Great Law of Peace

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meaning "people building the longhouse," is a confederation of six Indigenous peoples originating in upper New York state. The original five nations were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Tuscarora joined in 1722, forming the Six Nations.

The Great Law of Peace (Gayanesshagowa) is the foundational legal and political system of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It is credited to the Peacemaker, Dekanawidah, and Hiawatha, who are said to have established principles of peace, civil authority, and righteousness. This law guides the confederacy's council of 50 peace chiefs, known as sachems, who govern civil affairs at the intertribal level. The Haudenosaunee are recognized for their influential role in North American history, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries, and are often described as having one of the world's oldest participatory democracies.12