1 00:00:02,566 --> 00:00:06,966 (man chanting, drumming) 2 00:00:07,066 --> 00:00:09,633 NARRATOR: Native America is alive 3 00:00:09,733 --> 00:00:11,633 ♪ 4 00:00:11,733 --> 00:00:14,666 Its roots stretch back more than 13,000 years... 5 00:00:14,766 --> 00:00:16,266 (conch horn trumpets) 6 00:00:16,366 --> 00:00:18,633 ...to America's original explorers. 7 00:00:18,733 --> 00:00:20,933 (flute music playing) 8 00:00:21,033 --> 00:00:24,166 New people who create a new world. 9 00:00:24,266 --> 00:00:27,766 (flute music continues, birds chirping) 10 00:00:27,866 --> 00:00:31,200 From North to South America, 11 00:00:31,300 --> 00:00:36,400 distant peoples share one common belief-- 12 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:42,733 a deep connection to Earth, sky, water, and all living things 13 00:00:44,466 --> 00:00:45,566 TERESA RYAN: We are a part of this forest 14 00:00:45,666 --> 00:00:47,333 as much as the forest is a part of us 15 00:00:47,433 --> 00:00:50,733 (hammering) 16 00:00:50,833 --> 00:00:54,400 BEAU DICK: All of our ceremonies illustrate that one notion 17 00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:57,666 of connectedness, not only with our fellow beings, 18 00:00:57,766 --> 00:00:58,800 the animals and other creatures, 19 00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:01,200 but with all of creation. 20 00:01:01,300 --> 00:01:05,000 NARRATOR: From this deep respect for nature, 21 00:01:05,099 --> 00:01:08,200 people create great nations. 22 00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:09,833 ALAN HUNT: There is a certain pressure 23 00:01:09,933 --> 00:01:12,233 in knowing that you're going to become chief. 24 00:01:12,333 --> 00:01:13,533 (fires crackling) 25 00:01:13,633 --> 00:01:16,300 NARRATOR: They grapple with war and peace... 26 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,233 (creature howling) 27 00:01:18,333 --> 00:01:19,733 KEN MARACLE: We were covered in darkness, 28 00:01:19,833 --> 00:01:24,066 so the Peacemaker was sent by the Creator to stop this. 29 00:01:24,166 --> 00:01:25,200 (birds chirping) 30 00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:27,200 NARRATOR: ...and develop governments 31 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:30,433 from dictatorships to a democracy 32 00:01:30,533 --> 00:01:35,133 that will inspire the United States Constitution. 33 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:37,900 This is the birthplace of democracy. 34 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:39,433 ♪ 35 00:01:39,533 --> 00:01:43,833 NARRATOR: How do Native Americans go from ancient explorers 36 00:01:43,933 --> 00:01:47,866 to the founders of America's first democracy? 37 00:01:47,966 --> 00:01:51,966 ♪ 38 00:01:52,066 --> 00:01:53,066 (birds chirping) 39 00:01:53,166 --> 00:01:55,366 (flute playing) 40 00:01:55,466 --> 00:01:59,900 At the intersection of modern scholarship and Native knowledge 41 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:06,100 is a new vision of America and the people who built it. 42 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,933 This is "Native America." 43 00:02:11,033 --> 00:02:14,066 44 00:02:16,533 --> 00:02:18,833 (birds chirping) 45 00:02:22,066 --> 00:02:25,000 NARRATOR: This is the birthplace of American democracy. 46 00:02:25,100 --> 00:02:27,000 (man speaking Native language) 47 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:31,266 Not Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC, 48 00:02:31,366 --> 00:02:35,033 but here, at Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, New York. 49 00:02:35,133 --> 00:02:37,133 (man continues speaking) 50 00:02:37,233 --> 00:02:41,066 ♪ 51 00:02:41,166 --> 00:02:42,666 On these shores, 52 00:02:42,766 --> 00:02:45,400 Native Americans build villages of longhouses. 53 00:02:45,500 --> 00:02:50,366 ♪ 54 00:02:50,466 --> 00:02:53,800 In one great longhouse, five tribes come together 55 00:02:53,900 --> 00:02:56,466 to put an end to war. 56 00:02:58,766 --> 00:03:01,300 ♪ 57 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:03,200 Around the year 1150, 58 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:07,000 600 years before the Declaration of Independence, 59 00:03:07,100 --> 00:03:11,133 they form America's first democracy. 60 00:03:11,233 --> 00:03:13,000 Their government will inspire 61 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:17,166 the revolutionaries who create the United States. 62 00:03:17,266 --> 00:03:19,366 Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin 63 00:03:19,466 --> 00:03:22,000 had no idea of what democracy is 64 00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:24,233 till they came here. 65 00:03:24,333 --> 00:03:28,266 NARRATOR: In the 1740s, Benjamin Franklin prints speeches 66 00:03:28,366 --> 00:03:30,700 from one of their leaders, Canassatego, 67 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:36,533 who encourages democracy for the colonists. 68 00:03:36,633 --> 00:03:39,000 Their chiefs advise the founding fathers 69 00:03:39,100 --> 00:03:42,400 at one of their first meetings. 70 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:45,233 And the newly independent United States 71 00:03:45,333 --> 00:03:49,533 adopts a 13-arrow bundle into its official seal, 72 00:03:49,633 --> 00:03:52,566 echoing the Native Americans' five arrows 73 00:03:52,666 --> 00:03:57,400 that symbolize strength through unity. 74 00:03:57,500 --> 00:03:59,100 (men chanting) 75 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,633 Their descendants still live in upstate New York 76 00:04:01,733 --> 00:04:03,933 as a sovereign nation, 77 00:04:04,033 --> 00:04:06,800 with their own passports and government. 78 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:09,666 ♪ 79 00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:13,966 They are the world's oldest continuous democracy. 80 00:04:14,066 --> 00:04:16,633 SID HILL: So we try to educate people who we are. 81 00:04:16,733 --> 00:04:18,800 NARRATOR: Sid Hill is their chief of chiefs. 82 00:04:18,899 --> 00:04:23,033 His people are commonly known as the Iroquois, 83 00:04:23,133 --> 00:04:24,500 but that's a French name. 84 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,533 HILL: The name that we call ourselves is the Haudenosaunee, 85 00:04:28,633 --> 00:04:31,133 people of the longhouse. 86 00:04:32,333 --> 00:04:34,200 NARRATOR: The Haudenosaunee story 87 00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:36,633 of creating the first American democracy 88 00:04:36,733 --> 00:04:39,200 is encoded in this, 89 00:04:39,300 --> 00:04:43,233 a tapestry of sacred shell beads called a wampum belt. 90 00:04:43,333 --> 00:04:45,900 HILL: If you look at the structure of it, it's very basic, 91 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,100 it's very plain. 92 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,800 It represents our way of keeping records. 93 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:53,533 It's our history book. 94 00:04:54,766 --> 00:04:57,733 NARRATOR: This one is known as the Hiawatha Belt. 95 00:04:57,833 --> 00:05:02,966 Since 1900, it has been in the hands of the State of New York. 96 00:05:03,066 --> 00:05:04,633 The tribe fought to get it back, 97 00:05:04,733 --> 00:05:09,300 and today, for the first time in over a hundred years, 98 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,666 it returns to Onondaga Lake. 99 00:05:11,766 --> 00:05:16,333 ♪ 100 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,733 PORTER: If you hold it like this, you see how heavy. 101 00:05:21,833 --> 00:05:24,333 See? Oh, heavy. 102 00:05:24,433 --> 00:05:27,533 ♪ 103 00:05:29,900 --> 00:05:31,500 Whenever you touch this belt, 104 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,733 you're greeting your ancestors. 105 00:05:33,833 --> 00:05:37,366 NARRATOR: Tom Porter is a Mohawk spiritual leader. 106 00:05:37,466 --> 00:05:40,866 Our great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother 107 00:05:40,966 --> 00:05:42,633 made this belt, 108 00:05:42,733 --> 00:05:45,766 and they made it so that we won't never forget 109 00:05:45,866 --> 00:05:50,600 what they did, the law they made. 110 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:54,633 (woman singing in Native language) 111 00:05:54,733 --> 00:05:58,633 NARRATOR: The Hiawatha Belt tells the story of a prophet of peace 112 00:05:58,733 --> 00:06:02,166 who arrives in a white stone canoe: 113 00:06:02,266 --> 00:06:05,266 a grieving warrior named Hiawatha, 114 00:06:05,366 --> 00:06:08,066 who has to choose between bloody vengeance 115 00:06:08,166 --> 00:06:10,300 or a message of peace... 116 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:15,366 (woman singing in Native language) 117 00:06:15,466 --> 00:06:17,100 And a powerful clan mother 118 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,300 who must overcome an evil warlord. 119 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,900 (fire crackling) 120 00:06:25,566 --> 00:06:30,200 Together, they establish America's first democracy. 121 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:35,966 ♪ 122 00:06:36,066 --> 00:06:39,433 Haudenosaunee democracy grows out of a long history 123 00:06:39,533 --> 00:06:41,700 of people living on this land. 124 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,566 ♪ 125 00:06:45,666 --> 00:06:50,300 More than 13,000 years ago, small groups of hunter-gatherers 126 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:54,800 spread out quickly across the virgin continent. 127 00:06:54,900 --> 00:06:56,666 (wind whipping) 128 00:06:56,766 --> 00:06:59,900 They develop both a scientific understanding 129 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,333 of the cycles of the Earth, sun, and stars 130 00:07:04,433 --> 00:07:07,533 and a spiritual connection to nature-- 131 00:07:07,633 --> 00:07:11,866 Earth, sky, water, and all living things. 132 00:07:11,966 --> 00:07:14,366 (birds chirping) 133 00:07:14,466 --> 00:07:18,666 ♪ 134 00:07:18,766 --> 00:07:22,166 By the time Europeans arrive in 1492, 135 00:07:22,266 --> 00:07:26,900 Native Americans number a hundred million people. 136 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,466 They live in diverse societies... 137 00:07:30,566 --> 00:07:32,066 (chanting) 138 00:07:32,166 --> 00:07:36,800 ...from nomadic tribes to monumental kingdoms, 139 00:07:36,900 --> 00:07:42,833 from dictatorships to democracies. 140 00:07:42,933 --> 00:07:45,166 ♪ 141 00:07:45,266 --> 00:07:46,466 How do Native Americans 142 00:07:46,566 --> 00:07:49,600 draw inspiration from the natural world 143 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:53,100 to create great nations? 144 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,400 ♪ 145 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,466 A continent away from Onondaga Lake, 146 00:08:06,566 --> 00:08:10,600 in the Andes Mountains of northern Peru, 147 00:08:10,700 --> 00:08:13,666 thousands of people take part 148 00:08:13,766 --> 00:08:16,200 in a revolutionary social experiment. 149 00:08:16,300 --> 00:08:19,133 ♪ 150 00:08:19,233 --> 00:08:22,200 This is Chavin de Huantar, 151 00:08:22,300 --> 00:08:25,700 one of Native America's very first nations. 152 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,766 JOHN RICK: The temple constructions of Chavin 153 00:08:28,866 --> 00:08:31,933 is what I would call 154 00:08:32,033 --> 00:08:34,533 the building of a whole new world. 155 00:08:37,566 --> 00:08:40,933 NARRATOR: Chavin has one of America's first monumental structures 156 00:08:41,033 --> 00:08:42,500 built of stone, 157 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,633 dating back to 1300 BCE. 158 00:08:46,733 --> 00:08:50,433 Chavin is only about the size of two football fields, 159 00:08:50,533 --> 00:08:56,266 but projects influence over an area the size of California. 160 00:08:56,366 --> 00:08:57,333 RICK: Okay. 161 00:08:57,433 --> 00:08:59,466 NARRATOR: Archaeologist John Rick 162 00:08:59,566 --> 00:09:03,733 sees this community as a tipping point in America's history. 163 00:09:03,833 --> 00:09:05,733 RICK: They're using new technologies. 164 00:09:05,833 --> 00:09:09,833 Cut stone is particularly prominent at Chavin. 165 00:09:09,933 --> 00:09:12,633 People are working granite 166 00:09:12,733 --> 00:09:16,066 in ways that people haven't before this time period. 167 00:09:16,166 --> 00:09:19,133 ♪ 168 00:09:21,133 --> 00:09:25,600 NARRATOR: At the center of Chavin is a flat-topped pyramid temple. 169 00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:31,566 The rituals performed here would draw in 170 00:09:31,666 --> 00:09:34,433 tens of thousands of people from across the Andes. 171 00:09:36,966 --> 00:09:39,533 How can this temple lay the foundation 172 00:09:39,633 --> 00:09:44,133 of one of America's first nations? 173 00:09:44,233 --> 00:09:46,200 La vista es magnifico. 174 00:09:46,300 --> 00:09:49,833 NARRATOR: Part of the answer lies beneath the temple 175 00:09:49,933 --> 00:09:52,633 in a mysterious maze of tunnels. 176 00:09:52,733 --> 00:09:55,500 ♪ 177 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,833 Down here, priests would conduct rituals 178 00:10:04,933 --> 00:10:07,333 evoking the supernatural. 179 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,666 RICK: Chavin has this emphasis on underground space. 180 00:10:13,766 --> 00:10:17,966 The tunnels have multiple-level staircases leading between them 181 00:10:18,066 --> 00:10:20,833 and channels that lead from the interior space 182 00:10:20,933 --> 00:10:22,533 to the outside world. 183 00:10:24,466 --> 00:10:28,200 NARRATOR: Along the walls are channels leading to the surface. 184 00:10:29,666 --> 00:10:31,100 They bring air in, 185 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,533 but they also carry something out. 186 00:10:34,633 --> 00:10:38,266 (flute begins playing) 187 00:10:40,066 --> 00:10:41,300 Music. 188 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:46,233 (flute continues) 189 00:10:46,333 --> 00:10:50,066 Tito La Rossa is an indigenous Andean musician 190 00:10:50,166 --> 00:10:53,366 and master of ancient instruments. 191 00:10:53,466 --> 00:10:57,333 He's working with John to test the acoustics in the tunnels. 192 00:10:59,533 --> 00:11:01,433 Tito has brought instruments similar 193 00:11:01,533 --> 00:11:05,533 to those excavated at Chavin-- 194 00:11:05,633 --> 00:11:07,366 flutes carved from bone. 195 00:11:07,466 --> 00:11:09,933 (plays notes) 196 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,800 Whistles carved from stone. 197 00:11:14,900 --> 00:11:19,833 (plays notes) 198 00:11:19,933 --> 00:11:21,766 And a conch shell trumpet. 199 00:11:21,866 --> 00:11:24,566 (trumpets loudly) 200 00:11:30,466 --> 00:11:35,433 (conversing in Spanish) 201 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:37,366 (trumpeting) 202 00:11:37,466 --> 00:11:39,900 LA ROSSA: 203 00:11:56,300 --> 00:11:58,633 NARRATOR: The sound of the conch shell is central 204 00:11:58,733 --> 00:12:02,100 to one of Chavin's most important rituals. 205 00:12:04,066 --> 00:12:08,033 At the heart of the underground maze stands a carved statue 206 00:12:08,133 --> 00:12:11,000 called the Lanzon. 207 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:15,633 It is a representation of Chavin's supreme deity, 208 00:12:15,733 --> 00:12:17,766 part human, part jaguar. 209 00:12:17,866 --> 00:12:19,533 (trumpet plays loudly) 210 00:12:19,633 --> 00:12:24,366 The sound of the conch shell mimics its call. 211 00:12:24,466 --> 00:12:28,500 RICK: The Lanzon figure is a transformed human being 212 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,366 or a deity. 213 00:12:30,466 --> 00:12:34,333 It's human with power animals. 214 00:12:34,433 --> 00:12:36,133 They're saying, "We're built of this. 215 00:12:36,233 --> 00:12:37,833 "We're descended from it. 216 00:12:37,933 --> 00:12:39,566 "We're intrinsically related to it, 217 00:12:39,666 --> 00:12:42,666 and we're going to remind you of it all the time." 218 00:12:44,866 --> 00:12:47,200 NARRATOR: Only a few privileged people can fit 219 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:51,866 in the underground Lanzon chamber to see the deity. 220 00:12:51,966 --> 00:12:53,800 But above ground, 221 00:12:53,900 --> 00:12:57,066 thousands of worshippers may have been able to hear it 222 00:12:57,166 --> 00:12:59,800 in a large circular plaza. 223 00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:02,800 RICK: Okay, so we probably want to come up to this step. 224 00:13:02,900 --> 00:13:06,833 Yeah, then get it aimed right... 225 00:13:06,933 --> 00:13:10,800 RICK: The Lanzon is directly in line with the circular plaza. 226 00:13:10,900 --> 00:13:12,433 That's not arbitrary. 227 00:13:12,533 --> 00:13:15,133 NARRATOR: John wants to see if the channels can carry 228 00:13:15,233 --> 00:13:16,866 the sound of the conch shell 229 00:13:16,966 --> 00:13:19,800 from deep below, in the Lanzon chamber, 230 00:13:19,900 --> 00:13:22,666 to the temple's exterior plaza. 231 00:13:22,766 --> 00:13:24,500 Okay, Tito, let it blast. 232 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:31,000 (trumpets loudly) 233 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:36,900 RICK: Wow. 234 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,266 That's coming through, coming through. 235 00:13:38,366 --> 00:13:41,800 Yeah, it's really... it's real clear. 236 00:13:41,900 --> 00:13:46,133 (trumpet continues) 237 00:13:46,233 --> 00:13:50,833 WOMAN: The way it spreads all around the plaza 238 00:13:50,933 --> 00:13:51,966 is incredible. 239 00:13:52,066 --> 00:13:53,233 It's very strong. 240 00:13:54,833 --> 00:13:58,333 NARRATOR: The conch shell can be heard clearly in the courtyard. 241 00:13:58,433 --> 00:13:59,700 (trumpeting begins again) 242 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,800 And it comes through twice as loud as any other sounds. 243 00:14:03,900 --> 00:14:05,200 RICK: We don't hear any of the voices. 244 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:08,966 All we hear is the sound of the trumpet. 245 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:15,466 NARRATOR: This temple is a 3,000-year-old noise-cancelling, 246 00:14:15,566 --> 00:14:18,866 surround-sound amplifier. 247 00:14:18,966 --> 00:14:24,533 It allows masses of people to share in Chavin's rituals. 248 00:14:24,633 --> 00:14:26,533 RICK: It wasn't all or nothing-- 249 00:14:26,633 --> 00:14:29,833 you either got into the Lanzon chamber or you didn't-- 250 00:14:29,933 --> 00:14:34,100 but rather there are these different levels of distance 251 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:36,933 that people might have been at from the Lanzon. 252 00:14:38,366 --> 00:14:43,433 NARRATOR: Distance from the Lanzon creates a hierarchy of power. 253 00:14:43,533 --> 00:14:46,533 The elite priests are in the chamber. 254 00:14:46,633 --> 00:14:49,166 Everyone else is outside. 255 00:14:49,266 --> 00:14:53,200 ♪ 256 00:14:53,300 --> 00:14:58,533 But through sound, they all participate in shared rituals. 257 00:15:00,666 --> 00:15:04,533 RICK: Chavin is part of something that's going on 258 00:15:04,633 --> 00:15:07,633 throughout many areas of the New World, 259 00:15:07,733 --> 00:15:11,533 this development of sociocultural complexity, 260 00:15:11,633 --> 00:15:13,566 of leadership and authority. 261 00:15:13,666 --> 00:15:17,700 People saying, "We are not all created equal." 262 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,433 They are establishing common ideas 263 00:15:20,533 --> 00:15:23,600 about what differentiates humans beings 264 00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:27,533 and why some are more in a position to command than others. 265 00:15:29,266 --> 00:15:33,766 NARRATOR: The priests of Chavin create a shared experience centered 266 00:15:33,866 --> 00:15:37,233 on powerful sounds and symbols from the natural world. 267 00:15:37,333 --> 00:15:40,533 ♪ 268 00:15:40,633 --> 00:15:44,133 It transforms priests into leaders 269 00:15:44,233 --> 00:15:47,566 and people into citizens. 270 00:15:48,933 --> 00:15:52,466 Chavin isn't just the architecture of a temple, 271 00:15:52,566 --> 00:15:56,600 it's the foundation of a government. 272 00:15:56,700 --> 00:16:00,166 ♪ 273 00:16:08,566 --> 00:16:11,333 (grunting) 274 00:16:11,433 --> 00:16:13,833 (chanting) 275 00:16:13,933 --> 00:16:15,633 (exhales sharply) 276 00:16:15,733 --> 00:16:17,800 Across the Americas, 277 00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:22,100 rituals based on symbols from the natural world 278 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:23,566 bind communities 279 00:16:23,666 --> 00:16:27,066 and have the power to unite people into nations. 280 00:16:27,166 --> 00:16:30,266 (drumming and chanting) 281 00:16:32,733 --> 00:16:35,700 For the Haudenosaunee in northeast America, 282 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:40,600 that symbol is the shell of the wampum belt. 283 00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:42,833 MARACLE: What you're going to do is add three, 284 00:16:42,933 --> 00:16:44,533 put on the other purple. 285 00:16:45,933 --> 00:16:50,266 NARRATOR: Ken Maracle, a Haudenosaunee wampum belt maker, 286 00:16:50,366 --> 00:16:52,366 is passing on the tradition. 287 00:16:52,466 --> 00:16:53,700 Here you go. 288 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:54,900 (clears throat) 289 00:16:58,666 --> 00:17:00,300 MARACLE: We all have gifts. 290 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,466 We're not put here for nothing. 291 00:17:02,566 --> 00:17:04,233 Some day you'll find that. 292 00:17:04,333 --> 00:17:07,133 When you start growing, you'll find things. 293 00:17:07,233 --> 00:17:08,500 It's like the light turns on. 294 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:12,099 NARRATOR: Ken and his protégés are making a replica 295 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:13,700 of an ancient belt. 296 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,400 MARACLE: Just keep on pulling it right through. 297 00:17:16,500 --> 00:17:17,333 Yeah, like that. 298 00:17:17,433 --> 00:17:19,566 Wampum beads are very delicate. 299 00:17:19,666 --> 00:17:20,800 They'll break easy. 300 00:17:20,900 --> 00:17:22,566 And you may get frustrated. 301 00:17:22,666 --> 00:17:25,733 ♪ 302 00:17:25,833 --> 00:17:28,566 But when you put them together, they're strong. 303 00:17:28,666 --> 00:17:31,233 They all support one and other. 304 00:17:31,333 --> 00:17:32,866 Just like when we put all our people 305 00:17:32,966 --> 00:17:36,333 and all our nations together, they're strong. 306 00:17:39,233 --> 00:17:41,300 NARRATOR: They're using glass beads, 307 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,266 but the original is made from shells. 308 00:17:45,666 --> 00:17:49,900 The word "wampum" means "white shell beads." 309 00:17:51,300 --> 00:17:55,100 They weave together rows of the strung beads on a loom. 310 00:17:56,333 --> 00:18:00,033 The patterns create meaning. 311 00:18:00,133 --> 00:18:02,700 MARACLE: Wampum is a way 312 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:07,200 of portraying words that we put into the wampum. 313 00:18:07,300 --> 00:18:10,133 There is a story behind that. 314 00:18:10,233 --> 00:18:12,766 It's part of our history is right in there. 315 00:18:12,866 --> 00:18:15,966 NARRATOR: The Hiawatha Belt tells the story 316 00:18:16,066 --> 00:18:18,966 of the Haudenosaunee's legendary founding 317 00:18:19,066 --> 00:18:22,133 and wampum's power to heal. 318 00:18:22,233 --> 00:18:24,133 ♪ 319 00:18:24,233 --> 00:18:27,500 Before the Haudenosaunee create their democracy, 320 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:29,833 they were five warring tribes 321 00:18:29,933 --> 00:18:33,733 living in an area of what is now upstate New York-- 322 00:18:33,833 --> 00:18:40,600 the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk. 323 00:18:40,700 --> 00:18:41,866 MARACLE: We were in turmoil. 324 00:18:41,966 --> 00:18:43,966 We were covered in darkness, 325 00:18:44,066 --> 00:18:48,266 so the Peacemaker was sent by the Creator to stop this. 326 00:18:48,366 --> 00:18:50,900 ♪ 327 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:54,633 NARRATOR: The color of the wampum beads in the Hiawatha Belt 328 00:18:54,733 --> 00:18:58,233 represents this period of war. 329 00:18:58,333 --> 00:19:00,933 G. PETER JEMISON: The purple represents the time period 330 00:19:01,033 --> 00:19:02,133 of loss and of grief 331 00:19:02,233 --> 00:19:05,666 when this warfare was taking place constantly 332 00:19:05,766 --> 00:19:08,500 within our confederacy. 333 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,100 NARRATOR: The story recorded in this belt begins in the midst 334 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:13,966 of these wars. 335 00:19:14,066 --> 00:19:19,766 (woman singing in Native language) 336 00:19:19,866 --> 00:19:23,600 It tells of a warrior named Hiawatha 337 00:19:23,700 --> 00:19:28,133 who meets a prophet known as the Peacemaker. 338 00:19:28,233 --> 00:19:30,800 (wind blows, woman singing) 339 00:19:34,333 --> 00:19:39,133 MAN (speaking Native language): 340 00:19:52,433 --> 00:19:54,366 (fires crackling) 341 00:19:54,466 --> 00:19:57,866 (distant echoing) 342 00:20:03,933 --> 00:20:06,000 (waves crashing, birds calling) 343 00:20:06,100 --> 00:20:10,700 ♪ 344 00:20:16,033 --> 00:20:18,933 JEMISON: The story goes that he came up with a way 345 00:20:19,033 --> 00:20:21,066 of helping a person who is in grief 346 00:20:21,166 --> 00:20:25,133 by using this wampum to clear their eyes, 347 00:20:25,233 --> 00:20:27,600 open their ears, clear their throat 348 00:20:27,700 --> 00:20:28,933 so they could speak clearly. 349 00:20:29,033 --> 00:20:31,666 ♪ 350 00:20:31,766 --> 00:20:33,533 NARRATOR: Using the purity of shells 351 00:20:33,633 --> 00:20:36,466 to bring a person to a clear state of mind 352 00:20:36,566 --> 00:20:39,566 is called the condolence ceremony. 353 00:20:39,666 --> 00:20:41,700 ♪ 354 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,200 It was invented by Hiawatha, 355 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:48,733 and the Haudenosaunee still practice it today. 356 00:20:50,333 --> 00:20:53,666 HILL: Those wampum beads are very sacred, very spiritual. 357 00:20:53,766 --> 00:20:56,733 They're alive, and you treat them as such. 358 00:20:56,833 --> 00:20:59,800 And that's what gives them that power of importance 359 00:20:59,900 --> 00:21:00,900 to our people. 360 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,866 ♪ 361 00:21:04,966 --> 00:21:08,866 NARRATOR: That power also comes from the origin of the beads, 362 00:21:08,966 --> 00:21:13,233 how they are collected and shaped by human hands. 363 00:21:13,333 --> 00:21:16,066 ♪ 364 00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:18,733 Marcus Hendricks makes wampum beads. 365 00:21:18,833 --> 00:21:22,733 He is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag. 366 00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:26,066 ♪ 367 00:21:26,166 --> 00:21:29,666 The Haudenosaunee acquired wampum beads from his people 368 00:21:29,766 --> 00:21:33,333 and other Atlantic coastal communities. 369 00:21:33,433 --> 00:21:35,366 Wampanoag means "people of the first light" 370 00:21:35,466 --> 00:21:37,366 or "people of the dawn." 371 00:21:37,466 --> 00:21:42,966 They witness the first horizon of the sun coming up. 372 00:21:43,066 --> 00:21:47,133 ♪ 373 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,466 NARRATOR: The first step to making wampum is gathering shellfish 374 00:21:54,566 --> 00:21:57,966 in his ancestral waters off Cape Cod. 375 00:21:59,633 --> 00:22:01,300 HENDRICKS: When I come out onto the water, 376 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,333 there's a connection to my ancestors... 377 00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:10,433 A relationship that goes through my blood and my veins. 378 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:18,466 NARRATOR: The shells of quahog are the raw material for wampum. 379 00:22:18,566 --> 00:22:23,366 ♪ 380 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:28,666 HENDRICKS: You want to look for a good thickness in a quahog. 381 00:22:28,766 --> 00:22:32,033 ♪ 382 00:22:40,633 --> 00:22:44,766 NARRATOR: The fire is both the first step in a gratitude offering 383 00:22:44,866 --> 00:22:47,833 and prepares the quahog to be opened. 384 00:22:49,333 --> 00:22:52,766 HENDRICKS: I was taught really young to take the time to give thanks 385 00:22:52,866 --> 00:22:55,466 and say a few prayers to the Creator. 386 00:22:55,566 --> 00:22:58,233 We do that any time we're harvesting anything 387 00:22:58,333 --> 00:22:59,466 from Mother Earth. 388 00:22:59,566 --> 00:23:02,566 NARRATOR: Marcus uses traditional methods 389 00:23:02,666 --> 00:23:06,566 to transform the shell into wampum beads, 390 00:23:06,666 --> 00:23:10,233 refining raw shell until it can be strung together 391 00:23:10,333 --> 00:23:12,366 into a wampum belt. 392 00:23:12,466 --> 00:23:14,400 (tapping) 393 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:18,600 HENDRICKS: Each bead took a lot of hours and a lot of manpower. 394 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:24,633 Each strand probably would have taken a year to make. 395 00:23:27,900 --> 00:23:33,566 NARRATOR: When strung into a belt, wampum empowers the person holding it 396 00:23:33,666 --> 00:23:36,733 as a representative of their people. 397 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,500 (woman singing in Native language) 398 00:23:43,933 --> 00:23:46,933 HENDRICKS: They were made for ceremonies to depict stories 399 00:23:47,033 --> 00:23:49,066 and treaties between tribes. 400 00:23:49,166 --> 00:23:51,633 (woman singing in Native language) 401 00:23:51,733 --> 00:23:55,633 So if I was to go visit another nation, I would bring the belt 402 00:23:55,733 --> 00:23:59,466 to show that there's a close bond between... 403 00:23:59,566 --> 00:24:00,800 between the nations. 404 00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:05,833 ♪ 405 00:24:05,933 --> 00:24:10,033 NARRATOR: The wampum belt acts as a treaty. 406 00:24:11,233 --> 00:24:13,766 The Wampanoag, Haudenosaunee, 407 00:24:13,866 --> 00:24:16,800 and other Native peoples of the Northeast 408 00:24:16,900 --> 00:24:18,900 use wampum to hold memories 409 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,466 and create bonds between nations. 410 00:24:21,566 --> 00:24:24,700 ♪ 411 00:24:30,566 --> 00:24:32,233 In the Pacific Northwest, 412 00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:35,033 memories and ties that bind are embodied 413 00:24:35,133 --> 00:24:38,533 in one of Native America's most iconic structures: 414 00:24:38,633 --> 00:24:41,500 totem poles. 415 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,400 (distant humming) 416 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:49,700 Like wampum belts, totem poles record the history 417 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,600 of war, kinship, and leaders. 418 00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,566 (man singing in Native language) 419 00:24:54,666 --> 00:24:57,433 But totem poles are often misunderstood. 420 00:24:57,533 --> 00:24:59,600 ALAN HUNT: You know, the saying "low man on the totem pole" 421 00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:01,566 doesn't really equate at all. 422 00:25:01,666 --> 00:25:03,700 They're just about all as equally as important 423 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,166 as the next guy, and, you know, 424 00:25:05,266 --> 00:25:06,566 the guy on the bottom is supporting 425 00:25:06,666 --> 00:25:07,700 everything else above him, 426 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,833 so it actually seems a little backwards. 427 00:25:10,933 --> 00:25:13,600 ♪ 428 00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:19,333 NARRATOR: The power of the pole comes from the cedar tree. 429 00:25:19,433 --> 00:25:22,800 Cedar is central to the lives of the Native peoples 430 00:25:22,900 --> 00:25:25,666 of the Northwest. 431 00:25:25,766 --> 00:25:31,133 It is used to make clothing, storage chests, 432 00:25:31,233 --> 00:25:33,933 and ceremonial masks. 433 00:25:34,033 --> 00:25:36,933 ♪ 434 00:25:37,033 --> 00:25:40,733 For Kwakwaka'wakw carvers Alan Hunt and Beau Dick, 435 00:25:40,833 --> 00:25:44,800 cedar is a portal to the past. 436 00:25:44,900 --> 00:25:46,366 DICK: There is a certain relationship 437 00:25:46,466 --> 00:25:49,066 that our people have with the cedar tree. 438 00:25:49,166 --> 00:25:51,566 (hammering) 439 00:25:51,666 --> 00:25:56,000 It reconnects us with our ancestors, with our story, 440 00:25:56,100 --> 00:25:57,033 with our identity, 441 00:25:57,133 --> 00:26:00,500 and it's just really sacred to us. 442 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,100 (scraping wood) 443 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,433 Each grain is a year, 444 00:26:10,533 --> 00:26:14,266 and you become sensitized to it the more you work it. 445 00:26:14,366 --> 00:26:19,166 You feel it cutting through each year in time. 446 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:24,166 My grandfather did that. 447 00:26:24,266 --> 00:26:27,033 My great-grandfather did that. 448 00:26:27,133 --> 00:26:30,533 My great-great-great-grandfather did that. 449 00:26:30,633 --> 00:26:32,833 They all did it. 450 00:26:32,933 --> 00:26:36,333 I'm following their footsteps. 451 00:26:36,433 --> 00:26:39,800 And that's really personal. 452 00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:41,666 And we share that. 453 00:26:41,766 --> 00:26:44,600 We're following what was provided by our ancestors 454 00:26:44,700 --> 00:26:48,833 and the relationship that they had with the Creator. 455 00:26:48,933 --> 00:26:51,833 (sanding) 456 00:26:51,933 --> 00:26:54,833 NARRATOR: Alan and Beau are carving a moon mask. 457 00:26:54,933 --> 00:26:57,566 It's one of the many important figures 458 00:26:57,666 --> 00:27:02,500 in the Kwakwaka'wakw origin story. 459 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,866 DICK: Our history goes back 460 00:27:04,966 --> 00:27:06,000 to the beginning of time 461 00:27:06,100 --> 00:27:08,000 when Raven first brought light to the world. 462 00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:09,966 (scraping wood) 463 00:27:10,066 --> 00:27:14,500 NARRATOR: Cedar also immortalizes the legacy of leaders. 464 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:20,033 And, one day, artists may carve images that represent Alan Hunt, 465 00:27:20,133 --> 00:27:22,466 for he is about to become a chief. 466 00:27:22,566 --> 00:27:27,100 (drumming) 467 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:30,933 Final preparations are being made 468 00:27:31,033 --> 00:27:34,933 in the Fort Rupert Big House on Vancouver Island. 469 00:27:35,033 --> 00:27:36,866 Kwakwaka'wakw chiefs are named 470 00:27:36,966 --> 00:27:40,800 through either the mother or the father's line. 471 00:27:40,900 --> 00:27:43,733 Alan will replace his grandfather as chief 472 00:27:43,833 --> 00:27:47,033 in a ceremony called a potlatch. 473 00:27:47,133 --> 00:27:50,200 (men singing in Native language) 474 00:27:53,433 --> 00:27:56,900 ALAN HUNT: All of my mentor chiefs kept telling me, 475 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,400 you know, "Take a deep breath, we've all been through it. 476 00:27:59,500 --> 00:28:01,066 It's going to come together." 477 00:28:01,166 --> 00:28:03,166 And now here it is, it's coming together, 478 00:28:03,266 --> 00:28:06,933 and it's going to be all right and I'm breathing deeply here. 479 00:28:07,033 --> 00:28:11,000 (drumming, singing) 480 00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:14,966 NARRATOR: Terena Hunt is Alan's mother. 481 00:28:15,066 --> 00:28:17,900 It's just a wonderful moment for us as a family to witness. 482 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,333 (drumming, singing) 483 00:28:19,433 --> 00:28:23,200 NARRATOR: For centuries, potlatches have honored births, 484 00:28:23,300 --> 00:28:27,733 deaths, weddings, and new chiefs. 485 00:28:27,833 --> 00:28:30,033 ♪ 486 00:28:30,133 --> 00:28:32,466 ALAN HUNT: This is the way that we kept history, you know, 487 00:28:32,566 --> 00:28:35,533 is the passing of names and dances and all the stories 488 00:28:35,633 --> 00:28:38,066 from the beginning of time. 489 00:28:38,166 --> 00:28:42,366 NARRATOR: The potlatch ceremony is like a living totem pole, 490 00:28:42,466 --> 00:28:44,900 illustrating the nation's heritage. 491 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:46,066 (drumming, singing) 492 00:28:46,166 --> 00:28:49,833 It starts with a series of sacred dances 493 00:28:49,933 --> 00:28:52,133 depicting ancestral stories. 494 00:28:52,233 --> 00:28:55,966 (drumming, singing) 495 00:29:01,466 --> 00:29:07,166 (drumming, singing) 496 00:29:15,533 --> 00:29:18,566 ♪ 497 00:29:18,666 --> 00:29:21,800 Everyone in the room receives a cedar crown. 498 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:24,000 (people talking quietly) 499 00:29:30,833 --> 00:29:32,333 RYAN: The reason that we wear them 500 00:29:32,433 --> 00:29:33,500 at the feast 501 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:37,200 is to protect us as guests and also the host 502 00:29:37,300 --> 00:29:39,133 from evil spirits 503 00:29:39,233 --> 00:29:41,166 so that everything goes well. 504 00:29:41,266 --> 00:29:43,900 (people talking quietly) 505 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,600 (fire crackling) 506 00:29:46,700 --> 00:29:50,033 ♪ 507 00:29:59,266 --> 00:30:05,233 ♪ 508 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:16,333 (man speaking Native language) 509 00:30:16,433 --> 00:30:20,533 NARRATOR: Alan's uncle places a cedar headpiece on him, 510 00:30:20,633 --> 00:30:23,433 anointing Alan a new chief. 511 00:30:23,533 --> 00:30:27,866 (man speaking Native language) 512 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,233 ALAN HUNT: There's a certain pressure in knowing 513 00:30:31,333 --> 00:30:34,066 that you're going to become chief. 514 00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:36,333 I am taking on the responsibility 515 00:30:36,433 --> 00:30:40,400 of holding up my tribe and to provide for them, 516 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:43,366 and make sure that our culture doesn't die. 517 00:30:43,466 --> 00:30:46,866 ♪ 518 00:30:46,966 --> 00:30:48,566 TERENA HUNT: I'm honored-- 519 00:30:48,666 --> 00:30:51,100 (crying): sorry-- 520 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:52,600 to be his mom. 521 00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:54,366 And I'm proud. 522 00:30:54,466 --> 00:30:59,400 (man speaking in Native language) 523 00:31:01,700 --> 00:31:05,100 (drumming and chanting) 524 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:10,866 ♪ 525 00:31:10,966 --> 00:31:12,700 DICK: There's something really magical 526 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:19,333 that comes into play when the host is humble 527 00:31:19,433 --> 00:31:25,266 and not pinned to this idea of chieftainship as being prestige. 528 00:31:25,366 --> 00:31:28,233 And it's not an easy thing. 529 00:31:28,333 --> 00:31:30,333 It's a heavy load. 530 00:31:30,433 --> 00:31:34,100 (drumming and chanting) 531 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,066 ALAN HUNT: From the moment that they put the cedar ring on me, 532 00:31:37,166 --> 00:31:39,500 it was an electric moment, 533 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:45,433 to feel so connected with such an old history. 534 00:31:45,533 --> 00:31:48,133 You know, the baton's been passed to me 535 00:31:48,233 --> 00:31:50,033 and now it's my job to carry it well 536 00:31:50,133 --> 00:31:52,633 and pass it on to my children. 537 00:31:52,733 --> 00:31:55,866 (drumming and chanting) 538 00:31:55,966 --> 00:32:00,033 ♪ 539 00:32:00,133 --> 00:32:02,366 NARRATOR: Cedar-- in ceremonies and carvings-- 540 00:32:02,466 --> 00:32:06,566 documents the past, celebrates leadership, 541 00:32:06,666 --> 00:32:09,566 and provides a path to the future by passing on 542 00:32:09,666 --> 00:32:13,433 ancient traditions to a new generation. 543 00:32:13,533 --> 00:32:15,400 ♪ 544 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,933 DICK: Without the ability to create masks, 545 00:32:19,033 --> 00:32:23,833 to perform in our ceremonies... 546 00:32:23,933 --> 00:32:28,100 Without that, our people can't survive. 547 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,400 So much of our survival came from this tree 548 00:32:31,500 --> 00:32:34,133 and our connection to the forest. 549 00:32:34,233 --> 00:32:35,100 (birds calling) 550 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,900 Through that one tree. 551 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,600 ♪ 552 00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:44,566 NARRATOR: Kwakwaka'wakw history is rooted in the majestic cedar. 553 00:32:44,666 --> 00:32:47,400 (corn stalks rustling) 554 00:32:47,500 --> 00:32:50,700 For the Haudenosaunee, ideals of government 555 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:54,066 are embodied in a tiny plant: 556 00:32:54,166 --> 00:32:56,033 corn. 557 00:32:56,133 --> 00:32:58,466 (husk cracking) 558 00:32:59,833 --> 00:33:03,866 Today, the Haudenosaunee are beginning their harvest. 559 00:33:03,966 --> 00:33:08,433 The crew is led by Angie Ferguson. 560 00:33:08,533 --> 00:33:11,966 She's on a mission to keep the food of her ancestors alive 561 00:33:12,066 --> 00:33:15,633 and the health of her nation strong. 562 00:33:15,733 --> 00:33:18,966 FERGUSON: Through colonization, we grew away from eating 563 00:33:19,066 --> 00:33:20,800 what our bodies were accustomed to, 564 00:33:20,900 --> 00:33:24,533 and not only are those foods 565 00:33:24,633 --> 00:33:26,533 part of our health and nutrition, 566 00:33:26,633 --> 00:33:30,466 but those are part of our spiritual entities 567 00:33:30,566 --> 00:33:31,766 that keep us who we are. 568 00:33:31,866 --> 00:33:33,700 NARRATOR: Angie is returning 569 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,066 to traditional seeds and farming methods 570 00:33:36,166 --> 00:33:39,266 developed over thousands of years. 571 00:33:39,366 --> 00:33:42,600 FERGUSON: In a lot of our teachings, food is at the basis 572 00:33:42,700 --> 00:33:45,066 of the entire Haudenosaunee community. 573 00:33:45,166 --> 00:33:48,433 ♪ 574 00:33:51,300 --> 00:33:54,933 NARRATOR: For the Haudenosaunee, corn is more than a crop. 575 00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:58,300 It's a teacher. 576 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,466 Roger Cook was taught one of its most important lessons 577 00:34:01,566 --> 00:34:03,700 by his grandfather: 578 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:09,100 When making decisions, always look to the seventh generation. 579 00:34:09,199 --> 00:34:11,366 COOK: All the things that we do in the garden, 580 00:34:11,466 --> 00:34:14,666 we're always thinking about that seventh generation. 581 00:34:14,766 --> 00:34:19,699 It's a lot of hard work to put into the corn 582 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:23,133 so that our children that we don't even know yet, 583 00:34:23,233 --> 00:34:25,433 our grandchildren, will have this. 584 00:34:25,533 --> 00:34:29,199 That's how far ahead we have to look. 585 00:34:29,300 --> 00:34:32,100 NARRATOR: Haudenosaunee ancestors didn't simply focus 586 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:34,466 on feeding themselves and their children. 587 00:34:34,566 --> 00:34:37,766 They planned centuries ahead. 588 00:34:37,866 --> 00:34:40,266 ♪ 589 00:34:40,366 --> 00:34:45,166 It's a strategy that changed the world. 590 00:34:45,266 --> 00:34:48,066 10,000 years ago, there was no corn-- 591 00:34:48,166 --> 00:34:52,466 only a tiny weed called teosinte. 592 00:34:52,566 --> 00:34:54,300 Over hundreds of generations 593 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:57,600 of careful observation and seed selection, 594 00:34:57,700 --> 00:35:00,800 it was developed into corn. 595 00:35:00,900 --> 00:35:05,000 And that's only the beginning. 596 00:35:05,100 --> 00:35:07,366 Native Americans feed a population 597 00:35:07,466 --> 00:35:09,233 of 100 million people 598 00:35:09,333 --> 00:35:12,866 by developing new foods from wild plants. 599 00:35:12,966 --> 00:35:14,400 (digging) 600 00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:18,000 The potato, the tomato, 601 00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:21,900 peanuts, chocolate, 602 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,100 and dozens of varieties of beans and squash. 603 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:29,233 Today, these crops provide 604 00:35:29,333 --> 00:35:32,600 60 percent of the world's grown food. 605 00:35:32,700 --> 00:35:37,166 But for Native America, corn is king. 606 00:35:37,266 --> 00:35:41,200 ♪ 607 00:35:41,300 --> 00:35:43,866 It's the power behind one of the ancient world's 608 00:35:43,966 --> 00:35:47,600 most advanced societies: 609 00:35:47,700 --> 00:35:51,366 the Maya. 610 00:35:51,466 --> 00:35:55,900 From 250 to 900, Maya city-states thrive 611 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,500 across what is now Southern Mexico, 612 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:00,866 Guatemala, and Honduras. 613 00:36:00,966 --> 00:36:05,066 ♪ 614 00:36:05,166 --> 00:36:09,433 The Maya invent their own system of writing, 615 00:36:09,533 --> 00:36:13,533 which records the emergence of a new kind of leader: 616 00:36:13,633 --> 00:36:15,866 a divine king. 617 00:36:17,366 --> 00:36:20,766 One Maya king ranks among the longest-reigning monarchs 618 00:36:20,866 --> 00:36:22,400 in the world: 619 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:27,100 King Pakal, who ruled for 68 years. 620 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,333 ♪ 621 00:36:33,566 --> 00:36:37,466 Art historian Mary Miller has come to his capital city 622 00:36:37,566 --> 00:36:40,600 in search of the key to his success. 623 00:36:47,666 --> 00:36:52,733 This is Palenque, in what is now Chiapas, Mexico. 624 00:36:55,666 --> 00:36:59,633 MILLER: Architects and artists came here and made things 625 00:36:59,733 --> 00:37:02,700 of extraordinary wonder and imagination, 626 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,933 and we wonder at them today, as well. 627 00:37:05,033 --> 00:37:08,100 (crickets chirping) 628 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,700 It was a kind of magical place. 629 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,533 NARRATOR: Palenque is surrounded by some of the best soil 630 00:37:14,633 --> 00:37:16,466 in the region. 631 00:37:16,566 --> 00:37:20,333 The corn, or maize, that grows here 632 00:37:20,433 --> 00:37:23,566 brings prosperity to the city. 633 00:37:23,666 --> 00:37:28,333 But to King Pakal, maize brings much more: 634 00:37:28,433 --> 00:37:31,000 immortality. 635 00:37:31,100 --> 00:37:34,466 Pakal uses his riches to construct 636 00:37:34,566 --> 00:37:39,366 the Temple of the Inscriptions, a monumental tomb. 637 00:37:39,466 --> 00:37:41,233 MILLER: Pakal created 638 00:37:41,333 --> 00:37:45,200 the most remarkable funerary monument to himself 639 00:37:45,300 --> 00:37:47,466 that any Maya king ever built. 640 00:37:47,566 --> 00:37:50,600 ♪ 641 00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:55,766 When he died, he was placed into a sarcophagus 642 00:37:55,866 --> 00:37:58,500 and royally dressed in jades. 643 00:38:00,700 --> 00:38:02,833 NARRATOR: Steps within the temple lead down 644 00:38:02,933 --> 00:38:06,266 to Pakal's final resting place. 645 00:38:07,266 --> 00:38:10,466 Perfectly intact for over a thousand years, 646 00:38:10,566 --> 00:38:14,700 inside is the largest Maya sarcophagus ever found. 647 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:21,000 The lid is carved with images connecting King Pakal 648 00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:23,933 to the Maize God. 649 00:38:24,033 --> 00:38:29,766 MILLER: We see the great king depicted as the Maize God being reborn. 650 00:38:29,866 --> 00:38:34,466 In his death, maize will eternally return to Palenque. 651 00:38:34,566 --> 00:38:39,733 NARRATOR: Pakal associates his own birth and death 652 00:38:39,833 --> 00:38:43,866 to corn's cycles of planting and harvesting. 653 00:38:43,966 --> 00:38:47,233 He assures his people that as the Maize God, 654 00:38:47,333 --> 00:38:50,100 he will return in a never-ending cycle 655 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,666 of birth, death, and resurrection, 656 00:38:53,766 --> 00:38:57,533 and with each cycle, provide sustenance for his nation. 657 00:39:00,933 --> 00:39:08,533 Pakal takes a simple crop and elevates it to a religion. 658 00:39:08,633 --> 00:39:10,300 MILLER: At the heart of Maya religion, 659 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:14,633 the most fundamental notion is that man is maize, 660 00:39:14,733 --> 00:39:18,866 and as the maize plant flourishes each year, 661 00:39:18,966 --> 00:39:21,200 so too does humanity. 662 00:39:21,300 --> 00:39:24,200 (insects and birds chirping) 663 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:29,466 NARRATOR: Corn has the power to build a kingdom for the Maya. 664 00:39:32,266 --> 00:39:36,000 For the Haudenosaunee, corn will build a democracy. 665 00:39:36,100 --> 00:39:40,400 ♪ 666 00:39:40,500 --> 00:39:46,100 The inspiration is an ancient farming method called Dioheka, 667 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,000 or the Three Sisters. 668 00:39:49,100 --> 00:39:52,933 FERGUSON: Our Three Sisters, the corn, beans, and the squash, 669 00:39:53,033 --> 00:39:55,633 are all meant to grow together 670 00:39:55,733 --> 00:39:58,166 to help each other out. 671 00:39:58,266 --> 00:39:59,700 NARRATOR: Planted together, 672 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,233 the Three Sisters are a farming miracle. 673 00:40:03,333 --> 00:40:06,400 Corn strips soil of nitrogen, 674 00:40:06,500 --> 00:40:11,266 but bean roots balance this by replenishing nitrogen. 675 00:40:11,366 --> 00:40:14,633 And the broad prickly leaves of the squash plant 676 00:40:14,733 --> 00:40:18,900 reduce weeds and deter pests. 677 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,466 When consumed together, corn, beans, and squash 678 00:40:22,566 --> 00:40:27,533 provide all the essential nutrients for a healthy diet. 679 00:40:27,633 --> 00:40:29,666 ♪ 680 00:40:29,766 --> 00:40:33,600 The Three Sisters is a model for community organizing. 681 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:36,066 (corn rustling) 682 00:40:36,166 --> 00:40:37,400 FERGUSON: In our communities, 683 00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:40,600 you need people that can stand tall like the corn, 684 00:40:40,700 --> 00:40:43,400 and they need people to assist 685 00:40:43,500 --> 00:40:46,333 and hold them up, like the beans. 686 00:40:46,433 --> 00:40:48,466 And you have your squash that's laying down 687 00:40:48,566 --> 00:40:50,266 to protect everything. 688 00:40:50,366 --> 00:40:52,966 ♪ 689 00:40:54,300 --> 00:40:55,733 It's something that's opening our eyes 690 00:40:55,833 --> 00:40:58,500 to see what our ancestor was trying to show us. 691 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,000 NARRATOR: The Haudenosaunee adopt 692 00:41:02,100 --> 00:41:04,466 the Three Sisters' cooperative approach in nature 693 00:41:04,566 --> 00:41:08,466 to a cooperative approach in governance. 694 00:41:08,566 --> 00:41:12,133 (birds calling) 695 00:41:12,233 --> 00:41:14,600 This principle is expressed in the structure 696 00:41:14,700 --> 00:41:18,700 that defines their very identity: 697 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:22,333 the longhouse. 698 00:41:26,533 --> 00:41:30,066 Pete Jemison is an elder from the Seneca People. 699 00:41:30,166 --> 00:41:33,200 JEMISON: The Haudenosaunee, what that translates to 700 00:41:33,300 --> 00:41:36,433 is that our people built an extended house, 701 00:41:36,533 --> 00:41:40,033 and when we're talking about this house that they built, 702 00:41:40,133 --> 00:41:42,800 it's not just the longhouse that we actually live in. 703 00:41:42,900 --> 00:41:47,533 It is the idea that each of the nations take up the issues 704 00:41:47,633 --> 00:41:49,633 that are confronting the community, 705 00:41:49,733 --> 00:41:51,733 and they try to come up with solutions. 706 00:41:51,833 --> 00:41:56,133 ♪ 707 00:41:56,233 --> 00:42:00,266 NARRATOR: Leaders from the warring tribes come together in a longhouse 708 00:42:00,366 --> 00:42:03,666 and form the Grand Council of Chiefs. 709 00:42:03,766 --> 00:42:06,400 ♪ 710 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:09,866 It is America's first democratic legislature. 711 00:42:12,633 --> 00:42:16,766 Inspired by Hiawatha and the Peacemaker, 712 00:42:16,866 --> 00:42:20,933 the Council votes to end war among their nations. 713 00:42:21,700 --> 00:42:25,066 MAN (speaking Native language): 714 00:42:25,166 --> 00:42:29,566 (waterfall churning) 715 00:42:29,666 --> 00:42:33,500 (men fighting and yelling) 716 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:38,066 ♪ 717 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,466 (fire crackling) 718 00:42:55,033 --> 00:42:58,600 (moaning and roaring) 719 00:42:58,700 --> 00:43:02,366 ♪ 720 00:43:03,666 --> 00:43:05,266 PORTER: He was a sorcerer. 721 00:43:05,366 --> 00:43:07,900 He had supernatural powers. 722 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:11,633 He could communicate with the birds and rattlesnakes 723 00:43:11,733 --> 00:43:13,766 and wolves and the animal world, 724 00:43:13,866 --> 00:43:16,466 and they would help him. 725 00:43:16,566 --> 00:43:17,533 He was a mean, mean man. 726 00:43:17,633 --> 00:43:18,966 His name was Tadodaho. 727 00:43:20,866 --> 00:43:24,000 ♪ 728 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:30,533 NARRATOR: To convince Tadodaho to join the new confederacy, 729 00:43:30,633 --> 00:43:34,666 Hiawatha and the Peacemaker seek a powerful ally. 730 00:43:37,466 --> 00:43:40,000 A woman named Jigonhsasee. 731 00:43:44,433 --> 00:43:48,166 VIRGINIA ABRAMS: Jigonhsasee was the first clan mother. 732 00:43:48,266 --> 00:43:54,166 She helped bring peace to the Iroquois, to the Haudenosaunee. 733 00:43:54,266 --> 00:43:56,800 NARRATOR: Virginia Abrams is a clan mother, 734 00:43:56,900 --> 00:43:59,633 a title first established by Jigonhsasee. 735 00:43:59,733 --> 00:44:02,466 (corn rustling) 736 00:44:02,566 --> 00:44:04,466 Like Palenque's King Pakal, 737 00:44:04,566 --> 00:44:08,533 Jigonhsasee's influence comes from corn. 738 00:44:08,633 --> 00:44:10,933 ABRAMS: When the nations were warring against each other, 739 00:44:11,033 --> 00:44:15,200 she would take them in and feed them. 740 00:44:15,300 --> 00:44:18,533 And she kind of kept the war going on, 741 00:44:18,633 --> 00:44:23,300 so the Peacemaker came to her and asked her 742 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,666 to refrain from keeping this warring going on 743 00:44:26,766 --> 00:44:28,600 between our people. 744 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:34,500 NARRATOR: Jigonhsasee's stockpile of corn perpetuates the bloodshed 745 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:37,833 by feeding the warriors. 746 00:44:37,933 --> 00:44:40,666 The Peacemaker strikes a deal with her. 747 00:44:40,766 --> 00:44:43,333 (roaring) 748 00:44:43,433 --> 00:44:47,266 If she can stop the war, she can choose the chiefs. 749 00:44:47,366 --> 00:44:51,100 (fire crackling) 750 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:55,733 MAN (speaking Native language): 751 00:44:55,833 --> 00:44:59,400 ♪ 752 00:45:02,366 --> 00:45:08,066 ♪ 753 00:45:10,533 --> 00:45:12,266 ♪ 754 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,366 NARRATOR: Jigonhsasee transforms Tadodaho's mind 755 00:45:22,466 --> 00:45:25,333 and he abandons war. 756 00:45:25,433 --> 00:45:28,100 Because of Jigonhsasee, clan mothers hold the power 757 00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:32,466 to appoint or dismiss chiefs. 758 00:45:32,566 --> 00:45:33,966 JEMISON: She earned for our women 759 00:45:34,066 --> 00:45:36,600 the rights, the responsibilities, 760 00:45:36,700 --> 00:45:39,300 and the privileges that they have until this day. 761 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:40,700 (fire crackling) 762 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,833 NARRATOR: And Tadodaho, in exchange for accepting peace, 763 00:45:44,933 --> 00:45:48,266 is appointed the keeper of the central fire 764 00:45:48,366 --> 00:45:51,800 and chief of chiefs, the most powerful leader. 765 00:45:51,900 --> 00:45:55,200 ♪ 766 00:45:55,300 --> 00:46:01,100 His name becomes a title that is handed down to this day. 767 00:46:01,200 --> 00:46:04,300 When our longhouses come together, 768 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:06,566 these are the fires he's talking about. 769 00:46:06,666 --> 00:46:09,766 NARRATOR: Sid Hill is now Tadodaho. 770 00:46:09,866 --> 00:46:13,166 He sees an important lesson in memorializing the name 771 00:46:13,266 --> 00:46:15,700 of this once-vicious warlord. 772 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:17,000 HILL: People can change with help 773 00:46:17,100 --> 00:46:19,133 if they're going down the wrong path. 774 00:46:19,233 --> 00:46:21,600 There's always hope 775 00:46:21,700 --> 00:46:23,033 through people helping them and showing them 776 00:46:23,133 --> 00:46:25,700 there's better things you can do with your life 777 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:29,166 than being destructive and evil and negative. 778 00:46:29,266 --> 00:46:33,133 NARRATOR: With the final obstacle overcome, 779 00:46:33,233 --> 00:46:37,866 the Peacemaker assembles representatives of each nation. 780 00:46:37,966 --> 00:46:41,200 MAN (speaking Native language): 781 00:46:41,300 --> 00:46:46,366 (fire crackling) 782 00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,833 NARRATOR: From the time of the Peacemaker to today, 783 00:46:59,933 --> 00:47:05,000 the tradition of making wampum belts lives on. 784 00:47:05,100 --> 00:47:07,266 A new generation is being entrusted 785 00:47:07,366 --> 00:47:12,566 with the story of democracy encoded in the Hiawatha Belt. 786 00:47:12,666 --> 00:47:15,266 MARACLE: Your thoughts and energy, 787 00:47:15,366 --> 00:47:19,633 that's the strength of that belt. 788 00:47:19,733 --> 00:47:21,566 PORTER: One day, you're going to get old 789 00:47:21,666 --> 00:47:24,433 and then you're the one that's going to have to transmit 790 00:47:24,533 --> 00:47:26,600 all of this knowledge, what it means, 791 00:47:26,700 --> 00:47:29,633 to your grandkids. 792 00:47:29,733 --> 00:47:31,833 MARACLE: At the beginning of the confederacy, 793 00:47:31,933 --> 00:47:33,833 the Peacemaker made the symbol. 794 00:47:33,933 --> 00:47:37,833 It's our connection to each other. 795 00:47:37,933 --> 00:47:40,533 When I hold this Hiawatha belt, 796 00:47:40,633 --> 00:47:45,166 what it means to me is that we're a united nation. 797 00:47:45,266 --> 00:47:46,900 ♪ 798 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:49,733 NARRATOR: Under a total eclipse of the sun, 799 00:47:49,833 --> 00:47:53,500 the Peacemaker holds the newly woven Hiawatha belt, 800 00:47:53,600 --> 00:47:56,900 and with the nations gathered beneath the Tree of Peace, 801 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:02,166 he speaks the Law of Peace for the first time. 802 00:48:02,266 --> 00:48:06,000 MAN (speaking native language): 803 00:48:06,100 --> 00:48:09,366 (roots pulling loose) 804 00:48:09,466 --> 00:48:14,466 ♪ 805 00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:26,000 ♪ 806 00:48:36,833 --> 00:48:40,966 ♪ 807 00:48:45,166 --> 00:48:46,566 NARRATOR: The reading of the Great Law 808 00:48:46,666 --> 00:48:49,033 and the weaving of the Hiawatha Belt 809 00:48:49,133 --> 00:48:54,500 establish the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. 810 00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:57,900 It's a form of government that doesn't rule people, 811 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:02,633 but rather serves people. 812 00:49:02,733 --> 00:49:06,066 It's this principle that inspires Benjamin Franklin 813 00:49:06,166 --> 00:49:08,766 and other framers of the Constitution 814 00:49:08,866 --> 00:49:10,600 to create their own government 815 00:49:10,700 --> 00:49:15,866 of the people, by the people, and for the people. 816 00:49:15,966 --> 00:49:21,700 In 1988, the U.S. Senate passed a special resolution 817 00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:26,000 recognizing the influence of the Haudenosaunee democracy 818 00:49:26,100 --> 00:49:28,800 on the U.S. Constitution. 819 00:49:30,766 --> 00:49:33,500 The Council of Chiefs meeting in the longhouse 820 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,233 is similar to Congress. 821 00:49:36,333 --> 00:49:39,900 Tadodaho parallels the presidency. 822 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:44,766 And the clan mothers are like justices on the Supreme Court. 823 00:49:44,866 --> 00:49:49,200 They, too, serve for life, but have an additional power. 824 00:49:49,300 --> 00:49:54,000 Clan mothers can choose and impeach the chiefs. 825 00:49:54,100 --> 00:49:56,466 It is a three-branch system of government 826 00:49:56,566 --> 00:49:59,166 that looks strikingly familiar. 827 00:50:03,700 --> 00:50:06,966 600 years before the United States, 828 00:50:07,066 --> 00:50:10,066 the Haudenosaunee independently establish 829 00:50:10,166 --> 00:50:13,266 the first democracy in America. 830 00:50:13,366 --> 00:50:17,066 ♪ 831 00:50:21,233 --> 00:50:22,900 WOMAN: Hi! 832 00:50:21,233 --> 00:50:22,900 Good to see you. 833 00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:24,700 (people talking indistinctly) 834 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:28,933 NARRATOR: Today, the Haudenosaunee gather on the shore of Lake Onondaga, 835 00:50:29,033 --> 00:50:33,400 the place where their journey from war to peace began. 836 00:50:33,500 --> 00:50:34,900 All the leaders would work together 837 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:36,466 to come up with a solution. 838 00:50:36,566 --> 00:50:38,266 NARRATOR: They build their confederacy 839 00:50:38,366 --> 00:50:42,800 based on profound lessons and symbols from nature. 840 00:50:42,900 --> 00:50:44,666 Mother Earth never lacked nothing. 841 00:50:44,766 --> 00:50:46,300 They had a perfect world. 842 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:48,533 NARRATOR: But like a treaty between nations, 843 00:50:48,633 --> 00:50:51,666 they believe they owe nature something in return, 844 00:50:51,766 --> 00:50:54,900 to take care of all living things. 845 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:58,833 PORTER: Water and air and all the natural things 846 00:50:58,933 --> 00:51:01,766 that make the world that we live in 847 00:51:01,866 --> 00:51:05,766 is held sacred by all indigenous people, 848 00:51:05,866 --> 00:51:09,566 and every human being comes from an indigenous people. 849 00:51:09,666 --> 00:51:11,866 (man speaking Native language) 850 00:51:11,966 --> 00:51:13,633 NARRATOR: This ceremony is an appeal 851 00:51:13,733 --> 00:51:16,900 to honor that responsibility to nature. 852 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,233 For Onondaga Lake, 853 00:51:19,333 --> 00:51:22,133 the birthplace of democracy in America, 854 00:51:22,233 --> 00:51:24,833 is among the world's most polluted. 855 00:51:24,933 --> 00:51:27,666 HILL: Everybody's concerned these days 856 00:51:27,766 --> 00:51:28,900 about the condition of the waters, 857 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:32,833 the condition of Mother Earth. 858 00:51:32,933 --> 00:51:35,566 It's a concern throughout the world. 859 00:51:35,666 --> 00:51:37,766 That was put there for everybody to use 860 00:51:37,866 --> 00:51:41,433 and nobody has the right to take that away from anybody. 861 00:51:41,533 --> 00:51:44,400 PORTER: It's not just the water. 862 00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:48,233 It's not just made out of chemical elements. 863 00:51:48,333 --> 00:51:50,533 It's real. 864 00:51:50,633 --> 00:51:53,300 It's our lifeblood. 865 00:51:53,400 --> 00:51:57,466 NARRATOR: Over 200 years ago, the framers of the U.S. Constitution 866 00:51:57,566 --> 00:52:02,133 learn lessons of governance from the Haudenosaunee. 867 00:52:02,233 --> 00:52:05,466 But the founding fathers leave out a core principle: 868 00:52:05,566 --> 00:52:11,033 people have a responsibility to take care of the Earth. 869 00:52:11,133 --> 00:52:12,700 (quacking) 870 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:16,133 Native America's profound respect for nature 871 00:52:16,233 --> 00:52:21,400 is relevant now as much as ever. 872 00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:22,566 PORTER: Creator, 873 00:52:22,666 --> 00:52:23,866 we who are your children 874 00:52:23,966 --> 00:52:27,100 says thank you for this miraculous gathering 875 00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:29,900 and this beautiful day that you gave us today. 876 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:32,333 Creator, with love, we say thank you. 877 00:52:32,433 --> 00:52:34,366 And our mind is agreed. 878 00:52:34,466 --> 00:52:37,866 ♪ 879 00:52:37,966 --> 00:52:39,766 NARRATOR: The First Nations of the Americas 880 00:52:39,866 --> 00:52:44,266 have their foundation in sacred natural symbols. 881 00:52:44,366 --> 00:52:45,933 (conch horn trumpets) 882 00:52:46,033 --> 00:52:49,966 In Chavin, priests use the jaguar to gather people 883 00:52:50,066 --> 00:52:51,466 into a nation. 884 00:52:51,566 --> 00:52:54,100 ♪ 885 00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:57,933 In Central America, corn builds vast kingdoms. 886 00:52:58,033 --> 00:53:00,866 ♪ 887 00:53:00,966 --> 00:53:06,300 In the Atlantic Northeast, shell wampum unites nations. 888 00:53:06,400 --> 00:53:09,500 And in the Pacific Northwest, 889 00:53:09,600 --> 00:53:13,933 cedar establishes and maintains a national identity. 890 00:53:14,033 --> 00:53:15,800 (drums and chanting) 891 00:53:15,900 --> 00:53:18,733 Building on lessons from nature, 892 00:53:18,833 --> 00:53:23,433 Native Americans create some of the greatest nations on Earth. 893 00:53:23,533 --> 00:53:28,200 ♪ 894 00:53:28,300 --> 00:53:32,300