JULY 22:

July 22, 1996: Today, in Syracuse, New York, Leon Shenandoah died at 81years of age. Shenandoah was a leader of the Onondaga Indians. In 1969, he was named the Tadadaho, or the Spritual Leader, of the Iroquois Confederacy. Shenandoah live almost all of his life on the Onondaga Reservation in New York state.

1793 Dean Inlet, BC Alexander Mackenzie 1764-1820 reaches the Pacific Ocean down the Bella Coola River into Dean Channel; mixes some vermilion in melted grease and inscribes and paints on a large rock: 'Alex Mackenzie from Canada by land 22d July 1793.'; first to cross the Great Divide and North America north of Mexico; his party set out in May, and traveled much of the way on foot; when they reached the Bella Coola River, they traded goods for canoes and paddled to the sea; hostile natives made them beat a hasty retreat upriver; back in Montreal, the North West Company can see no practical use for Mackenzie's route, but he will be knighted for his exploit.

1876 Ottawa Ontario James Farquharson Macleod 1836-1894 resigns his magistrate's role to return to the North West Mounted Police as Commissioner; serves with the NWMP until 1880, when he becomes a member of the North West Territories Council, and in 1887 is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the NWT. Macleod served as brigade major with the Wolseley expedition in 1870; he founded Ft Macleod, suppressed the illegal whisky trade and negotiated Treaty No 7 with the Blackfoot.
 
 
 

BACKGROUND:
 

Leon Shenandoah was the Fire Keeper of the Central Fire for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy for over a quarter of a century. Leon Shenandoah held a very sacred and ancient title. He was the "Tadodaho" from 1967 to his passing in 1996. Shenandoah was a great orator who served the people well and preserved the traditions of the people. When Shenandoah was a small child, as he crawled along the floor, a pot of hot water was accidentally spilt on him scolding his entire body, which almost killed him. He was taken to a medicine man to be healed. A sacred ceremony was performed for Shenandoah, and during the ceremony a man stood up and said "You are that Boy!"  This same man predicted that someday Shenandaoh would hold a special position amongst his people. As we know, Leon Shenandoah did grow up to hold the special title of Tadodaho, and he was highly admired by all. He worked hard even in the face of great hardship to promote the teachings of the Great Law of Peace, Kaianeraserakowa. The proceeding account tells of how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was founded and how the Tadodaho came to accept the Great Law of Peace.

The text above is a very brief excerpt from "A Tribute to Leon Shenandoah:  1915-1996" which is to be found on a very comprehensive website:  Peace 4 Turtle Island - http://www.peace4turtleisland.org/

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Words Spoken:  Leon Shenandoah

"In our ways, spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. We must live in harmony with the natural world and recognize that excessive exploitation can only lead to our own destruction. We cannot trade the welfare of our future generations for profit... We are instructed to carry love for one another, and to show great respect for all beings of the earth. We must stand together, the four sacred colors of man, as the one family that we are, in the interest of peace... Our energy is the combined will of all people with the spirit of the natural world, to be of one body, one heart, and one mind."

From:  Peace 4 Turtle Island Website - http://www.peace4turtleisland.org/

Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations Delivered October 25, 1985 by Leon Shenandoah, Tadodaho, Haudenosaunee

Listen to the words of the Creator given to the first United Nations - the Haudenosaunee - over 1,000 years ago. "The Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skins shall be seven spans, which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive action and criticism.

Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will, and their minds full of a yearning for the welfare of the people. With endless patience, they shall carry out their duty. Their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodging in their minds, and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation."

In every nation there are wise and good people. These should be appointed Chiefs. They should be the advisors of their people and work for the good of all the people, and their power comes from the "Great Peace." A chief must never forget the Creator of mankind, never forget to ask the Creator for help. The Creator will guide our thoughts and strengthen us as we work to be faithful to our sacred trust and restore harmony among all peoples, all living creatures and Mother Earth.

We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show a great respect for all the beings of this earth... In our ways spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. When people cease to respect and express gratitude for these many things, then all life will be destroyed, and human life on this planet will come to an end.

These are our times and responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this we must recognize the enemy-the one within us. We must begin with ourselves.

We must live in harmony with the Natural World and recognize that excessive exploitation can only lead to our own destruction. We cannot trade the welfare of our future generations for profit now. We must abide by the Natural Law or be victims of its ultimate reality.

We must stand together, the four sacred colors of humans, as the one family we are, in the interest of peace. We must abolish nuclear and conventional weapons of war. When warriors are leaders, then you will have war. We must raise leaders of peace. We must unite the religions of the world as the spiritual force strong enough to prevail in peace. It is no longer good enough to cry, "Peace." We must act peace, live peace, and march in peace in alliance with the people of the world.

We are the spiritual energy that is thousands times stronger than nuclear energy. Our energy in the combined will of all people with the spirit of the Natural World, to be of one body, one heart and one mind for peace.
 

From:  Peace Portal - http://www.peaceportal.com/peacetour2000/letter2.html

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Onoda'gega (People of the Hills) Onondaga

OVERVIEW: Written by Kanatiyosh

The Onondaga call themselves Onoda'gega, sometimes spelled Onontakeka, which means People of the Hills, or Onondagaono (The People of the Hills).

The Onondagaono are one of the original Five Nations to accept the Peacemaker's message, and they joined together with the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, and Cayuga to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which is also know as the Iroquois Confederacy. Haudenosaunee translates to mean (People of the Longhouse), which refers to the type of homes built by the Haudenosaunee. In approximately 1714, the Tuscarora joined the Haudenosaunee, and the Confederacy became six Nations strong.

In the picture (see website), the artist (Kahionhes) depicts the Onondagaono by showing a man wearing a gustoweh (feathered hat) containing two eagle feathers placed near hills to represent that the Onondaga are known as the People of the Hills. When reading the Ayonwatha (Hiawatha) Belt, the Onondagaono are located at the center of the belt. If looking at the Ayonwatha Belt as it is presented on the first page of the web site, which is looking northward, then the Onondaga are represented by the symbol of the Great White Pine tree. After Tadodaho, who stood in the way of the Confederacy, accepted the Great Law of Peace from the Peacemaker, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was founded, and then, at Onondaga, the Great Tree of Peace was planted and all the articles of war were buried beneath the tree. If one reads the belt by looking at the belt southward, then the Onondaga are represented by the symbol of the heart, for Onondaga is the center (Heart) of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Hiawatha belt represents the founding of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. When the Peacemaker came to the warring Five Nations, he carried with him the message of Kaianeraserakowa (the Great Law of Peace). The Peacemaker came to the Haudenosaunee with his message of Skennen (Peace), Kariwiio (The Good Word), and Kasatensera (strength), which contains the principles of peace, equality, respect, love, and justice. The Peacemaker envisioned the uniting of these Nations in peace as one extended Longhouse with each Nation having their own hearth fire. In other words, each Nation would have a shared sovereignty in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the responsibility to protect the Peace, the Natural World, and the Future Generations to come, while retaining the sovereignty over their own Nations. The joining together of the Five Nations is perhaps the oldest example of nations uniting under a single form of government and spirituality. Interestingly, the Haudenosaunee draw no distinction between what is political and what is spiritual, for our spiritual leaders are also the political leaders.

The Onondaga are known as the Firekeepers, which has significance when the Grand Council of Chiefs, composed of all fifty chiefs of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meet to discuss matters of importance to the entire Confederacy. During the Grand Council the Onondaga officially open and close the meeting, as well as confirming and sanctioning all decisions of the Council. The Onondaga are also the Keepers of the Wampum, and they are known as the Elder Brothers.

In the picture (see website), the man is wearing a Gustoweh, which is a feathered hat. One can identify the Nation that the wearer is from by the number of eagle feathers and the position of these feathers worn on the kastoweh.

Onoda'gega men wear two eagle feathers on their Gustowehs. The Onondaga wear one of the two feathers in an upright position and one feather is tilted downward on their feathered hats. If the man were a chief of the Onondaga Nation, he would wear attached to his feathered hat deer antlers that symbolize his authority as one of the fourteen chiefs of the Nation. One of the many jobs of the Clan Mothers, who are the female leaders, is to raise (to bring forth) a new chief from her clan, when one passes on or is removed. The Clan Mothers have the authority to dehorn (impeach), which is done by the removal of the deer antlers off the gustoweh of a chief who is not doing his duty to the people properly.

The Onoda'gega have five clans. The five clans are Beaver, Turtle, Wolf, Deer, and Eel:  two Beaver, two Turtle, four Wolf, four Deer, and two Eel. The Haudenosaunee are matrilineal, which means that the clans are passed down from one's mother. In other words, if your Mother is of the Deer clan, then you are of the Deer. If your father is of the Wolf clan, but your mother has no clan then you would have no clan, even though your father has a clan, because clans are passed on from mother to sons and daughters. Some mistakenly think that when a man marries a women he becomes her clan, this is untrue. If you are born with a clan, that clan remains yours throughout your life.

 
From:  Peace4Turtle Island website, at http://www.peace4turtleisland.org/pages/onondaga.htm