Views of the Solar Eclipse of 2024

On April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse is expected to cross the lands of the Haudenosaunee. This is an important reminder of the beginning of the Haudenosauneee and the creation of the oldest democratic government, Kaienerako:wa – The Great Law of Peace, on Turtle Island.

Long ago, it was a dark time for the people as we forgot the ways the Creator gave us. We replaced our ways with anger, revenge, jealousy, hatred, and war. Death and destruction surrounded all of the people.

The Creator sent a messenger to bring peace. We call him the Peace Maker. The Peace Maker traveled to us in a canoe made of white stone to show that his words of the Great Peace were powerful and truly sent by the Creator.

Cohoes Falls

But because there was so much distrust among the people, the Peace Maker’s message was met with uncertainty and skepticism.

The Peace Maker first brought the message of peace to the Mohawks. The Mohawks listened and were unsure of his plan. They decided he must pass a test. The Peace Maker climbed a tree that leaned over a large waterfall. The Mohawks cut down the tree and watched the tree and the Peace Maker fall over the waterfall. The Mohawks stated that if he survived the fall, they would listen to his plan of peace. The Peace Maker survived.

The Mohawks listened and were the first nation to accept the Great Peace.

As the plan of the Great Peace grew and was accepted by the Oneida and Cayuga nations, the Peace Maker brought the plan to the Seneca. The Seneca could not decide if this plan would work or believe that the Peace Maker was indeed sent by the Creator.

The Peace Maker then foretold to the Seneca that there would be a sign in the sky to show that this plan is true and sent by the Creator.

When the Seneca looked to the sky and saw the sun turn black, a solar eclipse, they were convinced and joined the Great Peace.

All four nations traveled to Onondaga where they convinced Tadodaho and the Onondaga to join the Great Peace. At Onondaga, they planted a Tree of Peace where they buried their hatchets of hatred, jealousy, and anger against each other. They pledged peace among the five nations and established a government guided by peace for the future generations. We called ourselves the Haudenosaunee, the People of the Longhouse.

Today, travelers in the Albany, New York area can travel to Cohoes Falls where they can see where the Mohawks first tested the Peace Maker. There remains a historical marker commemorating this historic site. And now on April 8, 2024, we can see the eclipse like the Peace Maker foretold as a sign that his plan of the Kanienerako:wa - The Great Law of Peace.

A brief timeline:

1142: Earliest date that scholars place of the formation of the Haudenosaunee. The Haudenosaunee believe that our League was formed much earlier than that.

1613: Two Row Wampum – a treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch establishing relations.

1677: April-May: The Silver Covenant Chain: the first known written (non-native) record of the Silver Covenant Chain is noted during the negotiations by the Haudenosaunee in Albany with New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

And yet another way to ‘view’ the total eclipse, as shared on the Pass The Feather website, “This is a monumental love affair. As a full Grandmother Moon rises during the late evening of March 24 into the early morning hours of March 25, she will travel through Mother Earth’s penumbra, or the faint outer part of her shadow, a penumbral eclipse. She is dancing for Brother Sun. Playfully hiding before their intimate connection on April 8th.

She will eclipse both Mother Earth and Brother Sun exactly 2 weeks apart. There is also a meteor shower on the next Full Moon (April).

PTF stated, “Call for peace. Call for attention to the Sky World. Look up and acknowledge the messages from Spirit World. It couldn’t be any clearer that we need to take action now. World peace and heightened unity around loving the environment that sustains us is vital.

What can you do? Inspire others! If all you can do is worry about your little corner of the world then ask everyone to do the same – every safe and happy corner matters. Love your community, see everyone as valuable and give them all reason to contribute to making their space happy and safe. See each other as the Moon sees the Sun; vastly different and equally important.”