The Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, or the Haudensosaunee as they like to call themselves, are one of the original founders of democracy in America. This Native American confederation originated long before any European settlers laid claims to any of the lands of North America. Their first democracy helped America's founding fathers lay the groundwork for the American Constitution, and in spite of everything the white men tried to do to destroy the Native American civilizations during the birth and growth of America, the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy has survived. Their way of governing is still in use hundreds of years later. .
Haudenosaunee (ho dee noe sho nee) is a Native American word meaning "People Building a Long House" (ratical.org), and it is the name the Native Americans, who are commonly referred to as the Iroquois, use. Iroquois is a French version of a Huron Indian's name, and it was applied to all of the other Indians in that region. Iroquois was considered a derogatory term by the Native Americans since it means "black snakes" (sixnations.buffnet.net). .
According to www.tolatsga.org, "Archeological evidence indicates the Iroquois had lived in upstate New York for a long time before the Europeans arrived. Longhouse construction dates to at least 1100 A.D." This confirms the presence of the Haudenosaunee nearly four hundred years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. However, the exact date of the establishment of the Confederacy is not known. Estimates range between 900 A.D. and 1570 A.D., but the latter is the most commonly recognized in history as the beginning of the Five Nations. .
There is no confusion as to what led to the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Native Americans were constantly at war with others as well as with each another. If they did not alter their course, self-destruction would be imminent. A prophetic Huron Indian named Deganawida, and called the Peacemaker, received a vision from the Creator.