GREAT TREE OF PEACE
The history and significance of The Great Tree of Peace is spoken of at length in Three Strands In The Braid: A Guide for Enablers of Learning. It was the law of The Confederacy of Five Iroquois Nations. It is eloquently described in the following passage.
The Law was Peace
Peace was a Way of Life,
characterized by Wisdom and Graciousness.
Wisdom sees Past, Present and Future at a glance.
Graciousness takes every individual understanding
into consideration
as one part of the whole Understanding
which is necessary for Peace.
Jeanne Lamar Slobod, editor of The Walking People, had a passion for this oral history. She also held great enthusiasm for The Great Tree Of Peace. It was her wish that this Great Tree be honored as a part of Paths to Peace. She saw the tree as sheltering all Earth's children, the four strong roots reaching out to embrace the World. Eagle, in her eyes, was soaring through the skies, looking for change, ready to warn the People that they best prepare, coming to rest at last on the top of this Great Tree. Jeanne wanted to ensure that everyone pay particular attention to the message, the symbolism imbedded in the nature of the White Pine. It is at her urging that this beautiful sharing is included.