THE GREAT PEACE

Continued from last week

On the first day he camped on a mountain top. On the second day he camped at the foot of the mountain. On the third day he came to a place where there were many round jointed rushes growing. He cut these into small lengths, thus making beads. He made three strings of these beads. He made a small fire, and sitting near it he said that if he found a person bowed down with grief such as his was that he would mourn with him and try to comfort him. He said that he would lift the clouds of night and darkness from his grieving heart by the use of strings of beads that he had just made. The strings would become words with which he would speak to them. On the fourth day he came to one of the Tully Lakes. He travelled now in an eastern direction (Great Moose). Upon the lake were many ducks.

When they flew upward they lifted the water with them, leaving dry land. (Probably a beaver dam gave out, letting water out and leaving the lake bottom dry. Ducks naturally flew away as they could no longer float.) There were many layers of empty shells of the water snail on the lake bottom. Hiawatha filled a pouch with them. Then the ducks returned and brought the water back with them. (Probably the beavers repaired their dam.) On the fifth day he killed three ducks. On the sixth day he ate some duck meat and went on his way. On the seventh day he went toward the south again (Little Fawn).

He came to an abandoned hut, and there he made a fire and strung some wampum beads of the water snail shells. Sitting near his fire he again said that if he found a person bowed down he grief that he would comfort him by the use of the wampum strings. A chief of a nearby village sent his daughter to invite the stranger to the village. There was a council being held. Hiawatha listened to the speakers, but his opinion was not asked, though he was a chief. Nothing was reported to him. For three days he sat at council listening to the var­ious speakers. On the tenth day he quietly left the village and went his way. The people had not asked his advice and felt that he was not needed.

That day he approached another village. He made a fire outside the village. Over a tripod pole he hung his wampum strings. Sitting near the fire he repeated his words, that if he found a person bowed down with grief such as his was that he would mourn with him and try to comfort him. He said that he would lift the clouds of night and darkness from his grieving heart by the use of the strings of beads that he had just made. The strings would become words with which he would speak to them. A messenger sent by the chief to discover who the stranger was crept near and heard the words of Hiawatha.

He returned to report to his chief. The chief sent the scout to invite Hiawatha to the village. He was asked to sit at council.

On the eighteenth day, a runner came from the south. He told of a great man, Deganahwideh, who had come from the north and was now in a Mohawk village at the lower falls. He told of a vision, that another great man, Hiawatha, was to meet Deganahwideh at Ka-nin-ke-a-ka, Flint Land Village. There shall the two men meet together and establish the Great Peace. The runner was from a nation whose village was at the seashore. So said the messenger from the village on the salt water seashore, who came to tell Hiawatha to journey east. Hiawatha determined to go to the Mohawk country to find the dwelling place of Deganahwideh on the Mohawk River near the lower falls.

The Mohawk River entered the Hudson River, not far from the vil­lage and then ran to the salt sea.

The chiefs of the village picked out five skillful scouts to escort Hiawatha. They guided and protected Hiawatha on his journey to the Mohawk Country, to the lodge of Deganahwideh. They watched care­fully over his health. It took five days to reach the land of the Flint people. Twenty-three days had passed since Hiawatha had left his own village at Onondaga. On the outside of the Mohawk village they built a fire. It was customary to make a smoke to tell of the approach of visitors so that they might enter the village without endangering their lives. The smoke of Hiawatha’s fire floated upward and was seen by the Flint Land People. The Flint People knew the meaning of the smoke signal. A Mohawk messenger invited the party into the village.

Deganahwideh greeted Hiawatha. He saw that he was suffering from some deep grief, that though he was a chief he was not with his own people but was wandering about. Hiawatha told Deganahwideh of his sorrow. At the Mohawk Council Deganahwideh told of the sor­row of Hiawatha. He mourned with Hiawatha. He tried to comfort him in his great loss. He sought to take away the clouds from the heart of the chief so that he could see more clearly. Deganahwideh strung eight more strands of wampum. There were eight parts of Deganahwideh’s address to console Hiawatha. His words were in thirteen strings of wampum, bound in four bunches.

Deganahwideh took one bunch from the pole. Holding it and the bunches, one by one, he handed them to Hiawatha after each part of his address. The words that he spoke to Hiawatha were eight of the thirteen condolences. Deganahwideh said that in the future wampum strings would be held in the hand to remind the speaker of each part of his talk and when each address is finished, a string would be given to the mourning chief on the opposite side of the fire. The bereaved chief will hold them and then hand them back, one by one, as he gives a reply. After the eight ceremonial addresses had been made by the great Mohawk chief, the mind of Hiawatha was made clear.

Once more he saw things clearly. Once more the sun shone in his heart. The Mohawk Chief then said that because Hiawatha’s mind was now strong and clear, that he was capable of judging and could now help him make the laws for the Great Peace whose purpose would be to do away war, death, and robbery between brothers and bring peace, quietness, and brotherhood among mankind.

They now composed their Peace Song. It would, if sung without any error, straighten the wicked mind of Adadarho. The emblem of Confederate chiefs are deer antlers which should be worn by them at council. The two men then told the Mohawk Council of their plan for a Confederation of peace and the building of a Long House of broth­erhood and peace. The Chiefs were told that they must be very virtu­ous, patient men, that they should wear deer antlers as an emblem of their position.

Before they could proceed with their plans, it was necessary to know the opinion of the Mohawk Council. The plan was talked about in the council. The Mohawk speaker said that they, the Mohawks, would firmly grasp the Tree of Peace and would work hard for broth­erhood between nations. Their hearts were happy at the thought of ceasing warfare.

Scouts were sent to the People of the Upright Stone, the Oneidas, to see what they thought of the plan for everlasting peace. The plan was talked about at the council of the Oneidas. After considering the plan for one year, Quiver Bearer, head chief of the Oneidas, said that the People of the Upright Stone would join the Confederation. Two messengers were sent toward the setting sun. They carried wampum strings and an invitation to join the Confederation. They arrived in the country of the People of the Muckland or the Great Pipe People, the Cayugas. They built their fire as was the custom and recited their message. One year from that date the Cayugas sent back word to the Mohawk Council that they had considered the plan, had agreed with Deganahwideh, and would hold fast to the Tree of Peace.

A runner was sent to the People of the Great Hill, the Senecas. They lived far toward the setting sun, toward the west. The Senecas were divided in their opinion. One large band lived west of the Gene-see River. They were friends of the Erie Nation who were against the League. The band who lived near the Great Mountains, near Canandaigua Lake, were for the League.

Messengers built their smoke fires near both bands and they were both invited to join the Confederacy. The People of the Great Hill were rot united very strongly at that time. There had been trouble between (heir war-chiefs. They asked the messengers of Deganahwideh to return the next year and they would have an answer by that time.

Both councils finally listened and considered the peace proposals. They finally agreed with Deganahwideh and after a year, they sent messengers to the Mohawk Council to say that they had agreed to enter the Confederacy, that they would grasp the Tree of Peace.

Continued next week