Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Federal Elements in the Constitution of the Iroquois League This article analyzes the constitutional structure of the Iroquois League (Haudenosaunee) with particular emphasis on the elements of federalism present in the Great Law of Peace (Gayanashagowa). The Iroquois League, formed by five nations of Native Americans, established a unique political system based on consensus, matrilineal inheritance, and a complex clan structure. The author examines the competencies of the Great Council, the system of representation, and the method of decision-making to assess whether the League should be considered a confederation, a federation, or an example of integral federalism. Special attention is paid to the mechanisms that ensured balance among member nations and to the limitations of individual autonomy within a culturally unified but politically diversified structure. The findings suggest that the League combined features of both confederal and federal systems but also developed distinct traits of integral federalism through its sociopolitical cohesion and shared identity.
Source: Przegląd Prawa Konstytucyjnego
Authors: Grzegorz Bonusiak, Andrzej Bonusiak
Institution: University of Rzeszów
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4414669298
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