Hiawatha
Hiawatha (also known as Hienwentha, Ayonwatha (He Who Combs), Aiionwatha, or A-yo-went-ha) is believed to have lived circa 1525 to 1575. A member of the Mohawk Nation, he was instrumental in founding the Iroquois Confederacy alongside the Prophet Deganawida, The Great Peacemaker.
If The Great Peacemaker was the man of ideas, Hiawatha was the politician who actually put the plan into practice. Hiawatha was a skilled and charismatic orator, and was instrumental in persuading the Iroquois peoples, the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Mohawk, to accept The Great Peacemaker's vision and band together to become the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. (Later, in 1712, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois Confederacy following their defeat by British forces, and they became the Six Nations).
Background
Little is known of Hiawatha prior to his becoming a chief. According to some traditions, he had another name before meeting The Great Peacemaker, who gave him the name Hiawatha.
The exact years of Hiawatha's life are not known, though the most accepted years are those of the early to mid-sixteenth century, but there is no written record of him until the seventeenth century. However, this is not unusual since Native American history was passed down orally. The Mohawk chief, Joseph Brant, wrote Hiawatha's biography in the early 1800s, as he had learned it from oral tradition. A more complete biography was written in 1885 by a man named Seth Newhouse. This is the version that is generally accepted by the Mohawk people.
What is known for certain is that Hiawatha, along with The Great Peacemaker-Deganawida, built the Iroquois Confederacy, establishing peace among the five tribes and forming the model for later American political planning.
Recent archaeological evidence points to a much earlier date of the union of the five tribes than the 15th century, thus dating Hiawatha's life to an earlier time. According to records of the Confederacy leadership and astronomical dating related to the lunar eclipse that coincided with the founding of the Confederacy, recent estimates date the confederacy's founding and its constitution to between the years of 1090 and 1150. [1]
Partnership with The Great Peacemaker
It is said that Hiawatha was a prosperous chief with seven beautiful daughters. An enemy of Hiawatha named Atotarho, killed the daughters one by one as they refused his advancements. Grieving over the loss of his daughters, Hiawatha retreated to the forest. While in exile he met the prophet Deganawida, most properly referred to as The Great Peacemaker.
The Great Peacemaker had been expelled from the Hurons, the tribe of his birth, due to his pacifist beliefs. Hiawatha was the first chief to accept the vision of his new teacher. Hiawatha brought Deganawida's philosophy to the five nations; Seneca, Onandaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Mohawk. These tribes banded together and formed a confederacy.
It is told that The Great Peacemaker (much like Moses before him) had a speech impediment. Hiawatha's charisma and great skills of oratory were the means of conveyance that the prophet needed. At the time of their meeting, Hiawatha was unable to function as a leader to his people due to his inconsolable grief. He was healed through spiritual ceremony taught to him by the prophet. Thus they empowered each other, and their partnership seemed predestined for the benefit of the Iroquois peoples.
Ceremonial rituals
The rituals that Deganawida passed on to Hiawatha for his healing continue to be used by the Iroquois today. They are the sequential use of the wampum, the condolence ceremony, and what is known as the re-quickening ceremony. [2]
- The wampum were used for ceremonies, to record agreements, or for gifts or tributes. They are a tool used to remind one of the importance of promises or relationships.
- The condolence ceremony was crucial in the process of peacemaking. Prior to this concept being taught to them, the Iroquois had been warring nations, seeking retaliation for injustice. In Hiawatha's case, ritually mourning his daughters (with the assistance of the wampum belt) helped him to overcome his grief and his desire for revenge.
- The re-quickening ceremony is the ritual of adopting a member of another tribe as the re-embodiment of one's loss. This provided a sense of balance.
Formation of the confederacy
The Hiawatha Belt
The Hiawatha Belt is made of 6,574 wampum beads - 38 rows by 173 rows and has 892 white and 5682 purple beads. The purple represents the sky or universe that surrounds us, and the white represents purity and Good Mind (good thoughts, forgiveness, and understanding). The belt symbolizes the Five Nations from east to west in their respective territories across New York state - Seneca (People of the Great Hill), Cayuga (People of the Swamp), Onondaga (Keepers of the Fire), Oneida (People of the Standing Stone), and Mohawk (People of the Flint). Each nation is represented by open ‘squares’ of white beads with the central figure signifying a tree or heart. The white open squares are connected by a white band that has no beginning or end, representing all time now and forever. The band, however, does not cross through the center of each nation, meaning that each nation is supported and unified by a common bond and that each is separate in its own identity and domain. The open center also signifies the idea of a fort protected on all sides, but open in the center, symbolizing an open heart and mind within.
The tree figure signifies the Onondaga Nation, capitol of the League and home to the central council fire. It was on the shores of Onondaga Lake where the message of peace was “planted” and the hatchets were buried (bringing us the expression, “burying the hatchet”). From this tree, four white roots sprouted, carrying the message of unity and peace to the four directions.
Thus, from the beginning of memory for the Haudenosaunee, the good mind concept, and our wampum belts, are the premise upon which we govern our interactions with others and ourselves. The “Thanksgiving Address” is given in advance of all meetings and allows us to clear our minds and give thanks for all we have. Let us remember to repeat the words of the Thanksgiving Address every day for the generations to come with the hope for peace among humankind and all living things.
The Hiawatha Belt has been dated to the mid-1700's. It contains near its center a bead made of colonial lead glass. It is believed the design is as old as the league itself and that the present belt is not the original.[3]
Hiawatha National Forest
Today, there is the Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It covers 880,000 acres (3,600 km²) and contains 6 designated wilderness areas. Commercial logging is conducted in some areas. It is physically divided into two subunits in the U.S., commonly called the Eastside and Westside. The forest has over 100 miles (160 km) of shoreline. Both east and west units have shoreline on both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan; the east unit also has shoreline on Lake Huron.
Notes
- ↑ Charles C. Mann. 2005. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- ↑ Harvey Markowitz, and Carole A. Barrett. 2005. American Indian biographies. Magill's choice. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press. p 213
- ↑ Proceedings, American Philosophical Society (vol. 115, No. 6, p. 446)
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Leeming, David Adams, and Jake Page. 1999. Myths, legends, and folktales of America: an anthology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195117837
- Markowitz, Harvey, and Carole A. Barrett. 2005. American Indian biographies. Magill's choice. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press. ISBN 9781587652332
- Porter, C. Fayne. 1964. Our Indian heritage; profiles of 12 great leaders. Philadelphia: Chilton Books.
External Links
- Rhodes Educational Publications. Hiawatha Retrieved May 23, 2008.
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