Guest Author: Karen Kay/Gen Bailey

Good Morning From new Native American Romance Author, Gen Bailey!

 Otherwise known as Karen Kay.

 Before I plug my new book, BLACK EAGLE, A Berkley Historical Sensation Romance, let me tell you why the name change. It is the first thing both authors and readers ask me. Why the change?

 Well, it goes like this. My last eight books -- and particularly my last 4 -- have been very paranormal. This book from Berkley/Putnam is not. It is a straight historical Indian romance. The pacing in the book is faster than what I usually write, also. I was trying to make it faster because the time period I'm writing in -- 1756 -- or was it 1755 -- can't recall exactly right now -- but anyway, it was a time when North America was under fire. The world was changing. The French and Indian war was making the countryside aflame with war and the Indians were choosing sides.  Not because they wanted to, but because they were forced into it. They were sandwiched between the English on the coast and the French on the
Western side of the Iroqois Nation.

    Okay, so anyway, this book was so different that my editor thought it
should have a different name. Thus, Gen Bailey, the author came into
being. The name comes from my family. Bailey is in reality my last name. 
Gen comes from a family member whose real name was Genevieve. But
Genevieve proved to be too long a name and so we shortened it to Gen. I
really hope you'll like the new name, as well as the new book.

   So, let me plug the new book. Please purchase a copy of BLACK EAGLE today! You can get it at any bookstore that carries books or online at your favorite bookstore. Again the name is BLACK EAGLE and the author is Gen Bailey.

 All right, with that dispensed with, let's get into the topic of
discussion, which I'd like to open up with the Iroqouis. Years ago, while doing research for other books, I ran across some information I'd not been aware of, and which I found fascinating. Did you know that long ago -- long before the white man arrived on this continent -- the Indians of the East coast had a form of government that was of, by and for the people?  Did you know that this form of government brought peace to at least 6
warring nations? And that this government freed an entire people and kept
them free and independent?

 If not, don't worry. I didn't either. That Nation was the Iroquois. 
Sometime in the 1400's a man by the name of Hiawatha and a man the Iroquois call the Peacemaker (they don't call him by name) came together in order to stop war between their people. At that time, there were many tribal, as well as clan wars. A man was duty bound to go to war with the relatives of those who had killed a relative of his own. There was so much war and so much grieving that these two men decided to do away with war completely.

  This was not an easy thing to accomplish. They had many barriers to overcome and particularly they had to win over to their side a man who was
feared throughout the Nation. He was said to be a cannibal and it was said that he had snakes for hair. Three times Hiawatha called people together to make peace. Three times he was thwarted by this man/chief. The chief was also a magician it is said and he caused Hiwatha's wife and two daughters to be killed. For many a time, Hiwatha was grieved and he left his own people to wander aimlessly. It was in his wanderings that he met the Peacemaker, who is said to be of the Huron Nation.

   Together these two men won over the different nations and formed the
Iroquois Confederation. This particular chief who was making trouble was made a good man by the Peacemaker and by Hiwatha combing the snakes from his hair. His bad mind -- as they called it -- went away and from that day forward this chief was in his good mind.

  The Iroquois had a Constitution. They had delegates to their counsels. 
The women held the power of the tribe and could impeach any member of the counsel if that man was found to be serving his own interests rather than those of the people. It was the women who held this power. Again, that's the women, for it was well known to the Iroquois that the women are the heart of any people and to ignore their counsel is to ignore the teachings of one's heart.

 When the white people came to this land, they -- who were from a
background of serfdom -- met a completely free and independent people. I
think that this influenced our forefathers greatly. As a matter of fact
Benjamin Franklin was so interested in the Iroquois Confederation that
parts of our Constitution come directly from the Iroquois. Thomas
Jefferson as well as Thomas Paine were also very interested in the Iroquois
Confederation.

 But here's the real kicker to this story. All those years ago, Hiawatha
and the Peacemaker decided that the country they knew as Turtle Island (North America) would lead the world toward peace, freedom and independence. And for many years -- well over two hundred now -- that decision brought to fruition the ideal of what can happen when a people are completely free. America has always lead what we have called, the Free
World. It was a wish for the future. It was a wish that is embodied in this Nation.

 Well, that's all for today. I hope you've enjoyed this little bit of
history. I find it fascinating. I think also that we should be proud of
those roots. 

  I'd love to talk to you today about this or about anything else you'd
like to discuss.  

 Gen Bailey/Karen Kay

 
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