The Dutch and the Iroquois - beyond historical facts

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1 Written by Maarten Oversier The hidden meaning of 400 years of friendship The Dutch and the Iroquois - beyond historical facts When the Dutch and the Mohawks first met at the east coast of what is now the United States of America in 1613, they entered into an alliance of friendship for as long as the grass grows green, the sky is blue and the rivers flow. This year, exactly 400 years later, we commemorate their pact, the Two Row Wampum Treaty. Even at a governmental level this historical fact is acknowledged as is the fact (to a lesser extent) that we fail to meet the commitments agreed upon in this timeless treaty. 1

2 However, what is passed over entirely is the deeper message that lies hidden in it. To what extent must the crisis deepen before we start seeing the enormous potential in this old friendship? Quite possibly it holds the key that may help redirect our present society, now caught up in turmoil. Western people associate their identity with political and economical systems that now seem to have become meaningless. Our spiritual development, as a consequence, is still in its infancy. Luckily, a growing number of people start recognizing the fact that indigenous peoples from all corners of the world, by keeping their traditions, culture, knowledge and manners of living alive, may well provide an update for our spiritual poverty. Centuries ago, these civilizations saw in their prophecies and traditions the dawning of our current crisis. What they saw as well, was the need for people in our day and age to revive, as one, the original values in life, by joining forces in friendship. In so doing, we may learn to understand the fierce processes of change currently causing worldwide disruptions on many levels, and how to deal with them. Could it be that our Dutch and Indian ancestors hid a key in an old treaty? A key revealing more than just anecdotes about trade in beaver hides and mysterious bead necklaces? The primeval puzzle The very word calendar immediately brings to mind the association of a practical division of time. An ordering of years, months, weeks and days emanating from a system dating back to Roman times, when the word calendar meant cashbook. Once it becomes clear that the Maya are in possession of calendars that chart matters far more extensive, this concept is hard to grasp initially. Old ideas turned into convictions and need to be cracked, in order to allow for different ways of thinking. Ours is an era that witnesses the massive collapse of old convictions. Our crisis appears to be nothing but a turbulent period of pregnancy out of which multiple new perceptions will be born. The mother, sensing this beforehand, shakes off all lumber and makes way for her yet unborn child, as it won t be able to grow in a cradle of disruption. Not only the Mayan calendar, also several other mystical sources provide us with information that quite differs from the information upon which our current society is built. It seems as though all ancient civilizations possess one part of a giant jigsaw puzzle, a puzzle that points out to us that earth can t be ruled by mere technology and ratio. Over centuries our intellect has developed into a male, dominant ruler whose weapon is the left hemisphere of our brain. He, however, is past his peak, although he won t admit to that lightly. The end of the world has become a popular phrase for a reason, no matter how over-simplified is has been explained and interpreted. As early as the days of Atlantis, people were building specifically shaped temples in order to guide cosmic energies orbiting planet Earth, and to store universal knowledge for future times. Ages ago, civilizations created calendars containing incredibly precise instructions for us, people living in our current age. In different parts of the world traditional medicine associations guarded their knowledge of healing and ceremony for future generations, other tribes passed on the knowledge of the mind, the universe and the dream world through turbulent times. Telepathically The Wise Ones were connected both with each other and with extraterrestrial intelligences in a way which would embarrass our present gsm-network. They created and maintained a screen of energetic fields around the planet, meant to protect against destructive spheres of influence. In other words: they were concerned about the health of Mother Earth s aura, as an energetic therapist might do in the case of human beings. 2

3 The representatives of these ancient nations at times referred to as primitive by present day intellectuals know how important it is to support Mother Earth lovingly in this difficult phase of her evolution. Now more than ever, we are living times of immense change. And the storm hasn t calmed down yet. The more pieces of the puzzle we recognize and are able to connect, the sooner the larger picture will reveal itself, showing us clearly the course we need to steer. Monopoly In order to escape from the eye of the all-seeing inquisition, the old Cathars hid their revelations on dark practices of the mighty Catholic church in symbols and secret messages. In doing so, the revelations became hints only to be understood by people of a specific level of conscience the tribes and ancient civilizations didn t leave their precious clues to be understood easily. Also in our age exist power empires that would rather not have the primeval puzzle revealed, and therefore frustrate its discovery. In order to keep people ignorant in this respect, they invented a game that is much like Monopoly. The game board is the earthly stage; its human inhabitants are the players. Now that players are sufficiently entangled in buying, selling, debt and wealth and have by now fully and implicitly internalized the rules of the game, no-one realizes anymore that in fact they have fallen victim to the inventors of the game. Everyone has become dependent on the bank and with that, the goal is achieved. The inventors of the game are happy as long as everyone takes part in their game, and slowly they shrewdly adjust the rules, sending the players back to start on a regular basis, and keeping them imprisoned in the game. However, behind this game of Monopoly hides a whole different truth. And now is the time to discover it. key figures from all corners of the world took the plunge and traveled beyond the boundaries of their native soil to share their knowledge, symbols, traditions and rituals. Also, many reincarnated key figures participate once more. And they all serve the same purpose: to rouse people from their players fuddle. Accidental discoveries? Particularly during the last decades, all over accidental and trendsetting discoveries concerning these keys are made. One after the other shocking clue on heaven and earth reveals itself, bringing entirely new insights. Take Egyptian pyramids, for instance. In core these structures turn out to be immense councilors for mankind, rather than mere imposing memorial stones for Egyptian faraos, as we were taught in school. Indian dream catchers, often misunderstood entirely, turn out to be wheels of medicine containing a source of universal knowledge for everyone to feed upon. People are more and more aware of the fact that Mother Earth is lavishly covered in plants containing free healing power for every condition. And the beautiful wampum belts, symbolic bead belts of Canadian and American Iroquoian people, contain keys as well. It s Keys and key figures The clues handed to us by the ancient tribes are like keys to open spheres of experience making manifest the farce of the game. The so-called wisdom keepers, key figures in indigenous peoples, know this. For the purpose of the survival of mankind they were entrusted with the responsibility to guard over the original knowledge on life. Now that the world is under threat of reaching a deadlock by extreme quantities of rules (shrewdly replaced by laws), patents, restrictions and penalties, now that the Earth is exhausted and people are tired of the game, wisdom keepers present their knowledge. Over the past decades, 3

4 about time we Dutch strengthen the friendly ties with the Iroquois and do our part in making the treaty vital and dynamic once more. Some thoughts on spirituality Modern man please, let it be old fashioned soon focuses on intellect and mental satisfaction. His is the assumption that wisdom is gathered by sufficiently studying matters intensively and repeatedly. He assumes the same applies to spirituality, which in his eyes is just another area of expertise to be understood. However, spirituality is a world of experience that can t be truly understood by merely defining it mentally. No matter to what lengths one might go to try and explain the taste of an apple, the listener will still lack the actual experience. The thinker, therefore, will not easily recognize the nature and meaning of a key if he or she is face to face with it. Mind overshadows spiritual essence. Most frequently finds are studied and interpreted within existing paradigms, with all their limitations. Next the findings are put into archives, and then disappear as archeologically fascinating items in a showcase, accompanied by a stack of facts on the site of the find, its material and historical information. However, the soul of the object remains preserved and inactive, much like a spirit in a bottle. The Two Row Treaty the friendship treaty with the Dutch The friendship treaty the Dutch and the Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee, as they call themselves) struck up four hundred years ago contains an important key. The Iroquois Confederation consists of six influential tribes (the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora) and considers the treaty with the Dutch to be mother of all treaties. Whereas the Haudenosaunee still consider this treaty to be very much alive, in the Netherlands it has been reduced to an underappreciated historical event, that we today hardly attribute essential meaning to. The unique friendship was sealed honorfully with two wampum belts; the Two Row wampum and the Friendship wampum. These magnificent bead belts still belong to the heart of the traditions of the Iroquois, traditions confirming the dignity of these grand peoples. Over time and under the most extreme conditions they remained loyal to their old ways, as a result of which in essence they haven t been affected by the rules of the Monopoly game. There are hundreds of different kinds of wampum belts, one for each important, meaningful event. Wampum belts are seen as sacred power objects. They are keys in the communication with ancestors and future generations provided they are treated justly. The belts are made of beads of clam shell (wampum), which are said to contain energetic powers that remember the essential. They provide a communication platform between generations not restricted by death. The seemingly simple symbols contain life values and lessons, and represent timeless information gathered over generations, preserved and guaranteed in its purest form. Because of this transmission of the essence there is no need to re-invent the wheel time and time again knowledge may be used as a leg up to new incarnations. Currently chiefs bear the responsibility to translate the old messages to the present time. They know wampum belts only bear truths that can never be interpreted and used for political conflicts of interest. What could be their meaning now, four centuries later? Holy secret The sacred became the secret. Ken Maracle Haohyoh, faith keeper of the Cayuga nation of Iroquois, summarizes things poetically, and adds: The spirit is captured in a tin. We are discussing different views on Indian legacy as we cruise the Six Nations Reserve, some 120 kilometer south of Toronto, Canada, in his huge cylinder pickup truck. I feel as if we are galloping our horses over the dirt track, a trail of dust in our wake. There is the rational and the spiritual view. Some white people visiting, often know more facts about the history of our peoples than we do ourselves, Ken explains. Most books on Indians are written by nonnatives. Questioning the authenticity of their content is fully justified at times. The so-called facts in the books are based on interpretations, twists, trivializations and concealing. They reveal nothing on the true experience of our rituals, our ceremonial songs, the honour and gratitude we feel deeply for our ancestors, our food and tobacco or our tight connections with the Turtle, Deer, Wolf, Hawk and Bear, who are our councilors. In our view Great Mystery runs through all of creation, from the tiny ant to the largest planet. One may write this down a hundred times without understanding the concept. Originally our culture had no script whatsoever, and this is for a reason: in our culture knowledge is embedded in a different way. Communicating by means of the wampum quite differs from communicating through writing. The wampum expresses what words can t express, the same way a dream does. Thousands of books have been written on the Wampum Treaty. We, however, still 4

5 understand that this treaty needs to be maintained through times, whilst others lost track of that in the millions of letters. Iroqrafts, the power of Indian art For protection, a homemade medicine wheel and the rear end of some deer antlers hang from the rearview window, dangling back and forth severely as we drive though a deep dent. Does it protect? If so, what does it protect? And how does it work? Who knows? The fact that it works, however, is a fact amongst indigenous peoples. Are they crazy? Or did the average modern human being at some point take a different turn in the development of his soul? Did we continue on a road where we only take nonmaterial matters seriously if they appear to be provable by scientific research? Considering the heaps of energy and money we spend on this search for evidence, could it be that underneath all that hides some kind of chronic uncertainty? Ken and I are heading for Iroqrafts, the place for anyone looking for anything related to the culture of Iroquoian Indians. Here one finds a variety of stunning artistic products, next to wolves hides, coyote hides, bearskins and porcupine headdresses. A separate section is reserved for an array of amazingly pretty colored beads in hundreds of little containers, should one want to create a specific object in order to accentuate the power of one s own personal medicine. For Iroquois these are the ingredients for the ancient transmission of generations. The legacy of a lovingly cherished and rich culture that survived giant storms, and would have long perished had it not been for its strong spiritual foundation. The Dutch and the Iroquois Inside the store I nose about and explore the extensive, admirable book section. My attention is drawn to one specific book in the rows of books around me: a book on the meaning of Wampum Belts written by a Haudenosaunee! A whole chapter is dedicated to the relationship between The Dutch and the Iroquois. It contains an old illustration of two narrow rows of tiny purple beads running parallel through a river of white beads, each row representing the life flow of one nation next to the other, with all accompanying meanings. I wonder how this might relate to the status quo of our relationship in In spite of the fact that through the centuries several attempts were made to revive the connection, its friendship potential hasn t been fully realized. The only thing we Dutch became really good at, became the main issue: investigating and discussing the original intention of the treaty. And in the mean time, financial and political conflicts determine who our friends and enemies are worldwide. The true value of our old friendship treaty seems to have been forgotten The Cayuga Longhouse While driving to the Cayuga Longhouse, Ken and I elaborate on the subject. All tribes of the confederation also go by the name of People of the Longhouse as all of them have longhouses. Irreverently put, they are community buildings derived from the original housing of the Haudenosaunee. Members still gather in longhouses for special meetings, traditional ceremonies and socalled socials. Slowly I go quiet. My eyes wonder off to no-man s land and I think back on the New York Times article of 1893 I read on the plane. It was on a delegation of white people invited to visit a longhouse in the Six Nations reserve in good faith some hundred years ago. After the visit, several holy artifacts were missing. The Council of Chiefs then decided resolutely that from that moment on, no non-iroquois would be permitted entrance to longhouses. Ken opens the eastern door of 5

6 the Cayuga longhouse and beckons me in. Hesitantly I shuffle through the doorway of the old wooden building that is impressive in its simplicity. I wonder if he knows the newspaper article as well. My breath is high as I take in the cool smell of the space, two wood-burning stoves standing across from each other in the center. I smell the scent of wood fire, and that of air that is pleasantly stale. Almost embarrassed I realize that I am given the chance to connect with something very elementary: here resides the pure soul of an ancient nation. I hear the voices of the ancestors and feel the power and the magic of the grand ceremonial turtle rattles, deer antlers and head dresses with beautiful eagles feathers decorating the walls. Together they form a timeless unity. I wonder if there might be a deeper message hidden in the fact that I am given the opportunity to be here. Surrounded by this intangible atmosphere, words come to mind Mohawk-grandmother Sarah once said to with respect to individual differences. Friendships of this caliber serve the bigger picture as all is connected. We are there for each other in case of need. And need there is, these days. We are lost and need each other to find direction. Wow, I feel how the spirit of the longhouse bring life to these words. A form of communication that varies and plays with time. True friendship takes guts More concretely? Anyone lucky enough to know true friendship, knows being a friend takes guts. Its very essence is growing towards each other, onto each other. At best we may learn from a spiritually developed, cultural people, with an exceptionally precious, rich and inspiring heritance. We may learn from them on the many secrets nature and the spiritual world contain, and that we know so little about. Magnificent teachings like the one of the me, seated at her kitchen table during a visit to Six Nations. Seven generations ago, our ancestors prayed for human beings living in these current times. They did tobacco offerings for them as they knew Planet Earth and its inhabitants were to face challenging times. They knew, just as we knew about the arrival of Columbus through our dreams. Grandmother might know. For years she traveled the world with Sun Bear, Black Elk, Grandmother Twylah, Grandfather Tlakaelel and many, many other key figures. People rich in matter are spiritually poor, grandmother proceeds. In being the way they are, they obtained powerful positions and now misgovern the world. Grandmother pours some more tea. The value of friendship sealed by the Two Row is eternal also the one between our people and the Dutch. Originally, its purpose was to exchange the best of both to feed the friendship, Tree of Peace or the Big Law on Peace, upon which the Haudenosaunee base their world of thought, contain universal values and may serve as a great stimulus for many a civilization. And vice versa? Firstly, why don t we, Dutch people, begin by publicly and internationally acknowledging the Iroquois as our comrades and allies, on the basis of a century old treaty. Does the lowest country in the world dare speak up for a blessed people with a golden heart? Admitting to the fact that we do not shun to broaden our spiritual horizon, shows guts. Openly admitting to the fact that we doubt maintaining international relationships solely based on the fact that they serve EU interests, shows courage as well. After all, these relationships don t bring the peace we so long for, but rather force us to continue playing Monopoly. 6

7 And secondly, within this very international community, the Iroquois deserve some upgrading. What the Iroquois really draw attention to, evokes matters other parties would rather not discuss: sensitive matters dealing with not observing many treaties. No, theirs is a position far from ideal and the fifty chiefs are drowning in bureaucracy forced upon them. Acquiring full status in national policy, defending land rights (although their reservations are reduced to the size of stamps on the map), passport issues (embarrassingly enough, a Haudenosaunee passport is not considered a valid travel document internationally), retaining people s spiritual morale (which took a terrible knock in recent years) all these are everyday issues. Tax benefits for fuel and tobacco, in the meantime, are meant to palm people off and distract the attention from real focus points. The Dutch longhouse During the summer of 2006, after sharing a sweat hut ceremony in the Netherlands, a Mohawk architect, a Cayuga faith keeper and a Seneca grandmother had a vision, together with some Dutch people. What they saw, was an Iroquoian longhouse built in the Netherlands, with architectural characteristics from both cultures. By now this vision has been translated into a plan that is becoming more and more concrete. During various visits to the Haudenosaunee, the initiative was received with curiosity and interest by several chiefs and official representatives. This strengthens our faith in a Dutch Langhuis, serving as a spiritual embassy and a new start for a friendship grown wiser through four centuries of experience. The longhouse would represent an ancient treaty we almost forgot about. Within the vision of a new era, encounters, activities and exchanges with the Haudenosaunee might be organized for the young and the old. A Dutch-Iroquoian longhouse in which nothing is forced upon people and in which we may re-live and celebrate the joy of a vintage friendship, with a knowing wink to our ancestors. In this new definition of the Two Row, in which resonate the original values and which reflects the dawn of a new era, we find the key at last. A key to open the bolt in which the light is on the true meaning of friendship. The power that is released in this, may work miracles and of these we could use a few these days. At the same time we herewith give a message to the many similar bonds existing between indigenous tribes and modern nations worldwide. Darwin s survival of the fittest is often interpreted wrongly. Not the strongest people survive, but the ones best able to cooperate in changing living conditions. Within this concept spiritual attunement is necessary, which is exactly what indigenous peoples teach us. The crucial question is: what is the value of four hundred years of friendship between the Dutch and the Haudenosaunee? The answer lies within the Two Row Wampum and is revealed on all car plates in Ontario, Canada, the original habitat of the Iroquois: yours to discover. By Maarten Oversier, Editor: Brenda van Dijk, Thanks to Leo van de Vlist, director of NCIV, Centre For Indigenous Peoples in the Netherlands. Maarten Oversier is reincarnation therapist, and has a practice in Roden. His website is: 7

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