The Iroquois nations of North America had historically established an alliance known as "The League of six Iroquois Nations consisting of Tuscarora, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk. This League was born around the 12^th century in order to put an end to confrontations and wars between different nations of the Iroquois family. Since the beginning, the spirit of this league was based on Kayanerekowa which means "Great Peace".

According to the legend, a Messenger who was Huron and not an Iroquois, came to lead these people towards the path of the Great Peace. His first message was:

I am planting the Tree of Peace – a big fir tree - and I am burying all the weapons of war under it.

All individuals and nations are welcome to take shelter under its branches. These branches are

growing constantly and the whites roots are stretching towards all the four corners of the world.

This Great Peace is not seen as a human endeavour but as an expression of the "Voice of the Great Splendour" which takes the form of the Messenger’s words also called the Great Pacifier.

The members of this League are committed to live in peace and harmony with nations whether they are Iroquois, aboriginal or others.

In this League, each nation preserves its language, customs and specific culture but the nations form one body, spirit and heart that is brought together in a flexible confederation. Each nation maintains its independence but is united with the others not by relationship of power or ownership but by a kind of family link. The Great Council of the League, formed by 50 Rotanier ("appointed good men" in Iroquois languages) intervenes in the internal affairs of a nation only if the Rotanier of that particular nation asks for it. The Rotanier of each nation is nominated and introduced by the clan mothers of each nation and the entire League.

A number of symbols are constantly used in the Great Law of Peace to make it more visible: the Chain of inter-linked arms prevents the Tree of Peace from falling; five arrows tied together make them unbreakable; the Tree of Peace with the watchful eagle on top and war weapons under it; various Wampums (belts or other objects made with sea shells) symbolising important and often permanent alliances.

This League has established alliances since a long time with other nations, aboriginal and even European nations in a spirit of fraternity. A mohawk word Tehonatenentshawa:kon, a "chain of inter-linked arms " expresses this spirit.

The alliances with other aboriginal nations were always that of communal reciprocity and extended family. Through these alliances different nations made a commitment to share hunting territories, knowledge about the territory, animal furs... There could also be non-aggression pacts symbolised by burying weapons of war, mutual assistance, either to defend oneself from enemies, or to establish trade links.

The alliances with European nations which came to Turtle Island (North America) from XVI century onwards were established by recognising the uniqueness of each of the cultures concerned. The will to accept and respect the differences between them was clearly established. These alliances were based on a two way treaty, that the Iroquois call Kashwen: ta or Guswenta.

The Iroquois have often explained their relationship with European peoples as follows: we can navigate together but not in the same boat; each can follow his own way in a dinghy or a boat in the same river. Here, it is a matter of radical pluralism; concern about the other’s identity leads to respect and tolerance rather than an effort to change or convert the other.

But the Europeans didn’t understand these alliances in the same manner as the Iroquois. While the latter saw them as a parental alliance between brothers and sisters in order to protect peace, the former saw them as a feudal alliance with friendship between "subjects and allies".

Later on, once the Europeans became stronger than the Iroquois, it is this interpretation that led to a will to conquer these nations with total disregard to the established alliances, which are nevertheless still valid for the Iroquois people.

To conclude, it is important to remember that the League of six Iroquois nations should be interpreted as an intercultural alliance, due to two extremely important elements:

• It is not created by human beings, but relies on the framework provided by Nature – the Great Splendour – over and above each nation.

• It is linked by relationship of parental and communal reciprocity, which may comprise of different functions, but never with the spirit of domination.

This makes us think about the basic conditions necessary to establish, what we call an intercultural dialogue: the need to have a horizon that goes beyond all the actors and also the acceptance of the incommensurability of each actor.

* Robert Vachon is the research director in the Intercultural Institute of Montreal

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