Product Description

This book traces the origins of the Iroquois Confederacy, the men and women who inspired its ideals, the history of its relationship with white settlers, and how the fledgling American government used deceit and dishonesty to try to weaken and destroy it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #881294 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 142 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. The complex history of the Iroquois Confederacy begins with the peace agreement negotiated by two wise men, the Peacemaker and Hiawatha. The Five Nations, comprising the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, were united before the arrival of the white man, and consisted of an area greater than all of Europe. Their Laws of the Great Peace, set out in the Iroquois constitution, inspired the founding fathers of American democracy. But the arrival of Europeans eventually brought wars over land ownership, and despite support and assistance given to the American revolutionaries, the Iroquois Confederacy was weakened and finally divided by the American government. Making extensive use of quotes from individuals and documents from the period, Tehanetorens, "a master storyteller in the Mohawk tradition," presents readers with a lively, detailed look at Iroquois history, illustrated with a selection of black-and-white drawings. Source notes aren't included, but the insights here will still be helpful to students interested in understanding the Iroquois' past. Karen Hutt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Tehanetorens is a master storyteller in the Mohawk tradition and also author of Legends of the Iroquois and Wampum Belts. During his lifelong career as a teacher, he established youth groups at Akwesasne to promote native values and served as president of the Indian Defense League of America. He founded the Six Nations Indian Museum in 1954 to serve as a cultural center for tribal people in the Six Nations region.

Customer Reviews

A vivid, valuable, keystone work!
Roots Of The Iroquois tells of beginnings of the Iroquois Confederacy or the Haudenosaunee, people of the long house, eventually consisting of 6 bands, the Mohawks, Oneida, Onandagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and in the south, the Tuscarorans. These Native American groups established a coalition government with a Great Law Kalianerakowa, or Great Nice Way. Today historians finally are beginning to realize this confederation and system of government was in fact a viable model for the early American thirteen colonies. Illustrated by many exquisite black and white ink drawings and pictures, Roots Of The Iroquois contains both ancient and modern history as well as extensive retellings of the Code of Handsome Lake. The Last Speech of Deskaheh (1925) is very moving, as is the Message To The Folks At Home, an eloquent appeal for education of Indian children, both in their native language and the dominant culture 's language, English. The burden of the Requickening Address is similar, stressing education and the value of learning and preserving one's native language. Reading a Few Laws of the Iroquois Government explains much about the legal regard for women as full partners in Iroquois cultural outlooks. Though brief, Roots Of The Iroquois is a vivid, valuable keystone work.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer