Great Law Of Haudenosaunee Summary

GEO 2411 – FINAL EXAM Aidan Cowell-Miller 1. The Great Law of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) states: "In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine." Provide an interpretation of this statement and offer an example to illustrate what this statement might mean to people in your discipline (e.g., Kinesiology, Business, GIS). The Great Law of the Iroquois verbally manifests cyclical thinking as it represents a core component of Indigenous Knowledge (IK). The Law’s specification of the “seventh generation” conveys the long-standing impact of one’s actions today on future communities. This perspective recognizes that the cyclical behaviour of the world

Their ways of knowing are shaped by their traditional territory and thus are their food supply, medicinal knowledge and spiritual well-being. When forcibly relocated from their land, like the Hebronimiut families in 1959, they are often unable to practice traditional means of food gathering and hunting, are excluded by the new societies and face severe psychological deterioration, otherwise known as culture stress. Without proper support, these sentiments manifest as internalized racism, with Indigenous folk blaming themselves for their health challenges. Similarly, urbanized Indigenous folk have trouble accessing higher income jobs and are forced to live off of cheap, unhealthy and/or unsafe foods. These sources of nourishment have negative physical effects and hamper Indigenous people’s psyches as they are stuck in a cycle of displacement without support in new environments. These kinds of indirect dispossession have lasting effects through intergenerational trauma as their ramifications are never addressed and colonial powers provide no aide to the populations they attempt to

Comparatively, IK systems teach balance between humans, one another, and the environment. Known as reciprocity, IK emphasizes the value of maintaining strong relationships as we exist only in the context of our connections with each other and the Earth. Now, this mutual respect for the land is most exemplified in IK by principles of minimal waste and sustainability. For example, kaitiakitanga is central to Maori IK systems as practices for being stewards of the land. They teach that you must only take what you need and use it in full, and for what you take you must give back. In industrial society, there is a growing trend towards sustainability, but many countries and multinational organizations continue to neglect the Earth. To ensure a prosperous future for all, elements of IK can and should be integrated into modern economies, co-existing with industrial thinking. This can lead to advancements in healthcare, trade, and infrastructure development while healing the Earth rather than hurting it. It can be challenging for some to recognize the value of IK as Western societies have ignored it as savage or