a new generation is being entrusted with the story of democracy encoded in the hiawatha belt. he confederacy, the peacemaker made the symbol. it's our connection to each other. when i hold this hiawatha belt, what it means to me is that we're a united nation. ♪ ♪ narrator: under a total eclipse of the sun, the peacemaker holds the newly woven hiawatha belt, and with the nations gathered beneath the tree of peace, he speaks the law of peace for the first time. man (speaking native language): (roots pulling loose) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ narrator: the reading of the great law anthe weaving of the hiawatha belt establish the haudenosaunee confederacy. it's a form of government that doesn't rule people, but rather serves people. it's this principle that inspires benjamin franklin and other framers of the constitution to create their own government of the people, by the people, and for the people. in 1988, the u.s. senate passed a special resolution recognizing the influence of the haudenosaunee democracy on the u.s. constitution. the council of chiefs meeting in the longhouse is similar to con