Written by Maarten Oversier
The hidden meaning of 400 years of friendship
The Dutch and the Iroquois beyond historical facts
When the Dutch and the Mohawks first met at the east coast of
what is now the United States of America in 1613, they entered
into an alliance of friendship for ‘as long as the grass grows green,
the sky is blue and the rivers flow’. This year, exactly 400 years
later, we commemorate their pact, the ‘Two Row Wampum Treaty’.
Even at a governmental level this historical fact is acknowledged
– as is the fact (to a lesser extent) that we fail to meet the
commitments agreed upon in this timeless treaty.
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However, what is passed over entirely is the deeper
message that lies hidden in it. To what extent
must the crisis deepen before we start seeing the
enormous potential in this old friendship? Quite
possibly it holds the key that may help redirect our
present society, now caught up in turmoil.
Western people associate their identity with political
and economical systems that now seem to have
become meaningless. Our spiritual development, as
a consequence, is still in its infancy. Luckily, a growing
number of people start recognizing the fact that
indigenous peoples from all corners of the world, by
keeping their traditions, culture, knowledge and manners
of living alive, may well provide an update for our spiritual
poverty. Centuries ago, these civilizations saw in their
prophecies and traditions the dawning of our current
crisis. What they saw as well, was the need for people in
our day and age to revive, as one, the original values in life,
by joining forces in friendship. In so doing, we may learn
to understand the fierce processes of change currently
causing worldwide disruptions on many levels, and how
to deal with them. Could it be that our Dutch and Indian
ancestors hid a key in an old treaty? A key revealing more
than just anecdotes about trade in beaver hides and
mysterious bead necklaces?
society is built. It seems as though all ancient civilizations
possess one part of a giant jigsaw puzzle, a puzzle that
points out to us that earth can’t be ruled by mere
technology and ratio. Over centuries our intellect has
developed into a male, dominant ruler whose weapon is
the left hemisphere of our brain. He, however, is past his
peak, although he won’t admit to that lightly. ‘The end of
the world’ has become a popular phrase for a reason, no
matter how over-simplified is has been explained and
interpreted.
As early as the days of Atlantis, people were building
specifically shaped temples in order to guide cosmic
energies orbiting planet Earth, and to store universal
knowledge for future times. Ages ago, civilizations created
calendars containing incredibly precise instructions for us,
people living in our current age. In different parts of the
world traditional medicine associations guarded their
knowledge of healing and ceremony for future
generations, other tribes passed on the knowledge of the
mind, the universe and the dream world through
turbulent times. Telepathically ‘The Wise Ones’ were
connected both with each other and with extraterrestrial
intelligences in a way which would embarrass our present
gsm-network. They created and maintained a screen of
energetic fields around the planet, meant to protect
against destructive spheres of influence. In other words:
they were concerned about the health of Mother Earth’s
aura, as an energetic therapist might do in the case of
human beings.
The primeval puzzle
The very word ‘calendar’ immediately brings to mind the
association of a practical division of time. An ordering of
years, months, weeks and days emanating from a system
dating back to Roman times, when the word ‘calendar’
meant ‘cashbook’. Once it becomes clear that the Maya
are in possession of calendars that chart matters far more
extensive, this concept is hard to grasp initially. Old ideas
turned into convictions and need to be cracked, in order
to allow for different ways of thinking. Ours is an era that
witnesses the massive collapse of old convictions. Our
‘crisis’ appears to be nothing but a turbulent period of
pregnancy out of which multiple new perceptions will be
born. The mother, sensing this beforehand, shakes off all
lumber and makes way for her yet unborn child, as it won’t
be able to grow in a cradle of disruption.
Not only the Mayan calendar, also several other
mystical sources provide us with information that quite
differs from the information upon which our current
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The representatives of these ancient nations – at times
referred to as ‘primitive’ by present day intellectuals –
know how important it is to support Mother Earth lovingly
in this difficult phase of her evolution. Now more than
ever, we are living times of immense change. And the
storm hasn’t calmed down yet. The more pieces of the
puzzle we recognize and are able to connect, the sooner
the larger picture will reveal itself, showing us clearly the
course we need to steer.
key figures from all corners of the world took the plunge
and traveled beyond the boundaries of their native soil
to share their knowledge, symbols, traditions and rituals.
Also, many reincarnated key figures participate once more.
And they all serve the same purpose: to rouse people from
their players’ fuddle.
Accidental discoveries?
Particularly during the last decades, all over ‘accidental’
and trendsetting discoveries concerning these keys are
made. One after the other shocking clue on heaven and
earth reveals itself, bringing entirely new insights. Take
Egyptian pyramids, for instance. In core these structures
turn out to be immense councilors for mankind, rather
than ‘mere’ imposing memorial stones for Egyptian faraos,
as we were taught in school. Indian dream catchers, often
misunderstood entirely, turn out to be wheels of medicine
containing a source of universal knowledge for everyone
to feed upon. People are more and more aware of the fact
that Mother Earth is lavishly covered in plants containing
‘free’ healing power for every condition. And the beautiful
wampum belts, symbolic bead belts of Canadian and
American Iroquoian people, contain keys as well. It’s
Monopoly
In order to escape from the eye of the ‘all-seeing’
inquisition, the old Cathars hid their revelations on dark
practices of the mighty Catholic church in symbols and
secret messages. In doing so, the revelations became
hints only to be understood by people of a specific level
of conscience – the tribes and ancient civilizations didn’t
leave their precious clues to be understood easily. Also in
our age exist power empires that would rather not have
the primeval puzzle revealed, and therefore frustrate its
discovery. In order to keep people ignorant in this respect,
they invented a game that is much like Monopoly. The
game board is the earthly stage; its human inhabitants are
the players. Now that players are sufficiently entangled
in buying, selling, debt and wealth and have by now fully
and implicitly internalized the rules of the game, no-one
realizes anymore that in fact they have fallen victim to the
inventors of the game. Everyone has become dependent
on the bank and with that, the goal is achieved. The
inventors of the game are happy as long as everyone takes
part in their game, and slowly they shrewdly adjust the
rules, sending the players ‘back to start’ on a regular basis,
and keeping them imprisoned in the game. However,
behind this game of Monopoly hides a whole different
truth. And now is the time to discover it.
Keys and key figures
The clues handed to us by the ancient tribes are like keys
to open spheres of experience making manifest the farce
of the game. The so-called wisdom keepers, key figures
in indigenous peoples, know this. For the purpose of
the survival of mankind they were entrusted with the
responsibility to guard over the original knowledge on life.
Now that the world is under threat of reaching a deadlock
by extreme quantities of rules (shrewdly replaced by laws),
patents, restrictions and penalties, now that the Earth
is exhausted and people are tired of the game, wisdom
keepers present their knowledge. Over the past decades,
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about time we Dutch strengthen the friendly ties with the
Iroquois and do our part in making the treaty vital and
dynamic once more.
one for each important, meaningful event. Wampum belts
are seen as sacred power objects. They are keys in the
communication with ancestors and future generations
– provided they are treated justly. The belts are made of
beads of clam shell (wampum), which are said to contain
energetic powers that ‘remember the essential’. They
provide a communication platform between generations
not restricted by death. The seemingly simple symbols
contain life values and lessons, and represent timeless
information gathered over generations, preserved and
guaranteed in its purest form. Because of this transmission
of the essence there is no need to re-invent the wheel time
and time again – knowledge may be used as a leg up to
new incarnations. Currently chiefs bear the responsibility
to translate the old messages to the present time. They
know wampum belts only bear truths that can never be
interpreted and used for political conflicts of interest. What
could be their meaning now, four centuries later?
Some thoughts on spirituality
Modern man – please, let it be ‘old fashioned’ soon –
focuses on intellect and mental satisfaction. His is the
assumption that wisdom is gathered by sufficiently
studying matters intensively and repeatedly. He assumes
the same applies to spirituality, which in his eyes is just
another area of expertise to be ‘understood’. However,
spirituality is a world of experience that can’t be truly
understood by merely defining it mentally. No matter to
what lengths one might go to try and explain the taste of
an apple, the listener will still lack the actual experience.
The ‘thinker’, therefore, will not easily recognize the nature
and meaning of a key if he or she is face to face with it.
Mind overshadows spiritual essence. Most frequently finds
are studied and interpreted within existing paradigms,
with all their limitations. Next the findings are put into
archives, and then disappear as archeologically fascinating
items in a showcase, accompanied by a stack of facts on
the site of the find, its material and historical information.
However, the soul of the object remains preserved and
inactive, much like a spirit in a bottle.
Holy secret
‘The sacred became the secret.’ Ken Maracle Haohyoh,
faith keeper of the Cayuga nation of Iroquois, summarizes
things poetically, and adds: ‘The spirit is captured in a tin’.
We are discussing different views on Indian legacy as we
cruise the Six Nations Reserve, some 120 kilometer south
of Toronto, Canada, in his huge cylinder pickup truck. I feel
as if we are galloping our horses over the dirt track, a trail
of dust in our wake. ‘There is the rational and the spiritual
view. Some white people visiting, often know more facts
about the history of our peoples than we do ourselves,’
Ken explains. ‘Most books on Indians are written by nonnatives. Questioning the authenticity of their content is
fully justified at times. The so-called facts in the books
are based on interpretations, twists, trivializations and
concealing. They reveal nothing on the true experience
of our rituals, our ceremonial songs, the honour and
gratitude we feel deeply for our ancestors, our food and
tobacco or our tight connections with the Turtle, Deer,
Wolf, Hawk and Bear, who are our councilors.’
‘In our view Great Mystery runs through all of creation,
from the tiny ant to the largest planet. One may write this
down a hundred times without understanding the
concept. Originally our culture had no script whatsoever,
and this is for a reason: in our culture knowledge is
embedded in a different way. Communicating by means of
the wampum quite differs from communicating through
writing. The wampum expresses what words can’t express,
the same way a dream does. Thousands of books have
been written on the Wampum Treaty. We, however, still
The Two Row Treaty – the friendship treaty with
the Dutch
The friendship treaty the Dutch and the Iroquois (or
‘Haudenosaunee’, as they call themselves) struck up
four hundred years ago contains an important key. The
Iroquois Confederation consists of six influential tribes
(the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and
Tuscarora) and considers the treaty with the Dutch to
be ‘mother of all treaties’. Whereas the Haudenosaunee
still consider this treaty to be very much alive, in the
Netherlands it has been reduced to an underappreciated
historical event, that we today hardly attribute essential
meaning to.
The unique friendship was sealed honorfully with two
wampum belts; the Two Row wampum and the Friendship
wampum. These magnificent bead belts still belong
to the heart of the traditions of the Iroquois, traditions
confirming the dignity of these grand peoples. Over time
and under the most extreme conditions they remained
loyal to their old ways, as a result of which in essence they
haven’t been affected by the rules of the Monopoly game.
There are hundreds of different kinds of wampum belts,
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understand that this treaty needs to be maintained
through times, whilst others lost track of that in the
millions of letters.’
one specific book in the rows of books around me: a
book on the meaning of ‘Wampum Belts’ written by a
Haudenosaunee!
A whole chapter is dedicated to the relationship
between ‘The Dutch and the Iroquois’. It contains an old
illustration of two narrow rows of tiny purple beads
running parallel through a ‘river’ of white beads, each row
representing the life flow of one nation next to the other,
with all accompanying meanings. I wonder how this might
relate to the status quo of our relationship in 2013. In spite
of the fact that through the centuries several attempts
were made to revive the connection, its friendship
potential hasn’t been fully realized. The only thing we
Dutch became really good at, became the main issue:
investigating and discussing the original intention of the
treaty. And in the mean time, financial and political
conflicts determine who our friends and enemies are
worldwide. The true value of our old friendship treaty
seems to have been forgotten…
Iroqrafts, the power of Indian art
For protection, a homemade medicine wheel and the rear
end of some deer antlers hang from the rearview window,
dangling back and forth severely as we drive though a
deep dent. Does it protect? If so, what does it protect?
And how does it work? Who knows? The fact that it works,
however, is a fact amongst indigenous peoples. Are they
crazy? Or did the average modern human being at some
point take a different turn in the development of his soul?
Did we continue on a road where we only take nonmaterial matters seriously if they appear to be provable
by scientific research? Considering the heaps of energy
and money we spend on this search for evidence, could
it be that underneath all that hides some kind of chronic
uncertainty?
Ken and I are heading for Iroqrafts, the place for
anyone looking for anything related to the culture of
Iroquoian Indians. Here one finds a variety of stunning
artistic products, next to wolves’ hides, coyote hides,
bearskins and porcupine headdresses. A separate section
is reserved for an array of amazingly pretty colored beads
in hundreds of little containers, should one want to create
a specific object in order to accentuate ‘the power of one’s
own personal medicine’. For Iroquois these are the
ingredients for the ancient transmission of generations.
The legacy of a lovingly cherished and rich culture that
survived giant storms, and would have long perished had
it not been for its strong spiritual foundation.
The Cayuga Longhouse
While driving to the Cayuga Longhouse, Ken and I
elaborate on the subject. All tribes of the confederation
also go by the name of ‘People of the Longhouse’ – as
all of them have longhouses. Irreverently put, they are
community buildings derived from the original housing of
the Haudenosaunee. Members still gather in longhouses
for special meetings, traditional ceremonies and socalled ‘socials’. Slowly I go quiet. My eyes wonder off to
no-man’s land and I think back on the New York Times
article of 1893 I read on the plane. It was on a delegation
of white people invited to visit a longhouse in the Six
Nations reserve in good faith some hundred years ago.
After the visit, several holy artifacts were missing. The
Council of Chiefs then decided resolutely that from
that moment on, no non-Iroquois would be permitted
entrance to longhouses. Ken opens the eastern door of
The Dutch and the Iroquois
Inside the store I nose about and explore the extensive,
admirable book section. My attention is drawn to
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the Cayuga longhouse and beckons me in. Hesitantly I
shuffle through the doorway of the old wooden building
that is impressive in its simplicity. I wonder if he knows
the newspaper article as well. My breath is high as I take
in the cool smell of the space, two wood-burning stoves
standing across from each other in the center. I smell the
scent of wood fire, and that of air that is pleasantly stale.
Almost embarrassed I realize that I am given the chance
to connect with something very elementary: here resides
the pure soul of an ancient nation. I hear the voices of
the ancestors and feel the power and the magic of the
grand ceremonial turtle rattles, deer antlers and head
dresses with beautiful eagles feathers decorating the
walls. Together they form a timeless unity. I wonder if there
might be a deeper message hidden in the fact that I am
given the opportunity to be here.
Surrounded by this intangible atmosphere, words
come to mind Mohawk-grandmother Sarah once said to
with respect to individual differences. Friendships of this
caliber serve the bigger picture – as all is connected. We
are there for each other in case of need. And need there is,
these days. We are lost and need each other to find
direction.’ Wow, I feel how the spirit of the longhouse bring
life to these words. A form of communication that varies
and plays with time.
True friendship takes guts
me, seated at her kitchen table during a visit to Six
Nations. ‘Seven generations ago, our ancestors prayed for
human beings living in these current times. They did
tobacco offerings for them as they knew Planet Earth and
its inhabitants were to face challenging times. They knew,
just as we knew about the arrival of Columbus through
our dreams.’ Grandmother might know. For years she
traveled the world with Sun Bear, Black Elk, Grandmother
Twylah, Grandfather Tlakaelel and many, many other key
figures. ‘People rich in matter are spiritually poor,’
grandmother proceeds. ‘In being the way they are, they
obtained powerful positions and now misgovern the
world. ‘Grandmother pours some more tea. ‘The value of
friendship sealed by the Two Row is eternal – also the one
between our people and the Dutch. Originally, its purpose
was to exchange the best of both to feed the friendship,
‘Tree of Peace’ or the ‘Big Law on Peace’, upon which the
Haudenosaunee base their world of thought, contain
universal values and may serve as a great stimulus for
many a civilization.
And vice versa? Firstly, why don’t we, Dutch people,
begin by publicly and internationally acknowledging the
Iroquois as our comrades and allies, on the basis of a
century old treaty. Does the lowest country in the world
dare speak up for a blessed people with a golden heart?
Admitting to the fact that we do not shun to broaden our
spiritual horizon, shows guts. Openly admitting to the fact
that we doubt maintaining international relationships
solely based on the fact that they serve EU interests, shows
courage as well. After all, these relationships don’t bring
the peace we so long for, but rather force us to continue
playing Monopoly.
More concretely? Anyone lucky enough to know true
friendship, knows being a friend takes guts. Its very
essence is growing towards each other, onto each other.
At best we may learn from a spiritually developed, cultural
people, with an exceptionally precious, rich and inspiring
heritance. We may learn from them on the many secrets
nature and the spiritual world contain, and that we know
so little about. Magnificent teachings like the one of the
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And secondly, within this very international community,
the Iroquois deserve some upgrading. What the Iroquois
really draw attention to, evokes matters other parties
would rather not discuss: sensitive matters dealing with
not observing many treaties. No, theirs is a position far
from ideal and the fifty chiefs are drowning in bureaucracy
forced upon them. Acquiring full status in national policy,
defending land rights (although their reservations are
reduced to the size of stamps on the map), passport issues
(embarrassingly enough, a Haudenosaunee passport is
not considered a valid travel document internationally),
retaining people’s spiritual morale (which took a terrible
knock in recent years) – all these are everyday issues. Tax
benefits for fuel and tobacco, in the meantime, are meant
to palm people off and distract the attention from real
focus points.
exchanges with the Haudenosaunee might be organized
for the young and the old. A Dutch-Iroquoian longhouse
in which nothing is forced upon people and in which we
may re-live and celebrate the joy of a vintage friendship,
with a knowing wink to our ancestors.
In this new definition of the Two Row, in which
resonate the original values and which reflects the dawn
of a new era, we find the key at last. A key to open the bolt
in which the light is on the true meaning of friendship. The
power that is released in this, may work miracles – and of
these we could use a few these days. At the same time we
herewith give a message to the many similar bonds
existing between indigenous tribes and modern nations
worldwide.
Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ is often interpreted
wrongly. Not the strongest people survive, but the ones
best able to cooperate in changing living conditions.
Within this concept spiritual attunement is necessary,
which is exactly what indigenous peoples teach us. The
crucial question is: what is the value of four hundred years
of friendship between the Dutch and the Haudenosaunee?
The answer lies within the Two Row Wampum and is
revealed on all car plates in Ontario, Canada, the original
habitat of the Iroquois: ‘yours to discover’.
The Dutch longhouse
During the summer of 2006, after sharing a sweat hut
ceremony in the Netherlands, a Mohawk architect, a
Cayuga faith keeper and a Seneca grandmother had a
vision, together with some Dutch people. What they saw,
was an Iroquoian longhouse built in the Netherlands, with
architectural characteristics from both cultures. By now
this vision has been translated into a plan that is becoming
more and more concrete. During various visits to the
Haudenosaunee, the initiative was received with curiosity
and interest by several chiefs and official representatives.
This strengthens our faith in a Dutch ‘Langhuis’, serving as
a spiritual embassy and a new start for a friendship grown
wiser through four centuries of experience. The longhouse
would represent an ancient treaty we almost forgot about.
Within the vision of a new era, encounters, activities and
By Maarten Oversier, www.maartenoversier.nl
Editor: Brenda van Dijk, www.duidelijkverhaal.nl
Thanks to Leo van de Vlist, director of NCIV,
Centre For Indigenous Peoples in the Netherlands.
www.indigenouspeoples.nl
Maarten Oversier is
reincarnation therapist,
and has a practice in
Roden. His website is:
www.maartenoversier.nl.
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