ABSTRACT
In 1923, amid Europe’s post-WWI restructuring of governmental forms, nation-state boundaries, and political sovereignties, hereditary Haudenosaunee chief Deskaheh (Levi General) traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to seek international recognition of Haudenosaunee nationhood from the League of Nations. Although he was barred from officially petitioning the league, he met with diverse civic leaders and spoke to the European public throughout Switzerland and neighboring countries, garnering substantial—if not legally binding—international support. Placing Deskaheh’s petition and concurrent address, “Rothäute von Heute,” in conversation with corresponding German-language newspapers demonstrates how Deskaheh’s assertion of the intergenerational continuance of Six Nations sovereignty led some former Austro-Hungarians to reconsider traditional forms of Indigenous governance as revolutionary models of modern political thought and action.
