Do Now Get your Lit book from the back of the room Take out your notebook for Lit class

Do Now  In the past, when stories were passed down by oral tradition, what qualities were necessary for the speaker to have to keep the audience entertained?  Who is responsible in your family for passing down the family’s stories, and what is one of your favorite stories?

Iroquois Constitution

During the 14 th Century, an Iroquoian mystic and prophet named Dekanawidah traveled from village to village urging the Iroquois to band together and stop fighting. His efforts led to the formation of the Iroquois Federation of the Five Nations, a league of five Iroquois tribes:

Iroquois Constitution 5 tribes: Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, and Onondaga. These tribes were democratic. They still exist today as self-governing bodies.

Iroquois Constitution – Oral Tradition In cultures without a written language, the oral tradition captures a group’s ideals. Stories, poems, and songs convey a people’s values by word of mouth.

Iroquois Constitution As you read, note what the culture values, fears or determines to be important enough to pass down to its next generation. Literature mirrors the culture that produces it. As you read, recognize cultural details by noticing references to objects, animals, or practices that signal how the people of a culture live, think or worship.

Iroquois Constitution: Guided reading Question How would this visual description on page 24 help the oral transmission of this constitution? ◦ Use textual evidence for your support. ◦ Why does the use of the visual detail you listed from the text help the oral relay of the story?

Guiding Reading Questions The details also help the speaker remember the story? Which details would help the speaker remember the text? On page 25, what does the speaker say is the nature of the Great White Roots? ◦ Use textual support for your answer

Guiding Questions Look at the picture, what cultural values are conveyed in the picture? How are these traits related to the values and ideas set forth in the Iroquois Constitution? ◦ Use textual support for your answer At the top of page 26, what can you learn about the Iroquois culture from the items mentioned here? ◦ Use textual support for your answer

Answer each of the following questions using textual evidence as support for your response. 1. What do the lords plant to commemorate their meeting? 2. What do the roots of the plants symbolize? 3. According to the constitution, what must confederate lords do to open a council meeting?

Answer each of the following questions using textual evidence as support for your response. 4. What does this decree suggest about the Iroquois?

Answer each of the following questions using textual evidence as support for your response. 5. What three images from nature does Dekanawidah use in the Constitution? 6. What do these references tell you about the Iroquois? 7. Summarize the qualities and conduct required of council lords by the Iroquois Constitution.

Answer each of the following questions using textual evidence as support for your response. 8. How well do these qualities apply to leaders in the modern world? Give specific examples from today.