Great Law of Peace

The Great Law of Peace is the ancient (exact date unknown) constitution of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Five Nations Confederacy, uniting the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Five Nations referred to their confederacy as the “League of the Iroquois” or “the great peace.” Attributed to the confederacy’s founders, the semi-legendary Dekanahwideh and Hiawatha, it was designed to bring neighbouring nations into a harmonious confederacy. In this system those who were not members of the league were theoretically considered at war with it. The confederacy undoubtedly had a cohesive influence, especially after 1660.