Mohawk Nation Sub-Chief Jake Swamp: The Sacredness of Feathers

Featuring Former Sub-Chief of the Kanienkehaka (People of the Flint) Mohawk Nation Jake Swamp of the Iroquois Confederacy on the sacredness of feathers in Native American culture. Swamp, who Founded the Tree of Peace Society in 1984, travels around the world planting Trees of Peace. He often tells the story of the legendary Iroquois "Peacemaker" who was sent by the Great Spirit to deliver peace to the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the"Haudenosaunee" or "People of the Longhouse." The five tribes, also known as the "Iroquois League" include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Cayuga nations. After the Tuscorora nation joined the Iroquois League in 1722, the association of Tribes became known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Listen to Swamp tell about the sacredness of feathers to First Nations peoples, specifically, the eagle feather— because the eagle flies highest—closest to "The Creator."

LINKS

Tree of Peace Society
http://www.treeofpeace.info

The Feather Project
http://www.featherproject.org

Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values
http://www.soetendorpinstitute.org

Earth Charter Initiative
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org