Which group had the authority to select sachems in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?

• A. Clan Mothers
• B. The sachems themselves
• C. A general assembly
• D. The British Crown

Answer: (A)

The key idea is who holds the power to appoint leaders in the Haudenosaunee system. Clan Mothers oversee the welfare of their clans and have the authority to designate the male leaders, the sachems, who sit on the Grand Council. This appointment power also includes removing sachems if they fail to serve well. In this structure, leaders are chosen to reflect the needs of the people, and their legitimacy comes from the clan’s female elders, not from the leaders themselves. The Grand Council then operates based on those chosen sachems, but the actual selection comes from the Clan Mothers. The British Crown never held authority to appoint Haudenosaunee sachems, and decisions are not made by a general assembly selecting leaders in the way that’s implied by that option.