Five Nations Confederacy Headdresses

Cayuga Gahsdowa Onondaga Gahsdowa Mohawk Gahsdowa Seneca Gahsdowa Oneida Gahsdowa

Hodinoso:ni World View

Aboriginal Peoples view the world in a particular way, and this world view affects what is learned, how it is learned and, indeed, why it is learned. Oscar Kawagley, a Yupiaq educator from Alaska defines worldview as follows:

A Worldview consists of the principles we acquire to make sense of the world around us. Young people learn these principles, including values, traditions, and customs from stories, family and community, and examples set by community leaders. Once a worldview has been formed, the people are then able to identify themselves as a unique people. Thus the worldview enables its holders to make sense of the world around them, make symbols to fit their world, generate their behaviour, and interpret their experiences.

The Hodinoso:ni Worldview is expressed in the traditional teachings of the Great Law of Peace and the Thanksgiving Address, which opens and closes all political and social gatherings.

Students are more confident in celebrating the strengths of the Native worldview and its base in relationships and spiritual philosophy. Therefore, First Nations educators draw support from the traditional community to foster the self-actualization needs of students. New approaches to education are being devised that respect the philosophical foundation provided by cultural tradition. Education is then in its essence learning about life through participation and relationships in the community, including not only people, but plants, animals and the whole of nature. These links and connections are what makes Hodinoso:ni sovereign.

Eagle's Cry

The Hodinoso:ni Confederacy was originally composed of five nations. Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga, with the Tuscarora later joining.

Through this Confederacy of Nations was their strength in unity. The Peacemaker symbolized this unity with arrows. First, he held forth a single arrow and demonstrated how easily it was broken. Then he held forth five arrows bound tightly together. These he demonstrated could not be broken.

The Peacemaker's messages of peace, shared power, righteousness, compromise and unification in purpose, were likewise received by the Six Nations as a solution to the problems of unnecessary competition and hostility.

With that, the Peacemaker uprooted the tallest pine tree and he cast into the cavity all weapons and clubs of war. Into the depths of the earth, down into the deep under currents of water flowing to unknown regions, he cast all the weapons of strife. Burying them from sight, he planted again the Great Tree of Peace.

From under this tree grew four white roots. One root grew toward the east, the second root grew toward the west, the third root grew toward the south and the fourth root, grew toward where it is cold - the north. These white roots of peace extend to all people of the earth offering to them a path to the Great Tree of Peace, to the law that would promote a way to respectfully settle differences.

The tree would grow. The tops reach the sun and its branches spread far abroad so it shall be seen far off. We shall all seek shelter under this tree and live in peace.

To ensure this peace would be everlasting, the Peacemaker placed the wisest bird with the keenest eye sight, the eagle, on top of the Great Tree of Peace to eternally watch for approaching danger. It is the eagle that can see the furthest and see any threat of danger and will cry out to warn if there is any trouble coming that would harm our people

Many Native Resources may be found on the following websites: Good Minds Native books