He acted as an advisor to the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs in matters relating both to Iroquois and non-Iroquois indigenous people.

The Six Nations of the Grand River reserve was founded through the efforts of Mohawk Joseph Brant some 80 years earlier, following the American Revolution, as a rebirth of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy.

[6]: p.35  The incursion of white people onto the reserve, partly encouraged by Brant, had later threatened the hegemony of the Iroquois over their individual lands.

[6]: pp.35–6 Iroquois society has strong matrilineal associations and families adhere to their mother's clan and nation relationships.

The official language of the council meetings became Mohawk and the traditional balance of power held equally amongst chiefs from all six nations was overcome.

[6]: pp.36–37 The Gibsons took a lead role in organizing lacrosse events, setting up payments to teams and players and charges to supporters.

Beyond his involvement in lacrosse, Gibson has been viewed as having a great awareness of and willingness to share Iroquois cultural heritage.

[9]: p.xii  Alexander Goldenweiser described Gibson in his youth as "one of those wide-awake, keen-witted Indians... who spend hours and days listening to the stories of the old men and who are not satisfied until they have traced a custom or a belief back to its earliest remembered antecedents".

[2] Although Iroquois society didn't particularly value a person's patrilineal descent, Gibson had strong ties to his father's Onondaga nation.

[9]: p.xii Gibson assisted the Canadian Department of Indian affairs on Iroquois issues as well as on non-Iroquois native matters.

Oral presentations of the epic story are made on various special occasions, similar to ritual readings from the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution, by socially recognized individuals who have the office of "Keeper".

In 1875, the action that caused Mohawk condemnation of the Onondaga national council also brought into question Newhouse's status as a chief.

[12] Regardless, Newhouse presented versions of the epic in the 1880s, hoping first that it would be written into Canadian law, and then recognized by the confederacy's central council.

Newhouse also participated in a process of defining exactly who was and who wasn't a council chief, only to find himself deposed in January 1884.

William N. Fenton describes Newhouse as a conservative Mohawk,[12] responding to the realities of political life in the Six Nations reserve,[6]: pp.47–8  where the influential Mohawks wanted to defend the traditional priority of the council but also sought reform in assigning chief positions based not on appointment by women leaders of clans but by popular vote, as well as a way to change the power structure of the council.

[11]: p.80  Hewitt's notes were re-translated by William N. Fenton and Gibson's son Simeon in 1941, but their translation is only available through the Smithsonian archives,[20] as well as those of the American Philosophical Society Library.

[14]: p.83 [20] While the text is not available for inspection on the internet, there are comments about it by Fenton: in the 1899 version the Great Peacemaker's canoe is made of white birch instead of white stone[14]: p.86  and his mother is Jigonsaseh (or Jigonhsasee), the "Peace Queen" and "Mother of Nations",[14]: p.87  generally accepted as a co-founder of the confederacy with Peacemaker and Hiawatha, although her presence in the story is affected by attitudes against women.

[21] Barbara Alice Mann examines the encounter with Jigonsaseh and Peacemaker's mission as part of a vegetarian-versus-carnivore approach to life and culture.

[6]: p.48  Regardless of the introduction, Gibson's "Chiefs' version" was considered authoritative and Parker's publication has been echoed many times on the internet.

The question arises that if the dispute between Christians and "Longhouse" traditionalist (whether Handsome Lake Code followers or not) Iroquois was essentially an internal matter, why did the Chiefs present it in English?

[6]: p.49  The Superintendent of the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs was aware of the tensions in the Council and was against imposing external election mechanics upon the Iroquois, but was prevented from asserting his position by his supervisor.

Confrontations were also taking place during protests over the possible imposition of the voting approach, with the shooting of Jake Fire May 1.

[6]: pp.51–2  It is possible the Chiefs' version was presented in English to communicate both outwardly and inwardly the vitality and authenticity of the traditional processes.