Great Peacemaker
The Great Peacemaker is a revered figure in Native American history, credited with uniting the five warring tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy—Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca—into a cohesive governing body between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Often associated with the name Deganawida, the Great Peacemaker advocated for peace among tribes that were historically embroiled in conflict, a legacy that is woven into the oral traditions of the Haudenosaunee, meaning "people of the longhouse." Accompanied by Hiawatha, a skilled orator, the Peacemaker traveled to convey his message, using metaphors to illustrate the strength found in unity, such as comparing individual arrows to a bundle that is much harder to break.
The confederacy he established introduced a democratic framework that significantly influenced later political structures, including the formation of the United States government. The Great Law of Peace, which formed the foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy, called for a council of chiefs to make collective decisions while allowing individual nations to retain their governance. This innovative approach to governance and collaboration had lasting effects on both Native American society and the development of democratic ideals in North America. The Peacemaker’s story continues to be an important symbol of unity and peace among diverse peoples.
Great Peacemaker
The Great Peacemaker was a legendary Native American leader who was said to have united five warring Northeastern peoples into the Iroquois Confederacy sometime between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. The Five Nations of the Iroquois—the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca—referred to themselves as the Haudenosaunee, or “people of the longhouse.” According to legend, the Five Nations had a long history of fighting amongst themselves. Seeing this, the Creator sent the Great Peacemaker to convince them to stop fighting and join to form a governing council. The Great Peacemaker was aided in this task by an Onondaga chief named Hiawatha who traveled with him, bringing his message of peace to the Five Nations. The Iroquois Confederacy that the Peacemaker established was the first democracy in North America and likely had a significant influence on the eventual founding of the United States and the creation of the US Constitution.
Background
The Native American peoples known as the Iroquois are a group of tribes bonded by a common language. The individual tribes were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, which all lived in various parts of what would become New York State. The Mohawk lived in the Mohawk Valley between the Adirondack and Catskill mountains. The Oneida lived in the upper Mohawk valley, near the modern-day city of Oneida, New York. The Onondaga lived in the region that is today Syracuse. The Cayuga lived in the Finger Lakes region, and the Seneca lived near the southern shores of Lake Ontario.
The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca all spoke an Iroquoian language, a language group consisting of more than ten dialects spoken by Native Americans in New York, Pennsylvania, parts of southern Canada, and parts of the American Southeast. The name Iroquois is a French term that likely came from French explorers adapting Native American speech to their language. One theory holds that it was a variation of the Huron word for “black snakes.” The Huron were allies of the French and the traditional enemy of the Iroquois. The five peoples of New York called themselves the Haudenosaunee, which is pronounced hoo-dee-noh-SHAW-nee. Haudenosaunee means “people of the longhouse,” referring to their traditional long, narrow dwelling places.
Overview
According to legend, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca were involved in constant warfare, which caused much suffering and weakened the individual tribes. Haudenosaunee oral tradition places this period as occurring in the mid-twelfth century, but some historians date it to the early sixteenth century. The figure known as the Great Peacemaker was said to have been born on the shores of Lake Ontario. The Peacemaker had a given name, which has many variations based on the individual language. The traditional name Deganawida is often used in ceremonies, but out of respect, the people simply refer to him as the Great Peacemaker.
Tales of the Peacemaker were passed down orally, so they vary greatly between tribes. Onondaga legend states that the supreme being known as the Creator decided to send the Great Peacemaker to unite the people. As a child, the Peacemaker often talked about his mission to bring peace to the warring tribes. When he was old enough, the Peacemaker left home and began to spread his message of peace. According to tradition, the Peacemaker had a speech impediment, which was a problem in a culture that valued storytelling and public speaking. His message attracted the attention of an Onondaga chief named Hiawatha who was a gifted speaker. Hiawatha joined the Peacemaker on his journey, with Hiawatha delivering the Peacemaker’s message to the people.
Legend states that they first visited the easternmost tribe, the Mohawk. The Mohawk wanted peace but tested the Peacemaker to make sure his word was true. As the Peacemaker sat in a tree above a waterfall, the Mohawk cut down the tree. The Peacemaker plunged over the falls, but the next day, he appeared to the Mohawk safe while sitting by a campfire. Convinced his message was true, the Mohawk were the first to agree to accept peace.
The Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha traveled to the other four tribes and delivered their message. The Peacemaker often used the metaphor of a single arrow being weak and easily broken, but by combining five arrows in a bunch, the arrows became strong and could not be broken. The Peacemaker had convinced the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca to agree to his message but was met with resistance by the Onondaga leader, Tadodaho. According to legend, Tadodaho was so evil that snakes grew from his hair.
The Great Peacemaker, Hiawatha, and the leaders of the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca met with Tadodaho on the shores of Onondaga Lake, near modern Syracuse. Through Hiawatha, the Peacemaker spoke of his Great Law of Peace, which proposed the establishment of a great council of fifty chiefs from the Five Nations. Each nation would maintain its own leadership, but matters pertaining to all the people would be discussed and decided by the council. The Peacemaker’s words were accepted by the Five Nations who joined to form the Iroquois Confederacy. Tadodaho was given the position of presiding over the council, which led to the tradition of the Onondaga leader being the “keeper of the council fire.”
The Iroquois Confederacy proved highly successful, allowing the Five Nations to expand their territory. In the 1720s, the Tuscarora, an Iroquoian-speaking people from the Carolinas, moved north and joined the confederacy, bringing the number of nations to six.
The Six Nations were on relatively good terms with the British, although they were forced to sign over some of their land to the British colonists. At the treaty-signing for one of these land deals in 1744, an Onondaga chief named Canasatego said that the thirteen British colonies should unite, just as the Iroquois had. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin heard about Canasatego’s speech and printed it. The Founding Fathers were familiar with the Iroquois Confederacy and used some of its ideas as part of the template for a new American government. The Great Peacemaker’s example of five arrows being stronger than one was used by some colonial patriots as a call to unite for independence from Britain. The image was later used in the Great Seal of the United States, in which an American Eagle holds a bundle of thirteen arrows in one of its claws.
Bibliography
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