Question

Read the passage. We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery down of the globe thistle, there beneath the shade of the spreading branches of the Tree of Peace. There shall you sit and watch the council fire of the confederacy of the Five Nations, and all the affairs of the Five Nations shall be transacted at this place before you. Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. The name of these roots is the Great White Roots and their nature is peace and strength. . . . In the Iroquois Constitution, what do the branches symbolize?

Answer 1

As one of the first system of government in North America, the Iroquois constitution was the result of the Confederacy of the Five Nations, integrated by the Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, and Cayuga Native American tribes. Among their many traditions, the Great Tree of Peace was one of utmost importance. The tree itself symbolized the understanding and the preservation of peace among all five nations (On the words of The Covenant: "The tree signifies law and the law is peace among all nations").

As for the branches, they were seen as the protection that peace offered to all the members of the Confederacy ("The branches of this tree signify shelter, giving each individual protection and security under the law. These branches are tended by those among the people who are men").

Answer is: The protection that peace offered to all the members of the Confederacy of the Five Nations.

Answer 2

Answer:

The branches symbolize protection.