Description
Kayanerenko:wa The Great Law of Peace written by Kayanesenh Paul Williams is an important addition to the literature about the Haudenosaunee and their founding principles of governance carried within the Great Law of Peace. Legal scholar, negotiator and historian, Paul Williams brings his personal experiences and legal knowledge and skills to the presentation of the Great Law in a highly accessible written text. Organized into four key sections: Context; The Nature of the Law: Principles and Processes; Bringing the Great Peace; and the Constitution, the 472 page volume contains introductory pages about the importance of names, and the Words Before All Else, as well as an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index. In Part 1 the chapters discuss Creation, the Land, Longhouse and Village, Haudenosaunee, Clans, Personal Names, Ceremonies, and the Date of the Founding of the League. Part 2 covers the Principles and Processes discussing the order, versions, language, oral traditions, speakers, the power of song, our family, helping one another, structure of the law, certainty and constancy, and confrontation as the last resort. Part 3 discusses patterns and principles in the narrative, the Peacemaker and why his name is not spoken, the Peacemaker meets his own people first, the White Stone Canoe, the man without a nation and family, mindless warfare, Peacemaker and the cannibal, announcing Peace, John Arthur Gibson’s 1899 version, Tsikonsaseh, Hiawatha, First Condolence, the Three Words: Peace, Power and Righteousness, and a variety of additional topics. Part 4 deals with procedures for council including Chiefs’ titles, Clan Mothers, Faithkeepers, symbols of the law, condolence, warriors, Pine Tree Chiefs, prophecy, and adding to the rafters. This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the law and legal issues, Haudenosaunee governance, and reconciliation. The author writes with authority and humility as he recounts the years of research and acknowledges the assistance and guidance he received from Haudenosaunee men and women who served as mentors and traditional knowledge keepers. Highly recommended.