Haudenosaunee Roots of Democracy

202 Southwest O Street,Bentonville AR 72712

23 July, 2022

Description

Learn from Dr. Webster, an enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin, as she shares how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy contributed to the development of the United States Constitution! Also discover how food found a major role in the confederacy and governance! This program is in partnership with Feeding America and the NWA Food Bank. This presentation will provide an introduction to the establishment and continuing governance of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It will describe the roles of the people, clans, and nations within the Haudenosaunee decision-making process. It will also describe the important role our foods played in both the formation of the confederacy as well as the continuing functioning of governance. The presentation then turns to the form of government established under the United States Constitution. After comparing and contrasting the two forms of government, it becomes evident that the framers of the US government borrowed many democratic principles from the Haudenosaunee while leaving out others that the Haudenosaunee continue to value today. In 1987 and 1988 the House and Senate passed Congressional Concurrent Resolutions to formally acknowledge those contributions of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the development of the United States Constitution.