Iroquois Chiefs from the Six Nations Reserve reading Wampum belts in Brantford, Ontario

The Royaner are the hereditary male clan leaders within the

Haudenosaunee Confederacy The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

. They are chosen by their respective Yakoyaner to represent their clan at the confederacy level. The specific name-titles held by the royaner belong to the

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

lineages headed by the clan mothers. These male leaders are expected to serve their community for life, although there are ways of removing a royaner if he does not live up to his lineage's expectations. With the clan mothers, the royaner form the hereditary leadership that distinguishes itself from the elected

Band Council In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

imposed by the Canadian state.

Etymology

The term royaner (plural form: rotiyaneson;Williams, Kayanesenh Paul (2018). ''Kayanerenkó:Wa : The Great Law of Peace''. University of Manitoba Press. p. 298. meaning: "caretakers of peace"), comes from the root word ioánere (meaning nice or good) in the

Mohawk Language Mohawk (; ''Kanienʼkéha'', " anguageof the Flint Place") is an Iroquoian language currently spoken by around 3,500 people of the Mohawk nation, located primarily in current or former Haudenosaunee territories, predominately Canada (southern ...

. The term royaner has a variety of different spellings, including (but not limited to): hoyaneh, royaa'nehr, hoyaa'neh, yaa'nehr, royanni In published historical accounts, the title of royaner has often been translated into English as chief, lord or sachem. However, many Haudenosaunee have expressed that those terms are not appropriate as they relay the wrong spirit of the role. Indeed, royaner is meant to designate a humble leader who is generous materially, psychologically, spiritually and politically, which the English terms are not able to convey.

Elements of the role

Three Iroquois - David Cusick - circa 1827

Origins

The origins of the royaner role are rooted in the Great Law of Peace (Kainere'ko:wa), which is the political constitution of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. This political tradition was rooted in a deep desire and need for peace after the Time of the Troubled Nations, which was a time of great violence and war-making among Iroquois nations. The fifty men that accepted the Peacemaker's teachings and formed the original Five Nation Confederacy became the leaders that were entrusted with the confederacy's political and social well-being. Later, in 1722, the

Tuscarora people The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They c ...

also joined the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which became known as the Six Nation Confederacy. The Tuscarora do have hereditary leaders in the Confederacy, but they are not included in the original 50 rotiyaneson.

Requickening

The 50 rotiyaneson that exist today are the same, in name and in spirit, than the 50 first leaders that were entrusted with the vital responsibility of peacekeeping. The idea is that the 50 people who created the confederacy are consistently requickened, as to never die and symbolically upkeep the Great Law of Peace forever. After the death of a Royaner, the son chosen by a Yakoyaner who holds a Royaner title goes through a

condolence ceremony The condolence ceremony or condolence council is a part of the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace. It governs succession to political offices after a leader dies. The ceremony is held in the community whose leader has died. Attendees are divided int ...

, and takes the role of the deceased, as well as their name and title. The cycle continues as to make sure that someone will always fill the role of a Royaner. Requickening, in its simplest expression, is the action of overcoming death through the condolence ceremony prescribed by the peacemaker, in which the name and the spirit of the dead will be given to someone else, for the void left by the deceased to be filled. This form of grieving and mourning is engraved in the identity of the Haudenosaunee and is therefore also represented at the leadership level of the Confederacy.

Relationship to Clan Mothers

Politically, the rotiyaneson effectively work as the federal level of government for the

Haudenosaunee confederacy The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

(as they represent nations) while

Clan Mother A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mean ...

s work at a local level of government, and they represent clans. It is important to note that the rotiyaneson are in no way hierarchically superior to the Clan Mothers because they lead on a larger scale. Indeed, the Haudenosaunee confederacy is known for its horizontal structures of government that prone a balance of gender roles, where no top-down or vertical structures are present and consensus is prioritized over coercion, effectively being the opposite of Western habits of governance. The Clan Mothers and the rotiyaneson are known for their circular and reciprocal form of governance, where most topics will be discussed between both forms of hereditary leadership as both point of views hold the same value. Some even argue that since Clan mothers have the power to dismiss - symbolically remove the antlers, after three strikes - a Royaner who is not honouring his role, they effectively have more power than the rotiyaneson do.

Interaction with Colonial Powers

The case of the Brant family

Joseph Brant was a Mohawk man who was recognised as a military and political leader by the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. However, he was not a Royaner and therefore was not recognised within Haudenosaunee nation as a rightful and legitimate leader.Hill, Susan M. ''The Clay We Are Made Of : Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River''. University of Manitoba Press. p. 134. Nevertheless, when the Mohawk valley was forfeited by the British to the Americans in the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

, and the nation had to relocate, the British approached Joseph Brant to help in finding a suitable new homeland that would replace the lands lost in the war. The Confederacy hereditary leadership (the clan mothers and rotiyaneson), knowing that Brant was recognized by the Crown as one of their leaders and had standing in the British military, good English language skills and personal connections to the British leadership, allowed him to represent the nation in the negotiations as they felt that he had the most advantageous position to secure a more just compensation. It is important to note that, contrary to many historical representations of Joseph Brant as a "Mohawk tribal chief", he was never given authority to act on behalf of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Instead, he simply served as a spokesman for the Confederacy council in the selection of the new Haudenosaunee homeland at the Grand River tract. Elizabeth Brant was Joseph Brant's daughter, but was also, more importantly, the daughter of

Catharine Brant Catharine Brant (1759–1837), also known as Ahdohwahgeseon, was a Clan Mother of the Mohawk nation. She was the third wife of Joseph Brant and an important leader among the Six Nations of the Grand River. Family background Catharine was the d ...

, the Clan Mother responsible for nominating the leading Royaner of the Mohawk (Tehkarihoken). As such, when her mother passed away in 1837, she inherited the leadership role of Clan Mother and became responsible for nominating the new Tehkarihoken. However, as the British became more and more disinterested in traditional leadership structures and instead turned to patriarchal structures of power, the role of clan mothers was becoming less and less recognized. This growing disregard for the matrilineal hereditary line of leadership pushed Elizabeth Brant to petition the British court in 1844 to have her rights as a clan mother and the rights of her sons as potential future rotiyaneson recognized. This petition was successful and solidified the Royaner system of governance as a legitimate self-governing body of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy until 1924. This case helps us understand how the legitimacy Elizabeth had in her family as a clan mother and in the eyes of the British Empire as the daughter of Joseph Brant helped her to secure the protection of the Clan Mother and Royaner system of self-governance for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Coup of 1924

In 1924, the

government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

enacted an amendment to the Indian Act, which imposed an elected council structure as the only recognized form of Indigenous leadership among

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

. Like many previous provisions of the act, this had the purpose of delegitimizing traditional Haudenosaunee leadership. However, this did not stop hereditary leaders from pushing back against the imposition of elected non-legitimate leadership through the preservation of the traditional system of leadership. While the patriarchal structures of power may have disproportionately advantaged male leaders, the rotiyaneson were the first to push back against the patriarchy to have their clan mothers recognized as legitimate leaders. This continued resistance demonstrates the enduring importance of horizontal leadership structures in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that are founded on circular and reciprocal forms of governance that help to maintain a balance between genders.

Contemporary context

This system has persevered through time and still exists today. Hereditary forms of leadership still have authority within the Six Nations of the Confederacy to serve in their traditional role of peacekeeping. A notable example of this leadership system in action was the attempt by Cayuga Royaner Deskaheh to demand recognition of full independence for the Haudenosaunee confederacy in front of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

in Geneva in 1923. Royaner Deskaheh travelled with a Haudenosaunee passport, claiming that his Confederacy is the oldest of its kind, and deserves the same recognition as other nations. This practice of pursuing the recognition of Indigenous People's rights on an international level has persisted and is still advocated by hereditary forms of leadership. The system of the royaner is still followed on the Grand River in Ontario today.

List of the 50 rotiyanehson

{, class="wikitable" , + ! colspan="5" , 50 Rotinyanehson , - !Roll call number !Roster number !Title{{Cite web , title=Current Clan Mothers and Chiefs , url=https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/government/current-clan-mothers-and-chiefs/ , website=Haudenosaunee Confederacy !Gloss !Clan , - ! colspan="5" , Mohawk , - , 1 , M-1 , Tehkarihoken , Of two opinions , Turtle , - , 2 , M-2 , Ayonwatha , Early riser , Turtle , - , 3 , M-3 , Sadekariwadeh , Equal words , Turtle , - , 4 , M-4 , Sahrehowaneh , Long branches , Wolf , - , 5 , M-5 , Deyonhehgiveh , Double life , Wolf , - , 6 , M-6 , Orenrehgowah , Big floating flower , Wolf , - , 7 , M-7 , Dehharagereneh , Dragging antlers , Bear , - , 8 , M-8 , Rastawehserondah , Enters with rattle , Bear , - , 9 , M-9 , Sosskoharowaneh , Great branch , Bear , - ! colspan="5" , Oneida , - , 10 , Oe-1 , Hodatsehdeh , Carries quiver , Wolf , - , 11 , Oe-2 , Ganohgwe’yo:doh , Erect corn cobs , Wolf , - , 12 , Oe-3 , Deyoha’gwe:de , Through the clearing , Wolf , - , 13 , Oe-4 , Sonohse:s , His house is long , Turtle , - , 14 , Oe-5 , Thanahak tha , Two voices merged , Turtle , - , 15 , Oe-6 , Atya’tantha , His body topples , Turtle , - , 16 , Oe-7 , Dehadahohde:yo , Droopy ears , Bear , - , 17 , Oe-8 , Hanya’dasa:ye , Swallows slowly , Bear , - , 18 , Oe-9 , Howatsadehoh , Covered , Bear , - ! colspan="5" , Onondaga , - , 19 , Oa-1 , Tadodahoh , Entangled , Eel , - , 20 , Oa-2 , Gane’se:he: , Ties up something , Wolf , - , 21 , Oa-3 , Dehatgahdos , Looking about , Beaver , - , 22 , Oa-4 , Honya’daji:wak , His dark throat , Wolf , - , 23 , Oa-5 , Awe’ge,hyat , On the surface , Wolf , - , 24 , Oa-6 , Dehayatgwae , Half his body , Turtle , - , 25 , Oa-7 , Honowiyehdi , He conceals something , Wolf , - , 26 , Oa-8 , Gawe,ne,se,:doh , Hanging object , Deer , - , 27 , Oa-9 , Hahi:hoh , Spills it , Deer , - , 28 , Oa-10 , Hoyo:ny,nih: , He made it for him , Eel , - , 29 , Oa-11 , Sodegwa:se,: , Bruiser , Eel , - , 30 , Oa-12 , Sagoge,he: , He saw the people , Eel , - , 31 , Oa-13 , Se,:ha:wi: , Carries an ax , Deer , - , 32 , Oa-14 , Sganawadih , Over the swamp , Turtle , - ! colspan="5" , Cayuga , - , 33 , C-1 , Haga’e,yok , Wonders , Bear , - , 34 , C-2 , Gaji’nodawehe , , Deer , - , 35 , C-3 , Gada:gwa:se , Mashed , Bear , - , 36 , C-4 , Soyo:wi:s , His long guts , Bear , - , 37 , C-5 , Hagya;drohne , He repeats it , Turtle , - , 38 , C-6 , Dyohyo:goh , Reaches the sky , Wolf , - , 39 , C-7 , Deyotowehgoh , Doubly cold , Wolf , - , 40 , C-8 , Deyohowe:to , Two events , Snipe , - , 41 , C-9 , Hadoda:he:ha’ , He starts , Heron , - , 42 , C-10 , Desgahe , , Bear , - ! colspan="5" , Seneca , - , 43 , S-1 , Sganyadeae:yo , Handsome lake , Turtle , - , 44 , S-2 , Tsa’degaohyes , Level skies , Snipe , - , 45 , S-3 , Sag,’jo:wa , Great forehead , Hawk , - , 46 , S-4 , Ga’nogae , , Turtle , - , 47 , S-5 , Nishayene

References

Iroquois