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Skahkeratsherat Atateriwihsohnyathshera

Dish with one spoon

The One Dish Covenant (Skahkeratsherat Atateriwihsohnyathshera) was mediated by the Peacemaker, a Huron-Wendat named Tekanawite. His home country was Midland-Gananoque-Toronto in the Beaver Hunting Grounds that in those days was the Eastern Woodlands and the Great Lakes-Laurentian watershed. The first leaders who accepted the One Dish were Wisk Nihohnowhentsiake and Wendat-Horohnyaeteh in this vast region.  The land was seen as One Dish we all eat from, and we are to take care not to use hurtful words or actions. Elders said the Algonkian-speaking Anishnabec peoples from Delawares (Maryland) to Blackfoot (Alberta) are nephews and nieces as stated in the Great Laws of Peace. The One Dish Covenant includes these relatives.

 

Humanity agreed to have only one dish among us; in it will be beaver tail and no knife will be there... which means that we will all have equal share of the game roaming about in the hunting grounds and fields, and then everything will become peaceful among all of the people; and there will be no knife near our dish, which means that if a knife were used, someone might presently get cut, causing bloodshed, and this is troublesome, should it happen thus, and for this reason there should be no knife near our dish. Now then, our ancestors said that as long as  the sun rises, the grass grows, and the waters flow, that is as long as their One Dish Covenant will stand.

(Thatitsyonithotorate ne kati ne oni akwekon sken:non Ratisenno’owanes thati’iake’atawerohn tokat oni, Tekanawite wa’henron yoyanere’eke netho ne entewarihnirate tentewa’iron ateriwesohniathshera Skahkeratsherat. Tekaniwite wa’henron wetewaiientanhake entewatskahonhne tenkate:tsionithah: rontkakoya:tit tohsa sahste ashare tokat oni ne Ratisenno’owanes wahatirihwanirate onen ieiohe tokat oni Tekanawite wa’henron wetewa:yentanha. Onen kati ise iethisotsherakenha watsiron tsi nikariwes enkahwatsiratatie tahnon entkarakwinekenseke, ohente entkaniohseke, ohnekanos konnes, etho nikariwes enkatatie ne Ska’kera’tsherat atheriwhisohn’yahtshera tsi nahoten ta’yonkhiyon ronta’yo’okonha.)