Seeds of Tomorrow: Nurturing Roots of Oneida Governance

This indispensable and unique volume is at once a history of and a pathfinder for the future of the Great Law, the governing principles behind the long-standing Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Focused on the Duck Creek Oneida people of Wisconsin, Seeds of Tomorrow draws together a wide range of tribal voices, from elders and community members to young people and academic experts. This collection chronicles the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s revolutionary governing principles, outlines the current state of tribal government, and proposes a vision for a political future that draws on traditional Indigenous practices and knowledge. This guide toward stronger sovereignty, revitalized community ties, and a healthier and more self-determined future based on traditional structures of governance is indigenization in practice: a model not just for Duck Creek Oneida but for Indigenous nations everywhere.

Contributors: Kenzie Allen, Marley Atkinson, Marena Bridges, Robert “Bob” Brown, Breann Clark, Julie Clark, Carol Cornelius, Margaret Cornelius, Randy Cornelius, Michele Doxtater, Richard “Lotni” Elm-Hill, Jennifer “Jen” Falck, William Gollnick, Joie Guiterrez, Gerald L. Hill, Jo Anne House, Toni M. House, Nicholas Metoxen, Paul Ninham, Saniya Ninham, John III Powless, Mark Powless, Nina Powless, Artley Skenandore, Lois Stevens, Vernon Stevens, Amelia “Mia” Webster, Grace Webster, Hunter D. Webster, Rebecca M. Webster, Arthur Wilbur, Jameson Wilson

Rebecca M. Webster is an associate professor of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a citizen of the Oneida Nation. She is the author of Our Precious Corn: Yukwanénste and In Defense of Sovereignty: Protecting the Oneida Nation’s Inherent Right to Self-Determination.

Lois Stevens is an assistant professor of First Nations studies at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and a citizen of the Oneida Nation. Her research is motivated by her roles as an Oneida mother, educator, and community member.