Words of Condolence

Reprinted with permission from Traditional Teachings by the Native North American Travelling College

The seventh morning, he continued his journey and turned south again. Late that evening, he came to a clearing and found a bark field hut. This was where he spent his night. He made two poles, stood them up and added three shell strings. Looking at them, he said, “Men do a lot of boasting, but never do what they say. If I should see anyone in deep grief, I would take these shell strings from the pole and console them. These strings would become words that would lift away the darkness with which they are covered.” Again, he said, “This I would surely do.”

Meanwhile, a little girl was playing a short distance away, and she noticed the smoke rising from the hut. So she crept up and listened to what was being said. She turned quickly and ran home to tell her father of this strange man.

“The stranger must be Hiawatha,” said the father. “I heard that he had left the Onondaga Nation.” The father told his daughter to return to this man and invite him to their lodge. The girl did as she was told, and she returned with Hiawatha. The father asked him to attend an Oneida council. It was many days later when Hiawatha left the meeting and continued his journey in the woods. Again, he was hurt, and sorrow fell upon him. For this man had invited him to council with the Oneidas, and yet, no one ever said one word to him. This was now the tenth day. He came to another Oneida settlement, so he kindled a fire as was the custom of visitors and travelers in those days. When he was settled in, he erected two crotched poles. They stood upright in the ground and were connected by one horizontal pole which rested in their crotches. On this horizontal pole, he hung his three strings of wampum, and repeated his words of condolence. The Chief Warrior of the village saw the smoke at the edge of the forest and sent a messenger to see who the stranger might be. When the messenger arrived, he saw the stranger sitting by the fire in front of the two poles. He heard Hiawatha as he was reciting his words of condolence. When the messenger saw that Hiawatha was finished, he hurried back to tell the Head Warrior what he had seen and heard. The leader of the village immediately realized that this must he Hiawatha who he heard had left the Onondaga nation.

“It is he who shall meet the great man (the Peacemaker) foretold by the Dreamer,” the leader said. “We have heard that these two men shall meet one day and establish peace among all the Nations.” Then, the Leaders sent the messengers back to invite the visitor (Hiawatha) into the village.

The Oneidas greeted Hiawatha and asked him to sit on the Council and listen to its deliberation. So Hiawatha sat down and listened. Seven days went by, and not one word was spoken to him. The people talked without arriving at any decision. No report was officially made to Hiawatha, so he did not hear what they talked about.

On the eighteenth night, a runner arrived from the South, from the Nation residing on the seashore. He told the leader that they had heard of the Great Hiawatha from the Onondagas, and of how a great man had come to reside near the Mohawk River at the lower falls. The runner said that they also heard that this great man from the north (the Peacemaker) shall meet another great man from the south. Hiawatha must now change the direction of his journey and go east to the Mohawk Nation territory to meet this great man from the north (the Peacemaker). So the Leader from the Oneida nation chose five warriors to escort Hiawatha until they reached the territory of the Mohawk Nation. The Oneida Leader himself went with the party to escort Hiawatha. The journey lasted five days, and on the fifth day, the party stopped and camped near the village where the Peacemaker was staying.

The Mohawks greeted the visitors and escorted the party into the village. When Hiawatha entered, he told Tekarihoken that he was there to see a very great man who came from the north. Tekarihoken answered, “Here are two warriors who will escort you to the house of the Peacemaker.” The two warriors went out and took Hiawatha to the Peacemaker’s lodge. This was on the twenty-third day.