Hiawatha - The Voice of Peace

Peacemaker

Born: Approximately 1525, Mohawk River Valley, New York
Died: Approximately 1575, Mohawk River Valley, New York

Hiawatha was a gifted storyteller and leader who turned conflict into cooperation by guiding rival tribes toward peace and unity.

Long before European colonizers arrived in the New World, the land around the southern Great Lakes was home to the Iroquois people. But instead of being united, the Iroquois were divided into five warring tribes: the Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. They shared similar language and culture, but conflict and territorial fights often ruled their lives.

Hiawatha was born into the Onondaga tribe, whose name means “People on the Hills,” approximately 1525 A.D. He lived in the area between Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River. Because Iroquois history was passed down orally rather than in writing, the exact details of his life are uncertain. According to legend, Hiawatha was adopted by the Mohawk tribe when he was young but later returned to the Onondaga. His experiences with both groups helped shape his understanding of intertribal relationships and prepared him to play a major role in bringing peace to the Iroquois people.

When he returned to the Onondaga, Hiawatha became a follower of a man remembered as the Great Peacemaker. The Peacemaker, whose name was Deganawida, dreamed of a unified Iroquois nation. He believed that if the five tribes worked together, they could end the constant wars and become stronger against outside enemies. There was just one challenge: Deganawida had a speech impediment in a culture where oratory and public speaking were highly respected. To spread his message, he needed someone with strong speaking skills.

That person was Hiawatha. Known for his powerful storytelling, Hiawatha became the voice of the Peacemaker’s vision. Together, they traveled from tribe to tribe, promoting the ideals of mercy, strength, and unity. But convincing centuries-old enemies to join together was no easy task.

Many tribes initially rejected their message. According to legend, a turning point came when the Mohawk tribe refused to listen. To prove his spiritual power, the Great Peacemaker climbed a tall tree near Cohoes Falls, north of present-day Albany. He asked the Mohawk chiefs to cut it down. The crowd watched as the tree fell, sending him into the rushing waters below. Believing he had died, they went about their day. But the next morning, the Peacemaker appeared alive and unharmed, sitting calmly beside a campfire. Astonished by this miracle, the Mohawk became the first tribe to agree to a peace union.

With the Mohawk on board, Hiawatha and the Peacemaker organized a great council at Onondaga Lake. By then, Hiawatha had become chief of the Onondaga. He gave a powerful speech urging the tribes to set aside their differences and unite. The other nations agreed, and together they formed the Iroquois Confederacy. To mark this union, they planted a Tree of Peace on the lakeshore.

Later, in the early 1700s, the Tuscarora people, who also spoke an Iroquoian language, joined the Confederacy, making it six nations strong.
The tribes also created a constitution called the Great Law of Peace. This document outlined democratic principles that would later inspire the writers of the U.S. Constitution. During the Albany Congress in 1754, Benjamin Franklin even remarked on the Confederacy, saying it would be strange if six Native nations could maintain a strong union while the English colonies could not.

One remarkable feature of the Great Law of Peace was its recognition of women’s roles in leadership. In Iroquois society, elder women were highly respected and had the power to sit in councils and call for peace. This was centuries before women gained the right to vote in the United States. In 1988, the U.S. Congress formally recognized the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Although historians are not sure of the exact founding date of the Confederacy, oral tradition says peace began when “the sun darkened, and the day turned to night.” Many scholars believe this referred to a solar eclipse and have estimated the date to be around 1451 A.D.

Hiawatha’s legacy lives on through the Iroquois Confederacy and its Great Law of Peace. His voice carried the Peacemaker’s vision and helped end centuries of bloodshed, showing that unity and cooperation can transform even the fiercest enemies into allies.

References:
“Confederacy’s Creation.” Haudenosaunee Confederacy, 23 Jan. 2019, www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/confederacys-creation.
“The Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha.” Meherrin Indian Nation, 29 Jan. 2023, meherrinnation.org/culture/the-great-peacemaker-and-hiawatha.
“Kayanlaʔ Kówa – Great Law of Peace.” Oneida Nation, oneida-nsn.gov/our-ways/great-law-of-peace.

Keywords:
Wartime, Justice, Innovation, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Repair the World – Tikkun Olam, Build Bridges to Unite, Stand Up for Your Beliefs

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Hiawatha artworks