Welcome to Our Next Book!

Greetings! We are now writing our next book, with the working title of "The Beauty Path:Encouragement & Guidance for the Peacemakers." The book is a combination of Native American wisdom and prophesy, our personal journey through Jamaica and the Hopi and Havasupai Tribes in Arizona and lessons we have learned along the way. It is based on the concept of healing nations by individuals healing themselves. It will examine the issues, situations and forces that are involved when we, as Peacemakers, encourage others to join us and heal their lives, their families and their societies through love and forgiveness. Every few weeks we'll send out a chapter. The first is below. Please feel free to email us back any thoughts, suggestions, etc. as you read the book. All your input will be read and considered. It may be the first book written interactively between authors and readers.

Note: Artwork below is by Marcine Quenzer. Prints are available at www.marcinequenzer.com. Photos are by Roy Sweetland of Kingston, Jamaica.

"Creation Story" by Marcine Quenzer

The First Democracy-The Iroquois Confederacy

For the last three years, our family has organized and sponsored over fifty One Love Concerts throughout the island of Jamaica and seven on the Hopi and Havasupai Indian Reservations. Our role in this, as outsiders bringing a message of love, is not by chance. It is based on a pattern and an archetype of a Native American tribal healing that occurred over 600 years ago (some believe thousands of years ago). This healing has advanced human freedom worldwide. We were not aware of this connection until several months ago.

Let me begin with a true but little known historical fact. Democracy did not begin on this earth with a few transplanted English in 13 American colonies as is generally believed. When the first colonist arrived, there was already a centuries-old Native American democracy in place called the Iroquois Confederacy or the League of the Iroquois. It consisted of five Iroquois Indian tribes (the Seneca, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Mohawk and the Cayuga) in the New England and southeastern Canadian territory (their Indian name is "Haudenosaunee" or "People of the Long House"). The Tuscarora was the sixth tribe that joined the confederacy later.

This democracy, which served as the pattern for the U.S. democracy, was complete with a constitution, a legislature and an executive body. It had been in place for generations when the original colonist landed. In fact Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, two of the key founders of the "second democracy" studied the Iroquois Confederacy's political system. On June 11, 1776 the Iroquois "forest diplomats" attended a Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Congress President John Hancock welcomed them as "brothers," recognizing the long and friendly dialogue between colonials and Iroquois on freedom, law, democracy, and government. For decades Iroquois had counseled colonists in the Art of Union, urging them to unite. Three weeks later, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and a new democracy was born. Many of the principles developed in the Iroquois Confederacy were later adopted and integrated into the Constitution of the United States of America. President Kennedy wrote in 1960, "The League of the Iroquois inspired Benjamin Franklin to copy it in planning the federation of States." Over time, the Iroquois democratic history and their help in forming the American democracy was intentionally deleted from history books. It is after all difficult to acknowledge and honor a race of people you have referred to as "ignorant savages" and systematically annihilated.

"The Peacemaker's Arrival" by Marcine Quenzer

The Deganawidah Epic

Before this union the tribes had warred against each other with the most brutal cycle of blood revenge, torture, even cannibalism, ever recorded in Native American history, a history that was not known for its brutality or viciousness and where touching the enemy was considered more honorable than killing them. Almost every tribal member had lost a loved one in a war to a neighboring tribe. When the members of the Iroquois Confederacy were asked how their union came to be after centuries of vicious conflict, all tribes told the same story, with only slight variations.

They told of a Huron Indian brave (the Hurons were not one of the five tribes) named Deganawidah (also called "the Peacemaker"). It was told that he was born of virgin birth and he had a vision of all tribes living in peace--a vision he said was given to him by the Creator, the "Great Spirit." He was raised tribeless in the wilderness by his mother and grandmother who raised him with gentleness and love and a sense of destiny. At a young age, he told them that one day he would leave and bring peace to the five warring tribes. He called this the "Great Law of Peace." His message had three parts: Peace, Power and Righteousness. Peace means the people can travel anywhere without fear of being killed as they no longer know war. Power means the Power of the Good Mind when all the people think the same way without arguments or throwing ashes on one another. Righteousness means justice practiced between men and between nations; it also means a desire to see righteousness prevail.

However, Deganawidah understood the difficulty of an outsider trying to bring peace to the tribes plus he had a speech impediment, a stutter, that made his mission even more challenging. He knew he could bring the message but only the tribes themselves could create the peace. When he grew to manhood, Deganawidah left his forest home and, in a white stone canoe, he rowed across Lake Ontario to seek out the tribes.

"Jikonshaseh:Great Peace Woman" by Marcine Quenzer

Deganawidah Meets the Mother of Nations

The first person he encountered who accepted the "Great Law of Peace" was a woman, Jikonsahseh, a wise and peaceful woman who lived in a neutral village and who traded provisions to warriors from all tribes. However, her fascination with the warriors tales of fighting only encouraged them to continue. He told her, "Because you are the first to accept the Great Law you shall be called "Great Peace Woman, Mother of Nations." When the peace comes, you--the women of the tribes called "Clan Mothers"--will choose and remove the chiefs. Their titles will always belong to the women of the tribes. Women know the hearts of men better than men. Women are the connection to the earth. They create and have the responsibility for the future of the nation. Men will want to fight. Women will now say "yes" or "no" to war. Men, whose nature it is to be warriors, may not always see clearly the path of Peace but a woman who knows that she must bury her loved ones, the children she has suckled, she would see and know if the fight would be worth its cost in life and death. Women know the true price of war and must encourage the chiefs to seek a peaceful resolution."

Deganawidah also decreed that the women would own the property. Again there is great wisdom in this. The woman raised the children. A need for a home and means to provide for the children was of utmost importance. Men could always fend for themselves but for a woman with little ones to tend for, time would be limited for replacing items needed. Also, the children would belong to the lineage of the woman so that every child would have a family to nurture them even if the father left or died in battle.

Jikonsahseh immediately set about teaching all that came her way, especially the young warriors, the Good Message. Men sought her wise counsel in hours of doubt and danger. People came with hate in their hearts and went away with love for each other, such was her ability and her love for the people. Her great "stateswomanship" was instrumental in the tribes accepting the Great Law of Peace.

"Hiawatha's Condolence" by Marcine Quenzer

The Transformation of Hiawatha

Deganawidah then went in search of others to help him spread the Great Law to the tribes. Soon he came to an vacant round house owned by Hiawatha, a former Onondaga adopted by the Mohawks. Hiawatha was a chief and a powerful orator. Hiawatha's tribe had been at war for years. In his pain, Hiawatha himself had descended into hatred and cannibalism. Deganawidah climbed on top of Hiawatha's home. Soon Hiawatha returned dragging the body of a slain warrior. As Hiawatha threw it into the kettle to cook, he looked in the kettle water and saw the reflection of Deganawidah, who was looking through the smoke hole above. The image was full of love and kindness. Hiawatha, believing the reflection to be of his own face, instantly remembered that he was sent by the Great Spirit to be a man of love, not a man of hatred and violence.

Realizing this and how far he had gone astray, Hiawatha went outside and sat on a rock and wept. Deganawidah climbed down and went to console him. Not mentioning it was his face Hiawatha had seen in the water, Deganawidah asked why Hiawatha was crying.

"Instead of a man of peace and love," Hiawatha said, "I have become a man of violence and revenge. I have killed and hurt many people. It was not the path I was to take. Because of my deeds, I will never know peace again."
"Be consoled," Deganawidah said. "You can be at peace again. Where you have brought pain you must now bring healing. Where you have done harm you must now do even greater good. Hiawatha, I have brought the good tidings of Peace and Power from the Great Spirit to all people on earth. The word that I bring is that all peoples shall love one another and live together in peace. Bloodshed must cease in the land. The Great Spirit never intended that blood should flow between human beings. You must join me to bring the Great Law of Peace to the tribes. I am an outsider and do not speak the language of the tribes. I have a speech defect and you are an eloquent speaker and a chief of one of the tribes. We must tell them to stop telling the old stories or war will never end. But because I am tribeless, we can council with all the tribes. Together we must go to all the tribes and reason with them about the path of love, forgiveness, generosity and cooperation."

Hiawatha forgave himself and joined Deganwidah in his vision. By doing this, he taught us a great lesson--we must forgive ourselves as we move to forgive others.

Before leaving to bring peace to the tribes, Deganawidah instructed Hiawatha to fetch water to prepare a meal. "Dip with the current," he told Hiawatha. "One must never go against the forces of nature." By instructed him so, Deganwidah was telling Hiawatha they could not be succesful by angrily telling the chiefs what they had done wrong in the past. they must only encourage them to do in the present and in the future. Otherwise, they would only encounter denial and resentment and would therefore be "going against the forces of nature."

"Healing of Adodarhohn" by Marcine Quenzer

The Iroquois Confederacy is Created

Over several years, Deganawidah and Hiawatha set out to meet with the many chiefs, called "sachems," of the war-worn tribes. They approached each village singing the "Peace Song" that opened the hearts of the tribal members and made them receptive to the message of love. In each village they explained the Great Law of Peace, reminding the people it was the will of the Great Spirit. They explained that to bring the Great Law you must have "seven layers of skin" as many would criticize their efforts. As they reasoned with the leaders together at "Grand Councils," more and more leaders agreed to follow this path if their neighboring tribes would also.

However, every time they approached Tadodaho (also called "Adodarhohn," which means "entangled"), a vicious leader of the Onondagas, he would let out a blood curdling scream of "Asonkeneeeh?!" "Is it not yet?!" Tadodaho was a violent man who was horrible to look at, with hair like snakes and seven kinks in his body. He viewed their peacemaking efforts with contempt. However, Deganawidah taught that if evil people were reformed they would make good leaders and that his mission on Earth was to reform them. During this time, Hiawatha's three daughters died from an illness thought to be inflicted by the Tadodaho's sorcery. Soon his wife died as well.

"I shall be unable to perform the work of the Good Mind," Hiawatha told Deganawidah, "because of this awful thing that has befallen me."
Deganawidah then taught Hiawatha the "Condolence Ceremony," still used to this day by the Iroquois.
"I wipe away the tears from thy face," Deganawidah told him, "using the white fawn skin of pity...I make it daylight for you...I beautify the sky. Now you shall do your thinking in peace when your eyes rest on the sky, which the Master of All Things intended to be a source of happiness to man."

Soon peace and prosperity reigned throughout the territories of the all the tribes except Tadodaho's. Once again, Deganawidah and Hiawatha approached his village hearing the anguished cry of "Asonkeneeeh?!" "Is it not yet?!" For Hiawatha, having to confront the man who had personally killed his family, it was truly an exercise in forgiveness but the Condolence Ceremony had brought peace to his heart.

"Tadodaho," Hiawatha said, "You keeping asking 'Is it not yet? When will the Peace come?' Every human longs for peace and love. Peace will be when you accept it in your heart. All the other chiefs and tribes have accepted the Great Law of Peace. They now live in peace with one another. Only you are still fighting."

When he heard this, the Tadodaho accepted the law and brought peace to the Onondagas and the entire Iroquois Confederacy. However, first he had his body and mind healed. Deganawidah sang the "Peace Song" himself and then Jikonsahseh combed the writhing snakes from the Tadodaho's hair. Hiawatha (which means "He who combs") had completed his toughest assignment--he had forgiven the man who was responsible for the deaths of his wife and daughters.

"The Great Council" by Marcine Quenzer

The Iroquois Legacy

Deganawidah now called a meeting of all the chiefs who had accepted the Great Law of Peace. "Now we are One People. In truth, Reason brings Righteousness and Reason is a power that works among all minds alike. When once Reason is established, all the minds of all mankind will be in a state of Health and Peace. It will be as if there were a single person."
I charge you never to disagree seriously among yourselves," he instructed them. "If you do, you might cause the loss of any rights of your grandchildren, or reduce them to poverty and shame. Your skin must be seven hands thick to stand for what is right in your heart. Exercise great patience and goodwill toward each other in your deliberations. Never, never disgrace yourselves by becoming angry. Let the good Tidings of Peace and Power and Righteousness be your guide in all your Council Fires. Cultivate good feelings of friendship, love, and honor for each other always. With endless patience you shall carry out your duty and your firmness shall be tempered with tenderness for your people. Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground, the unborn of the future Nation."


He explained that violence makes people crazy. When people are brutalized, they become either fearful and withdrawn, or angry and aggressive. Violence breeds more violence. Attempts at revenge and retribution only make matters worse. True peace comes only with social equality. A peace founded on forcibly maintained dominance eventually breeds more violence. Peace can only be maintained indefinitely if everyone has a share in decision making (democracy). He taught them the "Condolence Ceremony" that helped them release their grief and the accompanying desire for revenge. He then dug up a large white pine and instructed the chiefs to throw their weapons into the hole, in essence to "bury the hatchet." Once the Confederacy was completed, Deganawidah left promising to return if needed.

The Iroquois Confederacy, which at its peak spread over 12 states and parts of Canada, is a permanent government, not a loose association of neighboring tribes. It is still alive and vital today. Each nation retains its own council and its decision making of local affairs, but representatives from all tribes, meeting in a "Longhouse," make decisions that concerned the Confederacy. The curb warfare, no warrior was allowed to be a sachem. The women, the "Clan Mothers," choose and remove the chiefs. Anthropologists have observed that no society has ever raised the status of women higher than the Iroquois. Remarkably, the confederation was not to be a limited one. The design was to abolish war altogether. Deganawidah wished the federation to extend until all the tribes of men should be included in it and peace should reign everywhere.

The Iroquois Confederacy began “Pax Iroquoia," a peace among their tribes that lasted for many generations until the coming of the white civilization on their land. The tribes successful efforts, later used as a pattern for the American political system, have served as the basis of all democracies on the planet today, including those in the U.S. and Jamaica. The Iroquois Confederacy is unique in that they still maintain one of the very few traditional governments in North America, free from the oppression of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and from the corruption of tribal elections. Their leaders are still selected according to the oldest constitutional democratic systems.

In many ways, just as the story of Jesus is a guide to personal healing that provides us with all we need to understand to heal ourselves and our personal relationships through love and forgiveness, the Deganawidah epic is the guide to inter-tribal healing. Jesus's life and teachings shows us how to end our personal "wars" with others. In much the same way, the life and teachings of Deganawidah are a guide to healing between warring "tribes." It provides us the necessary guidance to heal our tribes, our countries and societies, with this same love and forgiveness. (However, like the followers of Jesus, the Iroquois spread Deganawidah's gospel through war and conquest, once again reminding us that we are all still striving towards the ideal.)

Our Bob Marley Birthday Concert, 2004 Kingston

Bringing the Great Law to Jamaica in 2004

Our family's work and concerts in Jamaica, aligns with this ancient Native American archetype, though this was not clear to us until recently. Our most recent concert, "Bob Marley/The Legend Lives On," was held on February 6, 2005, Bob Marley's 60th birthday. It was a collaborative effort with the Jamaican government, the Bob Marley Foundation and our family. It was held in downtown Kingston in front of a live audience of thousands with millions more watching or listening at home via TV, radio and the Internet. This concert featured over 30 well-known, conscious One Love speakers and reggae and gospel artists. In the month leading up to the event, this group, which the media referred to as the "One Love Healers," appeared almost daily in the press and on TV and radio. On the day of the concert, Julia and I did a 3-hour radio interview on RJR, the island's largest radio station.

All our concerts are designed to carry forward the Great Law of Peace. Through our media coverage and concerts, this message reached the hearts and minds of almost every Jamaican. We invited each person to claim themselves as a teacher of One Love (unconditional love for all) by loving and forgiving themselves and others as much as they possibly can. We reasoned with them regarding the futility of revenge and retribution--the pain of not forgiving. We invited everyone to heal the small piece of Jamaica that the Creator has assigned them. By doing so, their own life becomes healed. If enough people accept our invitation, a national healing is possible. The timeline is unclear. By some accounts, it took years to bring peace to the Iroquois tribes.

Our Bob Marley Birthday Concert, 2005 Kingston

The most sacred place on Earth is where a past hatred has become a present love

Our family, as people from another tribe, was sent to Jamaica under the "spirit of Deganawidah" bringing once again the Great Law of Peace to a distant people in conflict, warring amongst themselves. As outsiders, like Deganawidah, we will always have a "speech impediment." We do not even speak patois, the grassroots language of the island. Like Deganawidah we are not identified with any single faction of the Jamaican culture which makes it easier for us to bring different groups together (Christians and Rastafarians, gospel and reggae artists, leaders and grassroots, etc.). We could "council with all the tribes." However, again like The Peacemaker, we cannot create the peace. We can only bring the message.

During our time there, we were joined by many others under the "spirit of Deganawidah" (those already teaching love on the island). In time, many others joined us under the "spirit of Hiawatha" (those that had forgotten their God-given destiny but quickly remembered it when they saw love in the face of another). Together, we have asked all those that have done harm, to now go and do greater good. We have explained the senselessness of retelling "the old stories" if we want the war to end. We encouraged everyone to forgive themselves and their enemies as Hiawatha had demonstrated.

Joining us at our concerts were conscious reggae and gospel artists, elder Rastas, media personalities, newspaper columnists, university professors, politicians, business people, government ministers, clergy and the Governor General--all teachers of love, all representing the many "tribes" of Jamaica. Many of these healers spoke or performed at our special "One Love Leadership Concert" in October 2004 for the political, business, civic and religious leaders of Jamaica asking them to lead the people into love. Over 150 "chiefs" attended this "Grand Council."

Everyone joined us not in self-interest but to heal the tribe. All our concerts are free, unsponsored and non-commercial. Artists and speakers appear for free, as a gift of love to their people. Their voices, much more familiar and eloquent that ours, have reached the listening ear of the people.

Photo by Roy Sweetland

The "Clan Mothers" Address the Women of Jamaica

Like Deganawidah and Hiawatha, we come on a musical vibration with "Peace Songs" sung by Bob Marley and the other conscious artists. And as Hiawatha was both Mohawk and Onondaga, Bob, born of a black mother and white father, also represented two tribes. In our message, we never went "against the forces of nature" by making others wrong for their past actions but rather encouraged each person, especially the leaders--the chiefs--to remember that they were sent by God to teach love. We encouraged people to strive for social and economic justice but to do so with love for all as exhibited by Gandhi, Dr. King and Nelson Mandela.

We also asked the "Clan Mothers," a group of well-known and respected Jamaican women from all religions and backgrounds, to create a special invitation to the women of Jamaica to lead the way into healing. This they did to the entire nation in a profound and moving address at Bob's 60th Birthday Concert and in the press before and after the concert. As Deganawidah reasoned with Jikonshaseh about her fascination with war encouraging more conflict, they reminded the women of Jamaica that they "must step up to correct those who are in need of correction" and no longer dutifully wash the blood from their men's clothes.

Alicia & Julia Roskind-photo by Roy Sweetland

Messengers Can be Any Age

As we brought this message forward in Jamaica, we began to develop our "seven layers of skin," as we encountered the occasional and understandable criticism of our message. As Scram, our Rasta friend reminds us, "Is not ev'ry 'eart ready ta cherish dis One Love."

However, in every angry face was the voice of the Tadodaho screaming “When will the pain and suffering of the world end?" Our answer, like Deganawidah's and Hiawatha's, was always, "It will end for you when you personally accept love and forgiveness--the Great Law of Peace."

Dr. Barry Chevannes Adressing the Jamaican Press about the "Violence Free Day"

The Invitation Comes in Many Forms

Throughout history, different societies were chosen to birth advancements in human consciousness. The Iroquois birthed democracy. The English ended slavery. India overthrew oppression without armed resistance. South Africa chose a course of "Truth and Reconciliation" after apartheid was dismantled. The U.S. ended legalized segregation. As each leap forward was made in these societies, enlightened people elsewhere looked to their example and implemented similar changes in their own countries. Looking back, none of these societies looked like they were well-chosen for the task at hand. The Iroquois tribes were at each other throats. The English were making the most money from slavery. The tribes of South Africa were steeped in revenge and retribution. So for Jamaica, with it's high crime rate, to birth a movement of healing internally through individual acts of love and forgiveness, is not as illogical as it might first appear.

Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson, Stephanie Marley, Governor General Sir Howard Cooke, Tourist Minister Aloun Assamba at this year's concert with 15,000 joining them live, millions more on TV, radio and the Internet

"Out of Many, One People"--Jamaica's Motto

Just as the Iroquois Confederacy has been the pattern for democracies worldwide, one society will one day provide a pattern of healing that can be imitated and emulated by societies worldwide. It is the next step in the conscious advancement of human societies. In fact, it may be the final step in a Global Healing. When we will reach this goal is not yet clear. The Iroquois healing has shown us that societies embroiled in violence and revenge can be reasoned into love and peace. However, what is clear is that for each individual accepting our invitation, their life and their world--the piece of the planet that God assigned them--will be healed. We do this by being the reflection of the loving face in the kettle.

Tadodaho Leon Shenandoah by Marcine Quenzer

The Tadodaho-Leon Shenandoah

To this day, the leader of the Iroquois Confederacy is called the "Tadodaho." Leon Shenandoah, the Tadodaho who died in 1996, told us about our Beauty Path. "Everybody is on a path. What you think about the most tells you which path you are on. The best path is the spiritual path. It's the only one that helps you become a Human Being."

Once again like Deganawidah, our family has left Jamaica, promising to return if people feel we are needed.

Give thanks!
Alicia, Julia & Robert Roskind

Bob Marley-A Powerful Tribal Drummer

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