Haudenosaunee designs have featured recurring designs for centuries;
these symbols have been passed on through generations, and have deep
cultural significance.
They can also tell us a great deal about the people of this tribe, and what they believed in. In the West, we might be more likely to associate picture symbols with road signs, or playing cards used in games of poker. However, for the Haudenosaunee, many symbols bare a much deeper meaning. Examples of some such symbols are listed below
The Tree of Peace is a tall white pine that has been planted by
the Onondaga, representing the
great binding law, or Gayanahsagowa, which unified the five
Nations.
The cardinal points for north, south, east, and west are represented
by four white roots growing from the Tree of Peace. The
number four has great significance in Haudenosaunee lore, also
representing the four beings who help the Creator, and the four winds
that blow.
An eagle sits atop the tree of peace, watching over the five
Nations, ready to cry out at the first sign of approaching danger.
The eagle is considered to be a messenger sent by the Creator.
The next symbol is that of a circle, representing unity and the
cycle of life. According to Haudenosaunee lore, the Peace Maker
made the Iroquois chiefs gather around the Tree of Peace, forming a
circle by holding hands in order to keep the peace.
The next symbol is a bundle of five arrows, each representing
one of the five founding tribes of the Iroquois League. The
Peace Maker demonstrated that one arrow could easily be broken, while
a bundle five would remain strong.
All life is believed to have come from the Sky World, which is
represented as a dome, or arch.
In addition to the Tree of Peace, the Haudenosaunee often make
references to the Celestial Tree, from which all lights in the
Sky World originate.
The Earth itself is represented by Turtle Island a giant turtle
whose carapace features thirteen plates, each of which represent one
of thirteen moons that make up an entire year. North-America
(Mother Earth) is often represented as a turtle.
The dark side of Haudenosaunee lore is known as The Underworld,
and it is represented by (amongst other things) snakes, and a horned
panther with a long serpentine tail which lives underwater in eth
great lakes.
