Native American Glenn Morris provides an historic overview of political organization and community life among native peoples before Europeans arrived in North America. While the social structures are varied, it's instructive that communal, nonhierarchic forms were common. With the rising interest in resource-conscious living, it is important to recapture accurately the wheels of sustainability that have already been invented.

In 1492, over 600 distinct indigenous nations existed in what is known today as the United States. With all of the colonization, destruction, and forced assimilation that has transpired since then, over 500 nations survive, representing 2,000,000 indigenous Americans, with 200 native villages in Alaska alone. A common misconception about these indigenous peoples is that they were homogeneous. Although some common characteristics can be found, indigenous peoples in the Americas were, and remain, as distinct from each other as Swedes are from Basques are from Armenians. 1

This diversity spanned over 300 languages and dialects, distinct spiritual traditions and practices, and differing social organizations. But there are some common threads through the indigenous world that are helpful in discussing communalism -- especially as it may be useful in constructing sustainable, egalitarian social models for the future.

Communalism for indigenous peoples is not an aberrant social practice; it is, instead, the social norm. This is quite distinct from the infrequent examples of communalism in Western societies. Notions of land held in common, consensus decision-making, and respect for the environment, though considered deviant within Western culture, are neither new nor controversial in traditional indigenous societies.

Haudenosaunee Confederation, 400 Years of Multinational Government

In the Haudenosaunee system, there has never been a concept of a dictatorial leader, let alone a male one. The Haudenosaunee were, and continue to be, matrilineal. When a man and woman marry, the man moves to the woman's family, and newborn children enter the clan of their mother. The clan mothers select the political leadership of the nations, and possess the authority to remove leaders from office for malfeasance. In addition to leadership selection and removal, the clan mothers also serve as the judiciary.

Haudenosaunee Political Organization Inspires U.S. Constitution

Communal Harmony among the Muscogee

As Sharon O'Brien describes,

The Muscogee exhibit some essential characteristics of the communalism found in many indigenous societies:

• the importance of spirituality and respect for all life;
• the absence of hierarchical, coercive authority with the goal of consensus in decision making;
• the liberty of the individual coupled with the individual's consciousness of responsibility to the whole;
• the importance of extended family with concomitant respect for both the children and the elders; and
• the operation of systems of justice that focus on the healing of society and the restoration of balance, rather than retribution or vengeance.

Similarly, Georgia governor, James Oglethorpe, in describing the Muscogee political system in 1764, stated, "There is no coercive power. (Their leaders) can do no more than persuade. They reason together with great temper and modesty till they have brought each other into some unanimous resolution." 6

These examples of advanced indigenous society are a far cry from the mainstream portrayals of Indians as primitives ruled by brute force through the principles of social Darwinism. Instead, indigenous social systems are characterized by humanity and foresight, as expressed in the centuries-old Haudenosaunee philosophy that all major decisions of a nation must be based on how those decisions will affect at least the next seven generations. 7

The ethic of respect for the earth and for future generations is translated into social practice in every activity, from child rearing to crop planting to decisions on where to establish new communities. This socialization process results from centuries, if not millennia, of wisdom about the earth, about the fruits of the earth, and about human settlement over time in any particular part of the earth.

Indigenous American Renaissance

Indigenous Communalism: Cultural Threat or Path to the Future?

The future of transformational thought, be it communitarian, utopian, green, or otherwise, can only be enhanced and strengthened by the respectful inclusion of indigenous views. This inclusion must not be an afterthought, or a patronizing attempt to appear multicultural;9 it must be a serious evaluation of indigenous perspectives. Such an inclusion could lead to a new, sustainable society that will promote cooperation, equality, and deep ecological principles, while simultaneously celebrating diversity, individual liberty, and dissent on a postindustrial planet.

Endnotes