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 My friend Bob Bowman is writing a book on “Populism” and he has been sending me previews. I’d like to share a story he relates about Benjamin Franklin & The Iroquois (Emphasis mine)
When Benjamin Franklin was a young man, he attended a pow-wow of the Iroquois Nations. He was fascinated by the fact that THEY HAD HAD A THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY, and he wanted to know how they did it, and asked the Big Chief. The Chief responded that ALL THE CHIEFS WERE SELECTED BY THE “CRONES” (the grandmothers and old women), and if the Chiefs didn’t serve the needs of their people, the crones could “unselect” them. In addition, the Chiefs couldn’t take their people to war without the approval of the crones.
While they were in the midst of the pow-wow, a young brave came in loaded down with wampum, and laid it all at the feet of the Big Chief. Franklin asked the Chief what was going on, and the Chief replied:
“Every year, we distribute wampum to the Chiefs of the nations. They distribute it to the chiefs of the tribes, who distribute it to the chiefs of the families, who make sure that everyone gets enough wampum to meet their needs and to allow them to give gifts at all of our many ceremonies during the year. Everyone must have enough wampum to allow for a free exchange of goods and services. That way there is always prosperity. There must be no poverty among the people, whether young or old, and no embarrassment at not being able to be generous in gift-giving. It’s a matter of dignity.”
AND WE CALL THESE PEOPLE “SAVAGES”
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