Deganawida – “The Peacemaker”
Deganawida – “The Peacemaker”
The Iroquois have a fascinating legend about a savior named Deganawida. The myth seems to have originated during the final decades of Pre-Columbian America. The story goes like this:
During a time of pervasive fear and instability in the Iroquois world, a young virgin gave birth to a son. The virgin was told in a dream that “your child will be a messenger of the Creator and will bring peace and harmony to the people on earth.” The child was named Deganawida—“The Peacemaker.” When Deganawida had come of age he told his mother, “I shall now build my canoe from white stone, for the time has come for me to start my mission in this world. I know I must travel afar on lakes and rivers to seek out the council smoke of Nations beyond this lake. It is now time for me to go stop the shedding of blood among human beings.”
As Deganawida began his mission he first encountered a group of hunters who were fleeing from the bloodshed in the their own village. He instructed them: “Go back to your people and tell them that the Good News of Peace and Righteousness has come to your nation.” Continuing his journey, he met an
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a follower of Deganawidah[?], a prophet and shaman who was credited as the founder of the Iroquois confederacy[?]. If Deganawidah was the idea man, 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 Senecas, Onondogas[?], Oneidas[?], Cayugas, and Mohawks, a group of Native Americans who shared a common language, to accept Deganawidah's vision and band together to become the Five Nations[?] of the Iroquois confederacy. (Later, in , the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois confederacy, and they became the Six Nations[?]).
Hiawatha was the hero of the poem The Song of Hiawatha, published in by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow's poem confounds the life stories of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, and also draws on tales of the Algonquiantrickster-figure Manabozho[?].
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DEKANAHWIDEH (Deganawidah, Dekanahouideh, the Heavenly Messenger), reputed founder of the Five Nations Confederacy, and the cultural hero of the Iroquois.
The legend that grew up about him long served as a guide to Iroquois conduct, at home and abroad. In its various recorded versions it now appears a strange medley of religion, mythology, constitutional law, wisdom literature, animal lore, and folk custom. But the core of the narrative, which describes the practical steps taken by Dekanahwideh, the “Heavenly Messenger,” to establish a firm League of Nations under the Tree of Peace, has a grandeur of conception unsurpassed in popular tradition anywhere in the world.
According to the legend, Dekanahwideh was born among the Huron Indians near the Bay of Quinte, on what is now the Thayendanaga or Deseronto Reservation. His virgin mother had been informed in a dream by a messenger from the Creator that she was to bear a son destined to plant the Tree of Peace at Onondaga (Syracuse, New York).
When the child was born, he was named Dekanahwideh. On reaching manhood, he explained to his mother the mission on which the Great Spirit had sent him, which was to bring “the good
Hiawatha
Introduction
Hiawatha is a legendary figure and holds a lot of significance for the North Americans. He was a diplomat, shaman, and a lawgiver. Hiawatha is well known for uniting Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk tribes which became known as the Iroquois Confederacy.
In , Tuscarora also joined the Confederacy which led to the creation of the Six Nations. There is very little contemporary information available regarding Hiawatha’s life. Some claim that his figure is a myth. However, there is some evidence that proves that Hiawatha did exist.
Birth
It is believed that Hiawatha was born in According to various sources, he was a member of the Onondaga tribe. Different tribes existed on the Iroquois territory. They were in constant conflict with each other, and violence prevailed everywhere. During this period, two great leaders, Deganawida and Hiawatha, emerged. They wanted to unite the Five Nations and were interested in establishing peace.
Hiawatha and the Iroquois Confederacy
Hiawatha and Deganawida traveled all across Iroquois and imparted their message of peace. They talked about the strength of unity and highlighted how it could help the nation.
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