NEW YORK – More than 1,000 years ago, the Peacemaker brought the Great Law of Peace that is the foundation of U.S. democracy to the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

This year the U.S. government has recognized the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Confederacy’s gift of democracy with the issuance of the 2010 Native American $1 coin whose design is based on the theme “Government – the Great Tree of Peace.”

The U.S. Mint launched the coin at a special ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center in lower Manhattan Jan. 25.

The reverse, or tails, side of the coin says “United States of America” and “Great Law of Peace” along the top and bottom curves of the coin, respectively, with “$1,” and “Haudenosaunee.” Also in the center of the design is a depiction of a wampum belt, known as the Hiawatha belt, which signifies the creation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The belt wraps around five arrows that symbolize the original five nations – the Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca – portraying the strength in unity of the confederacy. The Tuscarora Nation joined the confederacy later.

Courtesy U.S. Mint The United States Mint has released the 2010 Native American $1 coin. The design for the reverse side of the coin is based on the theme “Government – the Great Tree of Peace,” recognizing the Native American ideals of equality and democratic self-government that the U.S. Constitution was based on.

U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Thomas Cleveland designed the coin, which was executed by sculptor-engraver Charles L. Vickers.

The series of Native American $1 coins was authorized by Public law 110-82 in 2007, with the goal of “honoring Native Americans and the important contributions made by Indian Tribes and individual Native Americans in United States history.”

The first coin in the series appeared in 2009 and featured on the reverse side an American Indian woman planting seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash, representing the Three Sisters method of planting.

The obverse, or heads, side of all the coins in the series will feature the Sacagawea design by artist Glenna Goodacre that was first introduced in 2000.

The designs are selected by the secretary of the U.S. Mint after consultation with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives, and the National Congress of American Indians.

“The beautiful 2010 Native American $1 coin reverse design honors the Iroquois Confederacy – five tribal nations joined by a single constitution in the 1400s in upstate New York,” said U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy who was joined by Heye Center Director John Haworth to introduce the latest circulating $1 coin.

“The design is an acknowledgment of the confederation’s influence on Western political thought, including concepts of equality and democratic self-government that existed on the North American continent long before the founding of the United States,” he said.

Haudenosaunee tradition dates the creation of the confederacy back more than 1,000 years. According to the Onondaga Nation, the Peacemaker arrived on the shores of Onondaga Lake in a stone canoe to bring the message of peace to the five nations, which had been warring against each other with great bloodshed.

The Peacemaker was helped by Haionwhatha (Hiawatha). After overcoming resistance by the evil Tadadaho, who was determined to stop the message of peace, the Peacemaker brought the nations together. They symbolized their union by uprooting a great white pine tree and throwing their weapons into the hole where they were washed away by a mighty stream. The tree was replanted and the Peacemaker placed an eagle on top to warn the Haudenosaunee – the People of the Longhouse – of any dangers to the great peace. Hiawatha created the first wampum belt, which is depicted on the 2010 Native American $1 coin.

“After the tree was replanted, the Peacemaker stated the following words: Under the shade of this Tree of Peace ... there shall you sit and watch the Fire of the League of Five Nations. Roots have spread out from the Tree of Great Peace. These are the Great White Roots, and their nature is Peace and Strength. If any man or any nation shall obey the Laws of Peace they may trace back the roots of the Tree. They shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Great Evergreen Tree,” according to the Onondaga Nation’s
Web site.