We can learn a lot from the wisdom of the Native Americans.
Briarcliff Middle School seventh graders recently read the story of Deganawida, or The Great Peacemaker, in social studies class with Chris Quinn.
Deganawida united five tribes who were at war with each other and co-founded the Iroquois Confederacy. He implemented laws that became a constitution, which ultimately inspired Benjamin Franklin in creating the United States Constitution.
Students answered questions about Deganawida’s goals and obstacles and then made posters highlighting one life lesson they learned from the story.
The message of peace resonated with many students.
“Deganawida’s goal was to unite the tribes and spread peace, but it was hard to get one of the chiefs to accept peace,” Kayla said. “The lesson that I learned was that peace requires hard work. He had to go through a lot of things to bring the tribes together, and that is hard work.”
“The lesson I learned is that words are stronger than violence, because Deganawida spoke to the tribes and discussed peace,” Ella said. “This is also true in real life: fighting won’t do anything; it’s useless.”
Chase learned two life lessons.
“I learned to choose peace over war and that words are stronger than action, because words can create a war or stop a war,” he said.
Rishi learned that even one person can make a difference.
“One person can change a whole nation,” he said. “Deganawida started in a small community, but his message of peace grew.”
“The life lesson I learned is that the journey towards harmony begins with inner peace,” Isabella said. “This pairs with the passage talking about how Deganawida spoke to each person, telling them to find their own peace. When they all agreed with him, there was harmony. It’s also true in real life – if you can find inner peace within you, and if you are good with yourself and always calm, it can influence others.”
“This lesson reinforces what the students learned in the story, and the posters can also spread the word about peace, because we will hang them in the hallway for others to see,” Quinn said. “If people did all of those life lessons mentioned in the posters, the world would be a better place.”
