Hiawatha And The Legendary Great Peacemaker – Native American Heroes Who Founded The League Of The Iroquois

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Little known today, Hiawatha was a remarkable Native American leader who is remembered for bringing several tribes together into the Iroquois Confederacy.

Together with Deganawida, the legendary Great Peacemaker, he founded the League of the Iroquois. It was a highly significant event in Native American history, and it is to these two men the Iroquois owe much of their peace and civilization.

Dekanawida and the Great Peacemaker. Credit: Steve Simon, YouTube.com

Examining all accomplishments of Hiawatha is difficult because his historical data is scarce.  Most historians think Hiawatha was born around 1450 and was also known as Ayenwathaaa and Aiionwatha. However, it has been challenging to determine from which tribe he originated. Some suggest he may have belonged to both tribes.

He could have been a leader of the Onondaga people or the Mohawk people.

In 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote an epic poem called The Song of Hiawatha. The poem features several Native American figures and an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha. It has led to some confusion, but according to Stith Thompson, "the Song of Hiawatha contains not a single fact or legend relating to the historical Hiawatha, but deals instead with the myth of Manabohzo."

The Great Peacemaker – A Prophet With A Vision Of Peace And Wish To End Ritual Cannibalism  

Hiawatha was a follower of the legendary Great Peacemaker, whose existence is still mysterious. According to one legend, the Great Peacemaker came from across Lake Ontario and the lands of the Huron people, an Iroquoian-speaking Native American tribe.

Many legends about the Great Peacemaker offer conflicting information, making it very difficult to unravel the truth about this powerful ad highly significant person.  Known as Deganawida, the Great Peacemaker's life is based primarily on legend and unclear circumstances surrounding his birth.

Hiawatha. Credit: disney.fandom.com 

According to some sources, the Great Peacemaker was a member of the Huron tribe. Other sources suggest that his birth was miraculous and his mother was a virgin. One legend relates how Deganawida's mother had a powerful vision. She saw that her newborn son would be responsible for the destruction of the Huron people. A mixture of panic overwhelmed her. She didn't know what to do, so she tried to kill her newborn child by drowning him in the river. She attempted three times, but each time the child survived. She finally gave up and accepted the baby as her son.

Although the story of the Great Peacemaker is based on myths, it has been confirmed that he was a real historical person. It is uncertain when Deganawida was born. It was most likely sometime around the 1550s in Kingston, Ontario.

Deganawida had a powerful vision in which he saw how the tribes of Iroquois could all live together in peace.

The Great Peacemaker had previously prophesied that his people would be visited by a white serpent that would deceive them. Later, a red snake would engage in battle with the white serpent. During this time, an Indian boy would appear. He would be chosen as the leader of his people. The Indian leader would remain objective and watch the two serpents fighting each other. Then, a black snake would defeat the white and red serpent. The arrival of the black serpent will be a symbol of significant changes.

Deganawida's prophecy revealed that when his people gathered together under an elm tree, all three "serpents" would be blinded by an extremely bright light, and the fighting would end. According to the prophecy, the light was Deganawida, who brought peace to his people.

Hiawatha by Thomas Eakins, c. 1874 - Credit: Public Domain

His nation would accept the "white serpent" into their safekeeping like a long-lost brother.

The Great Peacemaker And Hiawatha Attempt To Convince The Tribes To Unite

The Great Peacemaker visited various tribes, trying to convince them to live peacefully as brothers and sisters instead of practicing scalping and cannibalism.

Since Deganawida had a speech impediment, his follower Hiawatha acted as his spokesman.

Many tribes were reluctant and didn't want to listen to the message brought by the Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha.

It took time, and it wasn't easy. Still, eventually, these two peaceful Native American heroes successfully brought together five tribes. They convinced them to ally based on friendship rather than persist in their attempts to destroy each other. These five tribes were the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks.

The tribes gathered at Onondaga Lake. There they planted a Tree of Peace and proclaimed the Great Binding Law of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Great Law of Peace is an oral tradition encoded in wampum belts now held by the Onondaga Nation.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on January 27, 2023

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