Considers the influence of the Iroquois Great Law of Peace in American government and its possible influence on Russian government. Discusses history of Iroquois society and describes their form of representative democracy. Cites references to Iroquois government and law by Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, and Benjamin Franklin. (JHZ)

Analysis of several accounts of White Buffalo Calf Woman's appearance among the Lakotas and of her politically interesting teachings illustrates how aboriginal Indian government rests upon myths of the god(s) which symbolically insert the people into the larger cosmic order, thus establishing the pattern of cosmic governance. (SB)

After many years of intense debate, the idea that the Iroquois helped shape democracy has passed into the realm of general knowledge the length and breadth of "Turtle Island," and beyond. Although a few brushfires of criticism remain in academia, many people and organizations have been applying Iroquois political principles in their daily lives.…

Despite attempts by Congress during the 1970s to reform and reorganize the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), it has maintained substantive control over reservation institutions. A key to understanding BIA resistance to change appears to lie in organizational imperative of area directors to preserve and enhance their control over bureaucratic…

Asserts that historians should not think of American Indians and white colonists as having two distinct historical experiences but "mutual history of continuous interaction and influence." Contends that European and American colonials recognized the power and subtlety of the American Indian confederacies. (CFR)