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Chapter 11 discusses the social, cultural, and political attributes of the indigenous societies of New England. Mann argues that the ideals of liberty and equality were at times better achieved by Native societies than they were by their European counterparts. Mann begins the chapter with the story of Deganawidah, "The Peacemaker", who sought to end the perpetual conflict between the Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, and Onondoga tribes. These tribes become the Five Nations, who adopt a consensus-driven body that sought to bring the region together in a loose confederation. Mann discusses the relative political privileges and status enjoyed by women in the Five Nations, compared to contemporary European nations. While not the gender equality desired in modern formulations of feminism, women were the holders of land and heads of clans—an important distinction from traditional conceptions of historical gender roles. However, qualifications existed to this rule: while men cannot be the heads of clans, women cannot be war chiefs, or sit on the main deciding bodies. Mann argues that the philosophical conception of liberty critical to 17th- and 18th-century political philosophy was influenced by European experience of these new societies, to the extent that Europeans were both inspired and aghast at the relative "disorder" in these societies. The final argument of this chapter poses the question of whether the United States Constitution, and its conception of federalism, were influenced by Native societies. Mann admits the evidence is weak, if nonexistent. However, he believes the question is nevertheless relevant to the ways in which these "lost" civilizations yet survive.
The final chapter of 1491 is a sharp departure from the earlier chapters. Instead of a discussion of anthropological or archaeological findings, or the ecological effect of native civilizations, the author discusses a possible hypothesis for the affinities of Native society through conceptions of the "American" values of liberty and equality. The chapter begins with a retelling of the founding of the confederation of the Five Nations, and describes its formation and operation in a manner resonant with liberal, democratic notions of government. Mann describes the expansive role of women in leadership, comparing it against the relatively conservative, traditional, and patriarchal structure of Europe.
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By Charles C. Mann