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The Role of the Iroquois Chiefs?
The common name of the male leaders of the clans that serve as representatives
of the clan in council is referred to as "chief" in english, but this term
does not say enough. The Haudenosaunee call the male leaders "Hoyaneh,"
meaning "Caretakers of the Peace." Each nation has a different number of
Chiefs, but all of the Hoyaneh have the same power and authority. The chief
is the "voice" of the family clan. Some clans have more than one chief.
There is no "head" chief. They were also called "sachems" in some documents.
There are other traditional leaders, appointed because of their special
skills and are referred to as "Pine Tree Chiefs." Each chief would also
have a sub-chief to help him with his duties. The chief's title's rest within
the clan and the Clan Mother can remove a delinquent Chief from his position
as a fail safe mechanism, but generally a Chief is installed for life. In looking for man to become the chief of the clan, a Clan Mother would look for some one who could be trusted to look after the welfare of the people. It is said that the Chief holds the law, the people and the religion in the palm of their hand. It is a sacred trust and duty to assure the safety of all of that for the generations to come. The following qualities would be make a man a good candidate to become a chief:
Pleasant personality
Honest
Not committed any crimes
Must have ability to reason, not acting foolishly
Knowledge of what the Confederacy laws represent
Knowledge of the ceremonies
Must have never left his family
Must be able to uphold the Great Law
Must be able to represent the people fairly
Must be kind hearted
Must be able to withstand criticism