The Iroquois natives and the Marxist utopia

Like so many other authors, Karl Marx used the philosophical developments that preceded him.

In particular, he spent years studying the social organization of the Indians of America and more particularly the Iroquois (as noted in Engels' work, "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State").

In this work, this author, who was Karl Marx ideological partner  builds on Lewis Henry Morgan's studies “Ancient Society, or Researches in the Lines of Human Progress from Savagery through Barbarism to Civilization” based on a previous work on the League of Iroquois written as a result of his experiences in the Seneca communities of the state of New York. This work was written jointly with a young Seneca (which is one of the original 5 iroquois nations) named Hasanoasda (whose English name was Ely Parker) who provided much of the information and his own point of view.

Marx's work on this subject remained unfinished due to his death. Engels himself points out in his preface to the 1884 edition: “The following pages come to be, in a sense, the execution of a will. Carlos Marx was preparing to personally expose the results of Morgan's investigations ... "and then pointed out:" Morgan's great merit consists in having found in the gentile unions of the North American Indians the key to decipher important riddles, not yet solved of the ancient history of Greece, Rome and Germany. ” As he begins “The origin of the family, private property and the State,” Engels continues: “Morgan was the first who, knowingly, tried to introduce a precise order in the prehistory of humanity, and his classification will remain undoubtedly in vigor until a much more considerable wealth of data does not force it to be modified. ”

Engels' approach divides the evolution of the human race into three stages:

1) savagery

In its first moment (lower stage) human beings had not yet completed their evolution as a species, at this time they fed on fruits, nuts and roots and did not use fire. In a second moment they learned to use fire and fish was incorporated into the diet. According to Engels, there were no exclusively hunting villages due to the problematic nature of this power supply. The upper stage of savagery begins with the invention of the bow and arrow that makes it possible to rely much more on hunting. The era of barbarism began with the introduction of pottery and the domestication of plants and animals. Always according to Engels, “the eastern continent, the so-called ancient world, possessed almost all the domesticable animals and all the own cereals for cultivation, except one; the western continent, America, had no more domesticable mammals than the flame, and still, nothing more than in a part of the South, and only one of the cultivable cereals, but the best, the corn. ” The middle and upper stages of barbarism correspond to an increase in social and technological complexity. The upper stage was the “period in which all civilized peoples spend their heroic era: the age of the iron sword, but also the plow and the iron ax. By putting this metal at his service, man became the owner of the last and most important of the raw materials that played a revolutionary role in history, the last one not counting the potato. Iron made agriculture possible in large areas, the clearing of the largest jungle regions ”

The culmination of barbarism is civilization. With the increase in production, cities appear, increasing the division of labor, differentiated trades of agriculture appear, the production and productivity of labor increases, and simultaneously the value of the labor force of man. This gave birth to a "civilized" system where the "auxiliary" of the work "gave" their place to the slaves appearing at the same time and gradually the commercial production and associated trade networks. “The difference between rich and poor was added to that between free and slaves; the new division of labor resulted in a new division of class society ... the common work of the land was ended ... Arable land was distributed among private families; at the beginning of a temporary way, and later forever; the step to complete private property was done little by little ... ” “Along with the wealth in merchandise and in slaves, along with the fortune in money, territorial wealth also appeared.” These riches became hereditary, and over time, all of them susceptible to being alienated (mortgaged, sold).

Engels' approach is clearly evolutionary: societies "naturally" advance from "wild" levels to "barbaric" levels, culminating in "civilizations." From a certain point of view this evolution is evaluated negatively.

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From "Amerrique, the orphans of paradise", Danilo Antón, Piriguazú Ediciones

Native-American origin of the Marxist utopia

Danilo Antón

Karl Marx used to a large extent the philosophical developments that preceded it. In particular, he dedicated years to the study of the social organization of the Indians of America (as indicated in Engels' work, "The origin of the family, private property and the state"). This paper is based on the studies of Lewis Henry Morgan "Ancient Society, or Researches in the Lines of Human Progress from Savajism through Barbarism to Civilization" based on a previous work on the League of Iroquois written as a result of their experiences in the Seneca communities of the state of New York. This work was written jointly with a young Seneca Iroquois named Hasanoasda (whose English name was Ely Parker) who provided much of the information and his own point of view.

Marx's work on this subject remained inconclusive due to his death. Engels himself points out in his preface to the edition of 188444: "The following pages come to be, in a certain sense, the execution of a will. Karl Marx was preparing to personally expose the results of Morgan's investigations ... "and then pointed out:" The great merit of Morgan is to have found in the gentile unions of the North American Indians the key to deciphering very important enigmas, not yet resolved of the ancient history of Greece, Rome and Germany. " At the beginning of "The origin of the family, private property and the State", Engels continues: "Morgan was the first who knowingly tried to introduce a precise order into the prehistory of humanity, and his classification will no doubt remain in vigor until a much more considerable wealth of data does not force to modify it. "

In its first moment (lower stage) human beings had not yet completed its evolution as a species, at this time they fed on fruits, nuts and roots and did not use fire. In a second moment they learned to use fire and the fish was incorporated into the diet. According to Engels, there were no exclusively hunter villages due to the problematic nature of this feeding source. The superior stage or salvajism begins with the invention of the bow and arrow that allows much more dependence on hunting. The era of barbarism began with the introduction of pottery and the domestication of plants and animals. Always according to Engels, "the eastern continent, the so-called ancient world, possessed almost all the domesticable animals and all the cereals proper for cultivation, except one; the western continent, America, did not have more domesticable mammals than the llama, and still, only in a part of the South, and only one of the arable cereals, but the best, the maize. " The middle and upper stages of barbarism correspond to an increase in social and technological complexity. The upper stage was the "period in which all civilized peoples pass their heroic age: the age of the iron sword, but also of the plow and the iron ax. By putting this metal at his service, man became the owner of the last and most important of the raw materials that represented in history a revolutionary role, the last one without counting the potato. The iron made possible the agriculture in large areas, the clearing of the most extensive jungle regions "

The culmination of barbarism is civilization. With the increase of production appear cities increasing the division of labor, there appear differentiated trades of agriculture, increases the production and productivity of labor, and simultaneously the value of the labor force of man. This gave birth to a "civilized" system in which the "auxiliaries" of the work "gave" their place to the slaves, at the same time as the merchant production and associated trade networks appeared. "The difference between rich and poor was added to that between free and slaves; of the new division of labor resulted in a new division of the class society ... the common work of the land was ended ... The arable land was distributed among the private families; at the beginning in a temporary way, and later forever; the step to full private ownership was realized little by little ... ". "Along with the wealth in merchandise and slaves, along with fortune in money, territorial wealth also appeared." These riches became hereditary, and over time, all of them susceptible to being alienated (mortgaged, sold).

Engels' approach is clearly evolutionary: societies "advance" naturally from "wild" levels to "barbaric" levels, culminating in "civilizations". From a certain point of view, this evolution is evaluated in a negative way. Engel says Engels says: "Every progress in production is at the same time a setback in the situation of the oppressed class, that is, of the immense majority. Every benefit for some is by necessity a detriment to others; each degree of emancipation achieved by one class is a new element of oppression for the other. "But at the same time it is posited as the inevitable development of an ineluctable historical process that can only be resolved through progress towards a higher stage. That stage is defined by Engels through a quote from Morgan himself:

"Democracy in administration, fraternity in society, equality of rights and general education, will envision the next higher stage of society, to which experience, science and understanding constantly tend. It will be a revival of the freedom, equality and fraternity of the ancient gens, but under a superior form? (Morgan, The Ancient Society, page 552). "

As a footnote, it is worth noting that when Engels refers to corn as the best cereal and to potato, one of the main food crops, recognizes the impressive role of American agricultural knowledge in the development of the contemporary world.

From: Amerrique, the Orphans of  Paradise, Danilo Antón, Piriguazú Editions.

The origin of federalism

Among the things that European settlers learned from the American native nations is one of the most widespread political systems in contemporary states: federalism.

The most direct antecedent of this influence is in the origin of the federalism of the United States that was inspired to a great extent by the Iroquois confederation which  had a model that was similar to other existing ones in the American continent. 

The League of Iroquois was founded at the beginning of the millennium (between the years 1000 and 1450 AD) by Hiawatha and Deganwidah under a constitution called Kaianerekowa or Great Law of Peace. 

Upon the arrival of Europeans to America, the League was one of the strongest and most stable political organizations on the American continent.

According to the information available, the first person to propose a federal model for the English colonies of North America was the Iroqués Canasatego chief speaking in front of the mixed assembly of Iroquois and British in July 1744 (1). The Iroquois chief noted that it was very difficult to deal With all the colonial administrations and suggested to them that they united in a confederation following the Iroqués model.

Benjamin Franklin, who was the official publisher for the colony of Pennsylvania, had the opportunity to familiarize himself with the proceedings and speeches of various Iroquois assemblies and treaty negotiations. He was then appointed an Indian Commissioner by the colonial government he held during the 1750s. There he was able to know in depth the characteristics of Indian diplomacy, as well as the modalities of his policy. From this, Franklin became throughout his life a leader of the indigenous political system proposing its application to the government of the English colonies of America.

There are abundant records of his allegations promoting the implementation of the Iroquois federal system in the colonies. In 1754, he delivered a speech to the Albany Congress calling on the colonies to emulate the League of Iroquois. Just thirty years later, when Benjamin Franklin was responsible for the drafting of the United States Constitution, he succeeded in including the basic federal principles in the Magna Carta of the new state being created.

The Iroquois system consisted of five nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Seneca, the Oneida and the Cayuga. Each nation was governed by a council of representatives called sachems. The number of sachems varied in each nation. Thus, for example, the Seneca had counts of eight sachems, the Mohawks and Oneidas of nine sachems, the Cayuga of 10 and the Onondaga of 14. (2)

The general government of all nations was in charge of a great council of the League composed of 50 sachems representatives of the confederate nations. Its functions included many functions typical of contemporary federal governments: declaring war, making peace, agreeing treaties, receiving new members, extending protection to weaker nations, taking the necessary steps to promote their prosperity, and extending their domination , etc.

The United States followed the Iroquois model not only broadly but also in many specific respects: Ex. Among the Iroquois the political function of the sachem was separated from the military function and could not be added in the United States, unlike England, these functions remained separated from the beginning. Another US institution that originates in the Iroquois system is "impeachment." In the League of Iroquois leaders could be removed (impeached) by the will of the women of their clan. In the same way, the United States authorities can also be removed, regardless of the role of women in the procedure. Like the Iroquois, the United States admits new members on an equal footing with the older members. Just as the Tuscaroras were admitted as the sixth member of the League, the United States has repeatedly admitted new states on the same terms as the founders of the federation. There are many other examples of the influence of the Iroquois system in the American, which includes ways of addressing the assembly, the denomination of caucus, some aspects of military organization, the unicameral system of Congress (abandoned after a few years of established), and many others (3).

1 Taken from Jack Weatherford's "Indian Givers", 1988, p.135.

2 In 1722 the League of Iroquois admitted a new member: the Tuscaroras who had requested their incorporation since 1714. From that date the League was made up of six members: Seneca, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Tuscaroras.

3 Well described by Weatherford, 1988.

From: "Amerrique, the Orphans of Paradise ", Danilo Antón, Piriguazú Editions..