Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples: Wampum Belt Reading by Chief Oren Lyons

This file contains a Wampum Belt Reading by Chief Oren Lyons that continues with the same topics discussed by Jake Thomas, the previous presenter who also did a Wampum Belt Reading. Lyons believes that the Commission's mandate should be focused on peace between all First Nations and non-Aboriginal people. Lyons believes that the Haudenosaunee, a nation of law, has the only constitution based on peace in the entire world. He states that the belt he is holding was commissioned by George Washington in 1774 and is called a number of names: the Pickering Belt, the George Washington Belt and the Canandaigua Treaty Belt. He hopes the Commission will help solve the issues facing Aboriginal people and government in Canada.

Historical note:

The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the "League of Peace and Power", the "Five Nations"; the "Six Nations"; or the "People of the Longhouse") is a group of First Nations/Native Americans that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca. A sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined after the original five nations were formed. Although frequently referred to as the Iroquois, the Nations refer to themselves collectively as Haudenosaunee, meaning "People of the Longhouse," or more accurately, "They Are Building a Long House."