Owing to the fact that the policies of this League of five nations or tribes were formu lated, amended and executed by five tribal com mittees of astute chieftains in the federal coun cil, the league with measurable success was able to weather all these wars and changes. But the war of the American Revolution rup tured the unity of this great institution. Some of the tribes, true to their long-standing alliance with her, espoused the cause of Great Britain, while a small minority, composed chiefly of the Oneida and about one-half of the Tusca rora with a few from other tribes, remained faithful to the American colonies. This peculiar situation resulted from a decision of the federal council of the league to remain neutral in the impending conflict, as a federa tion, but nevertheless to permit each tribe to choose for itself its own policy in the premises. So that as a result of the defeat of the English people parts of the league may still be found in New York State and in Canada.
The social organizations of the six nations of the Iroquois and their congeners were strik ingly alike, although, naturally, there were note worthy differences in details. On the whole many features of their social organization were not very from those of like purpose among tribes having a similar social develop ment. But the social organization of the six nations of the Iroquois and their kindred tribes of the Iroquoian linguistic family differed from those of most tribes of other linguistic stocks in being measurably more complex, more expansive and more cohesive in its parts. A noteworthy difference between it and that of most other tribes is the dominant position and high public responsibility of the women who are mothers. This feature is a remarkable recognition of the nobility and the sacredness of motherhood. The chiefship titles, the lands and their products, and the lodges with their belongings are owned solely by the mothers of these people and these rights and prerogatives are ably administered by these very mothers.
Every candidate for a chief ship is named at a conference of the mothers of the ohwachira (uterine family) owning the title, under the premiership of the Matron of the ohwachira. The selection is then submitted for review and advice to the tribal and to the federal councils respectively. If the nomination is found satis factory it is confirmed, but if it be rejected, the mothers aforesaid must again meet in confer ence in order to make another nomination. If necessary, this course must be repeated until a satisfactory candidate is found. The review is usually perfunctory; of course, the nomination is sometimes rejected, although the mothers naturally will present only such a candidate as they feel will be a credit to their ohwachira. After the institution of the league or federa tion the candidate had to be installed into office by federal officers at a federal condoling and installing assembly. This is a limited democracy in which the suffrage for the nomination of chieftains is confined to the mothers of the community.
In the original structure of the league or federation of the five (later six) nations no military officers were recognized. By amend ment to the original instrument two of the federal chiefs (the one Onondaga and the other Seneca) were also made military officers. But it must be understood that these two officials could perform their military functions only out side of the sessions of the federal council. No federal chief could go on the warpath be fore resigning his federal chief ship, which he might resume on his return, if he was fortunate enough. There were three distinct classes of civil council chiefs among these tribes; they were the clan civil federal chieftains who while members of their local tribal council were at the same time also members constituent of the great federal council of the league or fed eration; and the two classes of clan civil chief tains,—the hereditary (the office but not the person) and the merit (or so-called "pine-tree chief), who were the members constituent of their own tribal council only. But it must be noted that there was no such officer as tribal chief or chief of the tribe as an aggregation of clans known to the league, because the chief tain primarily represented only the ohwachira (uterine family) owning his title, the ohwa chira being a constituent unit of the clan; the clan is, therefore, represented in council only by the chiefs of such of its ohwachira as may have chieftaincies. But sometimes there may be a clan in which no ohwachira may own a chiefship title and so it may not have repre sentation in council.
The league or confederation as an institu tion or a form of government was an adapta tion of that of the separate tribes even as that of the constituent tribes was an evolution of that of the several clans which composed each. Lastly, the government' of the clan was an adaptation and expansion of that of the several ohwachiras (uterine families) composing it, and the ohurachira or uterine family, strictly speaking, was composed of the progeny of an ancestral mother and her female descendants, reckoning the line solely through the female blood. Persons of alien blood could be adopted only into such a kinship group. So the clan may be defined as a permanent body of blood kin, socially andpolitically organized, who de rive actual or fictional descent through the female line only, from a common ancestral mother. It is a fact that the less complex units of kindred surrendered part of their autonomy to the next higher units of organiza tion in such manner that the whole was closely cohesive and interdependent. The institution of a higher kinship unit created new privileges, duties, rights and obligations. This was the principle of organization of the confederation of the said five (later six) Iroquois tribes or nations.