel?" The Onkwehonweh replied,"If this so happens that MY People wish to have Their feet in each of the two Boats, there will be a high wind and the Boats will separate and the Person that has His feet in each of the Boats shall fall between the Boats; and there is no living soul who will be able to bring Him back to the Right Way given by the Creator, but only one: The Creator Himself."
The Onkwehonweh called the Wampum Belt - "GUS-WHEN-TA". The Two Paths signify the Laws and Beliefs of the Whiteman and the Laws and Beliefs of the Onkwehonweh. The White Wampum background signifies Purity, Good Minds and Peace, and that the Two Peoples should not interfere with one another's Ways.
The Whiteman said, "I understand, I confirm what YOU have said, that this will be everlasting as long as there is Mother Earth. WE have confirmed this and OUR generation to come shall never forget what WE have Agreed. Now it is understood that WE shall never interfere with one another's Beliefs or Laws for generations to come."
The Onkwehonweh said, "What WE agreed upon shall be renewed every so often so that the Covenant Chain made between US shall always be Clean from Dust and Rust. WE shall renew OUR Agreements and Polish the Covenant and when WE get together to renew OUR Agreements, WE shall have Interpreters; WE will dress the same way as when WE met so that OUR People will know WHO WE ARE. I will put on my buckskin clothing, YOU will dress the same way that YOU dressed when YOU first came to OUR People, the ONKWEHONWEH." So they completed the Treaty of The Two Parties.
A QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY
[The following excerpt is reprinted with permission from an article]
[written by: ©1998 (Kanatiiosh) Barbara Gray]
HAUDENOSAUNEE SOVEREIGNTY:
Treaty Making With New York State and The Federal Government
Treaty making amongst the Haudenosaunee is not taken lightly. Before a treaty can be entered into with another nation, the issue is taken to the Grand Council, which is composed of all 50 chiefs of the Haudenosaunee.
The first thing that is done at the Grand Council meeting is the Onondaga open the Council with a prayer of giving of thanks, the Ohenton Kariwatehkwen. Once the prayer is completed, the Onondaga open the meeting. The Grand Council is divided into the Elder Brothers: Mohawk and Seneca, the Younger Brothers: Oneidas and Cayugas, and the Firekeepers: the Onondaga. The Elder Brothers discuss the issue, and then the Younger Brothers discuss the issue, while the entire Council listens, until finally the issue is given to the Onondaga who ratify the decision once they have come to One Mind, agreement. The decision is then brought to the people for final consideration. As one can see great consideration goes into any decision that is made amongst the Haudenosaunee.
Once they have reached their decision to treat with a nation, that nation is contacted. At the meeting with the nation the Haudenosaunee begin the treaty with a giving of thanks. Then the Kaswentha, also known as the Tow Row Wampum, is taken and placed before the nation they are treating with. The Kaswentha is a wampum belt that has two rows of purple wampum beads, which is made from Quahog shells that are separated by rows of white wampum beads made from Atlantic Whelk shells. The nation is told of the meaning of the Kaswentha before a treaty is entered into:
Photo Credit - Kanatiiosh - TwoRowPhoto©1998
The two rows of purple beads, further symbolize that the two nations of people in separate vessels travel down the river, parallel from each other. The Onkwehonwe (native peoples) are in their canoes. This symbolizes their culture, their laws, their traditions, their customs, and other life ways. The non-Native people are said to be in their own ships, which symbolizes their culture, their laws, their traditions, their customs, and other life ways. It is said that, each nation shall stay in their vessels, and travel the river side by side. Further, it is said that neither nation will try to steer the vessels of the other, or interfere or impede the travel of the other. (G. Peter Jemison, Sovereignty and Treaty Rights-We Remember, AKWESASNE NOTES, Oct.-Nov.-Dec. 1995, at 15.)
After the reading of the Kaswentha, the treaty is then entered into with the other nation. The Intent of the Haudenosaunee in reading the Kaswentha before a treaty is quite clear, for the Haudenosaunee understood that they were retaining their sovereignty and in return, they were acknowledging the sovereignty of the other nation. As a result, the Haudenosaunee intent when they entered into treaties with the State of New York and the United States government clearly shows that the Haudenosaunee have retained their sovereignty in full!
TREATIES WITH NEW YORK STATE & THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The Haudenosaunee treaty making procedure shows that before a treaty is entered into, there is full deliberation and the laying out of the Two Row Wampum, which indicates that their intent of making treaties was to retain their independence, their sovereignty. In George v. Pierce, 85 Misc. 105 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1914), the Court said that because of the political force, strength, and unity of the Haudenosaunee they are different then the Cherokees and other tribes who have become dependent, weakened, remnant nations that need the protection of the government. As a result, the Court said "the rule, that the Supreme Court of the United States has adopted with regard to such Indian nations as the Cherokees does not apply to the Iroquois—the Five (later the Six) Nations. Their historical position is distinct."(Id.) This statement by the Court is quite interesting, for it confirms what the Haudenosaunee have been saying all along, that they have retained their sovereignty and have a unique status.
The Haudenosaunee have a unique relationship with New York, for they have treaties signed between them predating the existence of the Federal Constitution. These early treaties sought from the Haudenosaunee, peace and friendship, for without the friendship of the Haudenosaunee the, now state and the embryonic United States would have perished. Thus, the Haudenosaunee have a special status with the now, State of New York, which has unique obligations to the Haudenosaunee.
To Find Out A Little More About The Haudenosaunee Confederacy's
WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THE TREATIES
Sovereignty Status Recognized By Other Sovereigns/Governments
In Direct Relation To The TWO ROW WAMPUM Treaty Via The Silver
Covenant Chain As A Foundation For Subsequent Treaties And
Agreements Done On A Sovereign Nation-to-Nation Basis - Please
Visit The Following Webpage.
Visit The
MOHAWK NATION COUNCIL OF CHIEFS WEBPAGE
To Learn More About The HAUDENOSAUNEE Visit The
HAUDENOSAUNEE: PEOPLE BUILDING A LONG HOUSE WEBSITE
1794 CANANDAIGUA TREATY
COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE
OFFICIAL WEB SITE
Read About
THE DEMISE OF THE ONGWEHOWEH
Check out Kahnawake's
Thunder Hawk Dancers
Dance Troupe Website
Check Out The PEACE4TURTLEISLAND website
For A Variety Of Other HAUDENOSAUNEE Info
MOHAWK GENEALOGY RESOURCES
Read About
THE HAUDENOSAUNEE SACRED MASKS & REPATRIATION POLICIES
Read About
DESKAHEH: HAUDENOSAUNEE STATESMAN & PATRIOT
Read About
FORCEFULLY IMPOSED BAND COUNCIL SYSTEM
Read About
THE THUNDERWATER MOVEMENT
Visit
The INDIAN TIME Newspaper
Read About
THE MOHAWK NATION COUNCIL & THE GREAT LAW OF PEACE
Email
