Read the passage. The Iroquois Confederacy

The Iroquois Confederacy, also called the Six Nations, was a union of six Native American tribes. These included the nations of the Tuscarora, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The groups were spread throughout a region that extended across much of modern-day New York. This region included the lands from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, to the south of the Adirondack Mountains, and to the north of the Catskill Mountains.

Many historians believe the Iroquois Confederacy to be one of the most advanced systems of government in history. At a time when many citizens in Europe were ruled by a monarchy, the Iroquois Confederacy held itself to a democratic form of government. This not only brought together different groups, but it also encouraged the practice of peaceful negotiations in solving problems.

The Iroquois Confederacy is thought to have been created sometime before 1492 and originally included five nations. (The sixth nation, Tuscarora, was added in 1712.) During the period in which there were five nations, many of the tribes were at war with each other. According to tribal histories, the Confederacy was the work of a Huron prophet known as Deganawidah, or the Peacemaker. He was helped by his spokesman, Hiawatha. The two men proposed a plan by which disagreements among the five nations could be settled peacefully through laws and ceremonies. The groups met near what is now Syracuse, New York, where a large white pine known as the Great Tree of Peace was planted. This action, along with the passing of what was known as the Great Law, became the basis for the new government.

The symbol of the Iroquois Confederacy was the longhouse, the traditional housing of the Iroquois people. These buildings allowed many families to live together. The buildings measured anywhere from ten to fifteen feet wide and up to 250 feet long and were divided into sections for each family. A door at either end of the building allowed people to go in and out. To keep warm, a fire was built in the center of each section of the house.

In order for this new political form to work, all five nations needed to see themselves as part of a large longhouse, which included all the lands of each group. Because the Mohawk were the most eastern-based tribe, they were appointed protectors of the eastern door of the Confederacy longhouse. The Seneca, who lived to the west, were to take care of the western door. Any visitors coming from either the east or the west were to be greeted by representatives of one of these tribes. Because the Onondaga nation lived in the center of the Iroquois region, they would host all group meetings.

The Council of Chiefs, which included 49 leaders from among the five nations, was the center of the new government. For a decision to be approved, all of the chiefs had to agree. If all of them could not agree, then the groups could “cover the fire.” This meant that each nation could decide for themselves what to do about a problem.

The Great Law was the constitution for the Iroquois Confederation. It was made up of 117 rules that told the nations how to live in peace. The constitution not only explained how the groups were to conduct themselves during war, but it also outlined how ceremonies were to be organized. Power was equally shared among men and women of all the nations. Through the Iroquois Confederacy, the Six Nations gradually emerged as one of the strongest Native American groups.

However, by the end of the American Revolution, the once-great Iroquois Confederacy no longer enjoyed significant power or influence. Disputes among the groups about taking sides in the war as well as other infighting had weakened the Confederacy. As time went on and their lands were gradually taken away by whites, the Iroquois Confederacy lived in the shadow of its former glory.

According to many historians, the Iroquois Confederacy helped influence some early American leaders about their own government. Some of the Founding Fathers knew about the government of the Six Nations. They were so impressed with it that they borrowed many of its ideas, including that of a democracy with political freedom, representation, and checks and balances on the power of the government.

In the article "The Iroquois Confederacy," what does the phrase "cover the fire" symbolize for each nation?

dependence

indifference

fear

freedom