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White Roots of Peace: The Iroquois Book of Life

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WHITE ROOTS OF PEACE
Iroquois Book of Life
trade paper ISBN: 0940666367
Written by Paul Wallace,
Foreword by Chief Leon Shenandoah;
Epilogue by John Mohawk;
Illustrated by John Kahionhes Fadden

22 illustrations,
156 pages,
5" x 7-1/2"
publisher: clearlightbooks.com

A faithful retelling of the epic story of Deganawidah,
the Peacemaker.
This work describes the vision and courageous efforts
leading to the creation of a political system
that provided a blueprint for the transformation of
the Thirteen Colonies into the United States of America.
A great political philosopher as well as an enlightened
spiritual master, Deganawidah created a lasting peace
based on principles of rationality and on reverence
for the Creator.
Wallace's book is the richest and most authoritative source of
the teachings of the Iroquois spiritual and political tradition,
which has preserved an unbroken lineage since the fifteenth
century (the 1400's).

All those who value Native American spirituality will welcome
this chance to encounter the living tradition of Deganawidah,
the charismatic Peacemaker, whose vision and tireless efforts
enabled the Six Nations to unite and live together in harmony.
For the modern reader this book is a source of both spiritual
guidance and political wisdom. As political philosopher and
enlightened spiritual master, Deganawidah has bequeathed
a model for peace and spiritual harmony that is especially
relevant in today's chaotic world.

EXCERPTS:

Peace was not, as they conceived it, a negative thing, the
mere absence of war or an interval between wars, to be
recognized only as the stepchild of the law;
To the Iroquois, peace was the law.
Peace (the Law) was righteousness in action,
the practice of justice between individuals and nations.

The words of the Peacemaker:
The land shall be beautiful,
the river shall have no more waves,
one may go everywhere without fear.
(from the Introduction by Chief Leon Shenandoah--Tadodaho)

Additional reading on Peace as a reflection of divine order
can be had by reading the following humble 32-page booklet
ISBN: 0895552175 (put the 10 digits in amazon.com Search).
Another source (online, for free) can be found by entering
fatima.org/essentials/requests/plan.asp and scrolling down
fatimacrusader.com/crrosnov/toccrrosnov.asp to see the List.

In anticipation of military conscription (the draft) in USA,
one could do well to PREPARE notarized statements about CO:
objector.org/coclaim.html An ounce of prevention is worth...

This is an interesting book from a historical perspective, but the prose is quite stilted and, unfortunately, pretty boring. It seems that Wallace wanted so much to turn this into a Native American Jesus story (Deganawidah is born of a virgin mother, and he spreads the "Good News" of peace, for example) that he's adopted the stilted and outdated language of the Bible, leading to a pretty tedious read. An example:

"Now it shall come to pass in that Longhouse," said Deganawidah, "that the women shall possess the titles of chiefship. They shall name the chiefs. That is because thou, my Mother, wert the first to accept the Good News of Peace and Power. Henceforth thou shalt be called Jigonhsasee, New Face, for thy countenance evinces the New Mind, and thou shalt be known as the Mother of Nations."

And it goes on that way. . . it's not at all a fun or interesting read because of Wallace's choice of language, and I definitely would recommend it only to someone who's willing to wade through weak prose to get a fairly interesting story. I made it about halfway before I had to give up. The two stars are for the story; for the prose, I'd give minus one star.

I would definitely recommend this creative non-fiction book to anybody that is interested in the history of the Haudenosaunee people or the history of the northeastern part of what is now the United States. I also think that this text is highly educational and should/could be taught in secondary education classrooms as part of the history/origins of the U.S. government. In my experience, aristocratic white men are given all the credit for how the U.S. government works and I think all students should at least have the basic knowledge of the true nature of the U.S. as a whole. While the language may seem archaic to some, I think it adds character to the book and draws the reader into the text more. This book is enlightening, inspiring, and not too difficult to read and digest. I believe I am now a better person for having read it.