Actor: How does a widowed,  Onandoga, polymath, diplomat Born in the 1400s in America Work to guide his people with the Help of the Peacemaker To a united, amazing government That served as the foundation for the U.S. Constitution?

His name is Hiaaaawatthaa.

His name is Hiaaaawatthaa.

And there's just so many things to talk about.

Just to unite, just unite Hey, whoa, hey... Lee Francis: I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to  interrupt.

You're doing such a great job,   but maybe I can shine a spotlight on the story of how Indigenous people  have been forming governments and building nations for hundreds of years.

And we'll talk  about that today, here on Indigi-Genius.

Actor: Did you say spotlight?

♪ ♪ Not all science takes place in a lab and not all  Indigenous innovation requires a background in S.T.E.M.

Political science is the branch of  knowledge that deals with systems of government.

It is the analysis of political activity and  behavior of a society, based on governing ideals.

For the Haudenosaunee, political science  came naturally.

As they looked to forge   a new form of government, long before the first  Europeans arrived on the shores of Turtle Island.

Known as the Great Law of Peace, the foundations  for the unification of several Indigenous Nations   was built around equality, sovereignty and  cooperative relations.

As Oren Lyons, the great   Haudenosaunee ambassador and elder stated,  “Each nation maintained its own leadership,   but they all agreed to the common causes that  would be decided in the Grand Council of Chiefs.”   The concept was based on peace and consensus,  rather than fighting.

In 1744, the Onandoga   Leader Canassatego gave a speech, urging the  contentious13 colonies to unite as the Iroquois   had at the signing of the Treaty of Lancaster.

This cultural exchange inspired the English   colonist Benjamin Franklin to print Canassatego’s  speech.

“We heartily recommend union and a good   agreement between you, our brethren,” Canassatego  had said.

“Never disagree, but preserve a strict   friendship for one another and thereby, you, as  well as we, will become the stronger.

Our wise   forefathers established union and amity between  the five nations.

This has made us formidable.

This has given us great weight and authority  with our neighboring nations.

We are a powerful   confederacy and by your observing the same methods  our wise forefathers have taken, you will acquire   fresh strength and power.

Therefore, whatever  befalls you, never fall out with one another.”   The most interesting part is how many  Indigenous communities also developed deeply   enshrined governmental practices as embodied  by living documents.

For the Haudenosuanee,   it was the wampum belt.

For the Indigenous Peoples  of Northern Mexico, it was the various mapas that   outlined not only their traditional  history, but also their land claims,   their family connections, and their governmental  responsibilities, as sovereign entities.

When I was young, I learned a lot about  the history of the Iroquois confederacy,   not from the history books, but from my  father, who told me how the Great Law   of Peace was the foundation for the  Constitution of the United States.

He let me know that the American Government,  as we know it today, was built on the knowledge   and understandings of the Indigenous peoples  and this was something to be very proud of.

These Indigenous advancements and innovations  in political science paved the way for the   great American experiment and are always on  display, each and every day, here on Indigenous.

Actor: Shall I start from the top?

Lee Francis IV: Maybe not ♪  ♪