The Haudenosaunee Great Law vests the chiefs' titles in the women of each family, who can take back the antlers

The Great Law, in the version Arthur C. Parker published in 1916, tells that the Onondaga chief Adodarhoh was a cannibal and sorcerer whose body was bent in seven places and whose hair was full of living serpents. Hayonhwatha (Hiawatha) had seven daughters; the account says sorcery killed them one by one, and in grief he left Onondaga. With Dekanawida, the Peacemaker, he won over the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas and Senecas, then went to Adodarhoh. Singers of the Peace Hymn faltered; when one finished, the Peacemaker touched Adodarhoh, and his body and mind were made straight. The Tree of Peace was planted in his territory, and he became moderator of the Onondaga Fire Keepers. The Peacemaker said: "The titles shall be vested in certain women and the names shall be held in their maternal families forever." Section 44 says descent runs in the female line, that women own the land and soil, and that children follow the mother's status. When a title falls vacant, the women of the clan choose a successor from among their sons. A lord who ignores the warnings of his women relatives is deposed, and the deer antlers of his office are returned "to the women whose heritage they are." Scholars date the founding to 1142, 1451 or 909; the Onondaga Nation says the League is older. The Grand Council of 50 chiefs still meets on Onondaga territory, with the Tadodaho at its centre.