Emergence of the Chief

The Emergence Of The Chief honors the Iroquois Confederacy and specifically the Mohawk peoples of North America. In matriarchal societies, the women of the nation or the clajn mothers, have the power to elect or impeach the Mohawk chief. The head chief speaks as a representative of the nation and is said to hold the responsibility of the position, not the power over the confederacy. This newly appointed Mohawk chief wears the gus-to-weh feathered headdress and holds a carved, wooden condolence cane designating him as the head chief of the Mohawk Nation. A condolence cane is used as an aid to memory, or mnemonic device, in the ritual recollection of the names of the preceding chiefs and their grouping by Nation.

His white linen shirt is typical of the colonial period circa 1830-1850. The elaborate raised beading designs typical of the Eastern Woodlands nations are depicted on his shirt cuffs, breechcloth, moccasins, and tobacco pouch. His leggings are beaded with the delicate 'pierce-work' beading, which resembles a blanket stitch, symbolic of the men protecting their village. The beaded pectoral yoke signifies his turtle clan association. The clan mother's elaborately beaded headpiece, moccasins, yoke and leggings are appropriate to her position as clan mother. With her left hand on the shoulder of the seated chief, she presents him with a Two Row Wampum Belt. The two dark rows of the belt represent the canoe and the sailing ship, a metaphor for the relationship between the European settlers and the First Nation peoples. The belt tells the story of how the two peoples sail the same waters and exist in harmony; they never interfere with each other and will always treat each other with respect.

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