INDIAN LIFE AND INDIAN LORE 
 
 THE HERO OF THE 
 LONGHOUSE 
 
Hiawatha 
 
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 INDIAN LIFE AND INDIAN LORE 
 
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 I WORLD BOOK COMPANY 
 
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 WORLD BOOK COMPANY 
 
 THE HOUSE OF APPLIED KNOWLEDGE 
 Established, 1905, by Caspar W. Hodgson 
 
 Yonkers-on-Huds6n, New York 
 2126 Prairie Avenue, Chicago 
 
 " Worthy of an age of poetry and 6t subjects 
 for local story and romantic fiction, they 
 leave scarcely an authentic trace upon the 
 page of history, but stalk like gigantic shad- 
 ows in the dim twilight of tradition." 
 Since Washington Irving made this reflection, 
 the Indian of old has become a familiar sub- 
 ject in poetry and romance, but he has re- 
 mained a twilight figure. To bring him out 
 of the twilight, to supply the authentic trace, 
 to give true-to-life accounts of the red men 
 and their heroes, is the purpose of the Indian 
 Life and Indian Lore Series, of which two 
 volumes, Indian Days of the Long Ago and 
 In the Land of the Head-Hunters, have already 
 appeared. This new member of the series 
 has to do with the life of one of the noblest 
 of Indians. Through his story it bares to the 
 reader the heart of his race — another race 
 in another time, but still a race that loved 
 the same trees and mountains and streams 
 that we love. The underlying purpose of 
 the work is to make clear the application 
 to all mankind of the truth that " He fashion- 
 eth their hearts alike." That The Hero of 
 the Longhouse will succeed in impressing this 
 truth on the mind of many a child in the 
 land that once belonged to Hiawatha's people 
 is the hope of author and publishers 
 
 ILIL : LHL- 
 
 Copy right, 1920, by World Book Company 
 
 Copyright in Great Britain 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 J>5N -8 1921 
 ©CI.A604890 
 
5 THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED 
 
 TO THE YOUTH OF MY NATIVE STATE 
 
 WHO ARE LIVING IN THE LONGHOUSE 
 
 OF THE IROQUOIS 
 
AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 The story of Hiawatha as it has been handed 
 down in wampum records and oral narrations 
 constitutes a traditional history of unique in- 
 terest. There have appeared among the people 
 of every great race, whether in a barbarous or a 
 civilized stage of development, human beings of 
 surpassing power whose influence has extended 
 far beyond their nation and their time. Such 
 a man was Hiawatha. The labor of Hiawatha's 
 life was given to creating a nation by uniting the 
 five tribes of the Iroquois. The confederation 
 which, with the aid of Daganoweda, he succeeded 
 in establishing, endured to the opening of the 
 Revolutionary War, without any break in its 
 unity. It is still in existence. It was based on a 
 truly remarkable constitution which has lately 
 been published in a Museum Bulletin of the 
 New York State Archaeological Department.^ 
 This League gave the Iroquois an influence more 
 extended than that of any other Indian race 
 north of Mexico. 
 
 It is significant that a fundamental object of 
 the Iroquois Confederation was the elimination 
 of warfare. The motives of the great founders 
 of this union, indicated in the constitution itself, 
 were social and religious as well as political. For 
 this reason the story of the struggle of Hiawatha 
 to bring about the confederation of the Iroquois 
 tribes is the story of a great social-civic move- 
 ment that is unexcelled in traditional history. It 
 
 * Bulletin No. 184, The Constitution of the Five Nations, by 
 Arthur C. Parker. 1916. 
 
 vii 
 
viii Author's Preface 
 
 makes Hiawatha a great statesman and a hero 
 unsurpassed in moral courage. 
 
 The story of The Hero of the Longhouse fol- 
 lows in its main line the traditional history re- 
 lated by Horatio Hale in his Iroquois Book of 
 Rites and in manuscripts in the New York State 
 Archaeological Department collected by Mr. Ar- 
 thur C. Parker. Hale says of his story of the 
 League: "The particulars comprised in it were 
 drawn chiefly from notes gathered during many 
 visits to the Reserve of the Six Nations on the 
 Grand River in Ontario, supplemented by in- 
 formation obtained in two visits to the Onondaga 
 Reservation, in the State of New York, near 
 Syracuse. My informants were the most ex- 
 perienced counselors, and especially the 'wam- 
 pum-keepers,' the official annalists of their 
 people." ^ 
 
 Of the early life of Hiawatha there is no 
 record. The writer has placed the story of his 
 childhood and youth against a background of 
 Iroquois life drawn from approved historical 
 sources. 
 
 "About the mam events of Hiawatha's his- 
 tory," says Horatio Hale, "and about his char- 
 acter and purposes, there can be no reasonable 
 doubt. We have the wampmn belts which he 
 handled, whose simple hieroglyphics preserve the 
 memory of the public acts in which he took part. 
 We have, also, in the Iroquois Booh of Rites a 
 
 * Iroquois Book of Rites, page 19, No. 2 of Brinton's Library 
 of Aboriginal American Literature. Philadelphia, 1883. 
 
Author's Preface ix 
 
 still more clear and convincing testimony to the 
 character both of the legislator and of the people 
 for whom his institutions were designed. . . . 
 The persistent desire for peace, pursued for cen- 
 turies in federal unions and in alliances and 
 treaties with other nations, has been manifested 
 by few as steadily as by the countrymen of Hia- 
 watha. The sentiment of universal brotherhood 
 which directed their polity has never been so fully 
 developed in any branch of the Aryan race, un- 
 less it may be found incorporated in the religious 
 quietism of Buddha and his followers." ^ 
 
 I have ventured on this story of The Hero of 
 the Longhoiise with reluctance, partly because 
 the material itself deserves a more commanding 
 treatment, partly because the name of Hiawatha 
 is sacred to the great poet who immortalized it. 
 But the telling of the true story of Hiawatha for 
 the youth who are growing up in the land where 
 he lived and labored is surely an urgent need. 
 
 I acknowledge here my great indebtedness to 
 Dr. Ernest Bernbaum of Harvard University 
 for a critical reading of the manuscript; to Mr. 
 David Cunningham Lithgow for permission to 
 use reproductions of paintings in his studio at 
 Albany; to the New York State JNIuseum for 
 permission to use reproductions of its two lunette 
 frescoes; and to Mr. Arthur Caswell Parker, 
 Arch^ologist of New York State, without whose 
 generous encouragement and assistance this work 
 could not have been written. 
 
 ^ Ibid., page 36. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Author's Preface vii 
 
 Introduction xiii 
 
 The Historical Hiawatha xv 
 
 Part One 
 
 THE childhood AND YOUTH OF WHITE EAGLE 
 
 1. The Birth of White Eagle 1 
 
 2. Winter in the Longhouse 9 
 
 3. Adventures of Childhood 17 
 
 4. The Teaching of Hunadanlu 28 
 
 5. White Eagle and Sosoxdoweh 40 
 
 6. The Ball Game 50 
 
 7. The Boy Hunters 61 
 
 8. The Journey 72 
 
 9. On the Shores of Ontario 83 
 
 10. The Boy Warriors 92 
 
 11. In the Absence of the Warriors 99 
 
 12. The Dream-fast of White Eagle 110 
 
 Part Two 
 defending the homeland 
 
 13. The Planting Festival 121 
 
 14. The Defense of Kanatagowa .128 
 
 15. The Death of Ondiyaka 137 
 
 16. The Blight of the Maize Fields 144 
 
 17. The Long Winter 155 
 
 xi 
 
xii Contents 
 
 18. The Marriage of Hiawatha 163 
 
 19. The Raising-up of Hiawatha 176 
 
 20. The Dream of Shawenis 186 
 
 21. TONEDAWA, the ChILD OP HiAWATHA 193 
 
 22. JiGONSASA, THE QuEEN OF THE NeUTRALS . . .202 
 
 23. The Struggle with Atotarho 213 
 
 24. The Awakening of Hiawatha 223 
 
 25. The Choice of the Onondagas 232 
 
 Part Three 
 the going-out of hiawatha 
 
 26. The Renunciation 241 
 
 27. Through the Land of the Mohawks 248 
 
 28. The Mohawks Listen to the Great Peace . 259 
 
 29. The Great Northern Hunting 269 
 
 30. On the Head of the Turtle 275 
 
 31 . At Nundawao 285 
 
 Part Four 
 the building of the longhouse 
 
 32. The Conquest of Darkness 293 
 
 33. The Great Council 302 
 
 34. The White Canoe 309 
 
 Bibliography 316 
 
 Glossary 319 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The name of Hiawatha has been made familiar 
 and beloved among the children of our land 
 through Longfellow's poem. Yet few people, 
 other than ethnologists, know that there was a 
 real Hiawatha ; that he was the co-founder of the 
 powerful League of the Iroquois; and that 
 nearly every large city from one end of the Em- 
 pire State to the other stands in a region that 
 once knew his footsteps. In Longfellow's poem 
 we meet with a superhuman character who 
 wanders far. The Hero of the Longhouse gives 
 us a portrayal of the human Hiawatha in and of 
 his own homeland. The first page and the first 
 picture touch the reader as with a magic wand. 
 He is carried backward half a thousand years and 
 set down in the forests of central New York, 
 where he sees the great Iroquois chieftain of old 
 as a flesh-and-blood character with a soul like his 
 own. 
 
 Before beginning to write this book the author 
 studied the history of Hiawatha from every pos- 
 sible source. That she might the better visualize 
 the scenes of his lifetime, she did much of her 
 writing out-of-doors — in the woods of the 
 northern Mohawk hunting ground, on the site 
 of Skanehtade, and in the valley of the Gen- 
 nisheyo. She climbed the heights of Bare Hill 
 where Nundawao stood, she lived at Oswego, and 
 she visited the Falls of the Mohawk where Hia- 
 watha met for the first time his powerful friend 
 Daganoweda. And the author, we feel, has en- 
 
xiv Introduction 
 
 tered very fully into the spirit of the people and 
 the times that she describes. The story is con- 
 vincing; the Indian epic has never been retold 
 with greater truth and vividness. Reading the 
 book is like a happy adventure. 
 
 The illustrations are by David Cunningham 
 Lithgow, who has painted and sketched Hia- 
 watha's people in every part of the old Iroquois 
 confederacy. The pictures are as accurate as it 
 is possible to make them, and they reveal unmis- 
 takably the artist's keen insight into his subject 
 and his sympathy with the story. 
 
 I have watched this book grow, from the first 
 pencil marks. I have watched the artist paint 
 his pictures, and I have seen the printer's proof; 
 and as one of Hiawatha's people I am very 
 happy to see this work so ably accomplished. I 
 believe that every reader, young or old, will join 
 me in the wish that The Hero of the Longhouse 
 will be read by all who admire nobility of char- 
 acter and by all who love the woods, the hills, the 
 brooks, and the charm of the open. 
 
 Arthur C. Parker (Gawasowaneh) 
 
 State Archaeologist of New York 
 War Chief, Clan of the Bear of the Seneca Nation 
 
THE fflSTORICAL HIAWATHA 
 
 The most authentic history of Hiawatha is found 
 in Horatio Hale's Iroquois Book of Rites and in 
 manuscripts in the New York State Archceolog- 
 ical Department collected by Arthur C. Parker. 
 Mr. Parker gained his material from the Iroquois 
 on the Grand River Reservation in Ontario and 
 from intimate intercourse with the Iroquois In- 
 dians on the New York State Reservations. 
 Horatio Hale's material was drawn from notes 
 gathered during many visits to the Grand River 
 Reservation and very especially from visits to 
 the Onondaga Reservation in New York State. 
 His informants "were the most experienced 
 counselors and especially the wampum keepers, 
 the official annalists of ^ the people." ^ 
 
 These accounts agree on the main facts of 
 Hiawatha's history, which was identified with a 
 single great achievement: the founding of the 
 League of the Iroquois. There is much uncer- 
 tainty as to the date of the founding of the 
 League. Hale concluded that the weight of evi- 
 dence pointed to the year 1439,. Hiawatha be- 
 longed to the Onondaga tribe and was at that 
 time an important chieftain in the Turtle Clan. 
 
 The Iroquois understood perfectly that their 
 five tribes had a common descent, their fore- 
 fathers having lived for a time on the headwaters 
 of the St. Lawrence, subject to the Adirondacks, 
 a numerous and cruel people. Through the 
 
 ^ Horatio Hale, The Iroquois Book of Rites, page 19. 
 
xvi The Historical Hiawatha 
 
 severe discipline of long endurance and by con- 
 serving all their native strength, the Iroquois es- 
 caped from the Adirondacks, crossed Lake 
 Ontario, and reached the Oswego River. The 
 people believed that their forefathers emerged 
 from the earth where they had hidden, at the 
 Falls of the Oswego, and that under the leader- 
 ship of the Holder-of-the-Heavens, they settled 
 on the hills of Onondaga. Here they prospered. 
 As they grew numerous, first the Mohawks and 
 then the Senecas left the old home country at 
 Onondaga and found new hunting grounds. 
 Later the Oneidas separated from the Mohawks^ 
 and the Cayugas from the Senecas; hence the 
 Iroquois called the Onondagas, Mohawks, and 
 Senecas the Three Elder Brothers, and the 
 Oneidas and Cayugas the Younger Brothers. 
 
 As years passed, there came to be much inter- 
 tribal warfare among the Iroquois; and in the 
 period of the making of the League, these wars 
 had been devastating. 
 
 "The Onondagas were then under the control 
 of a dreaded war chieftain named Atotarho. He 
 was a man of great force of character and 
 of formidable qualities — haughty, ambitious, 
 crafty and bold — a determined and successful 
 warrior, and at home, so far as the constitution of 
 an Indian tribe would allow, a stern and remorse- 
 less tyrant. He tolerated no equal. The chiefs 
 who ventured to oppose him were taken off one 
 after another by secret means, or were compelled 
 
The Historical Hiawatha xvii 
 
 to flee for safety to other tribes. His subtlety 
 and artifices had acquired for him the reputation 
 of a wizard. He knew, they say, what was going 
 on at a distance as well as if he were present ; and 
 he could destroy his enemies by some magical art, 
 while he himself was far away. In spite of the 
 fear which he inspired, his domination would 
 probably not have been endured by an Indian 
 community, but for his success in war." ^ 
 
 There was at this time among the Onondagas 
 a chief of high rank, whose name, Hiawatha, is 
 rendered, "He who seeks the wampum belt." 
 He had made himself greatly esteemed by his 
 wisdom and his benevolence. He was now past 
 middle age. Though many of his friends and 
 relatives had perished by the machinations of 
 Atotarho, he himself had been spared. Hiawatha 
 had long beheld with grief the evils which af- 
 flicted not only his own nation, but all the other 
 tribes about them, through the continual wars in 
 which they were engaged, and the misgovern- 
 ment and miseries at home which these wars 
 produced. AVith much meditation, he had elab- 
 orated in his mind the scheme of a vast confeder- 
 ation which would insure universal peace. In the 
 mere plan of a confederation there was nothing 
 new. There are probably few, if any, Indian 
 tribes which have not, at one time or another, 
 been members of a league or confederacy. It 
 may almost be said to be their normal condition. 
 
 * TJie Iroquois Book of Rites, page 20. 
 
xviii The Historical Hiawatha 
 
 But the plan which Hiawatha had evolved dif- 
 fered from all others in two particulars. The 
 system which he devised was to be not a loose and 
 transitory league, but a permanent government. 
 While each nation was to retain its own council 
 and its management of local affairs, the general 
 control was to be lodged in a federal senate, com- 
 posed of representatives elected by each nation, 
 holding office during good behavior, and ac- 
 knowledged as ruling chiefs throughout the whole 
 confederacy. Still further, and more remark- 
 ably, the confederation was not to be a limited 
 one. It was to be indefinitely expansible. The 
 avowed design of its proposer was to abolish war 
 altogether. He wished the federation to extend 
 until all the tribes of men should be included in 
 it, and peace should everywhere reign. Such is 
 the positive testimony of the Iroquois themselves; 
 and their statement, as will be seen, is supported 
 by historical evidence. 
 
 Hiawatha's first endeavor was to enlist his own 
 nation in the cause. He summoned a meeting of 
 the chiefs and people of the Onondaga towns. 
 The summons, proceeding from a chief of his 
 rank and reputation, attracted a large concourse. 
 "They came together," said the narrator, "along 
 the creeks, from all parts, to the general council 
 fire." But what effect the great projects of the 
 chief, enforced by the eloquence for which he was 
 noted, might have had upon his auditors, could 
 not be known. For there appeared among them 
 
The Historical Hiawatha xix 
 
 a well-known figure, grim, silent and forbidding, 
 whose terrible aspect overawed the assemblage. 
 The unspoken displeasure of Atotarho was suffi- 
 cient to stifle all debate, and the meeting 
 dispersed. 
 
 This result, which seems a singular conclusion 
 of an Indian council — the most independent and 
 free-spoken of all gatherings — is sufficiently ex- 
 plained by the fact that Atotarho had organized, 
 among the more reckless warriors of his tribe, a 
 band of unscrupulous partisans, who did his bid- 
 ding without question and took off by secret 
 murder all persons against whom he bore a 
 grudge. The knowledge that his followers were 
 scattered through the assembly, prepared to mark 
 for destruction those who should offend him, 
 might make the boldest orator chary of speech. 
 Hiawatha alone was undaunted. He sunmioned 
 a second meeting, which was attended by a 
 smaller number, and broke up as before in con- 
 fusion, on Atotarho's appearance. The unwea- 
 ried reformer sent forth his runners a third time ; 
 but the people were disheartened. When the day 
 of the council arrived, no one attended. "Then," 
 continued the narrator, "Hiawatha seated him- 
 self on the ground in sorrow. He enveloped his 
 head in his mantle of skins, and remained for a 
 long time bowed in grief and thought. At length 
 he arose and left the town, taking his course 
 toward the southeast. He had formed a bold 
 design. As the councils of his own nation were 
 
XX The Historical Hiawatha 
 
 closed to him, he would have recourse to those of 
 other tribes. At a short distance from the town 
 (so minutely are the circumstances recounted) he 
 passed his great antagonist, seated near a well- 
 known spring, stern and silent as usual. No 
 word passed between the determined represen- 
 tatives of war and peace: but it doubtless was 
 not without a sensation of triumphant pleasure 
 that the ferocious war chief saw his only rival 
 and opponent in council going into what seemed 
 to be voluntary exile." ^ 
 
 "The flight of Hiawatha from Onondaga to 
 the country of the Mohawks," said Hale, "is to 
 the Iroquois what the flight of Mohammed from 
 Mecca to Medina is to the votaries of Islam. It 
 is the turning point of their history." 
 
 Manuscripts in the New York State Archaeo- 
 logical Museum relate the story of Hiawatha's 
 farewell to the hunting grounds of the Ononda- 
 gas. Overwhelmed with grief, he went from 
 point to point in the familiar homeland fasting 
 for five days. It is at this time that legend 
 credits him with devising wampum-shell strings, 
 each shell holding a word of the message. In the 
 land of the Oneidas he sends two birds (i.e., run- 
 ners) to the principal village with the peace mes- 
 sage, which is rejected. He appears in the prin- 
 cipal towns of the Mohawks with his white shell 
 strings, into which he has talked the words of the 
 Great Peace. In every town his message is re- 
 
 ^ The Iroquois Book of Rites, pages 21-23. 
 
The Historical Hiawatha xxi 
 
 jected. Last of all he meets Daganoweda at Ga- 
 hoose, a small Mohawk village located at Cohoes 
 Falls. Daganoweda at once accepts the Great 
 Peace Message and becomes its most efficient 
 champion. 
 
 The mystery that lies in the founding of the 
 Iroquois League rests in Daganoweda and his 
 relation to the work. Horatio Hale makes him a 
 Mohawk chieftain. Arthur C. Parker, New 
 York State Archaeologist, believes that he 
 was by birth a Huron and a man of extraordi- 
 nary power and wisdom who had been adopted by 
 the Mohawks and made a chieftain. All au- 
 thorities agree that without Daganoweda, Hia- 
 watha could not have accomplished his great 
 work. 
 
 Another personality that appears at this time, 
 working with Hiawatha and Daganoweda for 
 the Great Peace, is Jigonsasa, the Queen of the 
 Neutrals. This line of Peace Queens is spoken 
 of in the Jesuit Relations. The Peace Queens 
 kept their tribe from war and were held in rever- 
 ence by neighboring tribes. The Peace Home, 
 or dwelling of the Queen of the Neutrals, was a 
 place of refuge as well as a court of arbitration. 
 The last of the line of Jigonsasa lived in the Ton- 
 awanda (Seneca) Reservation in New York 
 State as late as 1892. Her English name was 
 Carrie Mount Pleasant. There is traditional 
 evidence that the Peace Queen of the Neutrals 
 was present at all the councils with Hiawatha 
 
xxii The Historical Hiawatha 
 
 and Daganoweda when the acceptance of the 
 Great Peace was in question. 
 
 The Peace Confederation was accepted first by 
 the Mohawks after a year's dehberation. A year 
 later the Oneidas accepted it. At this time it was 
 again rejected by the Onondagas. The Cayugas 
 after a year of dehberation entered the Peace 
 League. Again a delegation approached Ato- 
 tarho, this time made up of representatives from 
 the Mohawks, Oneidas, and Cayugas. Atotarho 
 now offered to accept their invitation to enter the 
 League on condition that he be made its Great 
 Sachem. Hiawatha, to whom this office would 
 naturally fall, yielded him the honor at once. 
 The Four United Tribes then approached the 
 Senecas, who after a year's deliberation came 
 into the Great Peace Alliance. 
 
 Hiawatha is credited with having labored suc- 
 cessfully in changing the heart of Atotarho. In 
 the picturesque language of the Iroquois he 
 "combed the snakes from the hair of Atotarho." 
 
 The Iroquois did not make canoes of wliite 
 birch bark, but white birch bark canoes could have 
 been easily obtained through trade with the Chip- 
 pewas. The White Canoe holds so persistent a 
 place in the legendary history of Hiawatha that 
 there can be no doubt that it was intimately asso- 
 ciated with him in the minds of his contempo- 
 raries and that it featured in some way in his 
 death. The Iroquois, in his figurative mode of 
 speech, said that Hiawatha went to Heaven in 
 
The Historical Hiawatha xxiii 
 
 his White Canoe. Horatio Hale believes that he 
 was buried in the White Canoe as one of his val- 
 ued possessions. 
 
 "The Iroquois were always eager to receive 
 new members into their League," says Horatio 
 Hale. "The Tuscaroras, Nanticokes, the Tute- 
 loes, and a band of Delawares, were thus success- 
 fully admitted, and all of them still retain repre- 
 sentatives in the council of the Canadian branch 
 of the confederacy. When this political union 
 could not be achieved, the Iroquois sought to ac- 
 complish the same end, as far as possible, by 
 treatj^ of alliance. When a neighboring people 
 would neither join the confederacy nor enter into 
 a treaty of alliance with it, the almost inevitable 
 result would be, sooner or later, a deadly war. 
 . . . But they made a magnanimous use of their 
 superiority. An enemy who submitted was at 
 once spared." 
 
 Of the closing years of Hiawatha's life there 
 is no further record than that he spent his time 
 in clearing away entanglements in the great 
 waterways of the Iroquois. This is probably a 
 figurative way of saying that he spent his last 
 years cementing the union between the Five 
 Tribes by getting rid of ancient feuds and inter- 
 tribal jealousies, and as far as possible making 
 the clan bond a power for union. 
 
 The literature that has grown out of the story 
 of Hiawatha has been varied. "Mr. J. V. H. 
 Clark, in his interesting History of Onondaga^ 
 
xxiv The Historical Hiawatha 
 
 makes the name of Hiawatha to have been origi- 
 nally Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha, and describes the bearer 
 as 'the deity who presides over fisheries and hunt- 
 ing grounds.' He came down from Heaven in 
 a white canoe, and after sundry adventures, which 
 remind one of the labors of Hercules, assumed 
 the name of Hiawatha and dwelt for the time as 
 an ordinary mortal among men, occupied in 
 works of benevolence. Finally, after founding 
 the confederacy and bestowing many prudent 
 councils upon the people, he returned to the skies 
 in the same conveyance in which he had de- 
 scended. This legend, or rather, congeries of in- 
 termingled legends, was communicated by Clark 
 to Schoolcraft, when the latter was compiling his 
 Notes on the Iroquois. Mr. Schoolcraft, says 
 Horatio Hale, pleased with the poetical cast of 
 the story and the euphonious name, made con- 
 fusion worse confounded by transferring the hero 
 to a distant region and identifying him with 
 Manabozho, a fantastic divinity of the Ojibways. 
 Schoolcraft's volume, which he chose to entitle 
 The Hiawatha Legends, has not in it a single 
 fact or fiction relating either to Hiawatha him- 
 self or to the Iroquois deity. . . . Wild O jib way 
 stories concerning Manabozho and his comrades 
 form the staple of its contents. But it is to this 
 collection that we owe the charming poem of 
 Longfellow; and thus, by an extraordinary for- 
 tune, a grave Iroquois lawgiver of the fifteenth 
 century has become, in modern literature, an 
 
The Historical Hiawatha xxv 
 
 Ojibway demigod, son of the West Wind, and 
 companion of the tricksy Paupukkeewis, the 
 boastful lagoo, and the strong Kwasind. If a 
 Chinese traveler, during the middle ages, in- 
 quiring into the history and religion of the west- 
 ern nations, had confounded King Alfred with 
 King Arthur, and both with Odin, he would not 
 have made a more preposterous confusion of 
 names and characters than that which has hitherto 
 disguised the genuine personality of the great 
 Onondaga reformer." ^ 
 
 Thanks to the work of Morgan, Beauchamp, 
 Parker, Hewett, the Jesuit Fathers, and many 
 other writers in the Iroquois field, a considerable 
 literature has grown up that bears indisputable 
 witness of the gifted race that once possessed 
 most of the country that is now New York 
 State. 
 
 ^ The Iroquois Book of Rites, page 36. 
 
1 N w a 
 
 "V^o 
 
 5^-^^ 
 
PART ONE 
 
 The Childhood and Youth of White Eagle 
 
t' 
 
THE 
 
 HERO OF THE LONGHOUSE 
 
 CHAPTER ONE 
 
 THE BIRTH OF WHITE EAGLE 
 
 Nearly five hundred years ago in Ka-na-ta- 
 go-wa, the chief village of the Onondagas, a child 
 was born to Wa-un-da-na of the Turtle Clan and 
 the young Wolf Chieftain, On-di-ya-ka. The 
 little one opened his eyes to the light on a March 
 day that was mixed with sunshine and blustering 
 storm. 
 
 He was the first child of his parents. When 
 seven suns had passed, the wise Hu-na-dan-lu, 
 keeper of the faith, came to bless the child and to 
 ask Ha-wen-ni-yu, the Great Ruler, to give 
 the little one long life and strength and wisdom. 
 
 In the door of the longhouse stood Waundana 
 holding the babe in her arms. By her side was 
 her mother, Sha-we-nis. Both were dressed in 
 new garments. Standing before the doorway 
 Hunadanlu raised his right hand toward the sky 
 and in a loud, clear voice said : 
 
 "Ye sun, moon, stars, all ye that move in the 
 heavens, I bid you hear me. Into your midst has 
 come a new life. Consent ye, I implore ! Make 
 its path smooth that it may reach the brow of the 
 first hill. 
 
 "Ye winds, clouds, rain, mist, all ye that move 
 in the air, I bid you hear me. Into your midst 
 
2 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 has come a new life. Consent ye, I implore! 
 Make its path smooth that it may reach the brow 
 of the second hill. 
 
 "Ye hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, trees, grasses, 
 all ye of the earth, I bid you hear me. Into your 
 midst has come a new life. Consent ye, I im- 
 plore! JNIake its path smooth that it may reach 
 the brow of the third hill. 
 
 "Ye birds, great and small, that dwell in the 
 forest, ye insects that creep among the grasses 
 and burrow in the ground, I bid you hear me. 
 Into your midst has come a new life. Consent ye, 
 I implore! ]\Iake its path smooth, that it may 
 reach the brow of the fourth hill. 
 
 "All ye of the heavens, all ye of the air, all ye 
 of the earth, I bid you all to hear me. Into your 
 midst has come a new life. Consent ye, consent 
 ye all, I implore! Make its path smooth, — then 
 shall it travel beyond the four hills. "^ 
 
 Always Hunadanlu prayed for a blessing on 
 the little children born into the clan of the Turtle. 
 But today he lingered after the prayer and 
 looked long and earnestly into the clear eyes of 
 the little child before him. Suddenly he spoke to 
 Waundana, the mother, and told her of a dream 
 that had been sent him. 
 
 He said: "Ky-e-a-ha, my Daughter, seven suns 
 ago at the dawn hour, Hunadanlu dreamed that 
 
 ^ From the rite of cliild blessing of the Omaha Indians. 
 Fletcher, Report of Bureau of Ethnology, No. XXVII. The four 
 hills signify childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. 
 
"The wise Himadanlu, keeper of the faith, came to 
 bless the child" 
 
4 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 he sat within the longhouse of the Turtles, look- 
 ing on a young eagle that stood there. The eagle 
 was as white as the snows of winter, and his eyes 
 held the fire of Ka-ga-gwa, the sun. 
 
 "As Hunadanlu looked, the white eagle grew 
 large. Then it lifted itself upon its wings and 
 flew out through the door of the lodge. Long it 
 circled above the forest and lake, and thrice it 
 alighted. But each time that it alighted a huge 
 bird as black as night darted down and drove it 
 forth. Hunadanlu could not tell whence this 
 bird of night came, but where it alighted, the 
 darkness settled. 
 
 "At last the white eagle flew towards the sun's 
 rising. But soon he returned bringing with him 
 a strange bird of wondrous swiftness. The two 
 birds called aloud as they flew, and immediately 
 from west and south and east, a great company of 
 eagles gathered. The air resounded with their 
 cries, and the noise of their wings was like the 
 sound of O-ah, the wind, passing over a forest of 
 pine trees. 
 
 "Listen, my Daughter. That company of 
 eagles sat down together in council and in their 
 midst was the great white bird with eyes of light. 
 Straightway the smoke of the peace pipe began 
 to ascend from the council fire. Never was there 
 seen such a peace smoke. At first it arose in 
 billowing clouds toward the Great Ruler; then, 
 as if the sacred smoke had received a breath from 
 the sky world, it began to drift eastward and 
 
The Birth of White Eagle 5 
 
 southward and westward. Hunadanlu said in his 
 dream, 'At last the smoke of Ah-so-qua-ta, the 
 peace pipe, covers the earth.' 
 
 "My Daughter, continue to hsten. Huna- 
 danlu awoke in the joy of that dream and 
 straightway lighted the pipe that its smoke might 
 arise in sign of thanksgiving to the Master of 
 Life. Even as the smoke from his pipe ascended 
 toward the Great Ruler, Shawenis came to say 
 that a son was born to thee, my Daughter. Now 
 as Hunadanlu looks on the child, his heart tells 
 him that this is the white eagle of his dream." 
 
 Then Waundana answered: "I-han-i, my 
 Father, his name shall be White Eagle, and may 
 his life fulfill the dream-promise." 
 
 There was uilwonted stir about the little White 
 Eagle, for the chieftains and wise men had de- 
 cided to move the village to a new site on the west 
 side of the Ga-sun-to.' They had chosen a place 
 on high ground that could be easily defended and 
 where the soil was light and fertile. Here would 
 be a stronghold against the enemy, plenty of 
 water, and an abundance of maize. 
 
 Every longhouse of the village was filled with 
 the noise of moving. The mother of AVhite 
 Eagle was packing for the journey to the new 
 village. She had fur coverings and robes to 
 carry, well-woven mats to roll, jars of earthen- 
 ware to protect, and many implements of stone 
 and bone to take. Some of these things were 
 
 ^ Jamesville Creek. 
 
6 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 packed in large hulling baskets or barrels of elm 
 bark, and everything was fastened securely in a 
 strong burden frame. 
 
 As she passed the fireside of Waundana, the 
 busy Shawenis stopped to speak to her daughter. 
 Like many of the older people she was heavy- 
 hearted, for the walls of the longhouse were filled 
 with memories and spoke to her with eloquent 
 voice. She said: "It is hard to turn away from 
 the council fire and know that it will never burn 
 again in the old, sacred place." 
 
 But the hearts of the young in the longhouse of 
 the Turtle were full of expectation, and all were 
 eager to set forth to the new village. 
 
 Just before the people left the old town. White 
 Eagle from his cradle-board looked on at a feast 
 that was given to the youth of the village. When 
 the feast was ended, the young peoj^le went to 
 the new clearing and began the work of building 
 the new town. They took strong saplings forked 
 at one end and set them firmly in the ground. 
 Upon the forks they placed cross-poles and 
 fastened them with withes. They covered this 
 frame with bark boards, lapping them over each 
 other like shingles. Then they set up an external 
 frame of poles along the sides and across the 
 rafters and fastened it to the inner frame so as 
 to hold the bark boards in their places. 
 
 So swiftly was the work done, that in two days 
 the longhouses were ready to be finished within. 
 Every house had a doorway at either end; its 
 
The Birth of White Eagle 7 
 
 length depended upon the number of fires it was 
 to hold. In the long passage stretching from 
 door to door, five or six fires would burn, and 
 each fire would have a family on either side. 
 JMany a house stretched away for more than a 
 hundred feet, waiting to hold the fires of one 
 great clan-family. 
 
 One day White Eagle was carried to the new 
 Kanatagowa. For many hours each day his 
 cradle-board, the ga-ose-ha, hung from the high 
 branch of a tree where he was safe from Ho-ty-o- 
 ne, the wolf. Here he himg, wrapped in a soft 
 beaver skin, swaying gently with the bending 
 branches when Oah, the wind, passed by. Above 
 him Ar-o-se-a, the squirrel, ran about on his airy 
 highways and jumped from branch to branch, or 
 sat motionless and alert and stared at White 
 Eagle. 
 
 It was the moon of maize planting. Up and 
 down the fields the women went, their pleasant 
 talk mingling with the songs and calls of birds. 
 Often the careful eyes of Waundana turned 
 toward the oak tree where White Eagle hung, 
 and often she came to speak to her little child. 
 One day, just before she reached the oak, she 
 heard the whiz of an arrow and saw it strike the 
 tree close to the head of White Eagle. A boy 
 hurried from the edge of the woods, sprang up 
 the tree, and plucked out the arrow. For a mo- 
 ment he paused, gazing intently into the steady 
 eyes of White Eagle ; then he disappeared in the 
 
8 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 forest. Swiftly and silently he had come and 
 gone. He was Ato-tar-ho, son of the war chief- 
 tain ; Atotarho, the shrewd and willful. He had 
 tried to see how near to the head of White Eagle 
 he could shoot his arrow without hitting. 
 
 When he was gone, the startled Waundana 
 took White Eagle in her arms as if she would 
 shelter him from evil. Holding him close she 
 hurried quickly away. In her heart was a strange 
 premonition; it whispered that in future days 
 Atotarho would bring sore trouble to White 
 Eagle. 
 
CHAPTER TWO 
 
 WINTER IN THE LONGHOUSE 
 
 All winter the warm fires burned in the long- 
 house where dwelt the great clan-family to which 
 White Eagle belonged. Sometimes the cold 
 winds swept the forest and beat against it with 
 angry voices. Then the people said, "Da-jo-ji, 
 the west wind, is abroad, Dajoji, the panther, 
 whose breath brings the tempest." 
 
 Then Waundana laid more fagots on the fire 
 and brought the cradle-board, the gaoseha, of the 
 little White Eagle close to the warm blaze. 
 
 "Thou shalt not fear the harsh voice of Dajoji, 
 my child. See how Od-jis-ta lights up the long- 
 house and drives the darkness away. She will 
 blow on White Eagle with her warm breath and 
 sing to him a pleasant song." 
 
 Through all the long winter Odjista, the fire, 
 lighted the long bark house and cheered the hearts 
 of its people. The snow came and silently 
 wrapped the rough bark house in a warm white 
 blanket. It drifted through the forest and 
 feathered the pine trees. It made a white lake of 
 the maize fields. But within the house there were 
 gathered dried flesh and fish, and stores of nuts 
 and beans. The sustaining maize filled the bark 
 barrels and hung from the dark rafters by 
 braided ropes. 
 
 There was unwonted quiet in the half -deserted 
 longhouse, for the warriors had departed to the 
 distant hunting grounds. The women employed 
 
10 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 their bone needles in making embroidered mocca- 
 sins, strong leggings, or the warm overdress of 
 skins ; the men worked on bone and stone. 
 
 One day when Dajoji, the west wind, was cry- 
 ing about the longhouse, Waundana took "White 
 Eagle on a visit to some of his clan-folk. At the 
 first fire sat Ga-nius-ka, who was called the Stone 
 Giant. He was the uncle of Waundana. Gani- 
 uska labored for long hours patiently shaping 
 and polishing a heavy ax of granite. His fingers 
 were strong and deft, and in the dim light of the 
 longhouse they seemed almost to see, so quick 
 were they to feel when the stone had yielded to 
 his will. Ganiuska was ready and wise in 
 choosing the fittest stone for his purpose. He 
 knew the rocks and ledges and boulders in open 
 and forest, and the pebbles on the sandy beach. 
 He loved his work far better than the hunting of 
 the warriors ; it filled his thoughts and his speech. 
 He said to Waundana : 
 
 "Before the cold moons are ended, Ganiuska 
 will shape a fine ax of granite. Then in the 
 summer he will polish it smooth and lustrous." 
 
 The thought of the finished work nerved the 
 arm of Ganiuska to new skill and power. He 
 said : 
 
 "Soon the little White Eagle will come to the 
 Stone Giant to beg him to make a small bow or 
 a fine snow snake. No one but Ganiuska shall 
 shape the first bow of White Eagle." 
 
 At another fire was the seat of Ho-do-an-jo, 
 
Winter in the Longhouse 11 
 
 the old arrow maker. The form of Hodoanjo 
 was bent and his face was deep-furrowed. His 
 aged eyes could no longer see to work in the 
 dimness of the longhouse. 
 
 Waundana brought Hodoanjo a steaming 
 bowl of hulled corn. She called him Ti-so-te, 
 grandfather. The old man said: 
 
 "The heart of Hodoanjo is filled with longing, 
 waiting for the coming of spring. Then he will 
 sit under his great pine tree and again the flint 
 chips will fly from the point of his bone flaker. 
 Then the chieftains and warriors will come to 
 praise him for the arrows that shall fill up their 
 quivers." 
 
 At the central fireside sat Shawenis. She was 
 the mother of Waundana, and of Ho-sa-ha-ho, 
 the chieftain of the Turtle Clan throughout 
 Onondaga. She was the wise w^oman of her house 
 and the greatest medicine woman of the Onon- 
 dagas. The words of Shawenis were repeated at 
 the council fire, and she was one of the Ro-yan- 
 ers, the noble women who elected the chieftains. 
 
 That day Shawenis took White Eagle in her 
 arms and looked long and earnestly into his 
 steady eyes. Something seemed to tell her that 
 this child would sometime be a great leader of his 
 people. She recalled the dream of Hunadanlu, 
 the friend of man, and silently thanked the 
 Master of Life for the child's strength and 
 promise. 
 
 Dear to the heart of Waundana was the fire- 
 
12 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 side of her uncle, Hunadanlu. Here the children 
 of the longhouse listened for hours to the stories 
 that fell from his magic lips. He told of the 
 Stone Giants, of the Monster Bear, and the 
 Horned Serpent; he told of the wise Little 
 People, and of Ga-do-waas and his starry belt. 
 But when Waundana came bringing White 
 Eagle, she asked him to tell the story of Ata-en- 
 sic, the Sky Mother, the story that held the faith 
 of her people. 
 
 At once Hunadanlu began: "Kyeaha, my 
 Daughter, listen. In one of the lodges in the 
 upper world lived a maiden who bore the name 
 Ataensic. One day her father said: 'Thou hast 
 been promised to the chief, He-That-Holds-the- 
 Earth. The time has come when thou must make 
 the journey to his lodge. Do thou have courage, 
 for thy pathway is terrifying throughout its 
 course. When thou hast gone one half of thy 
 journey, thou wilt come to a river. Thou shalt 
 quickly cross the river and pass on without 
 pause. 
 
 " 'Soon thou wilt see a large field. Thou wilt 
 see there, moreover, a lodge, and there beside the 
 lodge stands the Shining Tree. The blossoms of 
 this Tree cause all that place to be light. 
 
 " 'Within the lodge is the chief called He- 
 That-Holds-the-Earth. Into his lodge shalt thou 
 enter, and on him shalt thou bestow thy gift of 
 bread.' 
 
 "That same sun, Ataensic placed her basket of 
 
Winter in the Longhouse 13 
 
 bread on her back by means of the forehead strap, 
 and departed. 
 
 "The maiden was filled with magic power, and 
 so swift were her feet that soon she came to the 
 field where stood the lodge and the Tree-That- 
 Lights-the- World. She entered the lodge and 
 there the chief He-That-Holds-the-Earth re- 
 ceived the gift of bread. 
 
 "Then a Word was spoken in the heart of the 
 Great Chieftain. The Word was this: 
 
 " 'Verily, we will make a new place where an- 
 other people may grow. Under the Tree-That- 
 Lights-the- World is a great cloud sea. It is 
 lonely. Day and night it calls, asking for light. 
 The great roots of the Tree point to it. Uproot 
 the Tree and verily there shall be made an open 
 way to that dark world below.' 
 
 "Straightway the Chief commanded that the 
 Tree whose blossoms light the world should be 
 uprooted. Moreover, he called Ataensic to his 
 side, and, wrapping around her a ray of light, he 
 bade her descend to the cloud sea bearing with her 
 the life of the sky-world. 
 
 "Without fear Ataensic entered that place of 
 great darkness and straightway began to fall 
 downward toward the boundless sea. As she fell, 
 the birds and animals began to be dazzled by the 
 descending light. 
 
 " 'Something is coming! It may destroy us!' 
 they cried. 
 
 " 'Where can it rest?' asked So-ra, the Duck. 
 
14 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 " 'Only earth, only the 0-eh-da can hold it, the 
 Oehda which lies at the bottom of our waters,' 
 said the Beaver. 
 
 " 'Who will bring it?' they cried. 
 
 " 'I will bring it,' said the Beaver. Jo-ni-to, 
 the Beaver, went down, but never returned. 
 
 "Then Sora, the Duck, said, 'I will go.' Soon 
 the dead body of Sora floated on the water. 
 
 "Then No-ji, the rnuskrat, said, 'I know the 
 way to the place where the Oehda lies. I will go.' 
 Noji went, and moreover he returned, bringing 
 in his paw earth, the Oehda. 
 
 "He said, 'It is heavy; it will grow fast; but 
 who will bear it?' 
 
 " 'I will bear it,' said Ha-nu-na, the Turtle. 
 
 "The Oehda was placed on the broad back of 
 Hanuna, the Great Turtle, and there it grew to 
 be an island. 
 
 "Guided by the glow, the water birds flew up- 
 wards from the island and receiving Ataensic on 
 their widespread wings, they bore her down to the 
 back of the Turtle. Then across the broad land 
 and far out on the cloudy sea a beautiful dawn- 
 light broke. 
 
 "The island was still dim in the dawn of its 
 new life when Ataensic heard two voices under 
 her heart, — one peaceful and patient, one rest- 
 less and cruel. 
 
 "As the being with the harsh voice entered the 
 world of light, a wail of sorrow and pain broke 
 across the cloudy sea. When the right-born en- 
 
Winter in the LongJiouse 15 
 
 tered life, great waves of light pulsated swiftly 
 over the world. The first was Ha-gwe-da-et-ga, 
 the Bad Mind; the second, Ha-gw^e-di-yu, the 
 Good Mind, the Holder-of-the-Heavens. 
 
 "Both went forth into the new^ world. Every- 
 where Hagwedaetga put forth his hand to de- 
 stroy the good and to create evil. Everywhere 
 Hagwediyu created good things, and all these 
 things he made beautiful. 
 
 "Then a strife arose between the two in which 
 Hagwediyu conquered. He shut the Bad Mind 
 in a dark cave far below the earth, there to dwell 
 forever. Then truly, Hagwediyu reigned alone 
 in the new world of light. 
 
 "But Ataensic, the Sky Mother, was dead — 
 killed by the rough hand of Hagwedaetga." 
 
 The story of Ataensic came to Waundana with 
 a strange, new meaning. Quickly she bade fare- 
 well to Hunadanlu and returned to her own 
 fireside. Seating herself on the ground, she held 
 White Eagle close to her bosom. She put out 
 her hand and reverently touched Yo-an-ja, the 
 earth, as something filled with wonder. Her heart 
 whispered, "It is a marvelous thing that beneath 
 me and my child is the same earth that was 
 formed to hold the Sky Woman, to be the home 
 of Ataensic, the First jNIother." 
 
 Thus musing, Waundana wrapped the little 
 White Eagle in a soft beaver skin, put on her 
 snowshoes, swung the gaoseha to her back, 
 placed the burden strap across her forehead, and 
 went out into the world of light. 
 
16 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 That same day the warriors returned from the 
 distant hunting fields. 
 
 At once all was astir in the village. Again the 
 children looked on the faces of their fathers, and 
 there was glad welcome among all these kinsfolk. 
 Ondiyaka, the young chief of the Wolf Clan, 
 hastened to find Waundana and White Eagle, 
 and as he looked on them he said, "Ne-a-weh, I 
 am thankful." 
 
 Straightway the women went forth to bring in 
 the game. When all had eaten of the fresh veni- 
 son, they gathered at the fireside and listened to 
 long stories of the chase. 
 
 At last a deep quiet settled on the longhouse. 
 Fainter and fainter Odjista burned, dimly light- 
 ing the rafters of the bark house where slept the 
 children of one great family, — they who dwelt 
 together because thej^ were akin, a line descended 
 from one far-off Mother. 
 
CHAPTER THREE 
 
 ADVENTURES OF CHILDHOOD 
 
 Seven winters passed. A busy life was going on 
 at Kanatagowa. The open about the village had 
 been enlarged. With great wooden rakes, the 
 women brought together the underbrush from 
 the men's cutting and burned it. Then came the 
 plowing, when mothers and maidens trooped to 
 the fields with their wooden hoes and broke up 
 the soil, making it ready for the seed. When the 
 red-winged blackbird had appeared and the dog- 
 wood leaf was the size of the ear of a squirrel, 
 they began the work of planting. The corn had 
 been soaked in a steeping of herbs, so that the 
 young sprouts were ready to burst. Now all the 
 children eagerly watched Ga-ga, the crow — for 
 if Gaga ate these kernels he would grow dizzy, 
 and flutter about and frighten the other birds 
 from the fields. Among these Onondaga children 
 was the little White Eagle. 
 
 The boy had grown like a young sapling seek- 
 ing the sunlight. Fearless and swift, he roamed 
 open and forest. If danger threatened, he ran 
 like the deer, timid Ska-non-do, or climbed aloft 
 to the tree tops like Arosea, the squirrel. He 
 could hide in the grasses and bushes like Kaw-e- 
 sea, the partridge; or like Gain- j eh, the fish, he 
 could silently swim and dive in the pools of the 
 river. 
 
 He knew the paths of the wood; he could 
 thread the deep haunts of the neighboring forest. 
 
 17 
 
18 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 He had sounded the ponds and the pools of the 
 Gasunto. He had learned the lurking places of 
 the fish ; he knew their food and their seasons for 
 spawning. Something he knew of the wolf and 
 the bear and the wild deer. But he was far wiser 
 in the ways of the birds, the chipmunks, the 
 squirrels, and the timid burrowing creatures. 
 
 He knew the hammer of Kwa-a, the wood- 
 pecker, and the haunts of O-ho-wa, the owl. He 
 loved the honk of Sora, the duck, and the distant 
 cry of Ote-an-yea, the eagle. For hours he 
 looked and listened while the blackbirds held their 
 noisy councils. For hours, while the women 
 worked in the maize field, he watched Gaga, the 
 crow, noisy, but cunning and wary. 
 
 One day when the maize fields were green with 
 young blades a span high, White Eagle emerged 
 from the longhouse filled with a new purpose. 
 Before Kagagwa, the sun, disappeared in the 
 west sky, he would find some trace of the Elf 
 Folk. 
 
 At first he threaded the stream side. Then he 
 went to the wood's edge, where unobserved he 
 could watch the maize field. He was saying to 
 himself: "I must watch closely, for they are 
 smaller than the youngest baby. My grand- 
 mother says that they began their work a long 
 time ago, when the Earth Mother was full of 
 trouble. The frosts had pinched her fruits and 
 blighted her grains with mildew. Her fishes in 
 lakes and rivers were foolish in finding shelter. 
 
Adventures of Childhood 19 
 
 The breath of great monsters that roamed the 
 forest poisoned the springs and streams. All 
 this was the work of Hagwedaetga. He had 
 brought all this evil to the earth before he was 
 conquered by Hagwediyu. 
 
 "Then the Little People, the Jo-ga-o, came to 
 help the Earth Mother. Although they were the 
 smallest of creatures, they were mighty in 
 strength and courage, and in number beyond all 
 counting. I have heard my grandmother, Sha- 
 wenis, say that, although their hands are tiny as 
 the claws of Noji, the muskrat, they can do all 
 manner of work and even fight stoutly in battle." 
 
 For a long time White Eagle watched the 
 maize field. He said: "The Elves are very busy 
 now, for the seeds are growing so fast they are 
 bursting their blankets. My grandmother says 
 that these Elves talk to the suffering seeds. They 
 say, 'Do not complain, — what harm if you lose 
 your old blankets! If you are patient and gi'ow, 
 you will soon make yourselves new ones. Only 
 send your roots downward, only push your 
 plumes upward !' When the little seeds listen to 
 the voices of the Elf Folk and obey their words, 
 they grow wisely and well." 
 
 At last White Eagle began to search the 
 ground along the forest edge. He had been told 
 that some of the Elves go into the earth far below, 
 where there are deep forests and wide plains. 
 Into this dim underworld they drive all the living 
 creatures that injure men beings, and with their 
 
20 The Hero of the Lo7ighouse M 
 
 stout bows and arrows they keep guard over 
 them there. White Eagle longed to see the dim 
 underground plains where the white buffaloes 
 range, — the huge white buffaloes that break 
 down the forests. 
 
 Today White Eagle's eyes were bright with 
 wonder. He said: "These mischievous buffaloes 
 are always looking for paths to the earth's sur- 
 face, for they wish to roam in the sunlit world 
 with their brown brothers. Sometimes they all 
 rush together toward an opening. Then the Elf 
 warriors rally to meet them, and so sharp are 
 their swift arrows that the herd is always driven 
 backward. These Elves are the bravest of the 
 Little People. They are always fighting and 
 scouting, always watching the poisonous crea- 
 tures that do the work of Hagwedaetga." 
 
 White Eagle found a tree that had been up- 
 rooted. He threw himself on the ground and 
 tried to peer downward into earth's darkness, but 
 he could not even find one of the tiny Elf trails by 
 which the Little People climbed to the Light- 
 World. 
 
 Then a sudden thought came to him. He re- 
 membered that the Little People visited the 
 forest by moonlight. They held their festivals 
 about some giant tree, and around that tree the 
 grass would not grow thereafter. If he could 
 find one of the Elf trees, he would know it by 
 that sign. 
 
 He searched the wood, until he came to a place 
 
*'He longed to tell his mother the secret' 
 
22 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 where a great pine tree grew. Then his heart 
 beat loudly for not a blade of grass was there! 
 He had found the mysterious tree, the dancing 
 placeof the Elf Folk! 
 
 He hurried home and found Waundana, who 
 was returning with his father, Ondiyaka, from 
 the maize fields. He longed to tell his mother 
 the secret, but well he knew that some bug 
 or bird might be listening. He longed to ask 
 Shawenis to repeat those legends once more. 
 But lie must wait for the winter, since he knew 
 well that in summer some animal might hear and 
 become entranced; then when the snow fell it 
 might forget to go back to its winter home. Even 
 the vine that crept over the door of the longhouse 
 might listen so eagerly that it would forget to 
 let down its sap before the frost came, and so it 
 would perish. The bird singing in the tree above 
 the door might listen and in his wonder forget 
 the sun-way to the south and die in the first snow. 
 
 Xo, White Eagle knew well that he must wait 
 for winter. Then he could tell of the Elf tree; 
 then he could listen again to the wonderful tales 
 of the Little People. 
 
 A busy life went on about the child while he 
 patiently kept his secret day after day. The 
 harvest came, when the maidens and mothers of 
 Onondaga walked through the fields of tall maize, 
 stripping the ears from the standing corn and 
 throwing it over their shoulders into great har- 
 vesting baskets. This was followed by huskings 
 
Adventures of Childhood 23 
 
 held in the white moonlight. Then a roaring fire 
 of sumac brush was kindled, and in the warm 
 glow young and old together plied the merry 
 work. 
 
 In the mild days of October, when the forests 
 were bright with color, the women gathered roots 
 and herbs. Then White Eagle learned from 
 Shawenis, his grandmother, which plants were 
 good or bad, which were poisonous or fit for 
 food, and which would bring healing in sickness. 
 
 With his mother, Waundana, he entered the 
 wood's edge w^hen with others she came to gather 
 faggots for the winter's fire. They would go 
 farther and farther into the forest to find the 
 faggots they wanted; for winter, the fierce Ko- 
 sa-ge, might tarry long and then many fires must 
 burn, so much wood must be gathered. 
 
 Winter came at last, bringing its sports and 
 its long hours of story telling. Then indeed 
 White Eagle again heard stories of the Little 
 People and questioned his grandmother about 
 the Elf trees. Very proud he was when she 
 listened gravely to his secret and agreed that he 
 might have found one of the trees where the Elves 
 held their dances. 
 
 But as spring approached, the people became 
 eager for the coming journey to the sugar en- 
 campment. When the moon of maple sugar 
 came, White Eagle forgot the Elf Folk for a 
 little in his eager desire to depart for the groves 
 of maple. At last the promised day of departure 
 
24 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 dawned. Early in the morning the delighted 
 children scrambled to the roofs of the longhouses, 
 their favorite perches for observation. As one 
 household after another was ready, the young- 
 sters descended and obediently took their places 
 among their own clan-folk. 
 
 By the time the sun reached midheaven, every 
 longhouse save one was deserted. A warrior of 
 the Turtles had come from a neighboring village 
 to ask Shawenis to dress a wound that was heal- 
 ing badly. To the mind of the impatient White 
 Eagle this process had been a long one. 
 
 Finally, however, the company of Turtles were 
 gathered before the door of their longhouse and 
 White Eagle descended from the roof and joined 
 his mother. 
 
 Waundana said to him: "I-yea-ha, my son, Ka- 
 gagwa is in the west sky. We must make the trail 
 swiftly. Do thou keep close beside me through- 
 out the course." 
 
 In an hour they were tracking through a forest 
 unknown to White Eagle. While his feet kept 
 pace with his mother, his eager eyes searched the 
 woodlands and streams or followed a rock ledge 
 where eagles nested. Sometimes he swiftly 
 climbed a tree that he might see farther, but 
 always he descended in time to make the rear of 
 the party and rejoin Waundana. Clan discipline 
 was strict ; it did not allow him to separate from 
 his company for a moment. 
 
 The light of the low western sun was making 
 
Adventures of Childhood 25 
 
 long pathways through the bare forests when 
 White Eagle heard Shawenis say, — "Our 
 people will reach the encampment before Ka- 
 gagwa passes under the rim of the west sky." 
 Immediately after, he heard the distant cries of 
 waterfowls. Soon they were passing close to the 
 shores of a wooded lake alive with flocks of wild 
 geese and ducks. Near at hand, White Eagle 
 saw a pair of white swans. 
 
 Noiselessly he slipped into the bushes where 
 he could watch them for a moment. A little later, 
 when he returned to the trail, he found himself 
 alone. His company had passed. 
 
 With every sense alert the boy began to track 
 them. He had not gone ten paces when just 
 ahead a twig snapped. White Eagle leaped to 
 the nearest tree, just in time to escape the spring 
 of a gray wolf whose teeth grazed one foot and 
 carried away a moccasin. Safe in the branches, 
 the child shouted to call the attention of his kins- 
 kolk. His voice was lost in the quacking and 
 calling of water birds. With a disappointed snarl, 
 the gray wolf settled to watch his prey. 
 
 White Eagle looked down on his foe with 
 sagacious understanding. He said to himself: 
 "Hotyone is wary. He saw me leave the com- 
 pany and circled to cut me off." The boy's sense 
 of danger was mixed with the thought of the 
 trouble he had brought on his mother, and of the 
 displeasure that would be visited on himself for 
 disobeying the law of the trail that prohibited 
 straggling. 
 
26 The Hero of the Longliouse 
 
 But thought of clan displeasure soon vanished, 
 for in the approaching twilight he heard a wolf 
 bark in the distance; the gray wolf below lifted 
 his head and answered. Soon Hotyone was 
 joined by one and then another of his pack. 
 
 The hope that possessed White Eagle began 
 to fade as he watched the snarling, leaping wolves 
 below him. Long ago the party must have 
 reached camp. Evidently his mother had not 
 missed him, and all night he would be left alone 
 in the forest. 
 
 It was dark now. The grandmother moon be- 
 gan to shine in midheaven. When the boy looked 
 down he could see nothing but the glaring eyes 
 of the hungry watchers below him. Suddenly, 
 in an instant they were gone, and then he saw 
 lights moving through the forest. Soon a party 
 of his clan-folk appeared on the trail below. 
 
 Chagrined and silent, White Eagle slipped 
 from the tree, recovered his moccasin, and took 
 his place beside his mother. Waundana uttered 
 the single word, "Neaweh, I am thankful." 
 From the company there were low exclamations 
 of satisfaction mixed with words of disapproval. 
 
 That evening White Eagle squatted beside the 
 camp fire with the other children, who were 
 eagerly listening to the story telling. But he did 
 not listen. Nor did he remember the stern re- 
 buke of Shawenis, the Clan Mother, so filled was 
 he w^ith the blessed sense of fellowship. He 
 might be ringed by the black forest where now 
 
Adventures of Childhood 27 
 
 and then an owl called or a wolf cried, but he was 
 safe and secure because he was with his own 
 people. Their strength was his protection. 
 
 The next day White Eagle watched the women 
 with their stone axes cutting the bark of the 
 maple trees and driving in the hardwood chips 
 from which the sap dripped into elm-bark basins. 
 
 A little later, he kept watch with the other boys 
 at a fire where the sap was boiling. Very often 
 with his wooden spoon he dropped the syrup on 
 snow and tasted it to see if it was ready to sugar. 
 
 Again, he w^atched the little ones hanging in 
 their cradle-boards from the tree branches. Not 
 once did the sap boiling allure him from this 
 charge, for he was filled with a new sense of the 
 cunning of Hotyone, filled with a new conviction 
 of the wisdom of clan regulations. Was he not 
 keeping a trust imposed by the Clan JMother? 
 The gray wolf had taught White Eagle two 
 great lessons, — the need of clan protection and 
 the wisdom of keeping the clan laws. 
 
CHAPTER FOUR 
 
 THE TEACHING OF HUNADANLU 
 
 OxE evening in autumn, Hunadanlu, the friend 
 of man, came to his seat under the tall pine tree 
 that stood at the western door of the longhouse. 
 Here he found Hodoanjo, the old arrow maker, 
 sitting by a pile of flint chips struck off by his 
 good bone flaker. 
 
 Overhead a flock of geese were honking as 
 they flew southward. From the open sounded 
 the voices of women and little children. A hunter 
 passed close to the pine tree on his way home 
 from the forest. From the longhouse White 
 Eagle came to find Hodoanjo. The old man was 
 bent with age, and now that the night was com- 
 ing he must seek the shelter of his fireside. The 
 boy led him to the door of the bark house and 
 guided his footsteps through its dimness to the 
 warm covered couch that was waiting. 
 
 When White Eagle returned he squatted be- 
 side Hunadanlu and said, "Tisote, Grandfather, 
 tell the story of the journey of the great sun, 
 Kagagwa." 
 
 For a moment there was silence save for the 
 voices of the women returning from the maize 
 fields. Then Hunadanlu began the story. 
 
 "Listen, White Eagle. Before the sun ap- 
 pears, the east sky reddens to greet him, and 
 Wan-da, the light, fills the underworld that we 
 live in. Slowly the mighty sun travels along the 
 underside of the great sky-arch, bringing An-da, 
 
 28 
 
The Teaching of Hunadanlu 29 
 
 the day; so he is Anda Kagagwa, the day-sun. 
 At the end of his path he goes under the western 
 edge of the sky-arch and begins his journey in 
 the world above us. As he leaves us, So-a, the 
 night, draws near and covers the world with dark- 
 ness. Then out of the sky we see another sun 
 looking upon us. It is the night-sun, the grand- 
 mother moon, the gentle Soa Kagagwa, who 
 comes to lighten the darkness." 
 
 When Hunadanlu had finished, White Eagle 
 said: "My Grandfather, some day I will take my 
 bow and arrows and travel to the edge of the 
 earth toward the sun's setting. Then when the 
 great Kagagwa goes under the rim of the western 
 sky, I will follow him and enter the upper world 
 to see its brave people." 
 
 Hunadanlu answered: "Not one of the Real 
 Men would dare do it ! For there is a great sea 
 at the sun's rising and another at the sun's set- 
 ting. Into the waters of this sea the vast sky-arch 
 dips. It rises only a little to let the sun pass 
 under." 
 
 Then Hunadanlu pointed to the pattern 
 worked by Waundana on the gaoseha of his little 
 sister, Ga-wen-ne-ta. It showed the Tree of 
 Light that grows in the upper world. Together 
 they traced the embroidered pattern on the 
 breechcloth of White Eagle. It showed the sun 
 shining above the great World Tree. White 
 Eagle discovered that the single twining branches 
 of the Tree of Liffht were worked in each of his 
 
30 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 moccasins. The boy was pleased when he saw 
 that he wore every day the sign of the sky world. 
 
 As the stars appeared, Hunadanlu showed 
 White Eagle the wonders of the night sky. He 
 pointed to the loon that guides the night runner 
 in summer and the celestial bear that guides him 
 in winter. He pointed out the seven star brothers 
 that teach men to hold together in friendship. 
 
 He said: "The Master of Life made men- 
 beings brothers. He made the earth to be the 
 home of all, he made its stores of flesh and fruit 
 and corn for all. Its abundance of bark and 
 wood, its treasures of shells and stones belong to 
 all. So it is pleasing to the Great Ruler for man 
 to share all good things with his brother." 
 
 As Hunadanlu spoke, White Eagle suddenly 
 understood why the harvest of corn was equally 
 divided and why, when need came, villages shared 
 with each other. 
 
 The boy was silent for a moment, then he 
 asked: "My Grandfather, has the Great Ruler 
 made these good things for the Cherokee people 
 also?" 
 
 Hunadanlu answered: "Na-ho. I have spoken. 
 The Master of Life made these good things for 
 the Cherokee people also." 
 
 In the silence that followed, Hunadanlu mused 
 on the question of White Eagle. Then a group 
 of children emerged from the longhouse and 
 gathered close to Hunadanlu, silently asking for 
 a storv. The voice of Ohowa, the owl, sounded 
 
"Hunadanlu began the story' 
 
32 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 from the darkened forest. At once Hunadanlu 
 spoke of Ohowa, the night watcher, who flies with 
 noiseless wings through the forest. Ohowa 
 watches while man sleeps and comes near to warn 
 him when danger threatens. 
 
 Afterward he told them of Oteanyea, the 
 eagle. "My Children, Oteanyea is the great air 
 chieftain. It is he that soars highest of all the 
 birds so that he can speak with the powers that 
 are above. Oteanyea is mighty and fearless. At 
 one glance his eyes see the distant and near in 
 one picture. My Children, ye should have the 
 eyes of Oteanyea, the eagle." 
 
 He told of Sora, the duck, the great air scout 
 and pathfinder. He said: "Unerringly Sora 
 finds his way through the pathless air, he knows 
 all the lakes and rivers, and his trail is always 
 hidden. Ra-dix-aa, my Children, be like Sora: 
 learn to know well all the paths by land and water 
 and to leave no trace of your passing." 
 
 And White Eagle remembered the words of 
 Hunadanlu. He learned to be silent and wary, 
 for Wan-ah-sa, the tongue, could be noisy and 
 foolish. He learned to meet surprises without 
 sound or movement, and to endure pain and 
 hunger in silence. He trained four good com- 
 rades to work for him: the first of these was O- 
 han-ta, the ear; the second, Ok-a-ra, the eye; the 
 third, On-yo-sa, the nose ; the fourth, Yees-noon- 
 ga, the hand. 
 
 One day there was unwonted stir in Kanata- 
 
The Teaching of Hunadanlu 33 
 
 gowa. Atotarho, the young war chieftain, had 
 returned from the Cherokee country. From the 
 roof of the longhouse the children saw the war 
 party enter in triumph, bringing three Cherokee 
 captives. From all sides they heard loud shouts 
 of victory; but a little later these shouts were 
 mixed with wails of mourning from the Wolf 
 Clan. One of the Wolf warriors had fallen in 
 battle, and his body lay far away dishonored and 
 unburied. A Cherokee captive was given to the 
 mother of the dead warrior. At once she com- 
 manded that he be tortured to avenge the death 
 of her son. 
 
 The next morning the youthful Cherokee was 
 bound to a stake and the boys of the village were 
 commanded to shoot him. They were placed at 
 a good distance and took their turns in shooting. 
 Proud was the boy whose arrow reached the 
 mark and won the praise of Atotarho and the 
 plaudits of the onlookers. So skillful were the 
 young archers that twice the distance was in- 
 creased lest the captive be killed too quickly. The 
 Cherokee ignored the insult of being shot at by 
 the boys of the village. Bravely he withstood the 
 torture and with lifted head proudly recalled all 
 his deeds of valor. At nightfall, his body, 
 pierced by many arrows, hung limp and bleeding. 
 
 The next day at sunrise White Eagle hastened 
 with the other boys to the place of torture. The 
 young Cherokee stood with his eyes uplifted in 
 worship, and soon his voice was raised in the 
 
34 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Death Song. As White Eagle gazed upon him 
 he saw a hght in the captive's face hke the hght 
 that shone from the face of Hunadanlu when he 
 led the people in worship. White Eagle said in 
 his heart: "Surely, the brave Cherokee's eyes are 
 filled with the visions sent by the Master of 
 Life!" 
 
 Soon Atotarho appeared and placed the boys 
 in order for shooting. When it came White 
 Eagle's turn he purposely shot far afield. The 
 movement caught the quick eye of Atotarho who 
 looked at A^Tiite Eagle keenly and asked him to 
 shoot at a mark still more distant. Undisturbed 
 by the war chieftain's challenge, the boy quietly 
 took an arrow from his quiver, carefully fitted it 
 to the bow, and measured with his eye the distant 
 goal. Then he lifted the bow and pierced the 
 marker in the middle. Immediately he turned 
 and left the circle. He fled away to the long- 
 house of the Turtles. He threw down his bow in 
 anger and put by the quiver of arrows. He hated 
 Wa-a-no, the bow, that had sent so many arrows 
 to torture the brave Cherokee in whose face the 
 light of the Good Mind was shining. His heart 
 was filled with shame, and in his mind strange 
 questions began to stir dimly. 
 
 From that day Wi\\ie Eagle showed an eager 
 interest in tales of the Real Men, the Iroquois. 
 The Onondagas were Iroquois; so were the 
 Oneidas and Mohawks towards the sun's rising, 
 and the Cayugas and Senecas toward the sun's 
 
The Teaching of Hunadanlu 35 
 
 setting. Hunadanlu taught the children that a 
 Real Man must be unsurpassed in courage and 
 patience and endurance. His tongue must speak 
 truly the language given to him by the JNIaster of 
 Life. A Real Man scorns to avoid difficulty or 
 to flee from danger. Never will he forsake a 
 comrade. A Real JNIan never hesitates to speak 
 the truth. He endures hunger without complain- 
 ing ; he overcomes pain and endures torture with- 
 out flinching. He is wise in learning from all 
 the works of the Good Mind, and he obeys the 
 dreams and visions sent to him by the Great 
 Ruler. 
 
 In the quiet of the forest the children discussed 
 these matters with each other. They often held 
 councils and made speeches that were copied from 
 those of their elders. They raised up chieftains 
 and bestowed on them all the marks of honor. 
 Sometimes they sent out messengers to carry 
 news to other peoples ; sometimes they held festi- 
 vals and sacred dances. Always they were very 
 careful lest they offend the Medicine Animals or 
 the Elves who had outposts that were always 
 watching. Every boy had a single goal before 
 him, — to become a great hunter and warrior. 
 The older boys imitated Atotarho, the young 
 war chieftain. 
 
 One day White Eagle came to Hunadanlu. 
 There was a troubled look in the boy's question- 
 ing eyes. He said: "Tisote, Grandfather, why 
 do our people call themselves the Men of Men? 
 Are they different from all other men?" 
 
36 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 As Hunadanlu listened to the question, he Scaw 
 that the hour had come to tell White Eagle the 
 great story of the Real Men. He said : 
 
 "lyeaha, my Son, listen to the story of your 
 people. Long ago the Iroquois journeyed to the 
 Ga-na-wa-ga,' the Rapid River, and because they 
 were few in number they were subdued by the 
 tree-eating Adirondacks, who held them in a 
 cruel bondage. So long did they live in this 
 bondage that children were born and became old 
 men who had never known freedom. But in the 
 silence of their lodges, the Real Hen taught their 
 little ones to speak the langu|^e of their fore- 
 fathers in secret. They taugl»|;hem the faith of 
 their fathers and told them op the deeds of the 
 greatest of the Real Men. So it was that in 
 sUfe'^ery the people grew strong in spirit. They 
 learned to endure hardships in silence, to master 
 the fire of passion, and to be watchful. Thus in 
 bondage they made ready for freedom. 
 
 "Listen, lyeaha. When the Real Men learned 
 that the minds of their masters were full of dark- 
 ness because they feared the evil power of Ha- 
 gwedaetga more than they trusted the might of 
 Hagwediyu, they despised them. When the long 
 work of the day was ended and the Adirondacks 
 were sleeping, the Real Men held secret councils 
 and determined on a way of escape. Through 
 long nights of labor, they would gather a store 
 of provisions and hide them in places known only 
 
 ^ The St. Lawrence. 
 
The Teaching of Hunadanlu 37 
 
 to their leaders. Then when all was ready they 
 would seize the canoes of the Tree Eaters and 
 flee across Ska-no-da-rio ' to a far country south- 
 ward. Not one of the aged, and not one of the 
 women or young children should remain behind 
 them; none should be left to the cruel torture. 
 
 "The moons of many winters passed before the 
 promised hour of escape came. Sometiines there 
 was severe sickness among them ; sometimes their 
 great leaders were absent in hunting or fishing or 
 fighting; sometimes winter froze the bays so that 
 Ga-o-wa, the swift canoe, could no longer swim 
 the water; always their masters were suspicious 
 and watchful. The aged, who for a lifetime had 
 longed for freedom, died while they waited, and 
 children grew to young manhood learning the 
 patience of long waiting. 
 
 "But one dark night when the face of the 
 grandmother moon was hidden, three short 
 knocks that were three times repeated sounded at 
 the entrance of their lodges. It was the expected 
 signal. The people hurried to the meeting place 
 where keen-eyed scouts were watching. Here a 
 hundred canoes swam the water, with the 
 strongest warriors at the paddles. When the pale 
 dawn broke across the wide bays at the mouth of 
 the Rapid River, it saw the canoes of the Real 
 Men like a distant cloud on the waters. 
 
 "lyeaha, listen to this story of your Fathers. 
 For a single sun the fleeing people rode the 
 
 ^ Lake Ontario. 
 
38 The Hero of the Longliouse 
 
 waters in safety. They reached Skanodario, the 
 Beautiful Lake; they saw far to the south the 
 shores of a new land appearing. Then when they 
 looked backward they saw the canoes of their 
 pursuers like distant specks on the water. Soon 
 the racing gaowa were close behind, and from 
 them looked the evil faces of their masters. 
 
 "Brave was the battle of the Men of Men. The 
 women paddled swiftly while the men fought and 
 fell beside them. In that savage contest many 
 canoes were overturned, giving to the waters of 
 Skanodario brave men and little children. Other 
 canoes were drifting shoreward, carrying only 
 the dead or sorely wounded; and canoes were 
 moving onward where every warrior had fallen 
 and women alone toiled at the paddles. 
 
 "lyeaha, my son, strong is the arm of the 
 warrior who fights for the freedom of his children. 
 When that battle ended only a remnant of the 
 Tree Eaters were fleeing; all the rest had fallen. 
 Then the Real Men brought their canoes to- 
 gether, sadly counted their losses, and turned 
 southward where friendly lands were waiting. 
 
 "Listen, my son. While the distressed jDcople 
 eagerly watched the shores they were nearing, 
 another foe appeared. The sky became dark, 
 Ga-oh, the wind keeper, unleashed Dajoji, the 
 panther, the west wind that brings the tempests. 
 From the hissing waters of troubled Skanon- 
 dario, the Horned Serpent lifted his head. The 
 canoes of the terrified people were scattered like 
 the leaves of wind-swept forests. Then it was 
 
The Teaching of Hunadanlu 39 
 
 that our Fathers called on He-no, the thunderer, 
 to save them. Then it was that our Grandfather 
 Heno struck the Horned Serpent with swift 
 lightning until the monster fled into the depths 
 of Lake Skanondario. So Heno saved the sorely 
 afflicted people and brought them to the Home- 
 land at the mouth of the Oswego. 
 
 "Listen, lyeaha. JNIany winters passed. The 
 Real Men multiplied and journeyed far to the 
 eastward and westward. They divided the hunt- 
 ing grounds of the Homeland and built their 
 council fires apart from each other. Their lan- 
 guage changed, and they became five separate 
 peoples. Yet are they still the Men of Men. 
 lyeaha, this is the story of our Fathers. Naho, I 
 have spoken." 
 
 The near cry of Hotyone struck through the 
 silence that followed. White Eagle arose with- 
 out speaking, stole past the fireplace of Hodo- 
 anjo, past the fireplace of his mother, and stood 
 alone under the night sky. He turned his face 
 to the northward ; in fancy he was looking across 
 the broad waters of Skanodario, the Beautiful 
 Lake; was seeking the wide bays at the head of 
 the Rapid River, the Ganawaga. A single 
 thought possessed him: "I belong to the Men of 
 Men." And the boy seemed to grow in stature 
 as he stood there, for he was filled with a sudden 
 sense of power, filled with the proud knowledge 
 of a noble race-blood. 
 
 From that hour White Eagle ceased to imitate 
 Atotarho when he played with the other children. 
 
CHAPTER FIVE 
 
 WHITE EAGLE AND SOSONDOWEH 
 
 One morning in midsummer two boys left Kana- 
 tagowa and turned into the trail northward. 
 They were in search of hickory for making snow 
 snakes. Both were armed and dressed for a 
 journey. Noiselessly they ran over the forest 
 trail. The boy in the lead was White Eagle; the 
 one who followed was his chosen comrade, So- 
 son-do-weh. 
 
 They had been running for an hour and were 
 approaching an oak opening. Suddenly White 
 Eagle lifted his hand in warning and both boys 
 noiselessly slipped into the thicket. A few min- 
 utes later they looked out from the wind- 
 ward side of the open where a herd of bucks and 
 does fed together. About them the frisky fawns 
 were running and darting hither and thither. All 
 at once the boys saw the bucks and does gather 
 in a circle about their playful young ones, shut- 
 ting them closer and closer until they brought 
 them to order and quiet. 
 
 That night the boys told this adventure to Ho- 
 de-gweh, the great hunter. Hodegweh listened 
 in silence. Then he said: "The medicine creatures 
 are wise in all their ways. The beaver teaches 
 men where to snare the pike and salmon and how 
 to build houses that keep out the rain and frosts. 
 The friendly beaver knows that men take the 
 trees he fells ; he knows that men copy his flat tail 
 and its movements in making paddles and send- 
 
 40 
 
White Eagle and Sosondoweh 41 
 
 ing the swift canoes across the water. But this 
 does not displease the friendly Jonito, for he is 
 glad to help men-beings." 
 
 The two boys listened as Hodegweh told of 
 many other creatures that helped the people. The 
 bear and the wolf had shown their grandfathers 
 how to follow the trail in its windings. The fox, 
 the wise Jit-so, had taught them how to hide their 
 footsteps, how to walk in the beds of streams or 
 circle the mountains, how to make cunning back- 
 ward movements and skillful turnings that would 
 lead the pursuer aside by artful deception. The 
 panther and wildcat had taught them the secret 
 of ambush and how to be swift and wary in hunt- 
 ing. 
 
 Great was the wisdom of the animal tribes. 
 A boy must be keen in his senses, wary and pa- 
 tient, if he would learn their ways, — know their 
 haunts, their excursions and migrations, their 
 methods of hunting and fighting and feeding, 
 their devices in hiding and seeking shelter. 
 
 With the help of Ganiuska, the Stone Giant, 
 White Eagle made a snow snake, a ga-wa-sa, of 
 great finish and beauty. The hickory shaft, as 
 long as the height of the tallest warrior, curved 
 upward slightly to make the round head of the 
 snake. The head was pointed with lead so that 
 the shaft would run swiftly. The shaft was pol- 
 ished to perfect smoothness and then oiled until 
 its sm'face was like the ice that forms on still 
 water. 
 
42 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 When the boys of Onondaga met for a game 
 of snow snake. White Eagle and Sosondoweh 
 were often chosen leaders of the contending sides. 
 They determined the goal for the snake to reach. 
 Then each player took one throw before the count 
 began. The snake that outstripped every throw 
 of the opponents gave a count to the winning 
 side. At last Sosondoweh became so skillful in 
 throwing that his snake ran with the speed of an 
 arrow and reached a goal one hundred and fifty 
 paces distant ; but the next winter White Eagle's 
 snake reached a goal that was farther by ten 
 paces. 
 
 The two boys became eager to try their skill 
 with the youth from neighboring villages. Es- 
 pecially they longed for contests with the 
 Oneidas. 
 
 There was a famous spring on the boundary 
 line between the Onondagas and Oneidas, be- 
 loved of the Men of Men for many generations. 
 Because of its great depth it was called De-o- 
 song-wa, the Spring in the Deep Basin. Here 
 was the favorite place of meeting between Onon- 
 daga and Oneida, — the place where they met 
 for informal converse or contest. A bright morn- 
 ing in late autumn found White Eagle and So- 
 sondoweh on their way to the Great Spring, eager 
 to try their strength with the youth of the 
 Oneidas. 
 
 As the boys approached the Deep Spring they 
 saw a group of young Oneidas talking with two 
 

 Vi_; -i^ 
 
 'The boys of Onondaga met for a game of snow snake' 
 
44 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Onondagas, A-o-do-gweh and Da-wey-on-go. 
 Aodogweh was a youth of the Bear Clan and he 
 and Daweyongo had lately pledged their friend- 
 ship. Daweyongo was a Cayuga captive who 
 had been adopted by the blind and aged No-gon- 
 dih, one of the Royaners of the Wolf Clan. He 
 was trusted by all who knew him because of his 
 steadfastness and fortitude. No youth in Onon- 
 daga could equal him in scouting. Aodogweh 
 Was one of the best ball players and was unsur- 
 passed in his skill at throwing. The Oneidas were 
 now urging Aodogweh to a contest in throwing 
 but he would not accept the challenge. This 
 aroused the spirit of Sosondoweh, who challenged 
 an Oneida to a running contest. 
 
 The first two rounds were tied. Then they 
 prepared for the third run. Each tightened the 
 deerskin belt that held the embroidered breech- 
 cloth and stood ready. At a signal, they shot 
 away like young stags when the hunter pursues 
 them. The eyes of the watchers followed them as 
 they skimmed through the forest, appearing and 
 disappearing in ever wider distance. The re- 
 turn from the farther goal was eagerly awaited. 
 The Oneida appeared first, running with body 
 bent forward. Then quickly Sosondoweh shot 
 into the sunlight. They ran a few paces breast 
 lo breast. Then, as they neared the home goal, 
 Sosondoweh passed the Oneida and touched it 
 five paces before him. 
 
 The warriors of both sides applauded, so close 
 had been the contest. 
 
White Eagle and Sosondoweh 45 
 
 Then a trial of shooting began. A birch 
 marker was set at a distance of eighty paces. An 
 Onondaga youth challenged an Oneida. The 
 Oneida won. Then the Oneida challenged White 
 Eagle. 
 
 The two took their places. With a quick dex- 
 terous movement, the Oneida drew the bowstring 
 backward and deftly set an arrow, the flint point 
 of which was beveled on opposite sides so that the 
 shaft would whirl in its flight. Then came a 
 quick twang; the arrow flew singing on its way 
 and pierced the white birch marker in the middle. 
 At once White Eagle took the bow with steady 
 motion. The swift arrow flew to the mark and 
 the onlookers heard the sharp click as it struck 
 the arrow of the Oneida. 
 
 Two crows were slowly flying over the tall 
 pine trees. With a proud gesture the Oneida 
 lifted his bow and brought down the leader. 
 White Eagle shot as quickly, but missed the 
 second crow ; a dark feather floated slowly down- 
 ward to show how narrowly his arrow had failed 
 of its mark. The Oneida held the honor. 
 
 All this time Aodogweh had been silent. Sud- 
 denly he challenged the most skillful of the 
 Oneida youths to a contest in throwing. A stone 
 was suspended from a tree branch by a slender 
 thong of deerskin. The aim was to cut the thong 
 by a blow from a battle-ax thrown from a dis- 
 tance of twenty paces. The Oneida began. Three 
 times he carefully measured the distance and sent 
 
46 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 his stout ax toward the goal, but only once he 
 grazed the slender thong of deerskin. Then 
 Aodogweh took the ax, glanced along its polished 
 edge, hfted his arm, and with one powerful throw 
 severed the thong of deerskin. This feat was re- 
 ceived with cries of approval from both parties. 
 
 At once Aodogweh began to boast of his feats 
 in shooting and throwing. While he was speak- 
 ing an old man approached the Deep Spring. He 
 was erect, and the light of a good mind made his 
 face shine. It was So-no-sa-se, the eldest chief- 
 tain of the Oneidas. 
 
 In a moment the boasting tongue of Aodogweh 
 was silent. Sonosase said: "My Children, will 
 you have a story?" Many voices eagerly an- 
 wered "Heh," and the young men and boys 
 crowded about Sonosase. He said: "Radixaa, 
 listen to the story of a great deed that was never 
 boasted. 
 
 "Long ago a village of the Oneidas lay in 
 fruitful maize fields that enclosed it like a forest. 
 Its people were at peace with their neighbors, 
 and their lodges echoed with the happy voices of 
 women and the laughter of children. But sud- 
 denly from the north came a company of fierce 
 men that swept the land like a fire in the forest. 
 
 "Then the warriors of the Oneidas hurried with 
 their women and children to the rocks and caves 
 for refuge. The Great Ruler looked on them in 
 pity, and passing his hands over the forest, he 
 hid their trail from the foe. 
 
White Eagle and Sosondoweh 47 
 
 "But hunger found the hidden people and 
 brought on them death by slow torture. Again 
 the Master of Life looked in pity on his children 
 and sent a dream to the maiden Ali-quip-so. In 
 her dream good spirits led her to the bluff's edge; 
 they showed her how the huge rocks could be 
 rolled into the valley below so as to strike down 
 the very trees. 
 
 "They said to Aliquipso: 'Go to the foes of 
 thy people. Lead them into this valley that the 
 Oneida warriors may destroy them.' 
 
 "When the maiden had told her dream to the 
 wise men she said, '^ly brothers, Aliquipso is 
 ready to obey the command of the good spirits.' 
 
 "That night when darkness crept from the 
 forest, the maiden left her people. In the morn- 
 ing the enemy found her wandering like a lost 
 one in the forest. At once they put her to tor- 
 ture, demanding the hiding place of the Oneidas. 
 At last the maiden feigned to yield and led the 
 way through many paths and windings to the 
 foot of the precipice that the good spirits had 
 shown her. When the warriors had crowded 
 around her she suddenly lifted her voice in a 
 piercing cry of warning. 
 
 "At that sound the foes struck the maiden life- 
 less. But the starving Oneidas standing above 
 behind huge boulders sent them crashing down 
 the cliff side. They crushed the cruel foes as 
 worms are crushed beneath the heel of a warrior. 
 
 "For many suns the maiden, Aliquipso, was 
 
48 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 mourned by her people. The Great Ruler 
 changed her hair into woodbine and sent it over 
 the earth as a protection to aged trees. From her 
 body sprang the honeysuckle, which the Oneidas 
 call 'the blood of a brave woman.' " ^ 
 
 When the story was ended the four Onondagas 
 silently took the trail homeward. White Eagle 
 ran beside Aodogweh. He saw with amazement 
 that the youth was filled with anger because he 
 had been rebuked by Sonosase. Never before 
 had White Eagle seen an Onondaga, man or 
 woman, resent the censure of the aged. 
 
 The next day White Eagle and Sosondoweh 
 stood on a hilltop that looked down on the Os- 
 wego River. They had been recounting yester- 
 day's adventure at the Deep Spring. Soson- 
 doweh said: "Some day I shall be a great hunter 
 and warrior. Then I will track game, the largest 
 and fiercest. I will learn to leave my trail as un- 
 marked as the air-path of the eagle. I will learn 
 to creep on the enemy's village as secretly as the 
 wildcat when he steals on his prey. In honor I 
 will wear the heron's feather and fringe my girdle 
 with scalp locks." 
 
 AATiite Eagle answered: "Some day I shall be 
 a trusty warrior and I will fight in defense of my 
 people. I will never turn my back on a comrade 
 in danger. This is the story of courage I like 
 best: 'Many moons ago a party of Onondaga 
 
 ^ Adapted from The Legends of the Iroquois, by W. W. 
 Canfield 
 
White Eagle and Sosondoweh 49 
 
 warriors traveled swiftly westward and fell on a 
 Seneca village. Among the captives was a young 
 chieftain who had fought with great courage. 
 When the victorious party reached their own 
 country they camped on their journey. When 
 morning came they saw a strange youth sitting 
 quietly near their camp fire. He was a Seneca. 
 They asked, 'Why have you openly appeared at 
 our campfire?' The youth answered, 'I have 
 come to share the fate of my brother. I have 
 greater love for him than fear of the Onondaga 
 torture.' I would be as courageous as the young 
 Seneca." 
 
 For a moment Sosondoweh was silent, then he 
 spoke : 
 
 "Truly the Seneca youth was courageous, but 
 I like not the Seneca people. Do not the proud 
 Senecas speak of the Onondagas in derision? 
 Have you not heard our warriors say that Ato- 
 tarho will yet avenge us? Have you not heard 
 them say that Atotarho will yet make the Onon- 
 dagas the greatest of all the Real Men?" 
 
 White Eagle answered: "The Senecas are 
 among the bravest of the Real Men. Some of 
 our warriors say that there is no cause for this 
 warfare. They say that Atotarho wishes to win 
 fame by fighting the Senecas." 
 
 Sosondoweh replied : "Is not Atotarho the war- 
 chieftain? Truly when thou art a warrior thou 
 must fight under his leading." 
 
 To this White Eagle made no answer. 
 
CHAPTER SIX 
 
 THE BALL GAME 
 
 In the planting moon, a deep gloom settled upon 
 the eyes of Ganiuska, the Stone Giant; and his 
 hands became idle and listless. In vain did 
 Shawenis and the most skilled medicine men of 
 the Onondagas strive to heal him. Then White 
 Eagle said to his friend, Sosondoweh: "Let the 
 youth of Kanatagowa challenge the youth of 
 Nan-ta-sa-sis to a contest in ball playing. The 
 excitement will cheer Ganiuska and make him 
 forget his sorrow." 
 
 Soon thereafter a challenge was sent to the 
 neighboring Onondaga town of Nantasasis. 
 
 The contest took place on the wide open, close 
 to the salt licks. Two gates were erected. Each 
 was made by setting two poles about fifty paces 
 apart. The two gates were distant more than a 
 thousand paces from each other. The gate on 
 the north side belonged to the players of Kana- 
 tagowa ; that on the south side belonged to Nan- 
 tasasis. The party that carried the ball through 
 its own gate the greatest number of times was 
 the victor. 
 
 White Eagle had but lately been admitted to 
 the group of best players. He was to act as a 
 reserve who, at need, could be called into action. 
 Sosondoweh and Aodogweh were most skilled in 
 using the bat, the ga-ne-a, that carried a strong 
 net of deerskin at one end in which the ball was 
 caught. There was long and arduous practice to 
 
 50 
 
The Ball Game 51 
 
 obtain a more dexterous use of the bat, for no 
 player might touch the ball with hand or foot; 
 all must be done with the ganea. Each player 
 must become expert in picking up the ball with a 
 single movement of the ganea, an expert in swift 
 running and dodging, in the quick catch and the 
 swift sending of the ball from one to the other. 
 
 In dexterity and swiftness Sosondoweh led 
 all the others, but he tired quickly. Aodogweh 
 was very agile; he was strong and of great en- 
 durance, but he was untrustworthy because of 
 his fiery temper. There was a famous ball player 
 in Nantasasis named Swa-o-weh. His strength 
 was greater than that of any other player, and he 
 was exceedingly bold and fearless. For five 
 winters Nantasasis had been victorious over 
 Kanatagowa because of the good playing of 
 Swaoweh. 
 
 After the challenge had been sent and accepted 
 there was much betting between the warriors of 
 Kanatagowa and Nantasasis. When a prized 
 ornament was pledged by one village, it was 
 quickly matched by the other. Before the day 
 of the contest, excitement ran so high that valu- 
 able weapons and embroidered garments and 
 robes of fur were deposited with the managers of 
 the game and laid aside to await the issue of the 
 playing. 
 
 Ganiuska, the Stone Giant, pledged the object 
 that he loved best. It was a pipe of black marble 
 that he had begun fifteen winters before, in the 
 
52 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 first winter of White Ecagle's life. For five 
 winters Ganiuska had labored on that pipe, and 
 in all the towns of Onondaga there was no other 
 stone carving so fine. 
 
 Kagagwa shone bright on the day appointed 
 for the contest. Before the great sun had reached 
 the topmost heaven, the open was crowded. The 
 people of Nantasasis ranged at one end, and 
 those of Kanatagowa at the other, leaving a clear 
 space between them for the players. 
 
 Ganiuska was conducted to the ball game by 
 Hosahaho, the chieftain of the Turtles, who was 
 the uncle of White Eagle. The Stone Giant was 
 eager with excitement. He could see as in pale 
 moonlight the movements of the players, but he 
 could not recognize their faces. As a yell rang 
 from the forest, Hosahaho said to Ganiuska: 
 "There the players of Nantasasis are coming. 
 Now they are gathered about Swaoweh. He 
 wears a new breechcloth of handsome design." 
 A few minutes later another yell sounded, and 
 Hosahaho explained: "Now the players of Kana- 
 tagowa come. Aodogweh is very finely painted. 
 Sosondoweh is taller than any of the others. Now 
 the players take their places." 
 
 In the center of the field the twelve players 
 stood in two lines facing each other. They wore 
 only the breechcloth secured by the belt, the em- 
 broidered ends falling before and behind. Each 
 player carried a bat, the ganea. 
 
 The Stone Giant, almost blind, now advanced 
 
^4 
 
 "For five winters Ganiuska had labored on that pipe' 
 
54 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 and addressed the players: "You young men of 
 Nantasasis have been chosen to stand for your 
 village in this contest; see that you do honor to 
 your people. You young men of Kanatagowa, 
 the eyes of your clansmen are on you; see that 
 you bring honor to your townsfolk. Listen, all. 
 If anyone in the fury and heat of the contest take 
 unfair advantage, he shall bring defeat to himself 
 and disgrace to his people. Na-ho. I have 
 spoken." 
 
 The managers of the game took their places 
 to see that all was done fairly. Close at hand 
 were the substitute players for each party. At 
 that moment it was swiftly rumored that five 
 points had been agreed on for the game. The 
 party that first carried the deerskin ball through 
 its gate five times would win the contest. 
 
 All was ready. One of the managers advanced 
 and dropped the deerskin ball between the bats 
 of the two opposing players, Swaoweh and So- 
 sondoweh, who stood in the center of the field. 
 There was a short quick struggle between them 
 for the possession of the ball. At last with a 
 dexterous movement Sosondoweh caught it in 
 the meshes of his bat and with incredible quick- 
 ness sent it flying toward his party gate. 
 
 In an instant the deerskin ball was the center 
 of a lively contest. Soon it flew out from the 
 struggling mass of players and was caught by 
 Sosondoweh who sped like an arrow toward his 
 party gate. He was intercepted by an opponent, 
 
The Ball Game 55 
 
 whom he eluded by clever dodges, winning his 
 gate amid the approving shouts of his party. 
 
 In the pause which followed while the players 
 rested, the onlookers talked in excitement, for 
 they had never seen better running than that of 
 Sosondoweh. 
 
 Again the players faced each other; again the 
 ball was dropped between the bats of Sosondo- 
 weh and Swaoweh. The ball was secured by 
 Swaoweh and sent far toward the gate of his 
 party. In the sharp contest about it, it was cap- 
 tured by Swaoweh who sent it closer to his gate. 
 For an instant every player was in swift motion, 
 but Sosondoweh outran the others, caught the 
 ball with a single thrust of the ganea, dodged his 
 opponents, and in a moment more was speeding 
 away to his own gate, out-distancing every 
 runner from Nantasasis. 
 
 There were shouts of approval from all the 
 onlookers and deafening applause from the 
 people of Kanatagowa. 
 
 After a brief pause for rest, the opponents 
 faced each other for the third round. There was 
 no sign of excitement in any of the players; but 
 each side knew that a severe trial was before 
 it. The players of Kanatagowa were not de- 
 ceived by their successful beginning. If they 
 won, it would be by good fighting. 
 
 Almost at once Sosondoweh secured the ball 
 and sent it toward his gate. In an instant there 
 was a wild contest for its possession. Suddenly 
 
56 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 it shot out and was lost to sight in the forest. 
 But the players knew its location. Like the on- 
 rush of the west wind they pursued it, leaping, 
 dodging, and running. The little deerskin ball 
 was soon the center of another struggle. At 
 last Swaoweh secured the ball and threw it to 
 one of his party who carried it through the gate 
 of Nantasasis. 
 
 The players from Nantasasis won three more 
 points in succession. The aged chieftain who 
 kept the count by thrusting a stick in the ground 
 as each point was made, had recorded four counts 
 for Nantasasis while Kanatagowa had only two. 
 The game might be decided in the next play. The 
 excitement of the onlookers was intense while 
 they waited for the players to take their places. 
 
 In the seventh trial Sosondoweh gained the 
 ball. It was knocked from his ganea at once. 
 Again and again the ball flew out only to be 
 captured. It was caught at last by Aodogweh, 
 carried almost to the gate, lost by a stroke from 
 Swaoweh, caught in its flight, and sent back to 
 Aodogweh, who carried it through his gate. 
 
 While the players paused to rest, the people 
 talked with suppressed excitement. Ganiuska 
 was silent, thinking with misgiving of his hand- 
 some pipe of black marble. In his heart he had 
 pledged it to his sky journey. 
 
 Again the opponents faced each other. Swa- 
 oweh gained the ball. It was quickly recovered 
 by his opponents. For a long time, amid high 
 
The Ball Game 57 
 
 leaping and swift dodging, the ball flew from 
 ganea to ganea. Then it was struck toward the 
 gate for Kanatagowa and a hard contest fol- 
 lowed. When it was thrown out it landed in the 
 midst of the people, who swiftly scrambled away 
 to avoid the rush of the players. Again and again 
 these struggles took place. At last the breathless 
 crowds saw Sosondoweh shoot out from the mass 
 of players like an arrow. Without pausing in 
 his running he made the gate for his village. His 
 team yelled their approval until the forests 
 echoed. Then a sudden silence fell. The on- 
 lookers were trembling with excitement. Each 
 side had gained four points ; the round had come 
 that must determine the contest. 
 
 As the players faced each other for the last 
 time, Sosondoweh showed fatigue but Swaoweh 
 was as fresh and alert as ever. 
 
 Almost at once Swaoweh gained the ball. He 
 won it again and again only to lose it. At last he 
 had almost reached his gate, when he was inter- 
 cepted by Aodogweh who gained the ball and 
 threw it toward his gate. In the midst of a fierce 
 battle for its possession the managers called a 
 halt; Aodogweh had been lamed, blood was 
 trickling from his shoulder. Pale with passion, 
 the youth withdrew and at once White Eagle 
 took his place. 
 
 When the ball flew out again it went far 
 toward the gate of Nantasasis. In the struggle 
 that took place White Eagle captured the ball and 
 
;58 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 ran with it almost to the gate for Kanatagowa. 
 Two players that had outdistanced all others pur- 
 sued him; one was Swaoweh, the other Soson- 
 doweh; Swaoweh was leading. A backward 
 glance told White Eagle that he must be over- 
 taken. With a sudden backward movement he 
 threw the ball to Sosondoweh, who dodged 
 Swaoweh and reached the gate for Kanatagowa. 
 
 For a few moments the forests echoed with 
 yells of triumph. In the excitement every one 
 was shouting or laughing or talking, for the 
 honor of the victory went to the village and not 
 to the players. Kanatagowa was wild with the 
 joy of triumph. But of all the men of Kanata- 
 gowa, none was so happy as Ganiuska. The be- 
 loved pipe of black marble was saved. He would 
 wrap it in his mj^stery bag. Into that bag he 
 would put some sacred tobacco and an owl's 
 skin to watch the pipe that was now pledged to 
 his sky journey. 
 
 But in the midst of the rejoicing, there was a 
 tempest in the heart of Aodogweh. He asserted 
 that he had been purposely struck by the ganea 
 of Swaoweh. The managers affirmed that the 
 play had been fair. This redoubled the fury of 
 Aodogweh. In an instant he brandished a war 
 club and with a single blow felled Swaoweh. The 
 on-lookers were filled with horror: Swaoweh lay 
 dead at the feet of Aodogweh. 
 
 Like the spread of a forest fire the news flew 
 through the noisy crowds of Kanatagowa and si- 
 
/ 
 
 /* 
 
 
 ^ '"Q ' r^' :aiS'i 
 
 
 1'i 
 
 
 
 J^\ 
 
 'There was a tempest in the heart of Aodogweh' 
 
60 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 lenced their joyous excitement. A murder had 
 been committed. Already the clan of Swaoweh 
 was calling for vengeance ! 
 
 The next sun Aodogweh stood before the 
 council fire. His tribesmen had condemned him. 
 He was listening to the words of the head chief- 
 tain: "So you, Aodogweh, did kill Swaoweh with 
 your own hands. You have committed a sin in 
 the eyes of the Creator. Behold the bright light 
 of the sun. In the brightness of the sun's light 
 I pronounce you an exile. You shall depart at 
 once from the territory of the Onondagas and 
 nevermore return. The forests of Onondaga 
 shall not shelter you, nor shall the land receive 
 your footsteps. You shall become a wood-wan- 
 derer in a strange land, nor shall you receive shel- 
 ter in any house except the house of a stranger. 
 Naho. I have spoken." 
 
 In that hour Aodogweh departed — left his 
 kindred and his sworn friend, Daweyongo. He 
 fled through the woodlands as if the ghost of Swa- 
 oweh pursued him. The next sun the land knew 
 him not. Far indeed must he go to escape the 
 vengeance of the clansmen of Swaoweh. 
 
CHAPTER SEVEN 
 
 THE BOY HUNTERS 
 
 The location of Kanatagowa had again been 
 changed. The village now stood on the level top 
 of a hill that descended steeply on three sides. 
 Half a mile away was the Gasunto, and along 
 this creek at its nearest point was a natural open- 
 ing in the forest. Here the people could plant 
 maize enough to supply them until a wider area 
 was cleared. Thej^ did not fear famine, for they 
 had wisely saved much corn from last year's har- 
 vest. 
 
 One autumn day as ^Miite Eagle tracked the 
 forest, he came suddenly on the old home village. 
 He paused at the door of the familiar longhouse, 
 the home of all his childhood. Above its door he 
 saw the sign of the turtle. There was O-staa, the 
 pine tree, where Hodoanjo had made his arrows 
 of flint. Well White Eagle remembered the day 
 when, with his blowgun, he first went forth as a 
 hunter, his pouch filled with small arrows made 
 by the kindly Hodoanjo. Now the great ar- 
 row maker had journeyed to the blessed land be- 
 yond the sunset. Never had the new village 
 known his kindly presence, and the warriors still 
 felt the loss of their best arrow maker. 
 
 Drawn by memories of the old home. White 
 Eagle entered the silent longhouse. He loiew 
 well that the old house would soon become the 
 home of Ohowa, the owl, and the lurking place of 
 Sais-ta, the snake. When the winter's snow came, 
 
 61 
 
62 The Hero of the Lough oiise 
 
 Hotyoiic, the wolf, would boldly prowl where the 
 council fire had burned and Skanondo, the deer, 
 would fearlessly roam through the maize fields. 
 
 Slowly he went to the blackened fireplace that 
 had once been his mother's. Out of the silence 
 something whispered: "You have left the bright 
 days of your childhood. You have left them be- 
 hind you forever. Gird yourself for the days to 
 come, and fill them with manly achievement." 
 
 As White Eagle emerged from the deserted 
 longhouse all the world seemed to call him to 
 action. Loudly the forest si^oke: "Come hither 
 and find fresh adventure; come with your bow 
 and arrow; try your foot with the swift Ska- 
 nondo; try your strength with O-kwa-ri, the bear; 
 try your wit with the fox, the cunning Jitso!" 
 
 From the brown earth far and near, came the 
 challenge of burrowing creatures: "Where are 
 your traps, White Eagle, where are your cun- 
 ning snares and nets? See, we are safe and free. 
 If you are a good trapper, hasten to catch us !" 
 
 The wide air spaces resounded wath calls dis- 
 tant and near: calls of the snipe and the crane; 
 calls of wild ducks flying over; calls of flocks of 
 turkeys from the forest, and the distant soft 
 calls of wood pigeons: "Where has White Eagle 
 gone? Fearless we jDcrch or fly, for now we are 
 safe from his arrows." 
 
 Near at hand sounded the rippling voice of the 
 creek. "Come, White Eagle," it said. "In a 
 sheltered cove your bark canoe is awaiting, on a 
 
The Boy Hunters 63 
 
 distant bank you shall find Jonito, the beaver! 
 Come, learn of Jonito, the wise builder!" 
 
 As White Eagle looked and listened, he heard 
 the distant call of Ohowa, the owl. He lifted his 
 head and listened intently. The call was quickly 
 answered by another call, and then another, and 
 another. White Eagle recognized the signals of 
 his comrades, the Boy Foxes. He turned 
 toward the forest, uttered the owl cry, and noise- 
 lessly disappeared in the woodland. 
 
 As he swiftly and warily threaded the forest, 
 his heart was proudly repeating the words of 
 their song: 
 
 I am a Fox, a wise Jitso, 
 
 I am prepared to die ; 
 
 If there is anything difficult. 
 
 If there is anything dangerous, 
 
 That is mine to do.^ 
 
 A little later White Eagle stood with the Fox 
 Boys listening to the words of their captain, Ga- 
 ye-was. 
 
 A bear had swum the river a half hour before ; 
 he was slowly making his way toward a distant, 
 rocky ridge. They must pursue and kill him be- 
 fore he could reach his hiding place there. The 
 leader named the boys who should pursue Ok- 
 wari, the bear. He named those who should 
 guard the left to drive him back if he tried to re- 
 turn to the river, and those who should run for- 
 ward to head him away from the mountain. 
 
 ^ Wissler, Akicita Societies. (Adapted.) 
 
64 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Swiftly and silently they entered the chase. 
 Soon the calls of Ohowa were echoed and an- 
 swered. The bear was sighted; the chase had 
 begun. 
 
 White Eagle ran so well that he kept beside 
 Gayewas, the captain. They ran until the ridge 
 was just before them. Suddenly there was the 
 sound of snapping underbrush in front, and 
 Okwari lumbered into sight. He was making his 
 way toward a clump of high pines where he could 
 be clearly sighted. The boys' hearts leaped as 
 they looked. It was the largest bear they had 
 ever seen. Both drew their bows, and two arrows 
 pierced Okwari at the same instant. The great 
 bear turned savagely in fight, but in a moment 
 Gayewas sent an arrow that sunk deep between 
 his shoulders. 
 
 On all sides the Boy Foxes were closing in. 
 The body of the bear was soon pierced by many 
 arrows and he was fighting like Dajoji, the 
 panther. He raised himself on his hind legs and 
 with blazing eyes rushed upon one of the boy 
 hunters. Then Gayewas, strong and fearless, 
 ran swiftly to meet the great bear, calling, "Ho, 
 grandfather!" The young hunter struck him a 
 heavy blow with his club, the Ka-ja-wa, a maple 
 knot from which a buck's antler protruded. That 
 blow from the sharpened club broke the skull of 
 Okwari and he dropped dead. 
 
 The boys gathered about the body in silence. 
 Each paused in amazement because of the great 
 size of the dead bear. 
 
The Boy Hunters 65 
 
 Straightway Gayewas lighted his pipe and 
 asked Okwari's pardon because in their need of 
 his flesh they had robbed him of hfe. 
 
 Silently, warily at first, the Boy Foxes turned 
 toward the village, dragging with them the huge 
 body. 
 
 Soon a youth of the Bear Clan struck into a 
 bear song which the Boy Foxes joined: 
 
 Okwari, Okwari, my noble Okwari, 
 My clan father most ancient. 
 
 Over and over the Boy Foxes sang it, their 
 triumphant voices ringing through the woodland. 
 
 Suddenh^ they were startled by the sound of 
 heavy running from behind. They had scarcely 
 grasped their bows when they saw a huge bear 
 rushing upon them, eyes blazing with anger. In 
 an instant the Boy Foxes had disappeared and 
 the enraged Okwari was left alone with its dead 
 mate. 
 
 But Sosondoweh relying on his great swiftness 
 stood boldly out from behind a tree and quickly 
 drew his bow on the raging beast. Before the 
 arrow had sped the youth was struck to the earth 
 by the bear's huge paw. That moment had been 
 the end of Sosondoweh had not White 
 Eagle, who was nearest, boldly stepped from 
 cover. Okwari rose up to give battle. White 
 Eagle ran forward and dealt the bear a swift 
 blow with his sharpened club. But the arm of 
 White Eagle was not strong enough; the great 
 
QQ 'The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 bear was only blinded for a brief instant, then 
 rushed at the youth with upraised paws. White 
 Eagle lifted his arm to strike again. But an- 
 other club descended on Okwari. It was the club 
 of Daweyongo, the Cayuga, the strongest of the 
 Boy Foxes. The sharp point of Kajawa entered 
 the skull of the great bear, which tottered back- 
 ward and sank dead beside its mate. 
 
 But there was no joy in the hearts of the Boy 
 Foxes as they looked on the two huge bodies ; all 
 their thought w^as for their wounded comrade. 
 Swiftly and gently they carried the bleeding So- 
 sondoweh to the edge of the village. Two of 
 them ran forward to tell the news at the long- 
 house of the Wolf Clan; White Eagle and an- 
 other ran to the longhouse of the Turtles to call 
 the wise Shawenis, who was skilled in the care of 
 wounds. Quickly she would make ready a dress- 
 ing of herbs for the healing of Sosondoweh. 
 
 An hour later the Boy Foxes gathered about 
 the skilled hunter, Ho-de-gweh. He was an 
 able warrior who was training them to follow 
 the big game. Quietly and in true words Gaye- 
 was told the story of their hunting, the other boys 
 confirming his words. 
 
 When he had finished Hodegweh spoke: "You 
 should have kept silence on the home path, for 
 only in silence can the ear warn you of danger. 
 Remember that the eye sees the forward path 
 only; the backward path must be guarded by 
 Ohanta, the ear. 
 
''yA. "^ 
 
 White Eagle 
 
 dealt the bear a swift blow with his 
 sharpened club" 
 
68 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 "The boldness of Sosondoweh was foolish, for 
 his arrow could not hurt Okwari. White Eagle 
 was a true comrade in defending Sosondoweh, 
 but he has disobeyed the instructions of Ho- 
 degweh. The youngest of the Boy Foxes, his 
 arm is not strong enough to break the skull of 
 Okwari. 
 
 "Keep the words of Hodegweh in remem- 
 brance, for soon you shall have greater trials. See 
 that you are ready. Naho. I have spoken." 
 
 In silence the boys listened to the warning 
 words of Hodegweh. Nor did one of them feel 
 pride in the death of the two huge bears. Had 
 they not fled before Okwari ? Had not a comrade 
 fallen? Truly each boy knew well that one of 
 the older hunters would have crippled the raging 
 bear in open fight and quickly killed him. Had 
 they been swift and sure with their weapons, So- 
 sondoweh would not have fallen. 
 
 That evening at the wood's edge a fire was 
 kindled, and the people went out to look on the 
 two huge bodies of the dead bears. The old men 
 told tales of their hunting. They told of huge 
 bears killed by their fathers ; but never before had 
 boy hunters brought such a kill to their village. 
 
 The fire grew dim, lighting with fitful flicker- 
 ings the forms of the two dead bears. Above, 
 the Great Bear Chase shone bright in the north 
 sky. Then the young men and youth gathered 
 about Hunadanlu: "See," they said, "where 
 shines Okwari; see where he roams the wide sky 
 
The Boy Hunters 69 
 
 paths followed by the three brother hunters. Tell 
 us again of the Celestial Bear; tell us again of 
 his hunting." Straightway Hunadanlu began: 
 "Listen, my children. Many ages before my 
 grandfather lived, a Real JNIan was tracking a 
 wounded deer that led him far into the forest. 
 Just as he overtook the wearied Skanondo, he 
 saw it seized by a mighty bear that lifted it lightly 
 and began to devour it. The hunter gazed in 
 wonder, for never had he seen a creature so weird. 
 
 "From that day it became more and more diffi- 
 cult for the people to find food. They knew well 
 that the strange Monster Bear was driving all 
 game from their forests. The hunters went out 
 in one company to surround him. They came on 
 his great tracks and found the bones of many 
 creatures. Truly, at times they saw his huge 
 bulk before them, but their arrows could never 
 approach him. Always the blinding snow fell 
 thick and fast, covering the deep tracks of 
 Okwari. 
 
 "At night they returned to the village defeated. 
 Then through the darkness the people heard the 
 fearful voice of the Monster Bear coming nearer 
 and nearer. All night long they tried in terror to 
 hide from his voice. At dawn the men returned 
 to the hunting. Vain were their endeavors to 
 reach the monster. With his magic, Okwari baf- 
 fled every plan for his death, while he fearlessly 
 ravaged the forests. 
 
 "One night three brothers slept in their lodges, 
 
70 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 and in his dream each brother slew the Monster 
 Bear. The three brothers rejoiced when they had 
 told their dreams to each other, for they said, 'We 
 shall slay the Great Bear and save our people.' 
 
 "At once they prepared for the hunt. At 
 break of day, followed by Je-ye, their dog, they 
 took the trail of Okwari. Long and vainly they 
 followed. Sometimes they could see the shadow 
 of the Monster Bear on the snow hills, and al- 
 ways that shadow was fleeing northward, but 
 always the hunters pursued it. The freezing 
 winds whistled and furiously drove them; the 
 rough ice weighted their moccasins; the white 
 snow drifted to the sky. But led on by his dream 
 picture, each brother went steadily forward. 
 
 "At last they came to the end of the flat earth 
 where its edge closes to the north sky. The flying 
 shadow of the Monster Bear entered a misty sea, 
 and undaunted the three hunters followed. They 
 could see the Mighty Bear before them; he was 
 weaving a starry net and casting it across the 
 wide sky path. When the star network was fin- 
 ished, the Great Bear paused in his flight and 
 crawled within it for shelter. 
 
 "The brothers rejoiced when they came to 
 the opening in that star net. 'Now we shall not 
 lose thee, Okwari,' they cried. 'We will slay thee 
 and carry thee back to our people !' 
 
 "Slowly the listening Bear opened his sleepy 
 eyes. Then he rose in his giant height, and lifting 
 the net with his paws he dragged the hunters be- 
 neath. 
 
The Boy Hunters 71 
 
 "There they roam to this day. Not knowing 
 their imprisonment, they follow the Monster 
 Bear forever and forever, and he forever eludes 
 them." ' 
 
 When the story was ended the people looked 
 silenth^ upward to Ot-sha-ta, the sky. There was 
 the Celestial Bear and behind him the three 
 brothers still pursuing, followed by their faithful 
 dog, Jeye. 
 
 All the listeners had been intent except White 
 Eagle. His mind was filled with the rebuke of 
 Hodegweh, and with the thought of the sharper 
 rebuke that would come to Sosondoweh. The 
 boy knew that he had disobeyed, and that his blow 
 had helped only a little ; nevertheless he was glad 
 that he struck it. 
 
 * Adapted from Iroquow Myilis and Legends, by Harriet 
 Maxwell Converse. 
 
CHAPTER EIGHT 
 
 THE JOURNEY 
 
 The forest trails about Kanatagowa had changed 
 with the changing of the town's location. Some 
 of the old roads were now little used, since they 
 led to a deserted village. New trails had been 
 gradually broken and connected with the ancient 
 footpaths. 
 
 All the near roads were well known to White 
 Eagle. He knew something of the great hunt- 
 ing trail southward along the Tioughnioga; he 
 had tracked the main trail along the Oswego to 
 the shores of Ontario. But far better he knew 
 the well-beaten roads of his people leading along 
 the Gasunto and Onondaga creeks and winding 
 around the forested hills southward. 
 
 There was one well-worn footpath north of his 
 native village on which he thought most often, 
 although it was least familiar. Ancient and en- 
 during, it crossed the land of the Onondagas from 
 east to west. Well he knew that this footpath 
 ran onward and onward. Crossing the land of 
 the Oneidas, crossing the land of the Mohawks, 
 it reached the beautiful Ska-neh-ta-de ^ that flows 
 ever southward until it comes to the Great Sea 
 at the Sun's Rising. 
 
 Sometimes he stood on that well-worn path and 
 turned his eyes eastward. Much he longed to 
 follow that road, follow it onward and onward, 
 follow it along the Mohawk to the Skanehtade. 
 
 1 The Hudson. 
 
 72 
 
The Journey 73 
 
 He would follow southward with the Skanehtade, 
 always downward and southward, until at last 
 he should come to the boundless waters toward 
 the sun's rising — come at last to the great shore- 
 less sea. On that road he would see many strange 
 peoples ; he would hear them speak in a language 
 unknown to his ear, untried by his lips ; he would 
 see their houses and note their strange customs. 
 
 Less often he turned on that worn Central 
 Trail and looked westward. He knew that it 
 crossed the deep-wooded land of the Cayugas. 
 It reached the wide plains of the Senecas; it 
 crossed their rivers and forests; it left that land 
 behind it, journeying still farther westward 
 through the land of the Eries. 
 
 Straight and deep, hardened by age-long use, 
 tracked by the feet of generations long passed 
 away, the silent road threaded the woodland. 
 Surely it had seen wondrous things ; truly it had 
 heard long-silent voices and witnessed the deeds 
 of the fathers of his people. Did not Hawen- 
 niyu, the Great Ruler, look on that ancient path 
 and see the footprints of his children, the foot- 
 prints of many generations of the Real Men? 
 
 White Eagle was impatient to see all the 
 country that had been bestowed on the Real Men 
 by the Holder-of-the-Heavens. Where were the 
 bounds of the great island that was formed to 
 hold Ataensic? He longed to travel toward the 
 four points of the earth till he found them. 
 
 The observant eye of Ondiyaka, the Bear 
 
74 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 chieftain, read the thoughts of his son and divined 
 his wishes. He said: "AVhite Eagle longs to see 
 the wide land of the Real JNIen. I will show him 
 the hunting grounds of his people. I will lead 
 him over our ancient trails and teach him to find 
 and follow the great footpaths of the Real Men. 
 He is young for the journey, but it will prepare 
 him for the training that \yill make him a warrior 
 and for the dream-fast that will shape his path 
 in manhood." 
 
 Soon the day came when White Eagle stood 
 at the door of the longhouse girt for his first long 
 journey. On his feet were new moccasins worked 
 by the careful hand of his mother, worked in the 
 pattern he loved best. It was the pattern that 
 showed the path of the sun, great Kagagwa, 
 making his long journey beneath the vast sky- 
 arch and following the long path above it. At 
 White Eagle's belt was a stout bag of o-na- 
 so-kwa, the good parched corn that would sustain 
 him on the journey. At his back was his good 
 bov/ and a quiver of arrows. Thus equipped, 
 White Eagle stood beside Ondiyaka, and his eyes 
 were bright with the vision of that untried 
 journey. 
 
 The forest glowed in the colors of October, 
 and all the woodlands brightened to greet them 
 as they entered the trail to the south. In the 
 first hours the footpaths were familiar to White 
 Eagle. Sometimes they saw through the trees 
 a hunter from the village following the bear or 
 
The Journey 75 
 
 the deer. They passed close to the town of Nan- 
 tasasis ; they heard the voices of children and saw 
 the women at work in the maize fields. Soon 
 they passed through wide level stretches, where, 
 reaching far upward, giant pine trees shut out 
 the sunlight. They passed a trail forking west- 
 ward; it went to Lake Ga-ah-na.^ A little 
 farther, and that same westward trail found the 
 long shining water of Lake Skan-e-a-di-ce." 
 
 Still keeping that southern trail, they skirted 
 hills covered with giant oaks that had stood there 
 for ages and ages. They passed through forests 
 brilliant with the gold of the birch and the red 
 and yellow of maples. Sometimes they crossed 
 small streams running northward. They were 
 nearing the southern hills at the dividing of the 
 waters. 
 
 Slowly the trail climbed upward. At last it 
 came to the shores of Lake Te-ka-ne-a-da-he,^ en- 
 circled by brilliant woodlands. The air was filled 
 with the cries of waterfowl and the honk of wild 
 geese flying over. There w^as Sora, the duck; 
 there Ta-wis-ta-wis, the snipe; and, most beauti- 
 ful of all, pairs of stately swans, swimming the 
 crystal-clear water. From the forest came the 
 soft call of O-leek. the pigeon, and the cry of 
 So-hont, the turkey. From the forest, too, came 
 the tap of Kwaa, the woodpecker, and the cluck 
 of Kaw-e-sea, the partridge. Here and there 
 
 ' Lake Otisco. ^ Lai^p Skaneateles. ^ Xi,]iy j^akg. 
 
76 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 White Eagle and his father crossed the hard- 
 beaten paths made by the deer as they sought 
 their drinking places. Sometimes they came on 
 a herd of deer browsing the bushes. The herd 
 lifted their heads for a moment, gazing with soft 
 wondering eyes on the intruders; then they fled 
 swiftly away through the forest. Beautiful to 
 White Eagle was this hunting ground of his 
 people as he first saw it with his father. 
 
 Still they pushed toward the south. Sometimes 
 a bear crossed the trail; sometimes a wolf or a 
 lynx lifted his head from the thicket. Now for 
 the first time White Eagle saw streams that were 
 flowing southward. They were in the valley of 
 the Tioughnioga. 
 
 That night they slept in a small lodge made 
 by the hunters of Onondaga. Here they kindled 
 a fire and ate the flesh of Sohont, the turkey. 
 
 Alone in the far-stretching forest, the villages 
 of their people being far away to the northward, 
 they heard close at hand the cries of wolves and 
 saw their eyes glaring through the darkness. 
 More than once the growl of the prowling Ok- 
 wari sounded near at hand. But they were safe 
 by the fire; so long as Odjista burned, they feared 
 no marauders. 
 
 Then the night sounds were interrupted by the 
 voice of Ondiyaka. He said : "Listen to the story 
 that tells how the Echo God once saved our 
 people. 
 
 "In the days of my father's father, the war 
 
The Journey 77 
 
 chieftain Na-sa-geh led the Onondagas against 
 the Cherokees. The Real Men took many scalps, 
 but the Cherokees were like the leaves of the 
 forest in number. All that sun they fought. At 
 nightfall, scattered and broken, the warriors of 
 Onondaga fled to the forest. 
 
 "The chieftain Xasageh, wounded and spent 
 with battle, came to this place at the forking of 
 the trails, where we are now resting. He paused, 
 not knowing which was the safer pathway. 
 Above him were the dark hills. Hidden about 
 him were his disheartened warriors. How could 
 he bring them together and lead them by a safe 
 trail to the homeland? 
 
 "Then a new hope filled Xasageh's heart. He 
 said: T will seek guidance from the Echo God. 
 He is the friend of the Real Men. IMy voice he 
 will answer, but he will give no sound to the pur- 
 suing Cherokees.' 
 
 "Xasageh found a rocky ravine close by. He 
 called, 'Go-weh, Go-weh !' ' The Echo God 
 heard. From the rocky heights came his answer, 
 'Go-weh, Go-weh!' Then sadly the war chieftain 
 began to chant the names of his own fallen war- 
 riors. This time he spoke in a voice heart-broken 
 and weary, 'O-weh, O-weh!'^ And the Echo God 
 called 'O-weh, O-weh!' 
 
 "The warriors of Onondaga took courage when 
 they heard the voice of the Echo God and they 
 gathered about their chieftain. They determined 
 ^ I am telling you. ^ Our own. 
 
78 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 to take the trail whence the Echo God was call- 
 ing. Runners were sent out to cry to him. Far- 
 ther and farther away, the Onondagas heard 
 the shouts of their runners, 'Go-weh, Go-weh!' 
 and 'O-weh, O-weh!' And to each shouting they 
 heard the Echo God reply distinctly, 'O-weh, 
 O-weh!' 
 
 "The pursuing Cherokees took the other trail, 
 and so, led on by the Echo God, the Real Men 
 escaped destruction.'" 
 
 Through the days that followed. White Eagle, 
 tracking that great southern trail along the 
 Tioughnioga, looked on the beautiful hills south- 
 ward and westward that sent their streams to the 
 Susquehanna, the Great Island River. Slowly 
 in his mind there was forming a picture of many 
 footpaths: their directions and their branchings; 
 where they touched the lakes and rivers; where 
 they crossed ravines and skirted vast stretches of 
 deep-thicketed muckland. His eye became quick 
 to follow the trail blazed by the hatchet, winding 
 through brackens and bushes with no footmarks 
 to show him its leadings. 
 
 The next morning at sunrise Ondiyaka took 
 White Eagle to a high hilltop. From its height 
 they traced the broad valley of the Tioughnioga 
 southeastward where it bends toward the Che- 
 nango, and they saw in the far distance the forests 
 that skirted the swift Chenango. With a few 
 
 ' I'VoTii Iroquois Myths and Legends, by Harriet INIaxwell 
 Converse. 
 
The Echo Gud heard' 
 
80 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 words and movements, Ondiyaka showed the 
 course of the Chenango through the land of the 
 Oneidas and pointed toward the place where it 
 is joined by the Tioughnioga. With his elbow 
 and bended hand he showed how the Susque- 
 hanna made its turn to the westward. 
 
 Then turning northward, Ondiyaka pointed 
 where, far beyond vision, the back of Hanuna, 
 the Great Turtle, was lying. He said: "lyeaha, 
 my son, far away toward the sun's rising are steep 
 mountains ' that look toward the Skanehtade. 
 There rests the great head of Hanuna, the 
 Turtle. The Chenango and Tioughnioga flow 
 southward from the broad back of Hanuna. My 
 son, look westward ; there the mighty back of the 
 Great Turtle slopes downward, bearing the long 
 lakes of the Cayuga and Seneca peoples. Farther 
 toward the sunset, the long tail of Hanuna is ex- 
 tended, holding the broad lands of the Gen-nes- 
 hee-yo,^ the River of the Beautiful Valley." 
 
 From his pouch Ondiyaka drew a smooth 
 pebble of slate. By scratching a few lines upon 
 it, he showed how the great southern trails of the 
 Real INIen, following the lakes and rivers to the 
 Susquehanna, converged at Ta-yo-ga.^ 
 
 For a long time White Eagle followed with 
 quick eyes the forest lines southward and east- 
 ward and westward. Then his father spoke 
 again : 
 
 "lyeaha, thou shalt run alone on the blazed 
 
 ^ The Helderbergs. 2 The Genesee. ^ Tioga Point. 
 
The Journey 81 
 
 pathway southward. It is seldom used, but if 
 thou will follow it with care it will lead thee into 
 the great Oneida trail along the Chenango. Fol- 
 low this trail downward and meet me at the Sus- 
 quehanna." 
 
 Instantly White Eagle tightened his belt and 
 slipped noiselessly into the forest. He ran slowly 
 and cautiously, his keen eyes noting every mark- 
 ing in that trackless woodland. His will was set 
 on following that obscure trail without mishap, 
 for he knew well that his father was testing his 
 skill as a runner. 
 
 Before the sun reached midheaven, the feet of 
 White Eagle had found the great Chenango trail 
 of the Oneidas, and the most difficult part of his 
 journey was over. He took some parched corn 
 from his pouch, soaked it in water, and while he 
 rested ate of it slowly and sparingly. Then with 
 swift feet he turned into the well-marked Che- 
 nango trail and followed it downward toward the 
 Susquehanna. 
 
 Kagagwa was nearing the rim of the west sky 
 when the feet of White Eagle touched the bank 
 of the broad Susquehanna, the Great Island 
 River. As he stood at that meeting place of 
 waters he gave the call of Gaga, the crow. It was 
 answered close at hand by the cry of a hawk. A 
 moment later he stood beside his father. Ondi- 
 yaka gave a quiet exclamation of approval, and 
 without speech the two turned their feet toward 
 Tayoga. 
 
82 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 In their night camp, Ondiyaka told White 
 Eagle of the wars of the Iroquois. Their war 
 parties, sailing south on the Susquehanna, en- 
 tered the Cherokee land and returned bringing 
 back with them the enemy's scalps and much 
 booty. 
 
 Down this same Great Island River, Atotarho 
 had sailed with his warriors only the winter be- 
 fore and returned again covered with glory. 
 
 White Eagle said: "Ihani, my Father, Huna- 
 danlu has told me that to each tribe has been 
 given a peculiar mind and speech; each has its 
 own rites, its own customs and modes of action. 
 I should like to sail the Susquehanna and learn 
 what gifts the Master of Life has bestowed on 
 the Cherokee people." 
 
 Ondiyaka answered: "lyeaha, you must wait 
 until you are a warrior. Then in war paint and 
 armed with good weapons you can enter the lands 
 of the Cherokee people by means of the warpath, 
 for between ourselves and them no other trail is 
 open." 
 
CHAPTER NINE 
 
 ON THE SHORES OF ONTARIO 
 
 When the two travelers returned to the home 
 village, every one gave them glad welcome. 
 Never before was the evening fire so pleasant and 
 the steaming bowl of hulled corn so welcome. 
 
 With careful attention, Hunadanlu, friend of 
 man, listened to White Eagle's story of that 
 journey southward. 
 
 When it was finished he said: "It is well that 
 White Eagle has seen the hunting grounds of the 
 Onondagas toward the south. Now he will go to 
 the north. Now he will travel as far as the Gana- 
 waga and look on a land made sacred by the foot- 
 steps of the Great Fathers of the Ileal Men." 
 
 Eagerly White Eagle assented. At dawn of 
 the next sun, with their canoe on their shoulders. 
 White Eagle and Ondiyaka took the familiar 
 trail to the Oswego River. 
 
 They were soon upon Lake Onondaga. 
 Lightly their canoe sped through the waters 
 flecked with the bright fallen leaves from the 
 woodland. Here and there the water was dark- 
 ened by screaming flocks of waterfowl. Some- 
 times they saw" a canoe from their native village, 
 for the people liked to fish in the home waters of 
 Onondaga. 
 
 Ondiyaka pointed westward w^here the Seneca 
 River entered the lake of Onondaga bringing the 
 waters of lakes Ga-nun-da-gwa,^ Ga-nun-da- 
 
 ^ Canandaigua Lake 
 83 
 
84 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 sa-ga.' Gwe-u-gweh,' and U-neen-do.^ Soon 
 after, as they paddled along the Oswego, Ondi- 
 yaka pointed to a stream flowing into the river 
 from the east. It formed the outlet of Lake Ga- 
 no-a-lo-hale.* So White Eagle learned how the 
 Oswego flowed northward, bearing the waters of 
 the lakes of four tribes of the Real Men, bearing 
 them to the greatest lake of all, the vast, beautiful 
 Skanodario. 
 
 They were now in the heart of the great 
 northern forest. The stately trees lifted their 
 branches high in the glory of the late October 
 sunshine. The deer came down to the water to 
 drink, and sometimes a bear swam the river. 
 Lightly they carried their canoe round the Falls 
 of the Oswego, and, just before the going do^vn 
 of the sun, they came to the shores of Ontario. 
 
 Here they found a small hunting party of 
 Onondagas who were returning from their camp 
 on the Ga-hen-wa-ga.^ 
 
 Ondiyaka said to White Eagle, "lyeaha, my 
 Son, canst thou not bring in a deer for the even- 
 ing meal?" 
 
 Quickly White Eagle armed himself with his 
 bow and quiver of arrows and went forth to the 
 hunting. Light-footed, he ran to the southward. 
 He found the fresh track of a large deer close to 
 the Oswego. Soon he sighted Skanondo. Un- 
 alarmed he was browsing the bushes. But as if 
 
 ^ Seneca Lake. - Cayuga Lake. ^ Cross Lake. 
 
 * Oneida Lake. * Big Salmon Creek. 
 
On the Shores of Ontario 85 
 
 some instinct warned him of the nearness of a 
 hunter, he Hfted his head and sniffed the air with 
 uneasy and restless motion. But the well-aimed 
 arrow of White Eagle reached the heart of Ska- 
 nondo and he dropped where he stood in the 
 forest. 
 
 When Ondiyaka saw that White Eagle had 
 brought down the deer with one arrow, he praised 
 him ; and all the other hunters applauded because 
 he had wasted no arrow. 
 
 That evening at the camp fire, Ondiyaka told 
 this story that taught the people the sinfulness of 
 wasting the gifts of the Great Ruler : 
 
 "Long ago a company of hunters went into a 
 distant forest where every kind of game 
 abounded. Farther and farther they went, and 
 always the game grew in abundance. Then they 
 began to kill for the rich furs alone, leaving the 
 carcasses to waste where the animals fell. 
 
 "But as they went forward into that strange 
 land, they came to a region of great scarcity. 
 They had forgotten the way to the homeland. 
 The load of rich furs that they carried did not 
 help them; they were soon on the verge of star- 
 vation. 
 
 "One day an Elf suddenly appeared among 
 them. He led them to a cavern filled with abun- 
 dance. When they had eaten, he upbraided them 
 for their wasteful greed : 'You must give up the 
 rich furs that you have so wantonly stolen or 
 starve because of the flesh you have wasted. 
 
86 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 When you have chosen you may tap on the rocks 
 and call me.' 
 
 "Brief was the council that followed. The 
 beautiful furs reminded the hunters of the ani- 
 mal people whom without cause they had robbed 
 of life. Xow they looked on the costly burden 
 with sorrow^ and deep misgiving. Gladly they 
 would leave it behind them. 
 
 "At their knocking the Elf returned. The 
 hunters asked only one thing: to be shown the 
 way to their own country. 
 
 "They returned there empty-handed, wdth no 
 store of dried meat for the cold moons, and no 
 store of skins for the next year's clothing. But 
 they were wondrous light of heart, for they had 
 left behind the greed of gain that makes men- 
 beings robbers." 
 
 When the story was ended, an old hunter said: 
 "For sixty winters I have hunted and never have 
 I seen a red man spoil the hunting grounds of 
 his Fathers. It would shame him to kill a deer 
 and like an untaught child leave the flesh or pelt 
 to be wasted. Truly the medicine animals would 
 no longer befriend man if he were greedy and 
 wasteful." 
 
 The next morning at daybreak Ondiyaka and 
 White Eagle entered their canoe and turned it 
 to the eastward. While the sun was still high, 
 they came to the famous Gahenwaga, its waters 
 the home of countless salmon. Here in the 
 springtime the warriors of the Onondagas came 
 for their fishing. 
 
On the Shores of Ontario 87 
 
 As they went forward, they passed vast 
 marshes covered with sedges noisy with the honk- 
 ing of great flocks of geese and ducks. A dense 
 wilderness was all about them. Crossing deep 
 ravines, climbing mountains, filling wide valleys, 
 skirting the shores of clear lakes, it swept east- 
 ward. It passed the land of the Oneidas and 
 swept across the wide land of the Mohawks till it 
 came to the shores of Lake O-ne-a-da-lote.' It 
 rounded wide shores to the northward till it found 
 the waters of the Ganawaga. 
 
 Ondiyaka spoke intimately of these wide water 
 courses and vast, thicketed forests ; and his simple 
 words and gestures held pictures, for he spoke as 
 one who sees. Slowly, clearly, the mind of White 
 Eagle pictured the great Adirondack forest that 
 divides the waters to the northward and eastward 
 and southward, the forest that holds in its deep 
 recesses a shining network of lakes and the head- 
 waters of the Skanehtade. 
 
 In the following days they paddled along pro- 
 jecting shores and came to bays that were dotted 
 with hundreds of islands. 
 
 The shores bent in curves so vast as to reach be- 
 yond vision. They were nearing the place where 
 the waters of Ontario find their way to the sea 
 through the swift Ganawaga. For three days 
 they skimmed the wide-bending shores and 
 drifted among bright, wooded islands. 
 
 When they touched the mainland, they found 
 
 ^ Lake Champlaiii. 
 
88 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the forest alive with game. The startled stag 
 lifted his head from under arching trees, the tall 
 moose stamped and snorted in anger, and a great 
 bear boldly swam to the canoe to give battle. Un- 
 surpassed in wonder and beauty was this northern 
 hunting ground of the Onondagas, this land 
 where the Ganawaga began its journey to the 
 sea. 
 
 To the eager mind of White Eagle, those vast, 
 wooded shores and the far-stretching water pos- 
 sessed a wonder beyond all beauty. Did not this 
 wilderness hold the footsteps of the great war- 
 riors of old who had freed their people from 
 bondage? Not an inlet or bay that he looked on 
 but had been laced by the water trails of their 
 canoes. Was he not now crossing the waters 
 where the Real Men had fought for freedom? 
 
 Very often in those days White Eagle asked 
 Ondiyaka to tell him again that story of trial and 
 battle. And Ondiyaka told how the Real Men 
 of old had lived in captivitj^ and how with long 
 j)atience but relentless purpose they served their 
 cruel Adirondack masters. Here they had 
 broken their bondage and fled across the waters 
 of Ontario to find a hiding place at the Falls of 
 the Oswego. 
 
 With the passionate gestures of a warrior he 
 described the subsequent invasions of the Tree- 
 Eating Adirondacks on the Real Men, when like 
 a forest fire they had swept down on their 
 villages. But always the Tree Eaters were 
 
On the Shores of Ontario 89 
 
 driven backward. For against their fierce on- 
 slaughts, the Mohawks and Oneidas, the Cayugas 
 and Senecas and Onondagas had stood together 
 hke brothers even as their Fathers of old had 
 stood together on the Ganewaga. 
 
 Beside their campfire on the last night of their 
 journey, with the waters of the Oswego murmur- 
 ing the story of the Fathers of the Real Men, 
 White Eagle suddenly asked the question that 
 had followed him for many suns. He said: 
 "Ihani, my Father, cannot the Real Men be re- 
 united? Can they not light again a single council 
 fire, the council fire of the United People? Can- 
 not the Five Brothers again sit together and 
 watch the sacred peace smoke rising toward the 
 Great Wisdom?" 
 
 For a moment Ondiyaka looked into the shin- 
 ing eyes of White Eagle, saw the face all 
 alight with the thought that had been put into 
 words, noted the body that was tense as if the 
 youth heard a stirring call to action, then he 
 spoke : 
 
 "It cannot be. White Eagle. The long feud 
 between the Senecas and Onondagas is not for- 
 gotten. Already the party of war speaks openly 
 for vengeance. This very night the best scouts 
 of Atotarho are in the land of the Seneca people. 
 No council fire can burn on the Great Hill, Nun- 
 da-wa-o,^ unmarked by the eyes of one of the spies 
 of our War Chieftain. No expedition goes out 
 
 * Bare Hill on Canandaigua Lake 
 
90 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 from the Great Hill that is not reported to Ato- 
 tarho. lyeaha, my Son, moon b}^ moon, Atotarho 
 is preparing to make war on the Seneca people. 
 He would reunite the Real Men through con- 
 quest." 
 
 Ondiyaka spoke again to AVhite Eagle. He 
 said: "INIy Son, listen to the promise sent to Ondi- 
 yaka. Seven winters ago in the moon of burst- 
 ing buds, Ondiyaka made medicine here at the 
 Falls of the Oswego. He burned much sacred 
 tobacco that carried to Hagwediyu, the Good 
 ]Mind, the longings of Ondiyaka. For the heart 
 of Ondiyaka was heavy because of a war that 
 Atotarho had provoked with the Cayugas. 
 
 "That same sun, Ondiyaka stood on the shore 
 of Skanodario as Kagagwa descended the west 
 sky. As Ondiyaka looked, a small white cloud 
 in the form of a winged canoe suddenly appeared 
 in the distance. It glided swiftly over the water 
 as if it were a mighty eagle. Then it faded into 
 mist. 
 
 "Then the heart of Ondiyaka was at peace. He 
 said : 'The Great Wisdom remembers as he looks 
 down on Skanodario, how Heno, the Thunderer, 
 saved the Real Men. He sends this vision to show 
 that the waters of the Beautiful Lake still hold 
 that story; he sends it as a promise that the Real 
 Men are still led onward by their Grandfather 
 Heno." 
 
"A small white cloud in the form of a winged canoe 
 suddenly appeared in the distance" 
 
CHAPTER TEN 
 
 THE BOY WARRIORS 
 
 In those days White Eagle grew swiftly toward 
 young manhood. Already he had entered the 
 band of Boy Warriors who were under the lead- 
 ership of Atotarho. 
 
 In the memory of the oldest of the Onon- 
 dagas, no war leader had been so skilled as the 
 young chieftain, Atotarho. He knew the story 
 of the great warriors of his people, and the 
 strength of each. He knew the stories of their 
 wars, and he knew their treaties, ancient and 
 modern. He knew the footpaths and trails of 
 neighboring lands; he could locate their villages 
 and give the number of fighting men in each. 
 
 Yet because of his passion and malice, the 
 skillful Atotarho was feared by the Onondagas. 
 He was ambitious; he was swift in revenge; he 
 was cunning and crafty and powerful. He 
 brought all things to his will. Most of the people 
 believed that under his lead they could never be 
 vanquished. So famed was he that from every 
 village of the Onondagas the young men came to 
 his training. 
 
 Atotarho expected each youth in that band to 
 become a flawless warrior. Long and severe was 
 the practice in every mode of attack and defense, 
 in every form of ambush and surprise. How to 
 choose a safe encampment; how to lie concealed 
 in forest or open ; how to find a way through an 
 unbroken wilderness; how to hide a canoe or 
 
 Q2 
 
The Boy Warriors 93 
 
 paddle with swiftness and silence; how to scout 
 in an enemy's country — these were some of the 
 things that the Boy Warriors must learn through 
 long practice. 
 
 In the moon of planting, Atotarho divided the 
 Boy Warriors into two companies. One was to 
 choose and fortify an encampment, the other to 
 attack it. 
 
 The first company chose a steep hill on the 
 banks of the Onondaga. Their leader was Ga- 
 yewas, the captain of the Boy Foxes. He sent 
 out scouts to watch the movements of the attack- 
 ing party, while the others dug an intrenchment 
 and built a palisade on the side of the forest. 
 When this was finished they put in a store of pro- 
 visions and war clubs and arrows. 
 
 Atotarho visited the camp and inspected it in 
 silence. 
 
 Hour by hour the scouts came and went to re- 
 port the movements of their opponents. At last 
 they returned to say that they had lost all track 
 of the enemy. The attacking party had disap- 
 peared in the forest. 
 
 White Eagle was one of the band that attacked 
 the encampment, and their leader was the coura- 
 geous Sosondoweh. As they stole through the 
 forest under cover, they could see Atotarho 
 standing close to the encampment where he could 
 watch the action of both parties. As they crept 
 near to the encampment they signalled softly, 
 using the call of the turkey ; scarcely a twig was 
 
94 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 bended, scarcely a bush moved in the thicket. So 
 well i)lanned was the onset, that the attacking 
 party emerged from the thicket and reached the 
 palisade before the defenders suspected. Sharp 
 was the struggle that followed. Ten out of the 
 twenty boys under Gayewas were taken. The 
 leader with a few of the boldest sprang from the 
 cliff into the waters of the Onondaga and escaped 
 by swimming and diving. 
 
 Afterward, the victors and vanquished assem- 
 bled before Atotarho. His dark face was frown- 
 ing and angry. In brief words he showed the 
 poor scouting of the defenders, showed the weak- 
 ness of the palisade, and the danger of the posi- 
 tion on account of the bushes growing about it. 
 The signals of the attacking party had been well 
 given, he said, but some of the young warriors 
 had moved too roughly through the bushes. The 
 onslaught was well planned, but the attacking 
 party had been weak in taking advantage. White 
 ]^agle had shown swiftness and strength, but he 
 had not shown the disposition of the warrior. 
 
 "You should study the wildcat," he said. "He 
 never misses his prey, never fails to attain the 
 ol)ject of his pursuit, and he does all quietly and 
 cunningly without creating alarm. Learn from 
 the wildcat how to approach and conquer a foe." 
 
 After that the training went on with renewed 
 determination. At last Atotarho assembled all 
 the youth of the Onondagas and divided them 
 Into two parties. He commanded one party to 
 
The Bof/ Warriors 95 
 
 defend a deserted village; the other he commis- 
 sioned to take it. For many days the battle went 
 on. The men from all of the villages came to 
 witness the sorties or went into the besieged town 
 and watched the defenders. It was almost past 
 their judgment which side deserved most com- 
 mendation. The youthful warriors suffered 
 hunger and thirst and the severest hardships un- 
 heeding, so keenly was the battle waged. 
 
 At last Atotarho had his will, all the men and 
 youth of the Onondagas were eagerly studying 
 warfare. When the Boy Warriors became skill- 
 ful in one thing, he took up another. He built up 
 a wide system of running and scouting. He sent 
 them in winter on long journeys to the hunting 
 camps, or in springtime to distant fishing places 
 to carry messages. Two by two they went, run- 
 ning day and night, pausing only long enough to 
 drink at the stream side and to eat sparingly of 
 parched corn, the sustaining onasokwa. Every 
 moment of time must be counted, not one sen- 
 tence of the message delivered in haste, not one 
 word of it changed or forgotten. 
 
 Then indeed White Eagle's knowledge of 
 trails was severely tested; then it was that he be- 
 gan to run by the points of the compass, to note 
 the forking on the top horns of the pine tree and 
 the growth of moss on the tree trunks. It was 
 then that he began to guide his course by the loon 
 in summer and the Seven Brothers, the Pleiades, 
 in winter. 
 
96 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Many of the Boy Warriors became so prac- 
 ticed in running and scouting that they were sent 
 farther. Thus it was that White Eagle, with 
 some of his companions, entered the lands of the 
 Oneidas and Mohawks to get news or to carry 
 messages. They became so wary and skilled that 
 they were sent at last to spy on the Cayugas. A 
 few of the strongest were sent into the Seneca 
 land to watch and report. This was indeed true 
 scouting, for if discovered they were treated as 
 foes. Some of the Boy Warriors never returned 
 from these scouting journeys. 
 
 All this time in their meetings for practice, the 
 boys were trained in the handling of weapons. In 
 their meetings for council, they were trained in 
 the knowledge and spirit of warfare. They 
 learned much of neighboring peoples : where lay 
 the strength of these and where their weakness; 
 who were their allies and who their enemies ; they 
 learned accurately of their defenses, and knew 
 much about their greatest leaders and chieftains. 
 The Boy Warriors listened intently to stories of 
 their foes' achievements ; they learned of the great 
 victories of their own people, and knew the 
 famous deeds of their ablest warriors and leaders. 
 
 Atotarho had tried and tested all the young 
 men and youth of the Onondagas. He knew 
 which would make the best scouts and which the 
 best runners, which could be trusted as spies, 
 which were the ablest leaders in attack or defense, 
 and which wisest in council or guidance. 
 
The Boy Warriors 97 
 
 One day as White Eagle sat by his doorway 
 straightening the shafts of arrows, two Mohawk 
 runners entered the village. He had heard their 
 call far back in the forest and again at the wood's 
 edge. A little later he saw two Onondaga scouts 
 enter the house of Atotarho. Soon thereafter a 
 council was called. The Mohawks brought news 
 that their people, much enfeebled by war, had 
 made peace with their old foes, the Algonkins. 
 The Onondaga scouts reported that the Senecas 
 had just gone on the warpath beyond the land of 
 the Eries. 
 
 The next day two Seneca runners arrived. 
 They brought a message asking for peace and 
 alliance. 
 
 In council, the old men of the Onondagas with 
 one voice urged a friendly answer. In their 
 weakness, the Mohawks could send no reen- 
 forcements. The Senecas were powerful and 
 carried with them the strength of the Cayugas. 
 
 When the old men had finished speaking, Ato- 
 tarho arose. He recalled the old wrongs done 
 them by the Senecas. Now was the moment for 
 vengeance. While the Senecas were absent in an 
 enemy's land was the very time to attack their 
 towns and overcome them. 
 
 While the wary Atotarho was speaking, his 
 shrewd eye noted the quick response of the young 
 men. But so divided was the council that a 
 doubtful message was returned to the Seneca 
 people. 
 
98 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 That very night, Atotarho appeared in his war 
 paint. Going to his war post he began the stir- 
 ring story of his battles. As he spoke all his 
 movements and action eloquently pictured the 
 tales that his lips repeated. Soon the boldest of 
 the young men sprang forward and struck the 
 war post as a sign of enlistment. These were fol- 
 lowed by most of the ablest warriors; then as if 
 possessed by a single feeling, the Boy Warriors 
 sounded the war cry and pressed to the side of 
 their leader. 
 
 But one of the youthful warriors was unmoved 
 by the passionate narration of the war chieftain. 
 Calmly, White Eagle remained sitting with the 
 home people. He, the bravest and best of the 
 Boy Warriors, was unstirred by that call to 
 battle. 
 
 There were two that noted the action of White 
 Eagle and did not forget it. One was Huna- 
 danlu, friend of man ; the other, Atotarho. The 
 one rejoiced and said in his heart, "White Eagle 
 seeks his own mind, and of his own spirit he will 
 take counsel." The other said, "Here is the 
 coming leader of the party of peace." And to 
 both men there came a strong premonition of 
 some future, deadly strife between Atotarho and 
 the youthful White Eagle. 
 
CHAPTER ELEVEX 
 
 IN THE ABSENCE OF THE WARRIORS 
 
 A FEW weeks later the warriors returned vic- 
 torious, bringing with them ten captives. They 
 had surprised and burned a Seneca village. 
 
 All night there was great rejoicing in Kana- 
 tagowa and all the villages of Onondaga. It was 
 long since the Onondagas had won an advantage 
 over the proud and powerful Seneca people, and 
 all agreed that they owed this victory to the skill 
 of Atotarho. Xevertheless the wail of mourning 
 was heard among them for three of the Onon- 
 dagas had fallen in battle. One of these was the 
 youthful Gayewas, who had led the boys in the 
 hunt and in mimic warfare. The sorrow of 
 White Eagle was keen; for the first time he 
 mourned a close comrade. 
 
 In the clear, cold nights when the grave-fire 
 was burning for Gayewas and stars shone bril- 
 liant in the heavens. White Eagle gazed upward 
 to the white pathway of departed spirits. Which 
 star was lighting the soul of his comrade on its 
 journey? The gentle south wind, Xe-o-ga, the 
 fawn, had guided him to Ga-do-waas, the gi-eat 
 soul watcher. And Gadowaas, the faithful, had 
 plucked a star and fastened it to the belt of Gaye- 
 was. Like a great torch, it was lighting him in 
 that long journey across the vast sky. When he 
 came to the blessed land of spirits, the dead kins- 
 folk of Gayewas would give him welcome. They 
 would greet him at the doors of their lodges and 
 
100 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 prepare for him the best food in their dwellings. 
 They would praise his deeds of courage and give 
 him place among the noblest hunters and 
 warriors. 
 
 One day the Onondaga scouts returned and 
 reported that the Senecas had come back from 
 their expedition westward, and that the Cayu- 
 gas were with them on the warpath. 
 
 The people knew that the Senecas would soon 
 avenge themselves on the Onondagas. All the 
 warriors looked to Atotarho for guidance. 
 Quickly the young war chieftain made his plans 
 for the winter. The hunting moon was near. 
 The warriors of Onondaga would go into their 
 southern hunting ground and camp on the 
 borders near the Cayuga towns. They would 
 keep on foot an active war party to watch the 
 Cayuga and Seneca towns from a distance. In 
 this way they would get some of their winter 
 hunting while they forced the enemy to keep the 
 defensive. At the same time Atotarho sent mes- 
 sengers to the Mohawks and Oneidas to ask them 
 to become allies in the war. 
 
 When the war party had gone, a sudden silence 
 descended on the half-deserted village of Kana- 
 tagowa. The people were very busy, for those 
 left at home had to work harder than ever to se- 
 cure the store of wood and provisions against the 
 deep snows of winter and guard against a pos- 
 sible attack of the foe. The men who were left 
 to defend the village could help little in securing 
 
'AH the warriors looked to Atotarho for guidance' 
 
102 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 provisions, for they had to scout the forest that 
 the enemy might not surprise them. 
 
 Each day White Eagle went in pursuit of 
 game. There were few now to hunt for the 
 people, and well he knew that there was rejoicing 
 when he returned with a deer on his shoulder. 
 Game was becoming scarce in the home forests 
 and often he had to follow the deer far to the 
 northward or southward. 
 
 He was very lonely in the woodlands, for all 
 his previous hunting had been shared with trusty 
 comrades. Now he followed the deserted trails 
 of his people, alone. While he roamed the fa- 
 miliar hunting paths, his heart was filled with 
 ceaseless battle. He was restless and inwardly 
 rebellious, and moon by moon he was tortured 
 by questions that he could not answer. 
 
 All this time the clear eyes of Hunadanlu, 
 friend of man, looked into the heart of White 
 Eagle and saw there the struggle and doubting. 
 The old man said: "Truly it costs White Eagle 
 much to stand aside from the pathway of glory 
 that his companions have entered. He is very 
 young to choose in so weighty a matter. But 
 White Eagle is losing the mind of his childhood 
 and youth, and truly he is seeking a mind that 
 can guide him in manhood." 
 
 One day White Eagle brought to Hunadanlu 
 the questions that vexed him. He said: "Tisote, 
 my Grandfather, long ago Atotarho forsook the 
 fishing and his heart has turned away from the 
 
In the Absence of the Warriors 103 
 
 hunting paths of our ^^eople. When peace comes 
 he mopes about, moody and discontented. The 
 southern warpaths are worn as never before by 
 the feet of the Onondagas. And now Atotarho 
 reopens the war trails toward the sunset, and 
 swift-footed, leads our people against the western 
 Iroquois. Will not a warfare long and bitter 
 arise when the Real Men fight with each other?" 
 
 The friend of man replied: "Learn to wait in 
 patience, White Eagle. Sorely the people need 
 thy service. If thou art patient and brave, thou 
 wilt some day serve them in council. Then thou 
 canst speak against such warfare." 
 
 But White Eagle answered: "Surely the Great 
 Ruler is not pleased with such warfare as the 
 Onondagas have brought upon the Seneca 
 people ! Does not every hunter in honor, and by 
 the law of his religion, give all game a chance to 
 fight for its life ? But the Onondagas have stolen 
 upon a Seneca village in the absence of its war- 
 riors, whose messengers were returned by us with 
 a deceitful answer. Never will White Eagle go 
 forth in such warfare, for surely the mighty sun, 
 Kagagwa, cannot look upon it with favor." 
 
 Hunadanlu replied: "Thy words are well 
 spoken, White Eagle, and thou art right in hold- 
 ing thy feet from the warpath. Thou must learn 
 through long endurance to put thy best thoughts 
 into actions. When thou hast learned this, the 
 hearts of the people will trust thee." 
 
 After a silence White Eagle said: "Tisote, a 
 
104 The Hero of the Longhousc 
 
 dark question often comes to the mind of White 
 Eagle. Is not Hagwedaetga, the Evil Mind, 
 sometimes triumphant? Surely his allies, the 
 Evil Spirits, enter the souls of men to lead them 
 to mischief! Who shall say that this war is not 
 guided by Hagwedaetga?" 
 
 Then Hunadanlu said: "My Son, thou art 
 foolish to question the power of the Great 
 Ruler. Hagwediyu will always conquer because 
 He draws His power from the sky-world, be- 
 cause He holds to Heaven. Forget not to help 
 forward the work of Hagwediyu wherever thou 
 goest, for men-beings are full of magic power 
 when they do the work of the Good Mind." 
 
 The next day the quiet of Kanatagowa was 
 rudely broken. The death wail sounded close to 
 the village, "Koo-weh! Koo-weh! Koo-weh!" 
 White Eagle heard it in the distant woodland and 
 with swift feet hastened homeward. The body 
 of an Onondaga scout had been found near the 
 maize field. It was plain that he had been killed 
 by a Seneca spy. This was proof enough that the 
 enemy was lurking about them. 
 
 The people were dismayed, for their most 
 trusted warrior had fallen — the warrior chosen 
 by Atotarho to be the leader of the little band 
 left to defend the village. 
 
 Thereafter, by day as well as by night, the gate 
 of the triple palisade was closed, and every one 
 who left the stockade was in danger. There was 
 no safety now in forest or open ; and when night 
 
In the Absence of the Warriors 105 
 
 came, he who ventured from his doorway might 
 be struck down in the darkness. But this danger 
 made the people more courageous. 
 
 Hunadanlu called the men and youth together 
 in council. First, they decided on the best means 
 of guarding the village and securing provisions. 
 The old men said that they would go out with the 
 Boy Hunters and follow the tracks of Okwari, 
 well fattened now for his long winter's sleep. The 
 warriors and youth would scout the forest. At 
 the danger signal, the people would hasten from 
 stream and forest to the shelter of the enclosure. 
 The men carefully looked over the stores of maize 
 that were buried in caches. Then they spoke with 
 doubt about the wood for winter. But Shawenis 
 answered for the women. The women of Kana- 
 tagowa were not cowards. Never would they 
 hide in the village until the white snow filled the 
 wood paths and covered the fuel. 
 
 The noble Shawenis held council with the 
 matrons and maidens. They must go far to find 
 enough wood to last through a long winter; 
 quickly the strongest offered for that service. 
 The store of meat would be small when the men 
 returned for the feast of the New Year, for they 
 were warriors now and not hunters. The nut 
 trees must supply them with food. The boys of 
 the village must follow Arosea, the squirrel, to 
 the tree tops ; with him they must gather a harvest 
 of chestnuts. They must fill the bark barrels with 
 the sweet hickory nut and the butternut; they 
 
106 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 must find the hidden stores of the squirrel, and 
 the winter's supply of the beaver. The women 
 must grub for roots and gather a large supply of 
 plants to make warm drinks, while the most ex- 
 perienced matrons must seek medicine plants for 
 the healing of sickness. 
 
 In three days piles of wood were heaped in the 
 enclosure, and every bark barrel was filled to 
 oA-erflowing. The braided seed maize hung along 
 the rafters, and bunches of herbs filled the long- 
 house with fragrance. 
 
 Very thankful were the people at nightfall 
 when they all gathered safely about the warm 
 fireside and found that none of their number was 
 missing. Pleasant to them was the light of Od- 
 jista, the fire, and pleasant the faces of kinsfolk 
 gathered about it. 
 
 Then the autumn winds were unleashed, and 
 the sky became dark and gloomy. They heard 
 the distant growl of the North Wind as he ranged 
 the desolate woodland; they heard his angry 
 screams from the rocking treetops and at the 
 corners of the longhouse. Then the cold rains 
 descended in torrents. 
 
 But their stockade was strong, and the trench 
 without it was deep and wide and soon the rain 
 would fill it with water. Nevertheless, their 
 hearts misgave them when they thought of their 
 scouts hiding and watching in the cold rain of 
 the storm-tossed forest ; thought of their warriors 
 exposed to hardships and dangers. The hearts of 
 
In the Absence of the Warriors 107 
 
 the women were filled with silent remonstrance. 
 Why should their old men expose themselves to 
 the fatigues of the chase? Why should their 
 children sleep with danger lurking about them? 
 ^Vhy should their warriors leave their bodies dis- 
 honored and unburied in the land of the stranger? 
 
 Nevertheless, the hearts of the youth were im- 
 patient. They thought it hard to be kept at home 
 with the women and the old men. They would 
 redouble their war practice that they might 
 follow Atotarho to honor and glory. The older 
 boys of the village looked upon White Eagle with 
 curious wonder. He had outdistanced all others 
 in the hunting, and they could see that he was 
 honored by the wisest of the village. But why 
 did he avoid the warpath and stay at home with 
 the women? 
 
 One cold night Ty-o-kar-as, the darkness, 
 crept close to the village and wrapped it in his 
 thickest mantle. Sleep closed the eyes of the 
 people ; closed the bright eyes of the children and 
 silenced their laughter ; closed the shining eyes of 
 maidens and hushed the music of their voices; 
 closed the kind eyes of the mothers and quieted 
 their fingers ; and very softly closed the dim eyes 
 of the aged and filled their minds with visions 
 sent by the Great Ruler. 
 
 All at once a glow lighted the village and drove 
 the darkness before it. Then a blaze broke from 
 the longhouse on the east side of the village. 
 Quickly it leaped to the roof and sent a glare over 
 
108 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the other houses. It lighted up the stockade and 
 the distant wood's edge. Wild cries of terror 
 broke the silence and awakened Kanatagowa. 
 "The Senecas are on us!" The men seized their 
 weapons ; the women hurried forth with the chil- 
 dren to hide them in the trenches. A longhouse 
 of the Bear Clan was blazing! 
 
 White Eagle was the first to discover that 
 there was no enemy to meet except the fire that 
 was swiftly spreading destruction. Already the 
 flames were shooting from every crevice of the 
 longhouse and j^ouring through the smoke holes ; 
 then with a crash the roof fell, and a huge wall 
 of flames arose, leaping toward the stockade 
 and forking toward the nearer houses of the 
 village. 
 
 In that moment of peril, White Eagle became 
 possessed with the strength of ten warriors. With 
 a shout he fell on the endangered stockade ; pull- 
 ing up the strong and deep -set stakes, he flung 
 them far across the trench. At once every youth 
 was working with him, and soon the stockade on 
 the east side was levelled. Then White Eagle 
 called to the people to bring their elm-bark 
 vessels. From the rain-filled trenches they car- 
 ried water and threw it high over the sides of the 
 houses nearest the fire. The youths climbed the 
 rafters and drenched the roofs with water. 
 
 It was White Eagle who suggested that scouts 
 stand without the broken defenses lest lurking 
 Senecas might surprise them. AVhen the fire 
 
In the Absence of the Warriors 109 
 
 began to die down, he was the first to put his 
 hands to the rebuilding of the stockade. 
 
 In that night of danger, the people of Kana- 
 tagowa learned that in the youthful White Eagle 
 the}'' had a strong defender. Thereafter in the 
 absence of the warriors, they would look to him 
 as a leader. 
 
CHAPTER TWELVE 
 
 THE DREAM-FAST OF WHITE EAGLE 
 
 Early in the New Year many of the warriors 
 returned to the village, and among them Ondi- 
 yaka. He looked on White Eagle with pleasure. 
 The youth had grown in stature and fullness so 
 that he stood equal in height with his father. He 
 had changed in movement and action, and his 
 face began to show the expression of manhood. 
 
 As he noted these changes, Ondiyaka said in 
 his heart: "The time has come for the dream-fast 
 of White Eagle. He is ready now to seek the 
 favor of his clan spirit; he is ready to enter the 
 life of manhood." 
 
 Ondiyaka had already spoken with White 
 Eagle on the greatness of manhood. He had told 
 him how it scorned every weakness, how it armed 
 itself with alertness and action, how it strength- 
 ened itself with control of the body, how it fol- 
 lowed the path of honor and the vision of high 
 achievements, how it worshiped the Great Ruler. 
 All this was the glory of manhood. 
 
 But now he began to speak to his son of the 
 meaning of the dream-fast. He said: "Listen, 
 lyeaha, my Son, well thou knowest that in sleep 
 the soul is freest ; in sleep it can hear the voices of 
 good spirits. When thy body is purified and thy 
 mind cleared by fasting, then thy soul will find 
 its truest vision ; then the sacred dream will come 
 nigh thee that is sent by thy clan spirit. In that 
 vision thou shalt find thy life's leading." 
 
The Dream-fast of White Eagle 111 
 
 White Eagle listened to his father's words de- 
 voutly, and gladly he prepared for his dream- 
 fast. 
 
 In the distant forest he knew of a mountain 
 height overlooking wide stretches of country. 
 There he hastened to build a lodge for his fasting. 
 He built it of young saplings and covered it with 
 branches of evergreen hemlock. Before it stood 
 a tall pine tree, and below and far away through 
 the distance stretched the unbroken forest that 
 was touched with the fresh green of the spring- 
 time. 
 
 The dream-fast before him was full of strange 
 mystery. If need be, ten suns might pass above 
 him in that fasting and ten long nights hold him 
 in dreams. Three times must his clan spirit re- 
 veal his totem. If it were the deer, he would 
 wind its soft skin about him to warn away the 
 cold winds. If the bear, he would string its 
 strong claws to wear round his neck. If the 
 wolf, its white teeth should guard him from 
 danger. If the beaver, he would wed the water. 
 If the turtle, its shell should be his breastplate. 
 If a bird, its wings should adorn him.'^ 
 
 When the lodge was finished, he returned to 
 the village. He entered the sweat house and care- 
 fully cleansed and purified his body. Then came 
 Waundana and Shawenis, bringing new clothes 
 to White Eagle. They brought the gaka or 
 breechcloth, and the belt and moccasins. All 
 
 ^ Iroquois Myths and Legends, page 108. 
 
112 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 were wrought by their hands and embroidered in 
 the sun pattern. 
 
 The morning for his departure had come. At 
 the door of the longhouse stood Waundana and 
 Ondiyaka. With them was the aged friend of 
 man, Hunadanlu, and the grandmother of White 
 Eagle, the wise Shawenis; there, too, was his 
 sister, the bright-eyed maiden Gawenneta. 
 White Eagle approached them in quiet farewell ; 
 then they watched his form retreating toward the 
 forest, saw it disappear within the forest. In 
 their hearts they were saying: "Farewell to 
 White Eagle. No more will the youthful Wliite 
 Eagle return to us; instead there will come the 
 young man with the vision and purpose of man- 
 hood." 
 
 White Eagle believed firmly that his clan 
 spirit was near him. All night he lay in the lonely 
 pine lodge waiting and watching. With the 
 coming of daylight he rose from his bed of pine 
 boughs and turning his face toward the sun he 
 thanked Hawenniyu, the Master of Life, and 
 prayed for His guidance. Then he went to the 
 brookside and drank freely of its clear water. 
 
 Each day he sought to do the work of Hag- 
 wediyu, the spirit of good, in making war on evil 
 things. He killed poisonous serpents and dug 
 up hurtful roots and plants and destroyed every- 
 thing that was vicious and evil. 
 
 Daily the chiefs came to his lodge that they 
 might be assured that all went well with his fast- 
 ing. 
 
The Dream-fast of White Eagle 113 
 
 As the days passed, his mind grew in clearness. 
 He put away questions and doubting. He must 
 listen and wait for the Word that would guide 
 him through the years of his manhood. All night 
 long the silent stars moved above him; all day 
 the great sun looked upon him. Life, mys- 
 terious Yon-he, came closer, nearer. She spoke 
 to him in the sighing of the pine trees; in the 
 breathing of the forest; in the bird's song at the 
 lodge entrance; in the wise, soft calls of the doe 
 speaking to her young ones ; in humble, creeping 
 worms and insects that might be the Elf Folk. 
 Truly, all good creatures were doing the work of 
 the great Hawenniyu, Master of Life. Truly 
 the world was full of the wonder of Yonhe; full 
 of the music and movement of life. And the 
 broad trails of Yonhe on land and sea were wide 
 enough for all living creatures from the least to 
 the greatest. 
 
 Silently the days passed, but no dreams had 
 come near White Eagle. On the fourth day 
 when the chiefs came and shook the lodge poles, 
 he answered as he had done each day before, 
 "The clan spirit of White Eagle has not spoken." 
 
 On the fifth day, he lay on his couch in the 
 weakness of fasting. On that day old questions 
 and doubts like haunting spirits of evil assailed 
 him. It was vain to fight against them, for with 
 each battle they gi-ew stronger and stronger until 
 they filled his mind with denial and darkness. 
 He was haunted by the face of the Cherokee cap- 
 
114 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 tive whom he helped to torture in boyhood. He 
 could see it gazing at him when the evening 
 shadows gathered, see it flitting, pausing, grow- 
 ing nearer, the eyes still shining with the light of 
 the Good Mind. 
 
 In vain White Eagle fought against this 
 haunting phantom. At last it changed and be- 
 came the face of Atotarho. The face of the war 
 chieftain was dark and frowning; it looked in 
 scorn and derision on White Eagle. It called 
 him a coward who had hid himself among women. 
 
 In the evening he stood under the night sky. 
 He was very weak and weary. His youthful 
 dreams of ambition had departed. Like a broken 
 child he stood there, and, speaking to the Great 
 Ruler as to one who comes the nearest, he asked 
 only for light and leading. 
 
 Suddenlj^ he felt himself enfolded by a great 
 presence, and in his soul a sacred voice was 
 speaking. 
 
 In that moment all the shackles that had so 
 grievously bound him fell from his freed spirit. 
 In that moment all his questions stood answered. 
 Then indeed he knew that all things have their 
 being in Hawenniyu, the Master of Life. 
 
 That night in his dream, he stood at the lodge 
 entrance. From the forest, myriads of voices 
 were speaking as one voice and saying: "Behold 
 the pine tree ; pluck its branch and find its story." 
 
 All that sixth day he lay on his couch and 
 listened to Ostaa, the pine tree, that spoke in a 
 
The Dream-fast of White Eagle 115 
 
 voice soft cand human. The good teachings of his 
 childhood, the great traditions of his people, 
 seemed to breathe from its branches in audible 
 words — now in the low voice of his mother, now 
 in the deep voice of the wise Hunadanlu, friend 
 of man. And as he listened he seemed like one 
 who understands for the first time. 
 
 When the chiefs came and shook the lodge 
 poles, White Eagle replied, "Once has my clan 
 spirit spoken." 
 
 On the seventh night as he slept, he heard 
 again the sacred voice speaking clearly. It said, 
 "In Ostaa, the pine tree, is thy life's promise and 
 leading; pluck its branch and read its story." 
 
 When White Eagle awoke, the sky was red 
 with dawn. He was filled with new purpose and 
 strength. Gladly he rose and thanked the Great 
 Ruler. Then he stepped to the lodge door and 
 stretching forth his hand to the pine tree, broke 
 a small twig that might be the sacred sign of his 
 life's leading. As he plucked that branch of the 
 white pine, a single group of its needles dropped 
 downward. He stooped to pick them up. He 
 looked at them a moment. Then in joy and 
 wonder he read in them the promise of his dream- 
 fast. For the needles of Ostaa, were firmly bound 
 together in clusters of five. Eagerly White 
 Eagle scanned the branch that he held. Every- 
 where were five needles bound firmly together; 
 everywhere on the ground the five united needles 
 had fallen. 
 
116 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Then the clan spirit of White Eagle whis- 
 pered: "Here is the symbol of the five tribes of 
 the Real Men, and the promise of their union. 
 Each pine leaf stands for a tribe, and the union 
 of the five is the sign of the bond which the Great 
 Wisdom sees between the Real Men." 
 
 That day when the chiefs came and shook the 
 lodge pole, White Eagle replied in a clear voice: 
 "Twice has my clan spirit spoken." 
 
 Again that night White Eagle heard the voice 
 of his clan spirit. This time it spoke from the 
 pine tree. It said, "In Ostaa, behold the sign of 
 thy work and its promise." 
 
 White Eagle awoke as one who goes forth to 
 meet a great future. He stood at the doorway 
 and thanked the Great Ruler. Then he looked on 
 the pine tree, saying: "Surely the clan spirit of 
 White Eagle has spoken in the voice of Ostaa, 
 the pine tree. Surely it has shown White Eagle 
 the symbol of his life's endeavor. Surely it has 
 placed on AVhite Eagle the great work of uniting 
 the tribes of the Real Men!" 
 
 That day when the chiefs shook the lodge 
 poles, White Eagle spoke: "Three times has my 
 clan spirit revealed himself in the sacred emblem 
 of the pine tree. Yet will I linger one day more 
 for teaching." 
 
 On the eighth day White Eagle returned to 
 the village. He came as one who walks in free- 
 dom, and his face was uphfted and shining. 
 
 Then Hunadanlu said: "He has sought his 
 
"In joy and wonder he read . . . the promise of 
 his dream-fast" 
 
118 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 own mind and found it, he hcas found the mind of 
 his manhood. In his soul a word has been spoken. 
 Let him be called Hiawatha, he who finds his lost 
 mind close beside him," 
 
 So Hiawatha returned to his people, bearing 
 on his bosom the sacred symbol of his life's en- 
 deavor, the sacred promise of the uniting of the 
 Real Men. Thus he received the name that 
 would be beloved by the Real Men so long as 
 wood grows and water runs on the broad island 
 of Ataensic. 
 
PART TWO 
 
 Defending the Homeland 
 
CHAPTER THIRTEEN 
 
 THE PLANTING FESTIVAL 
 
 Just before dawn of the first day of planting, 
 while yet the village slept, came the blessing of 
 the fields. Out of the longhouse of the Wolf 
 Clan, stepped the maiden Wa-nut-ha. She was 
 dressed in new garments; her long hair was 
 fastened by a band worked in blue and red and 
 yellow. 
 
 The strong, fresh air of the morning was blow- 
 ing upward from the Gasunto. It brought with 
 it the freshness of the forest and the fragrance 
 of bursting leaf buds. Already the darkness was 
 touched with the mystery of dawn. Wanutha 
 paused and lifted her face toward the east where 
 was glowing the dawn star, the lovely Star Wo- 
 man whose touch lighted the council fire of Kaga- 
 gwa. As she stood there the maiden silently 
 prayed for the blessing of the Great Ruler. 
 Then in reverent awe she took her way to the 
 freshly plowed open. 
 
 Well Wanutha knew that 0-na-ta, the corn 
 spirit, was abroad in her maize fields. As she 
 went forward in the pale dawn-light, the maiden 
 felt sure that the glorious Onata was walking 
 through her fields. Was not Onata standing 
 there at the west edge of the open, her maize 
 garments all rosy with the glow of the east sky? 
 Surely the eyes of Onata were gazing on Wa- 
 nutha! She could feel their soft shining from 
 the distance like stars reflected in night waters. 
 
 121 
 
122 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 But when the morning light grew clearer, the 
 rosy shining of Onata's garments had faded and 
 Wanutha stood alone in the silent open. 
 
 Slowly the maiden encircled the fields with her 
 footsteps. As she went forward she scattered 
 the first grains of the maize seed and prayed to 
 Onata, the corn spirit, to bless the fields of the 
 people. 
 
 While Wanutha was sprinkling the earth with 
 the first maize seed, Hiawatha and Sosondoweh 
 met in the dawn-light to make the vow of friend- 
 ship. Together they stood at the edge of the 
 forest ready to take on themselves the bond that 
 should never be loosed so long as they both trod 
 Yo-an-ja, the life-giving earth. 
 
 For a few moments they stood looking toward 
 the east sky; then with hands united they spoke 
 the sacred words of promise: "I will be to thee a 
 faithful friend and comrade. In difficulty and 
 danger, I will aid thee; in sorrow I will comfort 
 thee; in death by battle I will not forsake thy 
 body; always I will guard thine honor, and, if 
 need come, I will avenge it with my life." 
 
 After that pledge was given, both stood in 
 silence until they saw Kagagwa, the great sun 
 warrior, lift his head in the east. Then without 
 words, they parted. 
 
 Hiawatha turned into the forest. Once he 
 looked back to see Sosondoweh. His friend had 
 disappeared in the village ; but, coming up from 
 the maize fields, he saw a shining maiden in 
 
The Planting Festival 123 
 
 beautiful garments. Her face was all alight with 
 the rosy glow of morning. Like the spirit of 
 dawn, she was clothed in the glorious brightness 
 of Kagagwa. For a moment Hiawatha looked 
 on her as if he were seeing a blessed vision ; then 
 he whispered, "It is Wanutha, who returns from 
 blessing the maize field." As he turned to the 
 forest, his heart rebuked him because he had 
 dared look on the maiden who was performing 
 the first sacred rite of the Planting Festival. But 
 never through all the years of his life did that 
 vision of Wanutha forsake Hiawatha. 
 
 An hour later, the fields were flooded with the 
 friendly sunlight. Then the women went forth 
 to the open, and gladly they planted the fields 
 whose harvest should sustain the lives of their 
 children. As they worked, they saw Gaga, the 
 crow, looking on with curious interest. Surely 
 the wise Gaga knew what they were doing. Ages 
 ago he had winged his way from the sun, bring- 
 ing the first kernels of maize to Hagwediyu, 
 spirit of good, that he might plant them above 
 the grave of Ataensic, his mother. 
 
 A few days later the ordered fields had all been 
 filled with the precious maize seed. Then came 
 the Planting Festival, when the people assembled 
 to ask the blessing of Hawenniyu, the Great 
 Ruler, on the seed which they had placed in the 
 earth. 
 
 From their most precious stores, the clan 
 mothers prepared the choicest food for the fes- 
 
124 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 tival. In tlie early morning the people assembled 
 in the place of council, for their Fathers had 
 taught them that the first part of the day is 
 sacred to the Great Ruler. Dressed in their 
 newest garments, they came forth from the doors 
 of the long bark lodges — the men and the 
 youths, the matrons and maidens and children — 
 in all the village there was no one absent. The 
 maiden, Wanutha, led her aged grandmother, 
 Xogondih. Very slowly they walked, for the 
 grandmother was bent and blind. As they moved 
 onward, Xogondih received many kindly greet- 
 ings, and these she answered speaking the name 
 of the one who addressed her. For Ohanta, the 
 ear, had learned to do many things better for 
 Nogondih since the light of the eye had failed 
 her. 
 
 When the people were gathered in the place of 
 council, the men on one side, the women and 
 children on the other, the well-loved Hunadanlu 
 addressed them. He said: "Radixaa, my Chil- 
 dren, the eyes of the Great Ruler follow 
 your footsteps. He looks on your good deeds 
 with pleasure and though many moons pass, He 
 remembers to reward them. Ye shall be kind to 
 the evil as well as the good, for this is the will 
 of the Great Wisdom. Ye shall drive from your 
 hearts all enmity that lurks there, lest the bitter 
 spirit of revenge awaken among you and follow 
 you without sleeping. Radixaa, my Children, 
 continue to listen. Ye who strive to be numbered 
 
The Planting Festival 125 
 
 with the great of the Real jMen must Hve in love 
 with each other. Ye shall do justice to all. In 
 the longhouse or forest, on the hunting path or 
 in council, as ye meet with the warriors or women 
 or with the little children, ye shall be upright in 
 the smallest action; for this is pleasing to the 
 watchful eyes of Hawenniyu, the Great 
 Wisdom." 
 
 The people listened to these words with silent 
 attention, and even while they listened they put 
 away evil thoughts so that they might truly 
 please the blaster of Life. 
 
 And now the moment had come when a band 
 of young men should stand before the people in 
 worship. With reverent interest the people 
 awaited the great feather dance of the Iroquois. 
 Soon the band of dancers appeared in full dress, 
 led by Hiawatha; one following the other, they 
 entered the circle. Their movements, slow and 
 stately, following each other in rhythmical 
 order, imaged in action the worship of the 
 Great Ruler. 
 
 As they gave one figure, and then another, of 
 the great dance of their people, the dancers fixed 
 their thoughts on the words chanted by the 
 singers. While the singers repeated the great 
 prayer of the JMen of jNIen, the dancers pictured 
 it in action. 
 
 "We thank our Mother, the Earth, for the 
 grasses, flowers and shrubs that cover her bosom ; 
 for the precious seeds that give promise of bar- 
 
120 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 vest. We thank the rivers and streams that 
 supply life and comfort to the soil; we thank the 
 herbs and plants of the earth, and the fruit-bear- 
 ing bushes and trees. We thank the winds for 
 their purifying power, and we thank Heno, the 
 thunderer, who sends rain on the earth. We 
 thank the moon and stars that give light while 
 the sun rests, and we thank the sun for his ben- 
 eficent eyes that look on the earth, regulate the 
 seasons, and watch for the comfort of men. We 
 thank the Great Creator who is the source of our 
 health and life. We are grateful for the Ho-no- 
 che-no-kee, our invisible helpers, the servants of 
 the Great Ruler. We thank the Master of Life 
 for the wisdom that guides to truth; we implore 
 Him to keep us from evil ways so that the sun 
 will not hide his face and leave us in darkness." 
 
 This day the feather dance came with new 
 meaning, for the people had been long oppressed 
 with the fears and cares brought by warfare. It 
 gladdened the hearts of the aged men and women 
 to see their strongest young men come before 
 them dressed in new garments, their action no 
 longer telling the story of warfare but picturing 
 thanksgiving and worshijD. 
 
 ^lany of the people spoke in hushed voices of 
 the name and totem of Hiawatha. The wisest 
 among them said, "It is a totem of good omen. 
 Always has the tree been sacred to the Real Men 
 because in the beginning its roots pointed the 
 earth-way to the Sky Mother. 
 
The Planting Festival 127 
 
 That night beside the silent maize fields Huna- 
 danlu stood and looked across the dark earth 
 where were hidden the precious seeds that would 
 give bread to the people. He, too, was thinking 
 on Hiawatha's totem, the miited five needles of 
 the pine tree. The old man's heart rejoiced, for 
 he perceived that the clan spirit of Hiawatha had 
 confirmed the promise given in vision at the birth- 
 time of the little AMiite Eagle. For that day 
 Hiawatha had revealed to Hunadanlu, the 
 keeper of the faith, the hidden meaning of the 
 pine-tree totem; he had told Hunadanlu of the 
 great work that had been enjoined with the gift 
 of that totem. 
 
 Hunadanlu was thankful, for he read in 
 this symbol of the united ])me needles the ful- 
 fillment of the dream promise sent at the birth of 
 White Eagle. ^AHien the united five tribes sat 
 down together in council, would there not be a 
 peace smoke that should cover the broad island of 
 Ataensic? 
 
 But in that hour a foreboding arose in the mind 
 of the far-seeing Hunadanlu. In that future 
 work would not Hiawatha find in Atotarho a 
 powerful opjDonent? Surely the ambitious war 
 chieftain would never consent to a peace alliance 
 between the five tribes of the Real ^len, unless 
 it were achieved through conquest! Then a 
 sudden question arose in the mind of Hunadanlu : 
 "Could it be that Atotarho was the bird of dark- 
 ness that had harried and driven the White Eagle 
 of his dreams?" 
 
CHAPTER FOURTEEN 
 
 THE DEFENSE OF KANATAGOWA 
 
 The demands of war had been heavy. The 
 planting season found the food supply of the 
 Onondagas so far reduced that it was cause for 
 apprehension to the elders of the people. The 
 store of dried meat and fish was exhausted ; and 
 so long as the hunters and fishers were kept on 
 the warpath, there was small prospect of its re- 
 newal. 
 
 Game was becoming scarce about Kanata- 
 gowa, and the hunting and fishing done by 
 those who remained at home was barely sufficient 
 to meet the daily wants of the people. Worst of 
 all, the large supply of maize that had been laid 
 up during the peace period was exhausted by the 
 demands of the warriors for parched corn, and 
 by the need, in the absence of meat, of an almost 
 exclusive maize diet for the women and children. 
 
 Already there was discontent among the 
 women ; for they saw that their children were be- 
 ginning to sicken for lack of suitable food, while 
 they knew that for the same cause their own 
 strength was waning. 
 
 The discontent of the home people was well 
 known to Atotarho. He knew also that the peace 
 party was daily growing stronger and his power 
 to continue the war more uncertain. The plans 
 of the war chieftain were thwarted most often by 
 the Turtle Clan, that always led the peace party. 
 There was a new threat of danger to his warlike 
 
The Defense of Kanatagowa 129 
 
 ambition in the fact that Ondiyaka, the powerful 
 \Yo\i chieftain, had lately taken a stand against 
 the Seneca war. Atotarho was not slow to see 
 that one cause for this change lay in the influence 
 of Hiawatha. The young man's open withdrawal 
 from war had drawn marked attention, while his 
 undoubted courage and devotion to the people 
 had won him universal trust and honor. 
 
 In his heart, Atotarho believed that another 
 successful invasion of the Seneca land would 
 compel the Senecas to seek peace with the Onon- 
 dagas. But he feared that the demand for the 
 closing of the war might come first from his own 
 people. For this reason he eagerly awaited a 
 pretext for again invading the enemy's country. 
 This was not long in coming. 
 
 In the fawn moon, when the blades of corn 
 were a span high, a runner entered Kanatagowa 
 to report that the whole body of Seneca warriors 
 had moved westward toward the country of the 
 Eries. 
 
 At once a council assembled. The most for- 
 cible speakers of the war party urged that the 
 enemy's movement was probably a ruse to de- 
 ceive the Onondagas. The people must prepare 
 for an immediate invasion. 
 
 After his elders had finished, Atotarho arose, 
 and his speech was short and decisive. 
 
 "Brothers, if the Senecas are on the w^arpath 
 against us, we must be quick to call our warriors 
 together and meet them before they have time to 
 
130 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 surprise us. If, however, the foe is invading some 
 tribe to the westward, it is the moment for the 
 Onondagas to strike a decisive blow. In either 
 case our warriors must assemble and descend like 
 a forest fire on the land of the Great Hill People. 
 Naho. I have spoken." 
 
 This speech was received with shouts of ap- 
 proval from most of the warriors. 
 
 Immediately the swiftest runners were sent to 
 summon the other villages of the Onondagas and 
 to ask the Oneidas and Mohawks to join. The 
 Onondaga war party was speedily ready. 
 
 While Atotarho was eager to take the offensive 
 and surprise the principal towns of the Senecas, 
 he was secretly uneasy for the safety of the Onon- 
 daga country. Xo fresh news of the enemy's 
 movements had reached him. He suspected that 
 the foe might then be on Skanodario. He knew 
 that if the Senecas were bent on an invasion, they 
 would spare no trouble in eluding his scouts. Yet 
 so great was his faith in his system of scouting, 
 that he did not believe that the enemy could move 
 eastward on land or water, without his receiving 
 a warning. So Atotarho determined to move at 
 once toward the enemy's country, marching 
 slowly at first until he was certain of the foe's 
 position. At Kanatagowa he left four of his 
 best runners. Should danger threaten the home 
 country, they would bring him swift warning. 
 
 With the departure of the war party, an om- 
 inous silence settled on Kanatagowa. The 
 
The Defense of Kanatagowa 131 
 
 elders talked together in council. With the 
 chance of approaching danger, the peoj^le had 
 need of a trusty defender and leader; with a 
 single impulse they turned to Hiawatha. 
 
 At once Hiawatha assembled the men and 
 boys. He arranged a signal that should instantly 
 call them together, and he sent the best trained 
 of the youth to scout the country northward. He 
 gave strict orders for the women and children to 
 remain within easy reach of the village. He 
 looked at the scant supply of arrows left by the 
 warriors and ordered every man who could use 
 the bone flaker to begin the work of making 
 arrows. There was a small spring within the 
 enclosure. Xevertheless, he ordered the fullest 
 supply of water to be brought from the river. 
 Then he moved about the stockade and examined 
 it closely. A steep bank on three sides of the 
 village gave a natural protection. An attack 
 would surely be made from the side nearest the 
 forest. The women and children brought stones 
 which the men piled into a breastwork on the 
 forest side of the stockade. From the river they 
 brought the canoes and placed them on top of 
 this stone wall to make it higher. 
 
 Hiawatha sent Daweyongo, the most saga- 
 cious of the younger scouts, to a wooded and 
 rocky height that commanded a distant view of 
 the Oswego. This was the same Daweyongo, 
 sworn friend of the exiled Aodogweh, who had 
 broken the skull of one of the great bears that 
 
132 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the Boy Foxes slew. Swiftly and noiselessly, 
 Daweyongo ran through the forest, reaching the 
 point just as the first light of Kagagwa reddened 
 the east sky. The young warrior inspected the 
 place, and his resolve was soon taken. He would 
 be taught by the snake, the wily Saista. Cau- 
 tiously he took a position that, at a distance, 
 made his body indistinguishable among the 
 gnarled and broken trees. 
 
 His watching was long and weary. Slowly 
 Kagagwa crossed the heavens, while Daweyongo 
 patiently held his place. All the next sun, his 
 watching was continued. On the morning of the 
 third sun, Daweyongo's keen eyes saw a dark 
 object move down the shining waters of the dis- 
 tant Oswego. It was followed by another and 
 another. 
 
 Three times, at short intervals, Daweyongo 
 sounded the danger call. He heard it taken up 
 by a distant voice, and then by another still more 
 distant. Soon the call was repeated close to 
 Kanatagowa, "Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah!" 
 
 At that signal, Hiawatha sent out the four 
 runners. They ran two by two, and each pair 
 took a different course. They were to warn Ato- 
 tarho of the peril of the village. And now from 
 every side the danger signal sounded. From 
 open and forest the people hurried into the en- 
 closure. 
 
 Hiawatha placed the men and boys behind the 
 stone breastwork. He said, "No arrow is to be 
 
'He took a {josition lliuU al a ilisluuce, made his body 
 indistinguishable among the gnarled and broken trees" 
 
134 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 wasted. The shooting must begin and end at 
 my signal." The women hurried to hide their 
 young children. Soon the village appeared de- 
 serted. 
 
 Hardly were these preparations completed, 
 when a deafening war cry sounded from the 
 forest, and a band of Senecas broke from the 
 wood's edge and advanced swiftly on the village. 
 As they neared the palisade thej^ were met by a 
 shower of arrows that checked them. They 
 pressed forward to the stockade and vainly at- 
 tempted to scale it. The triple wall of strong 
 stakes was firm, and the arrows bit them as they 
 struggled to destroy it. 
 
 Almost immediately the foe fell back to the 
 forest. There was a long-continued silence. Sud- 
 denly the enemy advanced again from the wood's 
 edge. This time they were bearing their canoes 
 before them as shields. When the Senecas 
 reached the stockade, the defenders saw the 
 gleam of blazing torches. Each enemy warrior, 
 aiming with precision, hurled a torch of blazing 
 pitch at the roof of a longhouse. 
 
 At once the women and children became war- 
 riors. Boys and girls nimbly ran to the roofs like 
 squirrels and threw down the burning torches, 
 while the women brought water to drench the 
 tops of the bark houses. Meanwhile Hiawatha 
 and his best bowmen sent their arrows wherever 
 the enemy was uncovered. 
 
 Fearing that the supply of water would be 
 
The Defense of Kanatagowa 135 
 
 exhausted, Hiawatha ordered the women not to 
 throw it unless a fire was started. The warning 
 was timely. Unobserved a burning torch had 
 fallen at the side of a bark house; in a moment 
 the flames leaped upward. Short and sharp was 
 the battle. The women threw large mats over the 
 fire, drenching all with water from their elm-bark 
 vessels. Soon the fire was extinguished, but the 
 water supply was exhausted. 
 
 Well indeed it was for Onondaga that the 
 enemy did not perceive this new peril of the de- 
 fenders. When the Senecas had used all their 
 torches, they abandoned the attempt to burn the 
 village. 
 
 Then the shooting was resumed with great pre- 
 cision. ]Many of the defenders were wounded, 
 but some of these plucked out the arrows and 
 continued to do battle. 
 
 The sun was at the highest point of the heavens 
 when the attack began. As the hours passed, the 
 foe became more furious. Within the stockade 
 the supply of arrows was becoming smaller and 
 smaller; and now, between the attacks, each man 
 seized his bone flaker and hastily chipped an 
 arrow. 
 
 The sun had touched the western tree tops, 
 when the wearied defenders of Kanatagowa 
 heard a warning call from the forest. Instantly 
 the Senecas withdrew, carrying their fallen with 
 them. But before they left the open, they de- 
 scended on the maize fields, swiftly uprooting the 
 young corn and leaving ruin behind them. 
 
130 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Hiawatha, standing among the people, uttered 
 a cry of dismay when he saw that attack on the 
 precious maize fields. Their enemy had found 
 a way sorely to afflict the village. 
 
 Soon a silence fell along the wood's edge. A 
 half hour later the whole force of Onondaga 
 warriors appeared before Kanatagowa. 
 
 Atotarho's face was dark and ireful when he 
 found that the foe had eluded his war party. But 
 it was still darker when he learned that the 
 stronghold of the Onondagas had been saved by 
 the sagacious courage of his youthful rival, Hia- 
 watha, who by that act had won the right to wear 
 the heron feather and to be numbered with the 
 most trusted warriors. 
 
CHAPTER FIFTEEN 
 
 THE DEATH OF ONDIYAKA 
 
 When the war party had departed, the clan 
 mothers of the village turned their thoughts to 
 the ruined fields. During the planting moon 
 there had been little rain; and now, at the be- 
 ginning of the fawn moon, the earth was dry 
 and rainless. With sad apprehension the women 
 of Kanatagowa carefully planted the last of the 
 precious maize seed. 
 
 A week passed. One evening Waundana, 
 mother of Hiawatha and Gawenneta, was sit- 
 ting alone at the doorway of the longhouse; her 
 eyes were turned toward the maize fields lying 
 bare and black in the gathering twilight. Seven 
 days before, Hiawatha, with a band of young 
 hunters, had gone to the shores of Skanodario. 
 This very sun two of the party had returned with 
 news that the fishing had been fruitless and that 
 there was little game in the forest. The deer that 
 they had brought with them was thin in flesh. 
 Waundana was oppressed by this new threat of 
 famine. She was oppressed by heavy forebodings 
 because of the ruined maize fields, and still more 
 by the thought of Ondiyaka, her husband, on the 
 distant war path. Ondiyaka disapproved of the 
 Seneca war and spoke openly against it. How 
 long would Atotarho brook such opposition? 
 
 As darkness gathered, Och-do-ah, the bat, 
 suddenly flew from the pine tree and circled 
 around her. Waundana started when she saw 
 
 137 
 
138 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the creature of ill omen. It disappeared, but only 
 to reappear and come nearer. It flitted about her 
 head and then darted back to the pine tree. Her 
 heart beat loud as she waited. Again the thing 
 of evil omen darted toward her; this time it 
 circled about her head, and thrice its cold wings 
 touched her forehead. After that it came no 
 more. 
 
 Surely Waundana had received warning from 
 the Elf Folk that foretold sudden and dire evil! 
 Trembling with fear, she hurried to tell Huna- 
 danlu. 
 
 When she had finished, the old man said: 
 "Three times has Ochdoah touched your fore- 
 head with his evil wings. Some dark disaster ap- 
 proaches. I will pray the Great Ruler to send 
 the Honochenokee, the invisible helpers, to guard 
 thee." 
 
 The next day Hiawatha returned from the 
 hunting, and in his strong presence Waundana 
 forgot her misgivings. But as the sun was de- 
 clining, the call of a runner sounded. Hiawatha, 
 standing outside the stockade, saw an Onondaga 
 enter the village to announce the return of the 
 warriors. Soon the war party in full dress 
 emerged from the forest. The men were led by 
 Atotarho, who proudly displayed the scalps he 
 had taken. A group of captives followed. At 
 the end of the procession, a group of the Wolf 
 Clan bore a dead chieftain. A sudden fear chilled 
 the heart of Hiawatha. He hurried forward and 
 
The Death of Ondiyaka 139 
 
 looked on the face of the dead. It was Ondiyaka, 
 his father! Then above the shouts of victory 
 there sounded a strong cry of anguish that star- 
 tled the woodland; it was the wail of Hiawatha. 
 
 At midnight Hunadanlu, the friend of man, 
 stood in the deserted place of council. He had 
 questioned the men who had found the dead 
 chieftain. He had learned that the Onondagas 
 were returning and were less than an hour dis- 
 tant from Kanatagowa when last the Wolf chief- 
 tain was seen among them. Ondiyaka, full of 
 vigor and the joy of home-coming, had run in 
 advance of the others. All at once they had come 
 on his body but lately fallen. A single arrow 
 had pierced the brain. The scalj) was untouched. 
 In vain they had searched the forest; there was 
 no sign of a foe. 
 
 The arrow that had struck Ondiyaka was given 
 to Hunadanlu. The old man looked at it long 
 and intently. The flint point was skillfully bev- 
 eled at each edge so that the shaft would whirl 
 in its flight. It was not like the Seneca arrows. 
 The best arrow maker of the Bear Clan had made 
 many like it. The friend of man was filled with 
 deep misgiving. When he left the place of 
 council he carried the fatal arrow with him. He 
 hoped that it would be forgotten; that he could 
 keep the arrow hidden from the clansmen 
 of the dead chieftain. 
 
 The wailers had wept ; the death song had been 
 chanted; the war paint lined the strong face of 
 
140 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the dead Ondiyaka. He had been crowned with 
 heron feathers, the Iroquois emblem of power. 
 In his hands rested his flint scalping knife and 
 war club; and, robed in rich deerskins, his dead 
 body waited the sunrise. 
 
 When the sun reached the east sky, the people 
 of the Wolf Clan appeared in a body as 
 mourners. First came the sachems and chiefs; 
 these were followed by the family of Ondiyaka 
 and his kinsfolk. After them came the Turtle 
 Clan; and, following in long procession, walked 
 the warriors of the Bear Clan. 
 
 They wrapped the chieftain's body in the bark 
 of the elm, and lowered it into the earth. Then 
 the sachems and chiefs formed in a circle around 
 the grave. Each in turn, beginning with the eld- 
 est, cast into it three handfuls of earth. The first 
 in remembrance of the Great Ruler; the second 
 of the sun, Kagagwa; the third of the Earth 
 Mother, Yoanja. When the grave was filled, the 
 eldest sachem placed at its head the deerhorns of 
 the dead Ondiyaka, the emblem of his office. 
 There they would remain until his successor was 
 elected. 
 
 On the evening of that day, Hiawatha released 
 a captured bird above the grave of Ondiyaka. 
 For a moment the freed bird lay still in the open 
 hands of Hiawatha, then it spread its wings and 
 swept away toward the west sky, bearing with 
 it the spirit of the dead Ondiyaka; bearing it 
 toward the Sunset-Land of the Blessed. 
 
Hiawatha released a captured bird above the grave 
 of Ondivaka" 
 
142 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 As night fell, Hiawathca lighted a fire at the 
 head of the grave of his father. All night Hia- 
 watha sat there, and with him was his mother, 
 Waundana, and his sister, Gawenneta. For nine 
 nights that fire was kept burning, and those 
 nearest the dead Ondiyaka watched beside it until 
 daybreak. Not until the soul of Ondiyaka had 
 arrived at the end of its journey was the sacred 
 fire extinguished. 
 
 During the time that the grave fire was burn- 
 ing, the quiet eyes of Hunadanlu followed Hia- 
 watha with a question. Would he guess the secret 
 that was buried with Ondiyaka, the secret carried 
 in the heart of the restless Atotarho? That ques- 
 tion was quickly answered. 
 
 The first morning after the fire was extin- 
 guished on the grave of the Wolf chieftain, Hia- 
 watha suddenly stood beside Hunadanlu and 
 said: 
 
 "Tisote, I would see the arrow that brought 
 death to my father." 
 
 Without speaking, Hunadanlu drew the arrow 
 from his quiver and placed it in the hand of Hia- 
 watha. Carefully Hiawatha scanned it. Then 
 he said, as if in answer to a question, "It was 
 made in the Bear Clan. There are many like it 
 in the quivers of its chieftains. Tisote, this arrow 
 shall be worn on the breast of Hiawatha until he 
 has avenged the death of his father." 
 
 Hunadanlu said: "My Son, when that arrow 
 struck Ondiyaka, there was no man to see it. On 
 
The Death of Ondiyaka 143 
 
 whom would you avenge the death of your 
 father?" 
 
 Brief was Hiawatha's answer. "My vengeance 
 shall follow Atotarho." 
 
 Silentlj^ the old man turned and looked at Hia- 
 watha, noted the height and strength of his figure, 
 noted the tension of his muscles, and the signs of 
 passion in his darkened face. Then he spoke: 
 "lyeaha, my Son, it is forbidden." 
 
 Quickly the answer came, "By whom is it for- 
 bidden?"' 
 
 And Hunadanlu answered, "It is forbidden by 
 the totem of Hiawatha." 
 
 After a moment the old man spoke again, 
 "Never can Hiawatha stand for the union of the 
 Real jNIen if he leads the Wolf Clan in vengeance 
 against the Bear Clan; for the clan bond must be 
 used to unite the Real Men, not to destroy them." 
 
 Silently the young warrior lifted the totem 
 from his breast; it was a gorget on which the blind 
 Ganiuska had carved a group of five united 
 pine needles. Long and earnestly he gazed on it 
 and then on the arrow. Again and again he 
 looked from one to the other as if he were de- 
 ciding between two difficult pathways. The pas- 
 sion slowly faded from his face that was now 
 gravely resolute. With a decisive movement he 
 returned the arrow to Hunadanlu and turned 
 away without speaking. 
 
CHAPTER SIXTEEN 
 
 THE BLIGHT OF THE MAIZE FIELDS 
 
 Among the Seneca captives brought back by 
 Atotarho, was the daughter of a chieftain. This 
 maiden was given to Shawenis in place of a son 
 who had long ago fallen. Shawenis spared the 
 life of the Seneca girl, who, soon after the burial 
 of Ondiyaka, was adopted and given the name of 
 Ai-jah. Thereafter the maiden shared in the 
 labor of the household and shared in all the priv- 
 ileges that belonged to a daughter of Shawenis. 
 
 Soon the ears of Aijah began to understand 
 the Onondaga language; more slowly her lips 
 learned to speak it. In that moon many words 
 were uttered in the lodge of the Turtles, that had 
 deep import for Aijah. For Hiawatha, with elo- 
 quent persuasion, was leading his clansmen to see 
 that peace should be made with the Seneca 
 people. He pointed to the empty maize caches 
 and the exhausted meat stores and asked his 
 clansmen a single question, "Where is the food 
 to sustain warfare?" 
 
 Then the words of Hiawatha began to be re- 
 peated in every longhouse of the Turtles. Soon 
 they had reached the Turtle Clan in every village 
 of the Onondagas. At last the peace talk of the 
 Turtles was whispered here and there in the clans 
 of the Bear and Wolf and Beaver. Then, when 
 the people of Onondaga saw that they were 
 facing a famine, that peace talk became open. 
 
 But the warriors who shared the counsels of 
 
The Blight of the 31 ate Fields 145 
 
 Atotarho had been busy, and jDeace words were 
 met by vehement demands for revenge. The war- 
 loving among the Bears and Wolves began to 
 make loud demand that the death of Ondiyaka be 
 avenged on the Cayuga and Seneca peoples. 
 
 A council of the Onondaga tribe was called to 
 meet at Kanatagowa. From near and far the 
 people came. They threaded their way through 
 the forests and along stream sides. They passed 
 the sites of old towns standing lonely and silent 
 in the midst of waste maize fields. The well- 
 beaten trails that led into Kanatagowa from the 
 east and south were filled with people. They 
 came in companies, the old men and w^arriors and 
 chieftains, the elder women, the mothers and 
 maidens. There were young men and youth 
 eager to watch and listen; there were those bent 
 with the burdens of many winters ; there were the 
 little children running beside their mothers: for 
 all came with equal right to the council of the 
 Onondagas. 
 
 Ring w^ithout ring the great circle was ordered, 
 the men and warriors on one side, the women on 
 the other. There were rugged chiefs, active and 
 stalwart and upright. There were the deep-lined 
 faces of the elder men and women, who had trav- 
 eled far toward the Land of the Sunset. There 
 was the circle of women and maidens and chil- 
 dren; there was the group of young men and 
 strong warriors. 
 
 They were gathered in clans that fronted each 
 
146 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 other. Foremost among the Bear Clan, sat the 
 war chieftain Atotarho. Silent and haughty he 
 sat there, his dark, handsome face marked by- 
 pride and genius. His eyes were watchful and 
 restless; his hands were half closed. His every 
 look and action showed a man whose counsels 
 were dark and secret. 
 
 At the front of the clan of the Turtles sat 
 its proud and fearless chieftain, Hosahaho, son 
 of Shawenis. Beside him was Hunadanlu, 
 friend of man, the father of the people, and the 
 most beloved of the elders. His face was strong 
 and gentle and filled at once with force and wis- 
 dom. The tall form of Hiawatha stood out 
 among the Turtles, his head adorned with a heron 
 feather that had been bestowed for his courage in 
 the defense of Kanatagowa. A smoldering fire 
 burned in the eyes of many of the Wolf Clan, 
 showing that their thoughts M^ere on vengeance. 
 
 After the council was opened the elders and 
 leaders of the Wolf Clan called for a continuance 
 of war to avenge the death of Ondiyaka. Their 
 words found quick assent from the leaders of the 
 war party. But the Turtle Clan stood unitedly 
 for a cessation of warfare. 
 
 All this time Atotarho had been silent. Sud- 
 denly he rose and spoke in swift, decisive words : 
 "Brothers, if the Onondagas would have peace 
 they must win it by warfare. "Wlien the foe is 
 conquered, Atotarho will bury the war club deep 
 in the earth. 
 
The Blight of the Maize Fields 147 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers. The Senecas sit in their 
 towns, and their thoughts are busy plotting war 
 against the Onondagas. If they ask peace of the 
 Onondagas, their tongues are crooked and speak 
 words that are deceitful. 
 
 "Brothers, the Cayugas have fought with the 
 Senecas in this warfare and still they are unpun- 
 ished. Let the warriors of Onondaga descend on 
 the Cayuga towns and teach them how the People 
 of the Hills take vengeance. Let the Wolf Clan 
 be avenged, and let the Cayugas learn to fear the 
 power of Onondaga. In this w\iy the Onondagas 
 will make their victory complete and lasting, and 
 this stain upon the Wolf Clan will be wiped away 
 forever. Xaho." 
 
 The words of Atotarho brought instant re- 
 sponse from the war party. The war spirit 
 spread quickly from clan to clan until it seemed 
 that the Snipe and Beaver were joining the 
 strong lead of the Bears and Wolves. 
 
 At that moment Hosahaho arose from his place 
 among the Turtles and began to speak at the re- 
 quest of the noble women, the Royaners of all 
 Onondaga. The words were Hosahaho's but 
 they carried the wishes of the Royaners. 
 
 "My Brothers, the women of Onondaga lament 
 the losses suffered in this war by all the tribes of 
 Real Men. Is there a warrior who has not lost a 
 son, or a brother, or friend? How can you bear 
 to behold the sorrows of widowed wives, or look 
 on the bereaved mothers sitting at desolate, 
 
148 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 enipt}^ firesides? No more will they watch for 
 the happy return of their sons, no longer look 
 forward to the proud return of the hunter laden 
 with game to provide for their wants in the cold 
 winter. Lonely and unprotected, they see the 
 long pathway of age stretching before them. 
 Cheerfully and willingly have they labored in 
 rearing their sons to manhood. It is cruel to see 
 these children of their labor grow up in strength 
 and beauty only to fall victims to the rage of 
 warfare, only to become the prey of a relentless 
 foe. 
 
 "Listen, Brothers. The mothers of Onondaga 
 have seen their sons go forth to be slaughtered 
 in battle, to be put to death by slow torture, to 
 languish far from their homes as hopeless cap- 
 tives. These things make their lives a burden and 
 they shudder to have been mothers to such pur- 
 pose. 
 
 "Brothers, as you love our people, turn your 
 faces once more toward your homes. Forgive 
 the wrongs you have suffered, lay aside your 
 deadly weapons. On all sides there has been 
 proof of surpassing courage. Each nation con- 
 tending is high-minded and brave. In all honor 
 the Onondaga s and their allies can smoke the 
 peace pipe with the Senecas and Cayugas. 
 
 "Brothers, continue to listen. Are not our 
 maize fields parched, and the food stores of years 
 of abundance exhausted by warfare? All the 
 wide bark barrels are empty, all the deep -dug 
 
The Blight of the Mahe Fields 149 
 
 caches uncovered ; all the dried meat and fish have 
 been eaten, and no longer the braided maize ears 
 canopy the roof of the longhouse. Already our 
 children suffer the pangs of hunger, and our 
 hearts are sick when we think of the famine that 
 awaits. AVhat can save us from destruction if 
 our hunters turn again to the warj^ath?" 
 
 When Hosahaho had finished, another spirit 
 moved the people. 
 
 As the warriors looked on the faces of their 
 women and children, their eyes were suddenly 
 opened. Everywhere they saw the marks of 
 labor and hunger and sorrow. They looked about 
 tlie wide circle and saw the many empty places 
 of warriors and young men. They remembered 
 the leaders that once stood among them, whose 
 voices were forever hushed in the council. They 
 remembered with new apprehension the threat 
 of famine and sickness; all this was the fruitage 
 of warfare. 
 
 So it was that the counsel of the women pre- 
 vailed, and for a time there was peace among the 
 tribes of the Iroquois. The people turned with 
 new hope to the daily labor, and all the busy 
 round of life went on as in the undisturbed days 
 of old. 
 
 Among the workers was Aijah the Seneca 
 captive. The women of Kanatagowa came often 
 now to learn of the maiden, for among them there 
 was no one so deft of hand as Aijah. Her dye- 
 ing and porcupine embroidery were unsurpassed; 
 
150 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 and never had such earthen jars been seen in all 
 Onondaga as were shaped by the Seneca girl. 
 Surely the invisible helpers had endowed her with 
 magic ! 
 
 Wide-eyed and filled with wonder, a group of 
 women one day saw the shaping of a new dec- 
 oration. At first there was the usual process. 
 The quick, deft hands took the powder made of 
 broken jars and mixed it with clay, kneading 
 the mass until it was smooth and well tempered. 
 Then, making a long coil of clay, Aijah shaped 
 the bottom of her jar. Quickly and deftly the 
 clay coils were joined and smoothed to an even 
 surface. Round and round the coils went, widen- 
 ing slowly with the swelling curve of the growing 
 vessel. 
 
 Toward the top, Aijah curved the jar upward 
 and inward; then the rim was formed, curving 
 outward and upward. Afterward the whole was 
 smoothed to a good surface. The jar surpassed 
 the work of the Onondagas in beauty of line. But 
 what was the wonder of the onlookers, when, 
 with a pointed stick, the youthful artist traced a 
 graceful pattern about the rim save in one place 
 that was left slightly roughened. Then in breath- 
 less admiration, they saw Aijah take a piece of 
 clay and carefully shape it to the form of a 
 human face. With a few deft movements, she 
 pressed the clay face into the roughened space on 
 the rim and joined the edges. Then with a 
 
e^=- •^•.;i; 
 
 
 ..v^/\,H 
 
 "Quickly and deftly the clay coils were joined and 
 smoothed to an even surface" 
 
152 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 slender bone, hooked at the end, this wonder 
 worker smoothed and shaped the features. 
 
 A new impulse began to stir the art of the 
 village. All the craftsmen, all the workers in clay 
 and wood and stone, found increased pleasure in 
 their labor, as into it they slowly brought lines of 
 meaning and beauty suggested by the work of 
 the Seneca captive. But this new interest was 
 soon checked through the suffering brought by 
 the rainless summer. 
 
 The warm moons passed and still the heavens 
 were rainless. The women and children pa- 
 tiently carried water from the creek to the thirsty 
 maize fields. Through the long days of smnmer 
 they went forth at morning and evening, filling 
 their elm-bark vessels many times and sprinkling 
 the drooping corn, but the parched earth and 
 thirsty air quickly drank up the water. 
 
 The earth panted and famished for water. The 
 Fire Spirit descended on the thirsting mountains 
 and valleys. It sucked dry the streams and 
 springs. It scorched maize fields and forests. 
 The night stars grew pale, and the earth became 
 sick and faint. Where were the cooling breezes 
 sent by Ga-oh, spirit of the winds? Why did 
 Heno withhold his thunder? Surely the Fire 
 Spirit was working desolation under the watchful 
 sun, and Heno was powerless to help. 
 
 Then the weary people began to watch for the 
 Dew Eagle. At the end of the long parched 
 days, they waited his gracious coming. As they 
 
The Blight of the Maize Fields 153 
 
 watched at their doorways, resting from labor, 
 they told the story of the Dew Eagle to their 
 children : 
 
 "Far above the clouds is the home of the Dew 
 Eagle. With his wide wings closed he watches 
 Yoanja, the earth, sees the green of her forests, 
 and the shining lines of vast watercourses. 
 
 "The Fire Sjjirit cannot elude the watchful 
 care of the Dew Eagle; when the desolation of 
 drought touches the broad bosom of Yoanja, the 
 Earth JMother, his watchful eyes see it. 
 
 "Then he plumes for flight; he pushes the 
 skies far apart and begins his slow descent to the 
 earth. He obscures the sun with vast spreading 
 wings that dip to the east and the west and fan 
 gentle breezes. 
 
 "Out of the purple distance, out of the soft- 
 brooding skies, the mighty Dew Eagle draws 
 near the earth. From his lodge far beyond the 
 west sky he comes. The peo^^le feel the cool air 
 wafted from his slow wings as he nears them, 
 bearing a lake of cool water between his broad 
 shoulders. 
 
 "Now mist veils the sky as through his vast, 
 gentle wings he sifts the dews down from his 
 lake and scatters them far over the thirsting 
 earth. 
 
 "The Fire Spirit flees. Through the long cool 
 nights the parched earth bares her broad breast 
 to the falling dews. Her lakes and springs are 
 replenished, and the maize fields rise to new life." 
 
154 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 In the long twilight, when the forests were 
 hushed about them, an old man would sometimes 
 recall what his Fathers had foretold of the Dew 
 Eagle : 
 
 "Listen, my Children. Long ago our Fathers 
 foretold that at some day in the distant future, 
 a huge bird with white plumage will come from 
 the Sea at the Sun's Rising. Flj^ing with over- 
 whelming power, he will battle with the Dew 
 Eagle and kill him. Then the Real ^len will no 
 longer live in joy and freedom in their forests 
 and opens, but they will wander far away in 
 desert places. With the death of the Dew Eagle 
 all the tribes of the Real Men will lose their wide 
 hunting grounds forever. Our Fathers have seen 
 it in vision and said it. Naho.'" 
 
 ' From Myths arid Legends of the New York State Iroquois. 
 (Adapted.) 
 
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 
 
 THE LONG WINTER 
 
 Scant and small was the harvest after that 
 summer of drought. All the brightness and 
 laughter disappeared from the maize picking. 
 When the red "king ear" was found, the finder 
 no longer looked for two ears in return from each 
 of the harvesters. The unfilled ears with the 
 wide spaces between the rows of kernels no 
 longer were noted by matron or maid; nor was 
 the promised reward for their finding expected. 
 The ear that had all gone to cob no more pro- 
 voked laughter; it was, alas, too frequent. 
 
 Deftly, but with hearts filled with mis- 
 giving, the women braided the best corn ears for 
 the next year's seedtime. When this was done, 
 there was little left for winter. 
 
 Through the long rains of late autumn, the 
 women went farther and farther from the long- 
 house, gathering herbs and grubbing for roots. 
 Well they knew that the poorest gifts of field or 
 open or stream side would make a precious store 
 in the winter to follow. From early dawn until 
 nightfall, the men phed the work of hunting and 
 fishing. Xo effort was spared to secure a stock 
 of dried meat and fish, for already there were 
 signs of a hard winter. 
 
 The wind complained loud and long around 
 the bark houses, and soon the earth was drenched 
 by the cold rains of autumn. Over the swollen 
 lakes and along the rivers, great flocks of birds 
 
 155 
 
15G The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 hurried southward, — hurried away from the 
 land where the long winter would tarry. 
 
 Then Gaoh loosed the north wind, Okwari, the 
 bear. In the stillness of the night they heard him 
 coming through the forest ; heard the roar of the 
 woodlands as they bent beneath his onrushing 
 breath; felt the fierce, cold breathing of Okwari 
 through the thin walls of the bark house. Well 
 the people knew that all that howling of the north 
 wind, all that raging of the fierce bear, Okwari, 
 was a threat of the winter to follow. When at 
 the call of Gaoh, the north wind returned to his 
 sky home, the earth was frozen and the rivers 
 were ice-sheeted. 
 
 Then the sky was obscured by a gray mist that 
 grew thicker and darkened the daylight. In the 
 distance the growl of Dajoji, the panther, was 
 heard from the woodland. Sullen and low at 
 first, it grew nearer and fiercer; and rushing on 
 from the west sky the tempests of winter de- 
 scended. Day after day the snow fell, shutting 
 the people in the longhouses, filling up the leaf- 
 strewn forest, covering every trail and footpath, 
 and blanketing the lakes and rivers. 
 
 When that long storm w^as ended, white and 
 snowbeaten the bark houses lay half concealed in 
 the drifts piled high above the doorways. 
 
 Dressed in warm leggings and mittens, the 
 hunters in their snowshoes forced their way into 
 the forest. Farther and farther they wandered 
 through the deserted woodland, looking for the 
 
The Long Winter 157 
 
 welcome tracks of Skanondo. All the search was 
 vain ; not a footprint of life could they find in the 
 desolate woodland. Empty-handed and sorely 
 troubled they returned to the village. Then the 
 people looked over their scant stores of dried 
 flesh, looked into the half-empty bark barrels and 
 began the long fight with famine. 
 
 At first they were cheered by the warmth and 
 shelter of the fireside, where Odjista burned as 
 brightly as ever. There was no complaining in 
 the villages. Even the little children met hunger 
 and pain in cheerful silence. The strong race- 
 courage within the i^eople arose in new strength 
 to meet the long battle. The scant fare, care- 
 fully prepared, was cheerfully eaten. Every day 
 the winter work on stone and bone, on skin and 
 fur, was faithfully plied. At evening, the men 
 and women gathered with the children for the 
 well-loved story telling. 
 
 One day Hiawatha, ranging the trackless 
 forest, came on a place where in the storm the 
 deer had herded together. They were enclosed in 
 a wall of snow that shut them in as surely as if 
 it had been the stockade of a village. As the 
 snow had drifted upon them, the frightened deer 
 had trampled it down; but slowly the walls of 
 their prison grew, and their thickness was beyond 
 measure. When Skanondo tried to break through 
 these snow banks he was smothered and over- 
 whelmed. One by one, the starving prisoners 
 perished; only the strongest were living when 
 
158 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Hiawiithca found them. But even their poor flesh 
 rejoiced the hungry people. 
 
 Shawenis was Clan Mother of the Turtles. 
 Each day she saw to the cooking and divided the 
 precious food among the firesides. Out of the 
 store of herbs, she prepared warm drinks for the 
 sick and aged. In all this work she was assisted 
 by Waundana and by Aijah, the Seneca captive. 
 Often Shawenis consulted with the wisest men 
 and women concerning the food distribution. 
 Hiawatha urged that the largest portion be given 
 to the nursing mothers and the next largest to 
 the young children and the aged. So the long- 
 house of the Turtles saved more of its children 
 and aged than any other house of Kanatagowa. 
 
 As the warm blood coursed more feebly 
 through their bodies, the people began to suffer 
 from cold and sickness. Before midwinter had 
 passed, many of the infants in arms had perished 
 before the eyes of their mothers, who could no 
 longer sustain them. Then many of the children 
 sickened and faded, and with them the aged be- 
 gan to perish. Sometimes a young mother died, 
 leaving her babe behind her. When they buried 
 the mother they placed the young child on her 
 bosom that it might be spared the suffering of 
 slow starvation. 
 
 Never before had the sunshine that brought 
 the promise of spring been so welcome. The 
 New Year's feast, held at the end of winter, was 
 kept with devoutness. The people dressed them- 
 
The Long Winter 159 
 
 selves with care, trying to cover from sight the 
 deep marks of hunger ; to conceal from each other 
 the signs of grief and sickness. Should not the 
 Real People prove themselves true children of 
 the Great Ruler ? 
 
 The offering for sin was made on the first day 
 of the feast. On the second day the keepers of 
 the faith went from house to house exhorting the 
 people: "Prepare your houses; clear away rub- 
 bish; drive out all evil; lay your body sorrows 
 aside, and bring your spirits with you to the place 
 of worship." 
 
 Then the faith keepers lighted the first fires of 
 the New Year in each house and appealed to the 
 Great Ruler for a blessing on the household. 
 
 On the third day the people crowded the 
 council house to hear the interpretation of dreams 
 and witness the name-giving. Then Hunadanlu 
 recited a dream that had come to him. He said : 
 
 "As the New Year Feast was approaching, 
 Hunadanlu dreamed one night that he walked in 
 the desolate woodlands. The birds lay dead on 
 the snow. There were no tracks of Skanondo, 
 the deer, or of Hotyone, the wolf. No sound 
 broke the terrifying stillness. And Hunadanlu 
 said in his dream, 'Behold life has departed from 
 the earth. The forest is dead and its beauty has 
 perished forever.' 
 
 "Even as Hunadanlu spoke, 0-kah, the snow, 
 melted before him, and a soft sound broke over 
 the woodland; it was the sound of bursting leaf 
 
160 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 buds. As he looked in wonder the trees put forth 
 their leaves in haste and 0-we-ha, the flower, 
 breathed forth its fragrance. Then Hunadanlu 
 awakened and his heart was full of contentment." 
 
 The dream interpreter said: "This vision is 
 sent by the Great Ruler to comfort the hearts of 
 his children. In this dream the Master of Life 
 says, 'The Earth Mother is still filled with the 
 power and beauty of life, of Yonhe ; be thankful, 
 for the earth will put forth her life in this New 
 Year and bless you with abundance.' " 
 
 This vision of Hunadanlu gave new courage 
 to the people. 
 
 It was in the lengthening days of springtime 
 when the women and children were gathering the 
 swelling buds of the forest for food, that the 
 spirit of Hunadanlu departed. They found him 
 lying dead one morning, as if he were peacefully 
 sleeping. 
 
 In the first moment of their sorrow, men and 
 women grieved like children. "We have lost 
 thee, our Father," they said. "Thou who guarded 
 us with tireless affection, even as a faithful 
 mother watches in love over her children. 
 Bravely thy spirit has cheered us in our long 
 fight with famine ; could it not stay a little longer 
 to welcome the summer and the end of this bitter 
 battle?" 
 
 Through nine long nights, Hiawatha watched 
 by the grave of Hunadanlu, and fed the fire that 
 lighted the spirit on its journey. 
 
The Long Winter 161 
 
 In those long nights, with the hush of the forest 
 around him, Hiawatha's thought turned to the 
 tribes of the Iroquois. His spirit shared their 
 bitter griefs and heavy burdens. He knew well 
 thai in all their villages there was sore sickness 
 and want; knew that all the Real Men were 
 fighting grim famine together. 
 
 Thus died Hunadanlu, friend of man, in the 
 springtime of the great famine. Over his grave 
 a young pine tree was planted, that all who 
 passed should know that they looked on the 
 burial place of one of the greatest of the Real 
 Men. According to the custom of the people, 
 his name was given to another that it should not 
 perish ; but his spirit still lived in the child of his 
 heart, Hiawatha. 
 
 As the days grew longer, messengers, spent 
 and famished, entered Kanatagowa to bring the 
 sad story of famine from the other towns of the 
 Onondagas, and to say that all their seed corn 
 had been eaten. 
 
 Then the chiefs and elders of the tribe met in 
 council to consider how they might procure seed 
 for the maize fields. They dared not venture to 
 seek maize of the tribes at the south, who would 
 surely treat them as foes. At the west, the Cay- 
 ugas and Senecas were in the same need as them- 
 selves. At the north, the Adirondacks planted 
 no maize. Plainly the only hope was to send to 
 the Mohawks, who might have procured maize 
 from the eastern Algonkins, or from the Dela- 
 
162 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 wares to the southward who had not lately been 
 engaged in w^arf are. 
 
 Two chieftains were appointed to go on this 
 journey to the Mohawks. Four of the strongest 
 young men went with them, and among these was 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 The ^Mohawks had procured maize of their 
 neighbors southward and eastward, and gladly 
 they divided this store with their brothers of On- 
 ondaga. They even sent messengers to help carry 
 the supply. 
 
 The next morning the little party turned 
 homeward with thankful hearts, each man bear- 
 ing a sack of precious maize seed. 
 
 One night when Tyokaras, the darkness, began 
 to settle, Hiawatha sought the burial place of 
 Hunadanlu. As he stood there, he could see in 
 the dimness the many moss-covered grave 
 mounds; scattered here and there among them 
 were tiny mounds, the graves of little children: 
 all these were the fruitage of the famine that 
 follows warfare. In that hour Hiawatha under- 
 stood clearly that the absent warriors had eaten 
 the bread that belonged to the people. All these 
 had perished because men counted the honors of 
 warfare above all other honors. 
 
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 
 
 THE MARRIAGE OF HIAWATHA 
 
 Three winters had passed since the great famine. 
 All that time, faithful to the command of his 
 clan spirit, Hiawatha had labored to strengthen 
 the union of the tribes of the Real Men. Now 
 that there was no war between them, he watch- 
 fully strove, as he met with the tribesmen, to in- 
 crease good will and friendship among them. 
 
 Most of the young men were under the sway 
 of Atotarho, who now led them against the 
 Hurons. A few held with Hiawatha. Among 
 them was Daweyongo, the Cayuga, who was by 
 adoption the son of the blind Nogondih and the 
 uncle of Wanutha. 
 
 Daweyongo had been given to Aijah, the Sen- 
 eca maiden, in marriage; and this bond had 
 strongly united the households of Shawenis and 
 Nogondih. 
 
 One day Waundana, daughter of Shawenis 
 and mother of Hiawatha, rested in the quiet of 
 the wood's edge. Her mind was intent on a 
 question that filled it. Three moons before, the 
 blind Nogondih had asked for Hiawatha in mar- 
 riage with Wanutha, her granddaughter. 
 
 In her heart Waundana said: "Surely the time 
 has come when Hiawatha should be wedded. 
 Surely Waundana owes him the freedom of man- 
 hood that he has earned as a hunter and warrior; 
 owes him freedom from the service of his mother. 
 The time has come when Waundana must be- 
 
 163 
 
164 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 stow Hiawatha on some worthy maiden, one who 
 through the winters of his life will faithfully com- 
 fort and serve him. 
 
 "This marriage with Wanutha will be seemly, 
 for the maiden is descended from a line of great 
 chieftains. Is not the blind Nogondih revered 
 for her goodness and wisdom? Is not the valorous 
 Daweyongo her son by adoption? Among the 
 young men of Onondaga there is no other except 
 Sosondoweh who stands so close to Hiawatha in 
 friendship. Truly in the longhouse of the Wolf 
 Clan, which was his father's clan, Hiawatha al- 
 ready finds strong support and alliance." 
 
 A robin began to sing just above the head of 
 Waundana. At last its song reached her un- 
 heeding ears. As she listened she said: "Jis- 
 ko-ko, thou art like the maiden Wanutha; ever 
 busy, ever cheerful, she is a faithful worker in 
 open and forest. In the cold moons when the 
 people see her going lightly about the village on 
 errands of cheer, they call her 'Snow Bird.' In 
 the seasons of sugar making and berry picking, 
 she is one of the merriest maidens. 
 
 "In all the village there is no better ordered 
 fireplace than that of the blind Nogondih. It is 
 never choked with ashes, never littered with waste 
 from the cooking. Clean and bare, the earth 
 about it is always well swept; the well-braided 
 mats are laid in order ; and the bear skins on the 
 couches are fresh and shining. The walls are 
 hung with skill; the earthen jars and bark dishes. 
 
'They call her 'Snow Bird' 
 
160 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the stone knives and horn spoons, stand in their 
 places. The snowshoes, the fishing tackle and 
 the weapons, are hung in order. All this is the 
 work of Wanutha. 
 
 "Full of home ways is the maiden. She is low- 
 voiced and cheerful and light-footed. Faithfully 
 she watches over Nogondih and cheers her blind- 
 ness. Such a maiden will make a good mother." 
 
 The next day, as the aged Nogondih sat by 
 her fireside in the longhouse of the Wolf Clan, 
 she heard the soft tread of moccasined footsteps, 
 and a well-known voice speaking in greeting. 
 
 At once she responded: "Waundana, thou art 
 welcome. The fireside of Nogondih is brightened 
 by your presence." 
 
 Then the aged woman brought to her guest a 
 small bowl of hulled corn sprinkled with maple 
 sugar. 
 
 Waundana thanked her, and, lifting the pol- 
 ished spoon of horn to her lips, she praised the 
 delicate dish before her. 
 
 After this, the two women began to speak of 
 the great matter between them. Again Nogon- 
 dih praised Hiawatha. 
 
 "The eyes of Nogondih are sightless, but she 
 has heard from the lips of many with what 
 honor Hiawatha wears the heron feather ; she has 
 heard of his skill as a hunter; she has heard his 
 voice in the council, and his words are full of 
 wisdom." 
 
 Nogondih paused and turned her sightless eyes 
 
The Marriage of Hiawatha 167 
 
 toward the passage, toward the distant corners 
 of the sleeping-benches as if to assure herself 
 that her words could be heard by no other. Then, 
 turning to Waundana, she spoke in low tones of 
 apprehension : 
 
 "Xogondih will not hide from Waundana that 
 in one matter she looks on Hiawatha with mis- 
 giving. Since the day of his dream-fast, Hia- 
 watha has spoken to many against the wars of 
 our people. Truly his words are wise and spoken 
 with courage; but do they not reach the ears of 
 the powerful war chieftain? Does not Atotarho 
 hear the slightest word, though it be spoken at a 
 distance? Do not Atotarho's opponents fall in 
 strange and lonely places, struck down by hidden 
 foes who leave no footmark behind them? Strong 
 is Hiawatha, and strong is the clan of the Turtle 
 in vengeance; but Atotarho kills at a distance, 
 and who can take vengeance on a foe that he 
 knows not? Nogondih is aged and sightless. 
 Her feet are already turned toward the Land of 
 the Sunset, but before her departure she would 
 shield the child of her heart from future sorrow 
 and mourning." 
 
 Then answered Waundana: "Nogondih has 
 spoken truly. Yet is the heart of Waundana 
 content when she hears the voice of her son speak- 
 ing courageous words against this deadly war- 
 fare between the tribes of the Real 3Ien. If, be- 
 cause of this, Hiawatha falls before the ven- 
 geance of Atotarho, shall he not die covered with 
 honor?" 
 
108 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 A quiver passed over the aged face of No- 
 gondih as she listened, but with a steady voice she 
 answered: "Waundana shames the fears of No- 
 gondih. Wanutha, too, is truthful and coura- 
 geous ; she is worthy to be the wife of the fearless 
 Hiawatha." 
 
 A few days later Waundana met Hiawatha at 
 the wood's edge, as he returned from the hunting. 
 In a few words she told him of the choice of No- 
 gondih. A long silence followed. Both of them 
 knew that soon their long work together would be 
 ended. No more could Hiawatha bring the 
 trophies of his hunting to the longhouse of the 
 Turtle. Another fireside would receive them. 
 Other hands than his mother's would shape his 
 moccasins and string his snowshoes ; other hands 
 would receive the game at the wood's edge. 
 
 Nevertheless, the heart of Hiawatha was in 
 glad tumult as he listened; but when he spoke, 
 his voice was quiet and his manner grave. "Iste- 
 aha, my Mother, I obey thee." So saying he 
 turned back to the silence of the forest. 
 
 That evening the aged Nogondih set down the 
 steaming bowl of hulled corn brought to her by 
 Wanutha. Lifting her hands to her grandchild's 
 face, the aged woman lightly followed its lines 
 with her fingers, as if she would gather a picture 
 to remember. Tlien, in a voice that trembled a 
 little, Nogondih told the maiden that she had 
 been promised to Hiawatha in marriage. "With 
 Hiawatha will Nogondih divide the service of thy 
 
The Marriage of Hiawatha 169 
 
 busy hands, the service of thy wilhng feet. With 
 Hiawatha will she share thy faithful affection." 
 
 The next day the betrothal visit was made. 
 From the doorway of the longhouse of the Wolf 
 Clan, came Wanutha dressed in fresh garments 
 and bearing in her hands the maize loaves. With 
 her walked a group of maidens. In ordered pro- 
 cession they entered the house of the Turtle and 
 paused at the fireside of Waundana. From the 
 hands of Wanutha, the mother of Hiawatha re- 
 ceived the loaves of bread, the maiden's silent 
 promise of obedience and service to her husband. 
 Then Waundana bestowed on the maiden a bowl 
 of venison. It was Hiawatha's pledge of faith- 
 ful care and service. 
 
 Two moons later, Wanutha and Hiawatha 
 stood together in the longhouse of the Wolf Clan. 
 
 About them were gathered their nearest 
 friends and kinsmen. There was the Turtle 
 chieftain, Hosahaho, with his mother, Shawenis; 
 there were Waundana and Hiawatha's sister, 
 Gawenneta; there too, were Daweyongo and 
 Aijah with the blind Nogondih. 
 
 One and then another addressed the betrothed 
 ones, speaking words of exhortation. The wis- 
 dom of long patience and kindness and forgive- 
 ness, the watching care and service that make 
 the home a friendly refuge, the cheerfulness and 
 contentment that please the Great Ruler, — all 
 these things were spoken of. When the last 
 kindly word of love and wisdom was uttered, the 
 
170 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 two braids of Wanutha's hair were united into 
 one braid, in sign of the marriage. 
 
 Thereafter, Wanutha went daily to the fireside 
 of Waundana. Very often she brought a rich 
 gift of venison, for she felt that the mother of 
 Hiawatha would most gladly eat the meat that 
 her son had provided. When the maize fields 
 were harvested, Wanutha worked there with Wa- 
 undana ; when the wood for the winter was pro- 
 vided, she gathered for Waundana. So she made 
 return beyond requirement in the wealth of field 
 and forest; and her service was requited in the 
 faithful affection of Waundana. 
 
 During the glowing days of autumn, Hia- 
 watha brought to the fireside of Nogondih a rich 
 store of game; enough to provide for the cold 
 moons when the hunters were absent; enough to 
 make the aged Nogondih rich in skins and furs 
 for the winter. 
 
 Daily the careful thought of Wanutha pro- 
 vided her husband with food. Shyly she brought 
 her first gift of embroidered moccasins, and later 
 bestowed the handsome winter garments and leg- 
 gings of deerskin. Hiawatha came to Wanutha 
 when the frames of his winter snowshoes were 
 made, to ask her to string them. To her he 
 brought the broken strap that held his quiver of 
 arrows. Through the homely demands of labor, 
 their hearts turned to each other in love and af- 
 fection. 
 
 In late November, Atotarho, restless and 
 
The Marriage of Hiawatha 171 
 
 gloomy, formed a war party to invade the Cher- 
 okee country. Hiawatha knew well that the 
 Onondagas scarcely looked on the descent into 
 the Cherokee country as warfare ; to them it was 
 plajang at warfare. He sat in the circle of young 
 warriors and saw one after another of the peace 
 party spring forward and strike the war post un- 
 til at last he was left alone, for every other young 
 man enlisted. 
 
 Handsome in paint and war dress, the young 
 men and warriors recited their deeds of valor, and 
 with ringing battle cries took the warpath to the 
 southward. The women followed them into the 
 forest, carrying food for the journey and the 
 sober garments of service, and bringing back to 
 the village the rich headdresses and costly war 
 garments. 
 
 Outwardly Hiawatha remained calm and im- 
 passive; nevertheless he was inwardly dismayed 
 to see the peace party so easily go to pieces. He 
 knew well that the appetite for war would be 
 bred in that foray ; knew that the young warriors 
 who returned with their belts fringed with Cher- 
 okee scalplocks would be loath to keep their feet 
 from the Seneca war trail. 
 
 The next morning at dawn Hiawatha stood at 
 his doorway ready for hunting, watching the ap- 
 proach of Wanutha. In his heart he was saying, 
 "How will she look on a young husband who 
 avoids the glory of the warpath and tamely stays 
 at home with the boys and the old men?" His 
 
172 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 doubts were soon answered. Never before had 
 her footsteps been so quick ; never before had he 
 seen her eyes so full of gladness. With the ac- 
 customed words of greeting, she gave him the 
 food that was carefully prepared for his journey. 
 But a swift and silent message was borne to the 
 heart of Hiawatha: "Wanutha, thy wife, asks 
 thee not to win glory and spoils in warfare. Her 
 heart bids thee stay in the service of the people." 
 
 Light-footed, Hiawatha turned to the solitary 
 hunting. In the great purpose of his life, in the 
 sacred pledge of his dream-fast he was assured of 
 the approval of Wanutha ! As he moved swiftly 
 through the awakening woodland, his heart 
 poured forth a silent song of thanksgiving. 
 Bright dreams of the future filled his thought; 
 easy to him seemed the great task to which he was 
 promised. His heart sang in praise to Hawen- 
 niyu, the Master of Life, who had so richly 
 crowned him with blessings. 
 
 That night darkness had descended through 
 the woodland when Hiawatha reached the village, 
 carrying a deer on his shoulders. He saw a dark 
 figure running toward him from the wood's edge. 
 Then in the fading light, he saw Wanutha and 
 heard her say, "Neaweh, I am thankful! Long 
 has Wanutha watched for thy coming." 
 
 From that day Hiawatha felt that the careful 
 love and thought of Wanutha followed him in 
 all his undertakings. Her quick intuition di- 
 vined the dangers that beset him, and her ready 
 
"They walked beneath the towering trees that encircled 
 the camp" 
 
174 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 courage and forethought tirelessly guarded his 
 footsteps. 
 
 The hunting moon came. There was unwonted 
 stir in the village, for the hunters were departing 
 for the winter camp. Among the women who 
 were going was Wanutha. In the burden frame 
 that she carried, wrapped in a strong rug of bear- 
 skin, were bark bowls and horn spoons, knives 
 of wood and stone, and a jar for cooking; also 
 braided mats and a skein of stout thread with a 
 good bone awl and needle. 
 
 For three days the hunting party traveled 
 southward. For the first time Wanutha saw the 
 vast southern forests of her people ; saw their far- 
 stretching lakes, and looked on places famous in 
 the legends of the Onondagas. The blood in her 
 strong young body flowed quick and warm; the 
 spirit within her rejoiced. As the days passed, 
 she became the natural leader of the women. Her 
 busy hands were ever ready to help another with 
 a burden. Her mind was quick to seize on the 
 best device, the readiest way of meeting the de- 
 mands of the journey; and her warm, courageous 
 heart overflowed with the spirit of comrade- 
 ship. 
 
 On the afternoon of the third sun, they reached 
 their southern camping ground. At once all set 
 to work. The men cleared the drifting snow and 
 leaves away from the bark houses, and made them 
 secure and ready. The women gathered the 
 brushwood and made fires; they filled the stone 
 
The Marriage of Hiazcatha 175 
 
 jars with water, and dressed and cooked the 
 venison for supper. 
 
 Game was abundant, and the days at the camp 
 were filled with busy labor. The evenings were 
 spent with story-telling beside the crackling fire. 
 
 The best portions of venison were fastened on 
 pointed sticks to dry before the fire. This would 
 make the store of dried meat to take to Kana- 
 tagowa. Skins and furs were carefully dried and 
 prepared to be carried back to the village. In all 
 that abundance nothing was wasted. 
 
 In a small lodge was the fire of Wanutha. Its 
 cheerful blaze welcomed Hiawatha at night when 
 the hunters returned from the forest. When the 
 story-telling had ended, and quiet settled on the 
 lodges, Hiawatha and Wanutha lingered at the 
 warm blaze to speak of the day's work or the 
 plans for tomorrow. Or, drawn by the beauty of 
 the grandmother moon, they walked beneath the 
 towering trees that encircled the camp. With 
 quick insight Wanutha divined the aims of Hia- 
 watha; caught his spirit of wise forethought and 
 care for the people; felt with deep joy the glow 
 of his faith in the future, the devoutness of his 
 purpose. Thereafter the cause of Hiawatha was 
 tirelessly defended by the courage of Wanutha, 
 so that he often playfully called her, "Ya-e- 
 wa-no, She-Watches-Over-Us." 
 
CHAPTER NINETEEN 
 
 THE RAISING-UP OF HIAWATHA 
 
 Seven winters had passed since the great famine. 
 The Onondagas had been blessed with abun- 
 dance. JNIany young children were growing up 
 among them, and again their longhouses echoed 
 with happy voices. 
 
 For a brief space the Men of Men had ceased 
 to war on each other, but they were more than 
 ever in awe of Atotarho. He was savagely 
 morose and sullen; he was strangely inaccessible 
 and solitary, even when people were all about 
 him. The warriors dreaded to approach him, and 
 the women feared to cross his pathway. 
 
 There were some who whispered that the pow- 
 erful war chieftain was possessed by an evil 
 spirit. They recalled a time before the death of 
 Ondiyaka when a great change had come upon 
 Atotarho. They told the story thus : 
 
 "It was in the summer before the great 
 drought. Atotarho, armed for hunting, had gone 
 alone to the forest. Some of the people had seen 
 him when he departed at daybreak, and many 
 saw him return at sunset. 
 
 "It was in the young moon. Its slender rim was 
 shining pale above the western woodland as Ato- 
 tarho entered the village. In his hand the war 
 chieftain carried a large bird of wondrous white- 
 ness. Its shapely head dragged the earth; its 
 wide wings hung limp; the shaft of an arrow 
 stood in the broad, snowy breast that was stained 
 
 176 
 
The Raising-up of Hiawatha 177 
 
 by a dark line where the bright red blood had 
 flowed. 
 
 "The hunters and old men gathered about Ato- 
 tarho, gazing in silent wonder on the dead bird 
 that he carried. Nothing like it had ever been 
 seen among them. Then an old man said : 
 
 " 'lyeaha, my Son, I have heard my father say 
 that wondrous white birds live on the edge of the 
 Great Sea at the Sun's Rising. They are of 
 matchless strength and fly far out on the water; 
 their only resting place is on the waves beneath 
 them. Can it be that one of these birds has flown 
 westward from the Great Water? Has it 
 changed its course at the command of Kagagwa, 
 the sun, and flown inland, bearing a message to 
 the red men in the western forests? Surely this 
 is an omen of wonder.' 
 
 "The old men looked on the slayer of the 
 strange bird with misgivings. 
 
 "The apprehensions of the old men were 
 strengthened as they watched Atotarho. Day 
 by day they saw his face darken as if gloomy 
 thoughts possessed him. He ceased to divide his 
 possessions with the poor as was the custom. He 
 became cunning and crafty. Then the chieftains 
 who opposed him, the leaders of the peace party, 
 began to meet with sudden death in solitary 
 places. Had the white bird been a messenger of 
 evil that had poisoned its slayer, turning him 
 slowly into a monster? This was only a question 
 at first, but in time it became a tradition." 
 
178 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 During these winters, the great war chieftain 
 was growing in mihtary power. His speech be- 
 came so full of fierce and subtle persuasion that 
 the warriors of the peace party joined his expe- 
 ditions, against their better judgment. He fired 
 the warlike with such valor that they became ter- 
 rible in battle, fighting with the strength and 
 fierceness of Dajoji, the panther. He trained 
 the young men so well that they entered their 
 first conflict like hardy warriors. 
 
 Among the free and courageous Onondagas, 
 Atotarho had become a tyrant. His scouts, his 
 spies, and secret informers kept him acquainted 
 with the movements of friend and enemy 
 alike ; especially he knew every movement of the 
 peace party whose leader was Hosahaho, the 
 chieftain of the Turtles. 
 
 In the fawn moon, when the stalks were be- 
 ginning to appear among the green blades of 
 maize, three Onondaga hunters on Lake Ontario 
 boldly turned their canoes westward and entered 
 the Seneca country. 
 
 Soon they were on the track of a young deer. 
 As they pursued it, they came on the small hunt- 
 ing camp of a Seneca woman and her two sons. 
 
 The Senecas rebuked the Onondagas for their 
 trespass. Without reply, the Onondagas drew 
 their bows. The mother fell with one of her sons ; 
 the second escaped to his people. 
 
 When the three hunters returned to Kana- 
 tagowa, their elders listened to the story with 
 
The Raising-up of Hiawatha 179 
 
 great apprehension. The wisest among them 
 asked themselves this question: "Have these 
 young men been sent to insult the Seneca people 
 and drive them again to the warpath? Surely, 
 the youths of Onondaga have never before 
 acted so madly. Can it be that Atotarho has 
 made a pretext for beginning the war that he 
 longs for?" 
 
 The fears of the peace-loving among the 
 people were justified. On the second day 
 after the return of the young men, as the sun 
 neared the western forest, five Seneca warriors 
 entered the village and asked for a council. 
 
 When the people were assembled and the 
 council fire was lighted, the Seneca leader sprang 
 from the ground and paced about the council fire. 
 He paused, slowly recounted the wrong that had 
 been done his people, and asked that the offend- 
 ing Onondagas be delivered to their vengeance. 
 
 When the speaker had finished and the Senecas 
 had retired from the council, Hosahaho spoke. 
 He said: "My Brothers, the Senecas have spoken 
 truly. The young men of the Onondagas have 
 transgressed the ancient laws of the Real Men. 
 They have trespassed on the hunting grounds of 
 the Senecas, and in anger they have committed 
 murder. 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers. The Onondagas should 
 do justice. According to their ancient law, they 
 should pay the full price for the man whom the 
 Onondagas have slain. As has been their ancient 
 
180 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 custom, they should render twice as much for the 
 hfe of the woman." 
 
 Immediately Atotarho arose and spoke with 
 great passion. He said: 
 
 "Brothers, for many generations the Real Men 
 have held the early part of the day sacred. When 
 Kagagwa looks from the east sky the Real Men 
 meet to talk of peace ; at night they talk of war- 
 fare. Listen, my Brothers, the Senecas have 
 come to the council fire at Kanatagowa when Ka- 
 gagwa is low in the west sky. They have come 
 when only war can be talked. They are here as 
 spies. They have refused to eat the food offered 
 them by the Onondagas. When the fire keepers 
 proffer the peace pipe, they reject it. By these 
 signs they declare themselves enemies who come 
 to fill the ears of our warriors with idle talk in 
 order to gain time to bring their war party to- 
 gether. But the Onondagas will not sit idly in 
 their longhouses and wait for the Senecas to come 
 and burn their villages. Our warriors will pre- 
 pare at once to meet the Senecas before they 
 spring from the forest like hungry wolves to 
 devour our defenseless people. The ancient war- 
 path is open. Let the Onondagas enter it. Naho. 
 I have spoken." 
 
 Hosahaho answered: "Kagagwa would frown 
 from the sky on a war begun so unjustly. The 
 spirits of their great warriors departed would 
 surely rebuke the Onondagas should they fall in 
 battle so unworthy. The Onondagas must do 
 justice to the Seneca people." 
 
The Raising -up of Hiawatha 181 
 
 The aj^peal of Hosahaho found a strong re- 
 sponse in the hearts of the wisest of his hearers, 
 but it brought a dangerous hght into the eyes of 
 Atotarho. The ears of the young men were 
 stopped to the voice of wisdom. The demand for 
 immediate war became urgent. 
 
 The Senecas were given an evasive answer and 
 departed without smoking the peace pipe. 
 
 "WTien they had left the village, Atotarho sud- 
 denly appeared at his war post in full war equip- 
 ment and eloquently invited the warriors to join 
 him. At daybreak a large war party left Onon- 
 daga. 
 
 While some of the people still lingered in the 
 place of council, they heard a sharp cry of lam- 
 entation. It came from a near point in the 
 forest, "Koo-weh! Koo-weh! Koo-weh!" At 
 short intervals that death call sounded. In a 
 moment, a hunter came running from the forest. 
 He had found the body of Hosahaho within the 
 woodland where it had but just fallen. The great 
 chieftain had been struck by a hidden assassin. 
 
 Bitter was the mourning, for the dead chief 
 had been a buhvark to the people. Well the 
 mourners knew that there was no redress for his 
 murder. Who could bring proof to show 
 that one of the spies of Atotarho had been 
 the assassin? Who could show that Hosahaho 
 had died that the pathway of Atotarho might be 
 cleared of the strongest chieftain who with- 
 stood him? 
 
182 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Never had there been grief so heavy in the 
 longhouse of the Turtles, where Shawenis and 
 Waundana, the mother and the sister of Hosa- 
 haho, covered their heads before the face of their 
 dead. 
 
 Three suns later the horns of Hosahaho still 
 rested on his grave — a sign to the people that 
 his successor had not been raised up. 
 
 Then the chief women of the Turtle Clan 
 throughout Onondaga met at Kanatagowa to 
 choose a successor to Hosahaho. The right to 
 name the coming chieftain belonged to Shawenis, 
 the mother of the dead chieftain. Erect and 
 clear-browed, in the dignity of one who nobly 
 bears the weight of heavy sorrow, Shawenis stood 
 among the other Royaners of the Turtles. 
 
 She spoke words of honor for the departed, 
 who had labored that brighter days might follow. 
 Then she named the one most worthy to succeed 
 him. That one was Hiawatha. 
 
 The chief women heard the name of Hiawatha 
 without surprise. They were of one mind; 
 among all the Turtles, there was none so worthy 
 to succeed Hosahaho. They said: "Hiawatha is 
 young in years but younger chieftains than he 
 have been raised up among the Onondagas. 
 Youthful as he is there is no one who surpasses 
 him in wisdom, eloquence and justice. Have we 
 not heard his moving words at the council fire 
 and witnessed, winter by winter, his faithful 
 service of the people?" 
 
The Raising -up of Hiawatha 183 
 
 So it was decreed by the Royaners of the 
 Turtles that Hiawatha should succeed to the 
 chieftainship of their clan among all the Ononda- 
 gas. Immediately the decision was made known to 
 the chief men. Then runners were dispatched 
 to the other villages of the Onondagas to call the 
 clan of the Turtle to a mourning council that 
 should raise up a successor to Hosahaho. 
 Runners were also sent to the clansmen of the 
 Turtles among the Oneidas and Mohawks that 
 they might send witnesses to the raising-up of 
 the new chieftain. Each runner carried a notched 
 stick bearing the sign of the message, "The name 
 of Hosahaho bids that after two suns you as- 
 semble at Kanatagowa." 
 
 On the third day thereafter, at the rising of 
 the sun, the chief men of the Turtle Clan marched 
 to the wood's edge to meet the visiting people, 
 speaking to them words of welcome. Then they 
 led the way to the council. There, at the place 
 of council, the visiting people chanted the virtues 
 of Hosahaho: 
 
 "Our Word has passed away — he who used 
 to work for all that they might see the brighter 
 days to come." 
 
 "Ye are mourning in deep darkness; we will 
 make the sky clear for you; we will make the 
 sun shine on you, so you will not see a cloud. 
 We will light the council fire anew, and cause it 
 to burn again so that you may go on with your 
 duties and labors. ... 
 
184 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 "If any one shall fall — it may be a chieftain 
 — then the horns shall be left on the grave, and 
 as soon as possible another shall be put in his 
 place. . . . Now show us the warrior that is 
 to be the new chieftain." ^ 
 
 Hiawatha was led forward. They clothed him 
 in a new garment. They placed on his head the 
 horns of his office. In obedience to a dream sent 
 to Shawenis, they confirmed his name, Hiawatha. 
 The duties to which he was called were clearly 
 recited, and the laws of the Fathers repeated. 
 
 Then Hiawatha, standing in the presence of 
 his clansmen, promised obedience and service; 
 promised to devote the strength of his office to 
 the welfare of the people. Very simply he said : 
 
 "The spirits of the great ones of the departed 
 Fathers are looking upon us. Here I promise 
 to do more than merely obey the laws of the 
 Fathers. I will so serve the people that we shall 
 not only be strengthened, but that the names of 
 our Fathers will be honored." 
 
 Keenly his clansmen listened to the words that 
 followed. 
 
 "Our Fathers have taught us that the clan 
 bond is not to be broken; that everywhere clans- 
 men shall suffer and defend each other. But to- 
 day men of the Turtle Clan are away from Onon- 
 daga seeking to slay their brother clansmen of 
 the Turtle among the Cayugas and Senecas. 
 Hiawatha promises to strive against such break- 
 
 * From The Iroquois Book of Rites. 
 
The Raising -up of HiatcatJia 185 
 
 ing of the clan bond. He will labor for the 
 sacred kee^^ing of the clan bond between all the 
 tribes of the Real Men. 
 
 "My Brothers, the six clans of the Onondagas 
 make the tribe. If clans take vengeance on each 
 other, the whole tribe is weakened. Your chief- 
 tain promises to make his clan a bulwark to the 
 tribe. He would have his clansmen consider the 
 whole nation in their action, for in the past this 
 has been done by the greatest of the Real Men. 
 Naho." 
 
 No man or w^oman who attended that meeting 
 ever forgot it. There w^as something in the pres- 
 ence of Hiawatha when the sacred horns were 
 upon him that reminded the people of the an- 
 cient time when men held direct communion with 
 the Good Mind. 
 
 Since the death of Hosahaho, the young war- 
 riors had watched Hiawatha with keen interest. 
 They knew his powder as a warrior; they knew 
 his shrewdness and courage ; and they questioned 
 if he would not, as a chieftain, teach Atotarho his 
 clan powder. This same question had been in the 
 minds of most of the Turtles when they came to 
 the council. But as they heard the words of their 
 new chieftain, their question was answered. 
 There was something in his bearing that banished 
 every thought of clan vengeance and made the 
 Turtles feel that in him they had found a leader 
 of vision. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY 
 
 THE DREAM OF SHAWENIS 
 
 It was three suns after the raising-up of Hia- 
 watha. Shawenis stood alone on a sunny hill 
 slope. She had gone out with her granddaughter, 
 Gawenneta, to gather the fruits of the forest. 
 In one hand, Shawenis held a bunch of healing 
 herbs. Her quiet eyes were seeking the hollows 
 where brooklets run when the rain falls. She 
 moved about like a wise nature priestess who 
 knows the secrets of growing things. Now she 
 marked how one plant had wandered from last 
 year's place of growing; how another flourished 
 in a sunny exposure ; how a third had crept close 
 to the brookside. 
 
 When Shawenis had gathered the leaves and 
 bark of an ash tree, she seated herself on a sun- 
 warmed rock, drew her moccasined feet together, 
 and folded her warm skirt of deerskin closely 
 about her. Her wise face looked as if it had 
 grown out of the earth around her ; as if through 
 her the spirit of the earth mother, Ataensic, had 
 taken visible form and was brooding over her 
 children. 
 
 Suddenly a familiar call sounded. Soon there- 
 after Gawenneta, sister of Hiawatha and 
 daughter of Waundana, came running from a 
 neighboring ridge. Her braided hair was wind- 
 blown and her face glowed with rich color. As 
 she approached she held out a half -filled basket 
 of berries, saying : 
 
 186 
 
The Dream of Shawenis 187 
 
 "My Grandmother, Gawenneta has not filled 
 her basket. A thrush sang in the woodland close 
 beside her. Wherever Gawenneta went the sing- 
 ing bird followed, repeating the same words over 
 and over, and flying round and returning as if 
 he asked her to follow. Then Gawenneta forgot 
 the berry picking and followed the singer — fol- 
 lowed him toward the sun's rising!" 
 
 The wise woman listened intently to the words 
 of Gawenneta. For a time she sat in silence, as 
 she pondered once more a strange dream that had 
 come to her three moons before. The singing 
 bird that beckoned Gawenneta eastward, seemed 
 to repeat the omen of that dream. Then Sha- 
 wenis answered: 
 
 "My Granddaughter, it may be that the brown 
 thrush was one of the Elf Folk who came to sing 
 to Gawenneta of some blessing coming from the 
 eastward. Let the heart of my Granddaughter 
 be thankful." 
 
 Shawenis tied her herbs with a string of deer- 
 skin, picked up her strong staff, and the two 
 turned their faces homeward. As they walked 
 on together, Shawenis repeated to Gawenneta 
 the old tale of Qua-ra-ra: 
 
 "Sent by the Great Ruler, Quarara appeared 
 to the Iroquois as an aged man. Everywhere the 
 people turned away from the stranger, because 
 they saw that a loathsome disease was upon him. 
 Rejected, he passed from village to village. In 
 the last town a woman stood in the doorway of 
 
188 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the poorest house ; when she saw signs of sickness 
 on the stranger she bade him enter and find rest. 
 Because she had shown pity, Quarara taught her 
 the use of medicine plants and bestowed on her 
 and her children the great gift of healing. 
 
 "Then Quarara brought upon himself the fatal 
 disease for which there is no healing, and re- 
 turned to his home with the Great Ruler." ^ 
 
 Shawenis often told this story because it 
 taught that the Great Ruler bestows on the com- 
 passionate, above all others, the wisdom of heal- 
 ing. But today the tale was linked in her mind 
 with the cares of the present. As Gawenneta 
 walked beside her in silence, Shawenis sadly pon- 
 dered the illness of her daughter, Waundana, 
 mother of Hiawatha and Gawenneta. 
 
 She asked herself, "Can it be that Waundana 
 has the fatal disease that has no curing? In vain 
 has Shawenis tried every medicine known to our 
 people. In vain have the medicine men of the 
 tribe sought to drive away the sickness. Moon 
 by moon Waundana is slowly fading. Seven 
 winters ago, when Ondiyaka died, she was full 
 of youthful strength and beauty. After the 
 mourning for her husband she went about like 
 one who looks into a distant country. Can it be 
 that her ' spirit is following his on its long 
 journey? Can it be that, like Quarara, she is of 
 her own will turning to the land of the departed?" 
 
 When Shawenis and Gawenneta entered the 
 
 ^ From The Legends of the Iroquois, by Canfield. 
 
The Dream of Shawenis 181) 
 
 village, they found Waundana sitting by the 
 doorway of the longhouse dyeing porcupine quills 
 for the autumn work on deerskins. 
 
 As her hands were busied with the work of 
 staining the quills that lay in ordered heaps about 
 her, the mind of Waundana was steadily holding 
 the picture of Hiawatha as he stood among the 
 elders at the Mourning Council. There she had 
 recalled the dream of Hunadanlu, the dream 
 that gave her son the name White Eagle. For 
 him she no longer feared the wrath of Atotarho ; 
 rather she felt assurance of the dream's promise. 
 
 But the sight of Gawenneta, bringing her gift 
 of berries, recalled heavy thoughts to the mother. 
 There were those among the Turtles who were 
 urging Waundana to choose a husband for the 
 maiden. But to whom should she wed her? 
 Surely not to one of the young men who belonged 
 to Atotarho's war party, for he would be cruel 
 and terrifying like his leader. Nor could she 
 wed her to one of the peace party, for his path 
 would be beset with hidden perils. How could 
 she save the maiden from the dangers and sor- 
 rows that threatened? She felt a strong wish to 
 flee far away with her child. 
 
 Even as the mother and daughter stood at the 
 doorway, that wish was approaching fulfillment. 
 They heard an exclamation from the children on 
 the roof of the longhouse. Then Gawenneta 
 said: 'Tsteaha, my Mother, hither come a com- 
 pany of Mohawks. They are pausing at the 
 
190 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 wood's edge; and see, there are women among 
 them!" 
 
 Immediately Da-yo-ho-go, a youthful Mohawk 
 chieftain, entered the village. The mother and 
 daughter saw him pause at the doorway of a 
 chieftain. The chieftain himself went out to the 
 wood's edge to welcome the party and invite 
 them to enter. Soon after, runners were dis- 
 patched to summon a council. 
 
 Waundana sat among the Turtles in the 
 council, and by her side was Gawenneta. The 
 mother looked on Dayohogo, the young Mohawk 
 chieftain of the Wolf Clan, and listened to his 
 words in council. Among the noble women of 
 the Mohawks was his mother, A-wey-ni-yont. In 
 her heart Waundana said: "Surely the noble 
 Aweyniyont is the mother of a courageous son. 
 He is goodly in strength and manhood, and his 
 words in council are well spoken." Then a 
 sudden thought came, "Dayohogo is not wedded. 
 Here may be a pathway of safety for Gawenneta. 
 Here may be the fulfillment of the dream of 
 Shawenis." 
 
 That day Waundana spoke with the men and 
 women of her household. She said, "Ye recall 
 how, in a dream, Shawenis saw Gawenneta 
 dressed in fair garments as one who is ready for 
 a journey. As she looked, Shawenis saw Gawen- 
 neta enter the trail to the eastward and move 
 swiftly toward the sun's rising. In her dream 
 Shawenis said, 'How is it that my granddaughter 
 
The Dream of Shawenis 191 
 
 walks with unerring footsteps over a trail that 
 she knows not?' Then she saw that the maiden 
 kept her eyes on a bright star that was moving 
 before her. In the hght of O-jish-an-da, the star, 
 she was journeying safely. 
 
 "Well ye know that the heart of Waundana is 
 full of trouble concerning the maiden. ^lay it 
 not be that this dream has been sent to open the 
 mind of Waundana to a ^Mohawk alliance for 
 the maiden?" 
 
 Hiawatha listened in amazement to the words 
 of Waundana. Would his mother banish his 
 sister from her people; make her an exile who 
 for a lifetime must dwell with strangers, and 
 speak their language? But something in the face 
 of Shawenis gave him vision. For the first time 
 he saw the signs of death on the beloved face of 
 his mother. At once he understood why she 
 sought a place of safetj^ for her daughter. In 
 that moment he knew that the power that had 
 struck Ondiyaka had broken the spirit of Waun- 
 dana, driving her now to choose exile for her 
 child as the only path of safety. 
 
 Because of her dream, and because of the omen 
 of the singing bird, Shawenis approved of the 
 purpose of Waundana. 
 
 Five suns thereafter Dayohogo and Gawen- 
 neta were betrothed. In embroidered garments 
 of deerskin, the maiden brought her gift of bread 
 to Aweyniyont. Then with well-chosen words of 
 faithful promise, the Mohawk woman offered the 
 
192 The Hero of the Long house 
 
 gift of venison for Dayohogo. In another five 
 suns they were wedded. 
 
 The next morning Gawenneta stood at the 
 door of the longhouse, dressed for her journey. 
 She was hstening to the admonitions of Shawenis. 
 
 As she bade adieu to her daughter, Waundana 
 hung about her neck as a parting gift a beautiful 
 pearl shell that whispered in the voice of the 
 Great Sea. So Gawenneta departed from her 
 people forever. 
 
 The next sun they found Waundana lying as 
 in j)eaceful slumber, but she did not awaken to 
 the voice of Hiawatha. 
 
 Two suns later Hiawatha lighted the fire on 
 the grave of his mother. Then Shawenis 
 sprinkled the maize seed, saying: 
 
 "My Daughter, this is the corn which so often 
 you planted. Many times you husked it in har- 
 vest. With the coming of springtime you pre- 
 pared the earth again for the seed so that the corn 
 should spring upward in beauty. As the corn 
 dies only to live anew, so you shall live again in 
 fresh beauty. The birds eat the maize from the 
 ground where we place it and fly again to the 
 skies. So we tarry on the earth to eat of its 
 fruits, then we fly upward when the Great Wis- 
 dom knows it is time." 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 
 
 TONEDAWA, THE CHILD OF HIAWATHA 
 
 In the autumn of the winter that followed, in the 
 soft shining days when once more summer re- 
 turns to the earth, a child was born to Wanutha 
 and Hiawatha. Her mother called her To-ne- 
 da-wa. 
 
 In the longhouse of the Wolf Clan the ga- 
 oseha of Tonedawa, the little O-wi-raa, stood 
 close to the firelight. There she crooned her 
 wordless songs of wonder, singing with Oah, 
 the wind, when he talked at the side of the bark 
 house. Beside the fire the blind great-grand- 
 mother was always sitting. She crooned and sang 
 to Tonedawa. And the little one turned to the 
 ancient music in happy contentment. For the 
 songs of Nogondih were full of the meaning that 
 is in the call of the doe when she speaks to her 
 young ones; full of the age-long wisdom that 
 only the young understand rightly. 
 
 The little Tonedawa would answer the croon- 
 ing song with happy cries and gurgles. She 
 would stretch her tiny hands toward the singing 
 voice and turn her bright eyes to the aged face 
 in the firelight, while the two held long wordless 
 talks together. Like a wise nature teacher the 
 blind Nogondih felt the daily, dim explorings of 
 the child ; and what the eyes of the little one saw 
 and the ears heard, the blind grandmother filled 
 with wonderful meaning. 
 
 When in winter the north wind swept the 
 
 193 
 
194 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 empty forests and smote the bark house roughly, 
 the startled Tonedawa listened in wide-eyed 
 wonder. Then she turned to the aged face with 
 wordless questions. And the wise Nogondih 
 answered the unspoken question with her croon- 
 ing and singing: 
 
 Okwari has come out of the north sky, 
 He has frozen the lakes and rivers, 
 Now he growls at the door of the longhouse, 
 He is trying to enter the longhouse. 
 
 But my baby is safe from the great bear, 
 She is wrapped in the skin of Jonito, 
 She is guarded by kindly Odjista, — 
 Never can Okwari get her. 
 
 When the west wind came bringing the drift- 
 ing snowstorms, driving the hurrying flakes into 
 the rough cover of the bark house, beating the 
 roof with flying snow-sleet, whistling, growling, 
 crying about the doorways and corners, while the 
 wide-eyed Owiraa listened, the grandmother sang 
 of the west wind: 
 
 That is Dajoji, the panther, 
 Hear him snarling througli the forest, 
 Hear him sniffing at the smokehole, — 
 But he cannot, cannot enter, 
 Cannot toucli thee, my Owiraa. 
 
 When the early springtime came, the long 
 rains fell and flooded the river that roared in the 
 distance. The east wind drove the rain in beat- 
 ing sheets against the long sides of the bark 
 

 'The longhou.se of the Wolf Clan" 
 
196 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 house, drove the pouring rain onto the wide roof, 
 and sent it into the smoke hole. Then the aged 
 grandmother crooned and sang with the east 
 wind; spoke pleasant words of 0-yan-do-ne, the 
 moose. 
 
 Hear the tramp of Oyandone, 
 Hear his tramp in beating rainfall, 
 All the happy streams are calling 
 And the deep-voiced forest answers : 
 "Welcome art thou, Oyandone !" 
 
 When the south wind, the gentle fawn, Neoga, 
 sent her breath over the woodlands and the 
 flowers pushed their woolly buds through the 
 brown leaves and opened in beauty and fra- 
 grance, the gaoseha of Tonedawa hung from the 
 branch of Ki-on-da-ga, the oak tree. 
 
 There in the sunshine, the blind grandmother 
 sat for hours, still crooning to the little Owiraa. 
 This time she sang of the south wind, the fawn. 
 
 Feel the soft breath of Neoga — 
 Neoga who comes with the song birds, 
 She fills the green woodland with flowers, 
 She sings with the corn in the maize fields. 
 She lingers to kiss my Owiraa. 
 
 Sometimes a bird lighted on the ring of the 
 gaoseha, close to the face of Tonedawa, and sang 
 of its nestlings. Often Arosea, the squirrel, 
 frisked about her or ate a nut, while he watched 
 her with curious wonder. Ki-on-da-ga, the oak 
 tree, put out its soft leaves with their wide, 
 jagged margins and curtained the gaoseha with 
 
Tonedawa, the Child of Hiawatha 197 
 
 soft shadows. All the earth was young with 
 Tonedawa. 
 
 Often the busy Wanutha came to Kiondaga, 
 the oak tree, and, swinging the light gaoseha to 
 her shoulders, placed the embroidered strap 
 across her forehead. Then mother and child lost 
 themselves together in the forest or along the 
 stream side. 
 
 Sometimes, at the day's end, Hiawatha came 
 to the oak tree to find the little maiden. Then he 
 took her in his strong arms and perched her on 
 his shoulder; he talked to her of all the kindly 
 forest creatures, or he brought her a bright 
 flower that he had found in his far-away hunting. 
 Very often the tiny hand of Tonedawa touched 
 his forehead and with magic fingers banished care 
 and brought back hope and freedom. 
 
 For Hiawatha came to his little Owiraa with 
 a hea^y burden, the burden of thwarted endeavor 
 and unending labor. Moon by moon he was fol- 
 lowed by the oppressing conviction that the five 
 tribes were launched upon a long war of exter- 
 mination, for after so much provocation the Sen- 
 ecas would never ask for peace ; they would tire- 
 lessly work for conquest. In vain he labored in 
 council against the war ; in vain he strove to hold 
 the party of peace to decisive action. 
 
 One night in late autumn when all the village 
 was sleeping, Wanutha, filled with restless fore- 
 bodings, noiselessly stepped out from the long- 
 house of the Wolf Clan and listened intently in 
 
198 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the stillness. A cold mist made a lake of the 
 maize fields and covered the forest with a soft 
 curtain. Wanutha knew that Hiawatha had 
 scouts on all the trails southward and westward; 
 but on such a night only Ohanta, the ear, could 
 help the watcher, and on such a night a foe might 
 well attempt to surprise the Onondagas. 
 
 But the keen ear of Wanutha could detect no 
 slightest movement, no sound of stealthy foot- 
 steps. As she turned to reenter the longhouse, 
 her quick eye caught a faint glow to the south- 
 ward. She watched it a brief moment; saw it 
 leap and flicker through the grey mist-veil ; then 
 the truth flashed across her. Nantasasis was 
 burning! The enemy had surprised Nantasasis! 
 
 Instantly the shrill cry of Wanutha startled 
 the sleeping village: "Kwa-ah, Kwa-ah, Kwa- 
 ah !" In a moment Hiawatha, in the longhouse of 
 the Turtles, seized his bow and fastened the 
 quiver of arrows. Before the last of the people 
 had emerged from their bark houses, he disap- 
 peared in the forest, followed by a scant two 
 score of warriors. 
 
 When Hiawatha and his little band reached 
 Nantasasis, they found it a smoking ruin with 
 only a handful of wounded survivors left to tell 
 of the disaster. The village had been surprised 
 by a company of Cayugas who had secured many 
 captives and hastily departed westward. 
 
 For the first time Hiawatha saw the mangled 
 bodies of the aged; the bodies of women from 
 
Tonedawa, the Child of Hiawatha 199 
 
 which the scalp lock of long hair had been taken ; 
 the bodies of little children who had been killed 
 by blows of the war club. That sight fired him 
 with the passion of battle. He hastily called his 
 little band of warriors about him and spoke: "If 
 we run swiftly enough by the hunting trail to 
 Lake Otisco and then turn northward, we can 
 reach the warpath ahead of the Cayugas, ambush 
 them, and rescue the captives. Who will go with 
 Hiawatha?" A war cry was the answer. 
 
 The mist had lifted, and a full moon was shin- 
 ing. In three hours they were lying in ambush. 
 A half hour later they heard the tread of many 
 footsteps; the war party was approaching. A 
 moment later the Cayugas were startled by the 
 sudden blows of Kajawa. The war club seemed 
 to spring at them from the bushes. Then a hand- 
 to-hand fight began. Hiawatha was attacked by 
 the leader, a powerful warrior. As the Turtle 
 chieftain turned to meet the uplifted war club, 
 he stood face to face with Aodogweh, his one-time 
 comrade, banished long ago for murder. Both 
 stood motionless an instant; then Aodogweh 
 dropped his weapon and fled, followed by the 
 Cayugas. 
 
 Aodogweh had broken the law of the exile! 
 Not only had he returned to the forbidden soil of 
 Onondaga, but he had returned as an enemy. 
 
 Hiawatha knew well that this treacherous 
 action would bring shame to the kinsmen of the 
 exile who still dwelt in Kanatagowa. The life 
 
200 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 of Daweyongo, the plighted friend of Aodogweh, 
 would be darkened and his pathway hedged with 
 difficulty. Hiawatha recalled how faithfully 
 Daweyongo had repaid to the utmost the kins- 
 men of Swaoweh whom Aodogweh had mur- 
 dered. Now the old hatred would be aroused, 
 and a bitter feud would spring up. The clans- 
 men of Swaoweh would have clan vengeance 
 upon the warriors of Cayuga who had followed 
 the traitor into battle. 
 
 Swiftly these thoughts passed through the 
 mind of Hiawatha. Before he reached Nantasa- 
 sis, he had determined not to speak of the treach- 
 ery of Aodogweh. When the smoke of Asoquata 
 should arise between the United Tribes of the 
 Real Men, such wrongs might be settled by tribal 
 justice, not by clan vengeance. 
 
 The return was made slowly, for the rescued 
 women and children were very weary. At day- 
 break the party reached the smouldering heap 
 of ruins that had been Nantasasis. 
 
 Already the wounded were cared for by the 
 helpers who had hastened from the nearer vil- 
 lages. Hiawatha counseled with the group of 
 homeless survivors. There was only one way 
 open. They must find shelter in the other towns 
 of Onondaga for the winter; in the spring they 
 could rebuild Nantasasis. 
 
 That winter the cheerful fireside of Wanutha 
 was shared with two orphaned children from 
 Nantasasis. That same winter the lips of the 
 
Tonedawa, the Child of Hiatcatha 201 
 
 little Tonedawa began to speak the language of 
 her people. First of all she lisped the best-loved 
 words in that language, the word Isteaha, my 
 Mother, and the word Ihani, my Father. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 
 
 JIGONSASA, THE QUEEN OF THE NEUTRALS 
 
 One day in autumn, as Aijah, the Seneca cap- 
 tive, wife of Daweyongo, sat at the edge of the 
 home fields, weaving reeds into a mat to cover 
 the earth floor of her fireside, Hiawatha suddenly 
 stood beside her. He spoke at once: "My sister, 
 Hiawatha would hear from thy lips of Ji-gon- 
 sa-sa, the wise Peace Queen of the Neutrals. The 
 land of Aij all's birth lies close to the land of the 
 Neutrals. Through all the days of her childhood 
 and youth, Aijah has heard the birds sing of 
 Jigonsasa, the Great ]Mother. Will not my sister 
 speak of these things to Hiawatha, her brother?" 
 
 And Aijah answered; "Far away to the west- 
 ward, just above the place where the great Falls 
 of Ne-ah-ga' thunder, stands Ki-en-i-ka, the vil- 
 lage of the Peace Home. In a lodge without the 
 village dwells Jigonsasa, the Peace Queen. 
 
 "She is descended from Ataensic, the first 
 woman. She comes from a long race of Great 
 Mothers. Because the ears of her people are 
 open to the words of the Peace Queen, their feet 
 turn away from the warpath; nor will they lend 
 tliemselves to the wars of their neighbors. Be- 
 cause the Real Men revere the wisdom of the race 
 of Great Mothers, the life of Jigonsasa is sacred ; 
 and no tribe will go on the warpath against the 
 neutrals so long as Jigonsasa dwells in the House 
 of Peace. All this is well known to Hiawatha. 
 
 ^ Niagara. 
 202 
 
Jigonsasa, the Queen of the Neutrals 203 
 
 "The fire of the House of Peace is fed with 
 pine knots, so that its warm hght will always wel- 
 come the strangers who come to its doorway. 
 Within the House of Peace are large stores of 
 maize and dried venison, and food is always ready 
 in abundance so that the hungry may enter and 
 find plenty. Whoever lifts the pelt of the door- 
 way and enters the Peace Home is safe from his 
 pursuer, for no blood may be shed in Kienika. 
 Even if the lips of Jigonsasa speak the death 
 word, the sentence must be executed in another 
 place, for blood would defile the sacred ground 
 of the House of Peace. 
 
 "Broad and well-trodden are the paths that 
 lead to Kienika. Thither go those who desire 
 peace, to find counsel in the wisdom of the Great 
 Mother of Nations. Thither go the sad and dis- 
 couraged, and thither the poor and hungry. He 
 that is in dispute, he that is pursued by hatred 
 and malice, comes witli his enemy, that through 
 the wisdom of Jigonsasa he may find once more 
 the way of safety. For in the presence of the 
 Ye-go-wa-neh, the wise woman, all hatreds are 
 forgotten and the wild clouds of anger that 
 darken the eyes are banished." 
 
 Then Hiawatha answered: "Hiawatha will 
 seek the Peace Queen and learn from her how to 
 drive darkness from the hearts of his people." 
 
 Three suns afterward, an hour before the early 
 dawn light, Hiawatha, dressed in new garments, 
 stood at the door of the longhouse of the Wolf 
 
204 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Clan. There at the doorway was Wanutha, and 
 by her side was the little maiden Tonedawa. 
 From the hands of Wanutha Hiawatha received 
 the bread for his journey. From her lips he re- 
 ceived quiet words of farewell that carried more 
 than spoken blessings. 
 
 On the Gasunto, two men awaited the coming 
 of Hiawatha. They were Sosondoweh and Da- 
 weyongo. 
 
 Hiawatha stepped into the bark canoe, and 
 the swift paddles of his two friends sent it flying 
 northward. At night the three slept at the Falls 
 of the Oswego. Before morning dawned, their 
 canoe was flying westward over the waters of 
 Ontario. The next sun saw them north of the 
 Seneca country. On the third sun their canoe 
 crossed the water where the Genesee flows into 
 Ontario. The next day they skirted the wide 
 land of the Neutrals. At sunset they landed 
 where the Niagara River carries the waters of 
 Erie into Ontario. The dawn light found them 
 journeying southward along the Niagara. Be- 
 fore the sun had reached the zenith, they heard 
 the distant roar of the Falls of Niagara, and felt 
 its far-off reverberations. They had reached the 
 end of their journey. A smooth footpath running 
 eastward through the forest, brought them to 
 Kienika — led them to the house of the Peace 
 Queen. 
 
 As the three paused at the doorway, the skin 
 hangings were drawn backward and an aged 
 
Jigonsasa, the Queen of the Neutrals 205 
 
 woman bade them enter. Together they stepped 
 within the anteroom of the House of Peace; they 
 saw the shining of the firehght in the long central 
 hall; a clear voice from within, asked them to 
 enter. 
 
 In a moment they stood before Jigonsasa, the 
 Great Mother. The snows of many winters lay 
 lightly upon her. Her form was as straight as 
 an ash tree. The face of Jigonsasa was both 
 aged and youthful. There were deep lines of 
 thought upon it; but the eyes shone like the stars 
 lighted by the Great Ruler, when the sun has en- 
 tered his lodge. 
 
 When they had eaten the bread of the Peace 
 Home, Jigonsasa bade the visitors formal wel- 
 come. Then Hiawatha addressed the Peace 
 Queen, speaking through the lips of Daweyongo 
 in the tongue of the Cayugas. 
 
 "Isteaha, my Mother, Hiawatha of the Turtle 
 Clan has come to the Peace Home, traveling 
 from the Onondaga country by the pathway of 
 the water. Very dark is the land of the Onon- 
 dagas. It is covered by clouds of warfare that 
 have risen in the west sky and do not pass over. 
 A wizard sits in Onondaga at whose word the 
 dark war clouds gather. INIuch the people fear 
 the anger of this wizard, for his commands are 
 heard at a distance. The people of Onondaga 
 believe that the eyes of the wizard are always 
 upon them ; that his ears hear what they whisper 
 at the fireside or speak in the distant hunting 
 lodge. 
 
206 The Hero of the Loughousc 
 
 "Listen, Isteaha, to the words of Hiawatha. 
 So long have the men of Onondaga followed the 
 warpath that their hearts are darkened and their 
 feet can walk in no other. When the warriors re- 
 tui-n from the well-trodden warpath they mope 
 in their lodges. Xo longer are the hunting paths 
 of their Fathers pleasant. [Mother, continue to 
 listen. The words of Hiawatha are heavy with 
 sorrow, for the. men of Onondaga have grown 
 mad with warfare. 
 
 "Isteaha, my JNIother, his clan spirit has com- 
 manded Hiawatha to unite the five tribes of the 
 Real ^len into a confederation. This union is 
 pictured in the totem given in Hiawatha's dream- 
 fast. By this token Hiawatha knows that the 
 warfare between the Real INIen offends the 
 Master of Life. It is His will that Wiey smoke 
 the peace pipe together and bury their weapons 
 of warfare forever. 
 
 "Twelve winters have passed since Hiawatha 
 in the dream-fast heard the words of his clan 
 spirit. But still the Iroquois war on each other. 
 The peace words of Hiawatha sound foolish in 
 tlie ears of the young men of the Onondagas ; and 
 Atotarho who leads them to battle is great in elo- 
 quence and mighty in warfare. Can the Great 
 Peace IMother teach Hiawatha how to make the 
 peace words convincing? Can she show him how 
 to remove evil creeping things from the foot- 
 paths between the tribes of the Real Men, so that 
 again they may be one people?" 
 
Jigonsasa, the Queen of the Neutrals 207 
 
 And the wise woman, the Yegowuneh, an- 
 swered: "lyeaha, my Son, between the Real Men 
 are many pathways; but many are the obstruc- 
 tions in the footpaths, and the streams and water- 
 ways are choked. With patience the wise man 
 clears away the entangling vines and bushes ; the 
 fallen trees he burns with fire. He who is wise 
 passes around the rock that blocks the pathway 
 through the forest, and the feet of those behind 
 him safely follow. Long must the labor continue 
 before the pathways are cleared and straightened. 
 
 "Let my Son remember that among the 
 tribes of the Real Men there are many that Hia- 
 watha's eyes have never looked on who in winters 
 to come will labor with him on the path that he 
 buildeth. Four winters ago Da-ga-no-we-da, 
 a Huron, stood before the lodge of Jigonsasa. 
 His face was toward the sun's rising. He said, 
 'I go to light a sacrificial fire among a strange 
 people. Far to the east a great peace smoke will 
 arise. Thither Daganoweda journeys.' 
 
 "Let the heart of Hiawatha be at rest. Is not 
 the good trail, the Wa-gwen-ne-yuh, made by the 
 footsteps of many? So shall it be with the path- 
 way that Hiawatha seeks to build. For when 
 the feet of the people enter the open pathway, 
 they will say, 'It is a better way than the old one. 
 We will make it clear and straight for the feet of 
 our children.' " 
 
 Long was the silence that followed, while the 
 heart of Hiawatha pondered the words of Jigon- 
 sasa. Then the Yegowaneh spoke again : 
 
208 Tlic Hero of tJie Longhouse 
 
 "The way of Hiawatha is long. Let him tarry 
 in the House of Peace while the night sun is 
 shining. Let him find comfort and rest in the 
 House of Peace, so that he can return with new 
 strength to his people." 
 
 So Hiawatha abode in the Peace Home. He 
 saw one enter in haste, for the avenger was close 
 behind him. He saw both depart in forgiveness 
 and friendship, for this was the will of the Great 
 Mother. As he listened, Hiawatha perceived 
 that the words of Jigonsasa were filled with the 
 power of gentleness and wisdom. In that place 
 he began to understand how to answer his own 
 question; began to understand how to make the 
 peace words persuasive. 
 
 At nightfall Hiawatha listened again to the 
 words of the Great Mother: "lyeaha, my Son, 
 let thy heart be full of courage for the clan spirit 
 of Hiawatha knows full well that the Iroquois 
 can be united. He sees that Hiawatha can accom- 
 plish this union. ]My Son, it was for this cause 
 that a command was given in thy dream-fast and 
 a promise in thy totem." 
 
 Through all the winters of his lifetime, Hia- 
 watha cherished these words of the Peace Queen. 
 
 On the morning of the third sun, Hiawatha 
 stood before Jigonsasa in parting. He received 
 from her hands the parched corn for his journey. 
 He listened to her words of parting. 
 
 "lyeaha, my Son, thou art commanded by thy 
 clan spirit to clear the streams and open the 
 
The sacrificial fire of Daganoweda 
 
210 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 pleasant pathway between the tribes of the Real 
 Men. Great will be thy labor, but the eyes of 
 the Master of Life will see it. When thou 
 comest to the place of difficulty, send a message 
 to Jigonsasa and she will meet thee." 
 
 On the day that Hiawatha departed from the 
 House of Peace, two birds of dark plumage ^ flew 
 to the lodge of Atotarho, the war chieftain. As 
 the birds spoke, the dark chieftain eagerly 
 listened. For three days the birds had flown 
 westward; they had followed Hiawatha's canoe 
 on its journey along the south shore of the 
 Beautiful Lake ; they had followed as it skimmed 
 the land of the Eries. With his two friends they 
 had seen him enter the House of Peace. Then 
 they swiftly returned to Kanatagowa, to tell the 
 great chieftain that the feet of Hiawatha had 
 entered the doorway of Jigonsasa, the Peace 
 Queen. 
 
 The face of Atotarho grew darker while he 
 listened. He said in his heart: "Hiawatha is 
 twice armed ; he is armed with the courage of the 
 man and the faith of the woman. Now he seeks 
 to add to his power the authority of Jigonsasa, 
 the Mother of Nations. Hiawatha is a green 
 tree that is growing too fast. The time has come 
 to cut off its topmost branch." 
 
 Then Atotarho whispered a word in the ear of 
 one of the birds of dark plumage. The evil bird 
 listened closely and repeated the words of the 
 
 ^ Spies. 
 
Jigonsasa, the Queen of the Xeutrals 211 
 
 message. Then with wings as noiseless as are 
 the wings of Ohowa, the night bird, it took its 
 flight to the w^ood's edge. 
 
 There it perched in a deep thicket and watched 
 the village. The children were playing here and 
 there through the open; boys practiced at the ball 
 game ; old men talked in the shade of a pine tree. 
 But the bird did not see the children, nor the 
 boys, nor the old men. It saw only the women 
 coming and going from field and longhouse and 
 forest. At last it saw the wife of Hiawatha leave 
 the longhouse of the Wolf Clan and enter the 
 forest. Then with noiseless flight the dark bird 
 pursued her. 
 
 Wanutha gathered wood berries. As she 
 worked, her thoughts were as a pleasant song in 
 praise of Hiawatha. Then an arrow pierced her 
 heart! The body of Wanutha lay motionless in 
 the forest; the dark bird flew noiselessly toward 
 the lodge of Atotarho ! 
 
 Very swift was the home journey of Hiawatha, 
 for his heart and the hearts of his two friends re- 
 joiced with new hope. In three suns Hiawatha 
 stood at the door of the longhouse of the Wolf 
 Clan. A sound of wailing greeted him. On a 
 couch of bear skins lay Wanutha, pale and silent. 
 Quiet were the busy hands that served him ; A'ery 
 still were the faithful feet that met him in the 
 forest ; silent was the happy voice that bade him 
 welcome at the doorway ; closed were the pleasant 
 eves that had so often blessed him. 
 
212 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Hiawatha covered his head and sat down by 
 the beloved form of Wanutha. All day and all 
 night he sat there without sound of complaint; 
 nor did any one dare disturb that silent mourn- 
 ing. Then a small hand touched his bosom; 
 touched the sacred totem that hung there. It was 
 the maiden Tonedawa, the child of Wanutha. As 
 if that touch called him to duty and action, Hia- 
 watha arose and made ready for the burial. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE 
 
 THE STRUGGLE WITH ATOTARHO 
 
 The fire had scarcely died on the grave of Wa- 
 nutha, when a deputation of Mohawk and Oneida 
 chiefs arrived in Kanatagowa to ask that a truce 
 be made with the Seneca people. In the absence 
 of the JNIohawk warriors a war party of Algon- 
 kins had crossed the River Skanehtade and in- 
 vaded the country as far as Te-ah-ton-ta-lo-ga,' 
 which they had left in ashes. The enemy had re- 
 turned to their own country carrying away many 
 captives. With the Algonkins still unpunished, 
 the JSIohawks came to say that they must turn 
 their arms eastward; they could no longer fight 
 toward the sun's setting. 
 
 When the message of the Mohawks had been 
 delivered in council, Atotarho said: "My 
 Brothers, for many winters the Mohawks and 
 Oneidas have followed the warpath with the 
 Onondagas. Like true comrades united by the 
 vow of friendship, they have defended each other 
 against fierce onslaughts. The Senecas have been 
 taught to dread the arrows of battle when the 
 three Brothers are behind the bowstrings. The 
 boastful enemy has learned the might of Ka- 
 jawa, the war club, when it is wielded by the 
 strong arm of three United Brothers. 
 
 "My Brothers, not yet are the haughty Senecas 
 conquered. It is true their war parties no longer 
 run toward the sun's setting; with the Cayugas 
 
 ^ A Mohawk town close to the present site of Schenectady. 
 213 
 
214 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 they stay at home and watch the Onondaga 
 borders. Should the Three Brothers sleep, they 
 would come upon them swiftly and destroy them. 
 Brothers, Onondaga is a strong warrior who 
 stands at the west door of the Longhouse of the 
 Three Brothers; if the foe overpowers the de- 
 fender of the west door, he will enter and kill the 
 Two Brothers. Only when the Three Brothers 
 watch together is there safety in the Longhouse. 
 
 "My Brothers, continue to listen. Pursued 
 by the vengeance of the JNIohawks, the Algonkins 
 have already fled across the Skanehtade. While 
 they are still dizzy from the blows of the war club, 
 let the Three Brothers descend like fire on the 
 lands of the Seneca people. When they have 
 scattered the war parties and laid waste the maize 
 fields of the Senecas and Cayugas, let the Three 
 Brothers turn unitedly against the Algonkins. 
 In this way both doors of the Longhouse will be 
 kept in safety." 
 
 Atotarho had scarcely finished when Hiawatha 
 sprang to his feet. Three times he slowly paced 
 around the council fire in silence, the astonished 
 eyes of the people following every movement. 
 Then with outstretched hand he turned to the Mo- 
 hawk and Oneida chieftains and addressed them : 
 "The hearts of the Onondagas are heavy for 
 their Mohawk brothers who have looked on the 
 ash heap that was once Teahtontaloga ; who have 
 seen their women and young children carried into 
 captivity by the Algonkins. In his sore need the 
 
The Struggle with Atotarho 215 
 
 Mohawk seeks counsel of his brother who sits at 
 Kanatagowa. Let that Brother listen with open 
 ears to the words of the suffering Mohawks. Let 
 him clear his eyes and make clean his heart so 
 that he may speak true words to his Mohawk and 
 Oneida Brothers. 
 
 "^ly Brothers, why is it that the Onondagas 
 cannot go to the help of the Mohawks; cannot 
 with swift canoes swim the Skanehtade and bring 
 back their captive women and children? It is 
 because six winters ago the Onondagas wronged 
 the Senecas and drove them with the Cayugas to 
 the warpath. And now for six winters the Five 
 Brothers have fought each other. 
 
 "Continue to listen. If the JNIohawk had four 
 united Brothers behind him, the Algonkin would 
 no longer desire the fair forests toward the sun's 
 setting. For only when five united Brothers de- 
 fend the great Longhouse that stretches from 
 the Gennisheyo to the Skanehtade, can that house 
 be kept in safety." 
 
 Turning about Hiawatha addressed the Onon- 
 dagas: "Atotarho has told us how faithfully the 
 Mohawks have fought with the Onondagas. 
 What will the Onondagas do now for their 
 brother Mohawks? My Brothers, the Onondagas 
 will do justice. They will open their hearts to 
 this message from the Mohawk council and make 
 peace with the Seneca people. They will make 
 amends for the wrongs that the Senecas have 
 suffered. Then the Five Brothers will sit down 
 
216 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 at the western door of the Longhouse, and once 
 more the smoke of Ahsoquata will ascend from 
 the united tribes. Only when we have done jus- 
 tice to our Brother who sits on the Gennisheyo, 
 can we do justice to our Brother on the Skaneh- 
 tade. Naho. I have spoken." 
 
 The passionate conviction of Hiawatha drove 
 his words into the hearts of his hearers. The war- 
 riors of Onondaga looked in wonder and admira- 
 tion on the young Turtle chieftain, for they saw 
 that he had bared his breast to Atotarho's secret 
 weapons while he spoke true words that ascended 
 with the peace smoke to the Great Ruler. 
 
 At once Ho-no-we-na-to, the chief of the Wolf 
 Clan, arose and spoke strongly for peace and al- 
 liance with the Senecas and Cayugas. His words 
 were fearlessly sustained by To-nes-sa-ah, the 
 chieftain of the Beavers. Then the council closed 
 to meet again on the morrow. 
 
 As Hiawatha left the place of council many 
 looked on him as they might have looked on a 
 beloved brother walking to death by torture. 
 All that night Hiawatha's fireside was guarded 
 by the unsleeping eyes of Sosondoweh. When 
 he entered the forest at daybreak, Sosondoweh 
 walked beside him. 
 
 The next daj^ as the council reconvened, a 
 death cry startled the village. Soon a group of 
 warriors entered the place of council bearing the 
 body of Honowenato. The chieftain of the Wolf 
 Clan had been struck by a secret assassin. When 
 
The Struggle with Atotarho 217 
 
 the council was in order, men saw that Tonessaah, 
 the Beaver chieftain, was absent; he had fled 
 from Onondaga for safety. 
 
 The people were thrown into confusion. In 
 vain Hiawatha pleaded for justice to the Senecas 
 and JNIohawks. The words of Atotarho prevailed, 
 and the Mohawks received an evasive answer. 
 From sun to sun, the men of Kanatagowa looked 
 on Hiawatha as if they saw a dead man walking. 
 Why did Atotarho spare him? That question 
 they could not answer. 
 
 One day Sosondoweh rested beside a deep 
 spring. He was returning from a sacrificial fire 
 on the mountain of Hiawatha's fasting. The as- 
 cending smoke of the sacred tobacco had carried 
 his hopes for Hiawatha upward to the Great 
 Ruler. 
 
 All at once Ho-das-ha-te, his clan chieftain, 
 successor of Honowenato, stood beside him. He 
 spoke: "Are the eyes of Sosondoweh closed, that 
 he walks unarmed while the footprints of the 
 enemy are all about him. The kinsmen of Hia- 
 watha have fallen, so that he stands like a tree 
 shorn of its branches. And does not Sosondoweh 
 see that the friends of the great peace chieftain 
 are now falling under the blows of Kajawa, the 
 silent? Why does not Sosondoweh seek a path 
 of safety?" 
 
 Sosondoweh answered quietly: "Let the heart 
 of Hodashate be at peace. While Hiawatha re- 
 mains in Onondaga, Sosondoweh will remain 
 
218 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 with him. Atotarho fears strong medicine far 
 more than the might of Kajawa. He knows that 
 the mighty eloquence and wisdom of Hiawatha 
 are drawn from Hagwediyu, the Good Mind. 
 When Atotarho sees that Sosondoweh walks 
 alone and unarmed through the forest, he will 
 understand well that Sosondoweh is defended by 
 some powerful medicine, and he will fear to 
 strike, not knowing what spirit he might offend." 
 
 In truth the scouts of Atotarho brought word 
 that very day how Sosondoweh had made much 
 medicine — how all night long he had kejDt his 
 sacrificial fire burning. Atotarho listened to this 
 message in scowling silence. 
 
 One day in the moon of the first snow, Aijah, 
 the Seneca captive, joined Shawenis, who was 
 standing at the edge of the forest. The aged 
 woman spoke kindly words of greeting. 
 
 At once Aijah said : "The words of my Mother 
 are spoken clearly, but her thoughts are far dis- 
 tant." 
 
 Shawenis answered: "Moon by moon the 
 thoughts of Shawenis follow the perilous foot- 
 steps of Hiawatha. She sees the burdens of the 
 people heaped upon him. In council she sees 
 him battle alone with the relentless Atotarho." 
 
 Aijah said: "Isteaha, my Mother, dost thou 
 not see that the bitter struggle is fruitless, so long 
 as Atotarho is war chieftain?" 
 
 The voice of Shawenis was very low when she 
 answered: "^My Daughter, the horns of office can 
 
■l^lj*^: 
 
 ■f -^ 
 
 "Sosondoweh rested beside a il 
 
 ;p ..pi-mg 
 
220 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 be knocked from the head of Atotarho. Is it not 
 the right of the Royaners, the noble women, to 
 depose an unworthy chieftain?" 
 
 The younger woman answered: "Isteaha, 
 Aijah has thought on this matter." 
 
 Shawenis continued: "I will call the Royaners 
 of the tribe together and counsel with them on 
 the ways of Atotarho." 
 
 Quickly the beautiful Seneca woman placed 
 her hand on the shoulder of Shawenis and said 
 with affectionate pleading: "Dear to Aijah is 
 the light in the eyes of Shawenis, and dear is her 
 faithful watch-care." 
 
 The aged woman quietly answered the thought 
 in the mind of the other: "My Daughter, Sha- 
 wenis knows well that the matter is full of peril, 
 but shall we not meet peril with Hiawatha?" 
 
 Three suns later the Royaners of all Onon- 
 daga met together in the lodge of Shawenis. It 
 was a group of women who had learned much of 
 life, mysterious Yonhe; learned much of her 
 strange ways and deep meanings. The feet of 
 some of them were approaching the sunset ; there 
 was not one of them who had not reached the 
 middle of her life-course. Each carried the 
 marks of a mind sagacious in choosing; carried 
 in face and bearing the tokens of wisdom. 
 
 Shawenis, who had called them together, ad- 
 dressed them: "My Sisters, for generations the 
 Royaners of the Real Men have named its new 
 chieftains; for generations they have held the 
 
The Struggle with Atotarho 221 
 
 power of deposing a leader of the people who dis- 
 honored his office. 
 
 "Listen, my Sisters. A chieftain sits in Kana- 
 tagowa who is full of secret counsels. He is 
 crafty and revengeful; the free speech of the 
 council is checked in his presence; he wages un- 
 just and unnecessary warfare; he has many spies 
 and assistants who are seen in places near and 
 distant, but what they do is not reported when 
 the free men of Onondaga sit under the ascend- 
 ing smoke of Ahsoquata. 
 
 "3Iy Sisters, all this is an offense against the 
 Great Ruler. It shames the Royaners of Onon- 
 daga that they have forgotten their great office. 
 Now let us strike the horns of office from the 
 head of Atotarho." 
 
 For a long time the Royaners were silent. 
 Then an aged woman spoke: "The women of 
 Onondaga know well that Shawenis has spoken 
 truly. The horns should be struck from the head 
 of Atotarho. But the Seneca people are en- 
 raged against the Onondagas, and they are the 
 most powerful of the Iroquois in battle. Ato- 
 tarho is skilled above every other war chieftain; 
 nor in all the annals of our people has there been 
 a warrior with such genius in fighting. If we 
 depose him, the Senecas will sweep down like a 
 forest fire and devour Onondaga." 
 
 And this was the voice of the Noble Women. 
 
 Ten suns later, they found Shawenis sitting 
 dead on a distant hillside, her lap filled with the 
 last herbs of autumn. 
 
222 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 So died the wise woman of the Onondagas. 
 Surely Gayewaas, the great sky watcher, sent his 
 brightest ray to Hght her footsteps on the journey 
 across the great sky path. Surely he placed in 
 her hand one of his brightest star torches to light 
 her to the land where stood the shining lodges of 
 the beloved ones who were waiting. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR 
 
 THE AWAKENING OF HIAWATHA 
 
 Through five long winters Sosondoweh and Da- 
 weyongo guarded the perilous footstej^s of Hia- 
 watha. At need they were his secret scouts and 
 runners. A number of warriors of Onondaga 
 stood beside the great peace chieftain who so 
 fearlessly faced Atotarho; but one by one they 
 fell or were driven into exile. 
 
 Because of all of these things the people loved 
 Hiawatha; yet most of them could not under- 
 stand his hatred of warfare and his prudent 
 speech concerning peace and justice. 
 
 His fruitless efforts to unite the Iroquois had 
 left deep marks upon the chieftain of the Turtles. 
 His spirit was well nigh broken, and hope was 
 waning within him. His life was burdened with 
 the sorrows of his people ; yet he could not make 
 them see the pathway to peace and safety. And 
 now he often left the council, where he had vainly 
 labored to persuade them, filled with despair and 
 impatience. In such hours he said in his heart: 
 "The long years of labor and teaching are fruit- 
 less. The minds of the people are dulled by hard- 
 ships, and their hearts are so hopeless and dark- 
 ened that they have lost all vision." 
 
 The new village, standing on a high hill at the 
 
 headwaters of the Gasunto, looked far away to 
 
 the blue hills about Lake Tekaneadahe.' Only 
 
 three winters had the village been there, but the 
 
 1 Tully Lake. 
 
224 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 warpaths were clear and well trodden. Many 
 familiar faces had disappeared forever from the 
 new town ; and many were the strangers within it. 
 Children had grown into youth, and boys had 
 become warriors. Many of the men had fallen 
 or become captives to other peoples, some had 
 fied into exile for fear of Atotarho. The women 
 were bowed with labor and scarred with mourn- 
 ing. The old Kanatagowa had disappeared, and 
 in its place was a town half of whose men were 
 adopted captives. 
 
 The lust of war had fallen upon Onondaga. 
 Her men were in love with the wild excitement 
 of battle; in love with the war dance and the 
 records of the war post; in love with the honors 
 and spoils of warfare. Beautiful to them were 
 the war paint and the scalp fringes and the long 
 lines of captives. The longer they warred, the 
 more they lusted for blood and battle. 
 
 Feuds with distant nations, feuds with other 
 Iroquois tribes, feuds with sister towns, and feuds 
 between clans and neighbors made every warrior 
 a stealthy man who was blood hungry. Every- 
 where there was peril, and everywhere there was 
 mourning. 
 
 Strange tales were whispered of Atotarho. 
 The people said : "He is master of evil arts. His 
 magic is so great that he can destroy at a dis- 
 tance; but he himself cannot be destroyed. His 
 aspect is so terrifying that he can paralyze with 
 a look. Some say that when he is angry the hairs 
 
The Awakening of Hiawatha 22 o 
 
 curl about his head like living serpents, that liis 
 fingers twist in snake-like contortions. Surely 
 Atotarho has become an evil magician." 
 
 Among the men of all Onondaga, there was no 
 one so feared as Atotarho and no one so 
 trusted as Hiawatha. 
 
 It was Hiawatha alone who stood in the 
 council and spoke eloquently against warfare. It 
 was Hiawatha who spoke for the burdened 
 women when they could no longer endure their 
 labors and sorrows. He it was who told the 
 people of the ancient times when the Men of ]Men 
 dwelt together as one tribe. It was he who 
 showed them how they could be reunited like a 
 strong clan where brother defends brother. No 
 other warrior was so successful in hunting and 
 fishing. He trained the boys to follow game so 
 that they could feed the hungry village. His 
 careful eyes watched the precious maize fields; 
 he was tireless in liis thoughtful watch-care for 
 the aged and for the young children. 
 
 Sometimes the Turtle chieftain thought of 
 leaving his tribe and seeking alliance with the 
 jSIohawks. But a little hand held Hiawatha in 
 Onondaga, held him as fast as if it were a hand 
 of iron. It was the hand of his child, the maiden 
 Tonedawa. 
 
 This child of Wanutha had been cherished by 
 her kinsfolk. From the women of the Wolf Clan 
 the maiden learned the simple arts of her people. 
 From Aijah, she learned to shape clay into forms 
 
226 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 of grace and beauty, to weave thread and grass 
 and reeds, to dye the quills of the hedgehog, and 
 to embroider the deerskin garments. From the 
 aged Nogondih, blind and bent with many 
 winters, she learned the traditions of her clan- 
 folk and the story of her mother. But from the 
 lips of Hiawatha, she learned the great story of 
 the Real Men, learned the meaning of worship, 
 learned to bestow on the people of the village 
 kind thought and to be gracious in behavior. 
 
 Hiawatha strove to hide from the eyes of the 
 maiden the sight of cruel torture; strove to stop 
 her ears to the sounds of sorrow and warfare; 
 strove to turn her heart in trust to the Great 
 Ruler. His mind misgave him lest some calamity 
 befall Tonedawa, for well he knew that her path- 
 way was beset on all sides with peril. Some- 
 times he said to the maiden: "Should sudden 
 danger threaten, lift thy heart to the Great Wis- 
 dom. In the moment of peril keep thyself in 
 peace and quiet, for surely the Master of Life 
 will have thee in His keeping." 
 
 And the maiden Tonedawa grew up like a 
 flower of the forest that opens to the sunshine 
 but closes to darkness and tempest. 
 
 One morning Hiawatha stood before the lodge 
 of the Wolf Clan prepared for the hunting. Be- 
 side him was Tonedawa, carrying her rude doll 
 of maize husks. As he looked down on her, 
 his heart was chilled by a premonition of 
 coming evil. He lifted a long braid of hair from 
 
1^ 
 
 « .V ' 
 
 'Tonedawa grew up like a flower of the forest" 
 
228 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 her shoulder and held it in his hand for a mo- 
 ment; then he touched his quiver of arrows as if 
 to disarm himself. But, speaking the word of 
 farewell, he turned and left the village. 
 
 That day Tonedawa wandered far into the 
 forest with a company of maidens. They were 
 seeking the sunny spots in the woodland where 
 strawberries gi-ew. As they returned to the vil- 
 lage, they heard a strange crying and shouting. 
 
 All the people were in commotion. They saw 
 the warriors running toward them with their 
 bows and arrows. Then they saw a great bird of 
 wondrous plumage flying above them. "It is 
 Ha-goks," the maidens cried. "It is Hagoks, the 
 mystical eagle!" They fled to shelter behind 
 trees and rocks — all but the child of Hiawatha, 
 who stood still in speechless wonder, gazing up- 
 ward at Hagoks. 
 
 At that moment an arrow reached the magical 
 bird and he fell reeling downward to the very 
 feet of Tonedawa. The crowd of warriors swept 
 forward. Who should possess the priceless 
 plumes of Hagoks? Whose was the arrow that 
 had reached him? They seized the dead Hagoks 
 and despoiled him of his plumage, and in their 
 greed and fury they fought fiercely with one an- 
 other. 
 
 When the tumult had ended, they found a 
 maiden lying where the marvelous Hagoks had 
 fallen. She was very still and silent, and when 
 they came near and looked into the upturned face 
 
Tlie Awakening of Hiawatha 229 
 
 they fled backward in horror. It was Tonedawa, 
 the child of Hiawatha, thrown down and 
 trampled by the crowding warriors! She had 
 perished with the magical sun bird ; she had fallen 
 with the mysterious Hagoks! 
 
 That night the village was silent save for 
 piercing cries of anguish that split the heavens. 
 They were the cries of Hiawatha. And there 
 was no one in the village, neither friend nor 
 woman nor child nor wise man, that dared ap- 
 proach him with comfort. 
 
 They made a grave for Tonedawa beside the 
 graves of her j)eople. They dressed her in em- 
 broidered garments and hung priceless shells 
 about her neck ; they placed beside her the bread 
 for the journey. Then they covered the beautiful 
 face and laid it deep in the breast of the great 
 Earth Mother. So perished Tonedawa, child of 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 When the nights of watching were ended, when 
 the spirit of Tonedawa had traveled far on its 
 skyward pathway, Hiawatha arose from the 
 grave and turned his face northward. 
 
 He traveled as one who seeks not his pathway. 
 About midsun he touched the banks of the Os- 
 wego. At the sound of its waters a mist seemed 
 to fade from before him, and his eyes became see- 
 ing. He roused himself like one who wakens 
 from hea\y slumber. He said, "Far away to 
 the northward I hear the sound of voices calling, 
 calling clearly from the distance. They are the 
 
230 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 stern voices of the great ones of old who are bid- 
 ding me to the old home beside the Falls of the 
 Oswego." 
 
 Through the tangled thickets, through the 
 open woodlands, Hiawatha hurried forward, un- 
 heeding of darkness or daylight. Okwari slunk 
 away from his presence, and Hotyone hurried to 
 hide from his passing; every creature hastened to 
 leave his pathway open. 
 
 In the starlight he came to the Falls of the 
 Oswego ; came to the shores of Skanodario. And 
 there, in the ancient refuge of his Fathers, he lay 
 down unsheltered and slept as a child sleeps who 
 returns home after long absence. 
 
 Hiawatha wakened from that deep slumber 
 with the vision of a new dream-fast upon him. 
 Clearly he saw his life path; saw its long back- 
 ward windings and whither it led him. In that 
 hour he said : "Now I understand why Atotarho 
 has spared me. For many winters I have filled 
 the pouches of his warriors with dried venison. 
 Like a strong company of women I have brought 
 home the food that has supported warfare. 
 Truly, I have labored for war along with Ato- 
 tarho. Now I see that the Onondagas have two 
 war chieftains: one is Atotarho who leads in 
 battle; the other is Hiawatha who defends the 
 homeland in his absence. 
 
 "Did not Jigonsasa promise that many whom 
 Hiawatha had never seen would aid him in bring- 
 ing peace to the Keal Men? If the hearts of the 
 
The Awakening of Hiatcatha 281 
 
 Onondagas are closed to the Peace Message, 
 Hiawatha will carry it to another tribe of the 
 Real Men." 
 
 A second night Hiawatha slept at the Falls of 
 the Oswxgo. In the morning he departed from 
 the ancient birthplace of his Fathers. As he went, 
 he felt that their voices spoke to him in the many 
 tones of Ontario; spoke words of farewell and 
 promise. They said: "Go forth, Hiawatha, and 
 save the Real ^len, even as they were saved from 
 the poisonous breath of the Horned Serpent 
 when they fled from their Adirondack masters. 
 Go forth without fear, Hiawatha, for Hagwe- 
 diyu, the Good Mind, will lead thee, even as He 
 led thy Fathers." 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE 
 
 THE CHOICE OF THE ONONDAGAS 
 
 When Hiawatha returned to Kanatagowa, he 
 appeared like a man standing on a lofty moun- 
 tain whose vision is as clear as that of Ote- 
 anyea, the eagle. Oteanyea flies nearest the sky, 
 and so he sees farthest over the earth below him. 
 So Hiawatha moved as one who in a single 
 vision sees objects distant and near. 
 
 The next day after his return, Hiawatha sent 
 out runners bearing painted sticks that read, "In 
 two suns the Onondagas will meet at Kana- 
 tagowa for council. It is Hiawatha that invites 
 them." Quickly the messengers went to every 
 town of the Onondagas. As the people received 
 the message they said, "Does some hidden danger 
 threaten that the watchful Hiawatha calls a 
 council?" 
 
 When the sacred brand had been lighted, Hia- 
 watha arose from his place. Three times he 
 slowly paced about the council fire; then he 
 paused and spoke to the people: 
 
 "My Brothers, when our Fathers fought by 
 the Rapid River they defended each other like 
 clan brothers. When the Adirondacks pursued 
 them like a fire sent from Heaven, they died in 
 defense of each other. When, on the troubled 
 waters of Skanodario, the Horned Serpent lifted 
 his head against them, the warriors of the Real 
 ]Men faced him in united battle till Heno, the 
 thunderer, came to their aid. 
 
The Choice of the Onondagas 233 
 
 "My Brothers, the Fathers of the Real JNIen 
 perished in great numbers in defending each 
 other. Those that were saved by Heno were a 
 united people; but their children wage the bit- 
 terest of wars against each other. 
 
 "Where are the warriors who sat with us about 
 the old council fire of the Onondagas? Many 
 have left our hunting grounds forever ; some are 
 captives who have lost both name and birthright 
 forever, and their masters are Real Men; some 
 are crowding the pathway of spirits, meeting on 
 that journe}^ those whom they have fought. Will 
 not the Great Fathers of the Real Men rebuke 
 them when they reach the Land of the Blessed, 
 because they have fought with each other? 
 
 "My Brothers say that the Onondagas have 
 taught the proud Senecas to fear them ; they say 
 the Senecas dare not enter the land of the Onon- 
 dagas, that even the Seneca scouts hover like 
 frightened birds at a distance. But how shall it 
 be with your children? How will it be with the 
 little ones who are running about on the ground 
 or who are tied to the cradle-board? When they 
 reach manhood, will there be a chief warrior to 
 save them from the vengeance that threatens? 
 No, the Onondagas are foolish to eat up their 
 own seed corn. The Onondagas are foolish to 
 leave their children to grow up with avengers on 
 the warpath against them. 
 
 "Brothers, each day the great sun, Kagagw^a, 
 looks into the empty villages of the Real Men; 
 
234 The Hero of the Loughouse 
 
 looks into their deserted hunting grounds and 
 their lonely lodges. The Real ^len are passing 
 away from the earth because of their wars on each 
 other ; they will soon be feeble and few in number. 
 When again a multitude of the tree-eating Adi- 
 rondacks come from the northward, our warriors 
 must flee before them like frightened women. In 
 that day our children will become captives to 
 strangers. And this shame will come on the Real 
 Men because they have warred on each other. 
 
 "My Brothers, continue to listen. The sun, 
 the watchful Kagagwa, looks on no people with 
 such surpassing courage as the Real Men. The 
 warfare between them has been long and bitter, 
 and many warriors have fallen; yet no tribe has 
 yielded, because Real Men cannot be conquered. 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers, it has been revealed to 
 Hiawatha that the Real ^len must put aside war- 
 fare with each other. They must bury their 
 weapons of warfare so deep that they can never 
 again be dug up. Let the Onondagas build a 
 great council fire and invite all the Real Men to 
 sit together there as in the days of the Great 
 Fathers. Let the Onondagas enter a union of 
 the five tribes of the Real Men that will banish 
 warfare forever from among them. Let them 
 become the Ko-nosh-i-o-ni, the United People. 
 Then will each tribe of the Iroquois possess the 
 strength of all. This is the will of the Great 
 Ruler. Naho." 
 
 The words of Hiawatha were like torches light- 
 
The Choice of the Onondagas 235 
 
 ing the minds of his hearers. The hearts of the 
 people were moved, for they perceived that he 
 had spoken by inspiration. The old men among 
 them were thinking: "This is the heaven-power 
 that we saw on him when he returned from his 
 fasting. Surely, this is a message sent to us by 
 the Great Wisdom. Surely, Hiawatha has 
 spoken the words revealed to him by his clan 
 spirit." A deep silence fell upon them while the 
 minds of the chieftains and wise men were being 
 moved to answer. 
 
 But the magic of Atotarho was working. His 
 face became terrifying. His burning eyes moved 
 from one to the other of the chieftains and war- 
 riors, and every man who met that gaze became 
 paralyzed in action. No Onondaga, other than 
 Hiawatha, would dare to speak in the presence 
 of Atotarho. 
 
 The sun moved to midheaven, yet no one spoke 
 further. Then, one after another, the people 
 arose and stole from the place of council. As 
 they went, the silence of that place seemed to 
 follow them and to cover them with shame. The 
 warriors of Onondaga had become cowards. 
 They had lost the power of free discussion; 
 lost the ancient right of counsel. Their fears had 
 made them slaves of Atotarho. 
 
 But the heart of Hiawatha was not daunted. 
 When the sun had risen and set three times, his 
 messengers left the village bearing the painted 
 sticks of invitation, "In two suns the Onondagas 
 
23G The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 will meet at Kanatagowa in council. It is Hia- 
 watha that invites them." 
 
 Again they came. In thoughtful silence they 
 trod the forest paths and entered the place where 
 the wood was laid for the council fire. Then came 
 Hiawatha; and the silent people marveled as they 
 saw him, for his face was full of confidence and 
 hope and his step strong and free like the step of 
 a chieftain returning in triumph. But after him 
 came Atotarho ; and, as they looked, it w^as as if 
 the people saw the messengers of the Good JNIind 
 and the Bad Mind before them. 
 
 Again Hiawatha spoke to the people. Now it 
 was as if one of the Great Fathers had returned 
 to them; returned in love and pity to lead them 
 from darkness and sorrow into light and safety. 
 The words of Hiawatha were like the sound of 
 flowing waters to the thirsty hunter. As they 
 listened, the hearts of the people wxre refreshed 
 and filled with new life and courage. Surely the 
 Onondagas would not lose their ancient right of 
 debating in council; surely they would stand by 
 the man they most loved and trusted ; surely they 
 would not turn away from the great light that 
 was shining among them ! 
 
 But when Hiawatha had finished, a compelling 
 fear drew the eyes of the warriors to Atotarho. 
 He sat there silent and haughty, and his crafty 
 face was turned from one to another of the chief- 
 tains and wise men. Those who met the strange 
 eyes of the wizard felt their tongues becoming 
 
The Choice of the Onondagas 237 
 
 parched and their thoughts turning to con- 
 fusion. 
 
 Broken and bewildered, one after another of 
 the Onondagas left that council. When all the 
 people had gone. Atotarho arose and returned to 
 his longhouse in silence. 
 
 Then Hiawatha sought the gloom of the deep 
 forest. His heart was torn with disappointment 
 at his people. He said: "The Onondagas have 
 become cowards; warfare has robbed them of 
 the ancient pride in theii* birthright! Xo longer 
 are they free men; they are captives to Ato- 
 tarho!" 
 
 Bitterly he thought that Sosondoweh and Da- 
 weyongo had failed him; that no friend or clans- 
 man had dared to stand beside him ; that not one 
 of the party of peace had been fearless enough to 
 speak his mind in the presence of Atotarho. 
 
 But love of his ovm people soon prevailed. Xot 
 yet would Hiawatha believe that they were 
 cowards. His purpose was not yet defeated; he 
 would try once more. Then, if the Onondagas 
 proved faitliless, he would seek for freemen 
 among the other tribes of the Real ]Men. Had 
 not Jigonsasa told how the stranger Dagan- 
 oweda, a Huron, had journeyed eastward fore- 
 telling the coming of a great peace? 
 
 So it was that after three suns Hiawatha's 
 rminers again went forth, bearing the message of 
 invitation to a council. 
 
 After two smis came the morning for the 
 
238 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 council to assemble; but every pathway was de- 
 serted. In the dimness of their lodges, the people 
 hid themselves in shame and sorrow. Two men 
 only entered the place of council: one was Hia- 
 watha ; the other, Atotarho. 
 
 Silently they sat there facing each other while 
 the sun slowly climbed to midheaven. Then, with 
 haughty footsteps, Atotarho arose and walked in 
 triumph through the deserted village; he en- 
 tered the forest. 
 
 Hiawatha turned his face from the place of 
 council; from the sacred place dishonored of the 
 people. Slowly he walked to the edge of the vil- 
 lage ; walked as one who communes with his own 
 mind. At the wood's edge he sat down in silence 
 and covered his face with his deerskin mantle. 
 Motionless he sat there, until the sun had sunk 
 below the western treetops; then he arose and 
 turned his feet away from Kanatagowa. 
 
 As he left the home village and moved slowly 
 along the southern pathway, he passed a familiar 
 spring; a solitary figure was sitting beside it. It 
 was Atotarho. For the last time as rival Onon- 
 daga chieftains, the two silently met and parted. 
 
PART THREE 
 
 The Going-out of Hiatvatha 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 
 
 THE RENUNCIATION 
 
 That night Hiawatha camped on the mountain 
 where was the sacred place of his dream-fast. 
 In the depths of the great pine forest he recalled 
 the promise of that dream-fast. Here he renewed 
 the old vows that he had made under the first 
 leading of his clan spirit. All night he watched, 
 waiting the thought that would guide him in the 
 long path of exile. 
 
 At length Kagwaga, the great day-bringer, 
 awakened all the forest. To the south, Hiawatha 
 saw the wide hill lines that parted the waters flow- 
 ing northward to the Beautiful Lake from the 
 streams that hurried toward the Susquehanna. 
 Down by Lake Gaahna the deer were looking 
 out from thickets and moving toward the water. 
 Hiawatha's hand reached for the famihar bow 
 and arrow, and for a moment he felt his hunter's 
 blood stir to the call of the forest. Then a great 
 sorrow darkened his eyes ; for he knew that, self- 
 banished, he was parting from that beloved home- 
 land forever. He was parting from the forests of 
 his childhood and youth and manhood; say- 
 ing a last farewell to the far blue hills that looked 
 down on Lake Skaneadice; leaving the clear- 
 flowing streams and rivers, and the old beloved 
 pathways which his feet knew how to follow in 
 darkness. 
 
 The old woodlands talked to him of long-ago 
 comrades and friends. They spoke in deep-toned, 
 
 241 
 
242 The Hero of the Loughouse 
 
 tender voices: "Wilt thou forsake the home for- 
 ests, Hiawatha, and leave thy bones among 
 strangers? Wilt thou depart forever from the 
 land given by the Master of Life to thy Onon- 
 daga Fathers f 
 
 All that sun Hiawatha fasted. Then he turned 
 away and made a camping place for the night at 
 the foot of the mountain. 
 
 On the morning of the fifth day, still fasting, 
 he turned his feet eastward. He crossed the 
 lands that divided the waters northward and 
 southward; lie climbed the wooded slopes that 
 held the waters of Lake Tekaneadahe. From 
 the hilltops, his eyes followed the distant blue 
 mountains that turned the waters southward and 
 westward to meet the widening stream of the 
 Tioughnioga. 
 
 All the thoughts of Hiawatha followed the 
 hurrying waters; followed them southward to 
 where the Tioughnioga flows into the wide Che- 
 nango. So intimately he knew that far-stretch- 
 ing ground that it seemed like a part of himself ; 
 everj^iere it was written full of his life's 
 story. 
 
 All this time Hiawatha was taking counsel of 
 his own spirit. His mind was slowly shaping the 
 plan of his great exile ; slowly framing the words 
 of the Great Peace that he would bear to other 
 peoples. No longer a chieftain, he must go to 
 the other tribes of the Real Men as a messenger 
 of the Great Peace. Like a faithful runner, he 
 
D.cuiiV'QcM': 
 
 "Here he renewed the old vows' 
 
244 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 would speak no words save the words of his mes- 
 sage ; he would wrap the message close in his mind 
 that no word might be forgotten or misspoken. 
 
 Here, on the shores of Lake Tekaneadahe, 
 Hiawatha sought for a sign of the peace message 
 and found it. Lying in layers, he saw the empty 
 shells of the little water snail, some white and 
 some purple. Stooping down, he filled a pouch 
 of deerskin with them; and he made strings of 
 the white shells. 
 
 He said: "JMy path lies far to the eastward. I 
 shall come as a messenger of Ka-ri-wi-yo, the 
 Great Peace. I shall cover my breast with white- 
 ness so that men will know my mission when 
 they see me. These shells will hold the words of 
 the Great Peace so that not one word may be 
 forgotten." As he strung the shells, he talked 
 into them the words of the Great Peace. 
 
 So it was that the Ote-ko-a, the wampum 
 strings that held the message which should unite 
 the Men of Men, was made by the beloved 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 On that last day in the land of Onondaga, 
 Hiawatha came to feel that the old pathways 
 had become unfriendly. Every trail was leading 
 him outward ; not one was to lead him homeward. 
 He had become an outcast, a wood wanderer. 
 Never again in that land could he look for the 
 curling smoke from his home village ; never claim 
 as his birthright the shelter of the longhouse and 
 the welcome of his own fireside. Nevertheless, 
 
The Renunciation 245 
 
 with far-seeing purpose, Hiawatha turned away 
 from the hind of the Onondagas forever. 
 
 That night he camped on the shores of Caze- 
 novia Lake in the land of the Oneidas. 
 
 At dawn he heard close at hand the soft call of 
 Sohont, the turkey, followed by the cluck of the 
 partridge. When he answered, Sosondoweh and 
 Daweyongo stood beside him in the forest. 
 
 Hiawatha said: "Why have Sosondoweh and 
 Daweyongo followed the footsteps of Hiawatha? 
 Why have they left the land of their own peo- 
 ple?" 
 
 Sosondoweh answered: "It becomes not a great 
 chieftain to journey without attendants. Let 
 Sosondoweh and Daweyongo go with Hiawatha 
 and serve him." 
 
 Then Hiawatha answered: "Hiawatha is no 
 longer a chieftain, but is an exile from his people. 
 He is a messenger bearing the words of the Great 
 Peace to other peoples." 
 
 Sosondoweh said: "Is not Sosondoweh pledged 
 by a vow of friendship to follow Hiawatha in 
 every path of danger? Sosondoweh will follow 
 Hiawatha." 
 
 Then Daweyongo spoke: "Daweyongo would 
 serve Hiawatha because he loves the Great Peace 
 that Hiawatha seeks for the tribes of the Real 
 Men." 
 
 After a long silence Hiawatha spoke: "Only 
 at the command of the Great Ruler may a man 
 cast away his birthright. Ye shall not become 
 
246 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 exiles with Hiawatha ; nevertheless ye may serve 
 him. Go to To-no-a-ga-o, the Oneida chieftain, 
 at the Oneida stronghold and bear to him the 
 message of the Great Peace." 
 
 Then Hiawatha read to them the words re- 
 corded in the white shell strings ; and, when they 
 had repeated the words, they disappeared in the 
 forest. 
 
 Hiawatha himself followed the trail that led 
 upward from the shores of Lake Cazenovia, until 
 he saw the smoke of the Oneida village rising 
 from a hill above the forest. Then he put away 
 his weapons and sat down to wait by a well- 
 trodden pathway that led to the village. As the 
 shadows of evening descended, he heard the voice 
 of Sosondoweh speaking close beside him, "The 
 ears of Tonoagao are closed to the words of Hia- 
 watha's message." 
 
 For a time there was silence; then Hiawatha 
 spoke: "Go to Jigonsasa, the great Peace Queen, 
 and say to her, 'Hiawatha j^rays Jigonsasa, the 
 Great Mother, to aid him. The path is closed 
 before Hiawatha in his own land. Now his feet 
 are set in the long trail leading eastward; he 
 seeks the land of the ]\Iohawks, bearing with him 
 the message of the Great Peace.' " 
 
 Hiawatha said to his friends: "Wrap this mes- 
 sage close; stay not nor rest not until Jigonsasa 
 has received it. Then return to Kanatagowa." 
 The two friends repeated the message, and si- 
 lently took their way westward. 
 
The Renunciation 2-17 
 
 Hiawatha continued his journey along the hill- 
 tops that divide the waters. On the tenth day, 
 he saw the smoke of an Oneida village to the 
 northward. He crossed the Oriskany, keeping 
 the village at a distance, and entered the land of 
 the Mohawks. He stopped at no other Oneida 
 village, as he understood that the Oneida chief- 
 tains, for fear of Atotarho, would refuse to listen 
 to the peace message. 
 
 All these days Hiawatha knew well that the 
 scouts of Atotarho were about him. But so 
 wary had been the movements of Sosondoweh and 
 Daweyongo that they eluded the spies of Ato- 
 tarho. Thus the war chief soon learned that 
 Hiawatha was passing through the lands of the 
 Oneidas without entering their villages; but he 
 did not know that the peace message had reached 
 the Oneidas, nor that his rival had appealed to 
 the powerful Queen of the Xeutrals. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN 
 
 THROUGH THE LAND OF THE MOHAWKS 
 
 The Mohawk is the great river of the Iroquois. 
 Ages before the coming of the Great Peace Mes- 
 sage, the Fathers of the Real Men had made their 
 journeys toward the sunrise by following the 
 course of the Mohawk. For ages the Real Men 
 had possessed a wide hunting ground, through 
 which the river made a long water trail eastward 
 and westward. The Iroquois believed that the 
 land would always hold their footsteps, for the 
 Great Ruler never forgot his children nor the 
 places of their dwelling. The Great Ruler saw 
 clearly the myriad pathways of the generations of 
 Real Men that had lived and died in the beauti- 
 ful valley of the Mohawk. 
 
 The silver line of the river crept through the 
 forested valley, curving its way through the 
 land like a huge serpent. There were two long 
 curves in the serpent's body; then his head 
 dropped sharply for the leap into the Shaneh- 
 tade. At the height of each curve stood a village. 
 In the northern curve, nearest the tail of Saista, 
 the serpent, was Ga-ne-a-ga, the upper strong- 
 hold of the Mohawks. Where the shining body 
 of Saista swept southward, was Ga-na-yo-he, the 
 middle stronghold. The second large northward 
 curve of the serpent carried at its crest Teahton- 
 taloga. Where the head of Saista dropped sud- 
 denly downward to find the Skanehtade, was the 
 small village of Ga-ho-ose. 
 
Through the Land of the Mohawks 249 
 
 The well-beaten footpath, the good trail called 
 Wa-gwen-ne-yuh, followed the great curves of 
 the river until it neared the fall at Gahoose ; then 
 it parted from the Mohawk and ran straight on 
 to the height where the village of Skanehtade 
 looked down on the River Skanehtade/ 
 
 The day after Hiawatha entered the land of 
 the JNIohawks, Kagagwa, the sun, looked over the 
 eastern tree tops and saw Ganeaga, the upper 
 Mohawk stronghold, all astir with the life of the 
 morning. Small groups of hunters were moving 
 toward the forest; a company of women were 
 going down to the rich, green maize fields on the 
 river bottom; a few old men were sitting under 
 the trees near the stockade, watching a group of 
 youths who practiced at the ball game. 
 
 Suddenly from the forest came the call of a 
 stranger. It was three times repeated, "Coo-e-aa! 
 Coo-e-aa! Coo-e-aa!" 
 
 Immediately two warriors ran out from the 
 lodge of Tec-wi-ho-ga to welcome the visitor and 
 lead him into the village. Beside the south trail, 
 they found the stranger waiting. His head was 
 adorned with the heron feather; his breast was 
 covered with white shell strings ; his bearing was 
 that of a great chieftain. 
 
 In his well-ordered longhouse, the most aged 
 chieftain of the Mohawks met the stranger and 
 recognized him. He said: "Hiawatha, thou art 
 welcome. Tecwihoga has heard thy voice speak- 
 
 ^ At the present site of Albany. 
 
250 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 ing words of wisdom in the council of the Onon- 
 dagas. Let Hiawatha eat of the bread of the 
 Mohawks." 
 
 When Hiawatha had eaten the guest bread, the 
 bread of the stranger, he unfolded to Tecwihoga 
 the peace message that the white shell strings 
 recorded. 
 
 But the heart of the aged chieftain was not 
 yet ready to be opened to the message of Hia- 
 watha. He said: "Is not each tribe supreme in 
 its own land? Why should the Mohawks lose 
 their ancient freedom in uniting with the other 
 tribes of the Real Men?" 
 
 For answer, Hiawatha took five arrows and 
 bound them together with deer sinew. He said, 
 as he tested the strength of the bundle, "This is 
 the Konoshioni, the United People." Then he 
 took a single arrow and said, "This is the Mo- 
 hawk." Easily he snapped the shaft with his 
 fingers and silently left the longhouse. 
 
 Ganayohe, the middle stronghold of the Mo- 
 hawks, stood where Canajoharie Creek finds the 
 Mohawk; stood where the south trail climbs the 
 hills that hold the headwaters of streams flowing 
 to the Susquehanna. Rich and prosperous was 
 Ganayohe. Her maize fields stretched along 
 the fruitful valley of the Mohawk ; and north and 
 south were game-filled forests. In the lodges of 
 the village the bark barrels were overflowing ; the 
 benches richly covered with pelts from the hunt- 
 ing; the walls adorned with spoils of warfare. 
 
Through the Land of the Mohawks 251 
 
 One morning a daughter of O-a-a-go-wa, the 
 head chieftain of Ganayohe, went to the village 
 spring. Lightly she came over the well-beaten 
 pathway, carrying a jar on her shoulder. Sud- 
 denly she stopped in amazement. By the spring- 
 side a wonderful stranger was sitting, his breast 
 covered over with white shell strings. For a mo- 
 ment the maiden's gaze met the quiet eyes of the 
 stranger; then she set down her jar and ran with 
 swift feet to the longhouse of her father. 
 
 She said: "Ihani, my Father, I have seen a 
 wondrous being sitting by the spring side. His 
 breast is covered with white shell strings. What 
 can this mean?" 
 
 Her father answered: "He is a runner who 
 wears the white shell strings to show that he 
 bears a peace message. Go forth, Kyeaha, my 
 Daughter, and bid the stranger enter." So it 
 was that Hiawatha came into the longhouse of 
 the chieftain Oaagowa. 
 
 But the mind of Oaagowa was closed to the 
 peace message of Hiawatha. In the planting 
 moon he had led his warriors into the lands of 
 the Cherokee people. He had but lately returned 
 to the village, bringing with him the spoils of 
 warfare. Through much fighting, the heart of 
 Oaagowa had become frozen. So it was that 
 the chieftain's ears were closed to the great words 
 of Hiawatha. 
 
 When the next sun came, the people of Gana- 
 yohe looked in vain for the wonderful stranger. 
 
252 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Silently he had left them, and no man knew of 
 his going. 
 
 One morning, Gawenneta, the sister of Hia- 
 watha, stood in the doorway of the house of the 
 Turtles and looked out on Teahtontaloga ; looked 
 beyond the freshly made bark houses and saw 
 her children playing at the wood's edge. Two 
 hours before, Dayohogo, her husband, had left her 
 for the hunting, going by the trail along the Sko- 
 har-le.^ While Gawenneta stood there, the call 
 of a runner sounded at the wood's edge. As she 
 looked toward the west side of the village where 
 the river trail emerges, she saw a stranger coming 
 and marked that on his breast he wore the peace 
 color. Something in the bearing of the stranger 
 turned the thoughts of Gawenneta backward to 
 the old days in Kanatagowa. Eagerly her eyes 
 followed the newcomer till he disappeared in the 
 lodge of the head chieftain. But it was as if some 
 unfriendly spirit had cast a spell over the mind of 
 Gawenneta that she might not recognize her 
 brother. 
 
 As the sun was descending in the west sky, 
 Gawenneta sat at the wood's edge with other 
 women, who, like herself, were busy with porcu- 
 pine embroidery. Her companions were speak- 
 ing of the stranger. They told how the clan 
 chieftains had been called together to hear his 
 message. One said that he was a wonderful 
 being who had come from a far land toward the 
 
 ^ Schoharie Creek. 
 
TJirough the Land of the Mohawks 253 
 
 sun's setting. Another said that the mysterious 
 message was held in white shell strings; every 
 shell in the string held a word that had been 
 talked into it. The message was strange and un- 
 meaning; the chieftains could not understand it. 
 
 Even while the women were speaking, a 
 strange hush fell on the village as if the people 
 divined that some great event had happened. 
 Children stopped their playing and scrambled to 
 the roofs of the longhouses ; the old men stopped 
 talking; sounds of labor ceased. The people of 
 Teahtontaloga, who seven winters before had 
 fled from their burning village to hide in the 
 forest with their starving children, were strangely 
 moved when they saw the messenger with the 
 white shell strings leaving the lodge of the head 
 chieftain unattended. 
 
 Gawenneta stood with the other women and 
 watched the stranger move toward the east trail. 
 She said: "Surely the bearer of the white 
 wampum carries a rejected message, or the chief- 
 tain would have walked with him to the wood's 
 edge." She was seized with a restless longing to 
 follow the messenger's footsteps; she longed to 
 look into his face, and to hear his voice. But now 
 he had disappeared in the forest ! Her thoughts 
 were filled with strange misgivings. Her mind 
 was crowded with memories of the old home in 
 Kanatagowa; crowded with far-away memories 
 of her mother and Shawenis and White Eagle. 
 
 So, unhonored, Hiawatha left Teahtontaloga. 
 
254 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 He crossed the great battlefield of the Mohawks 
 and Algonkins. He listened to the plaint of the 
 forest that told how its footpaths were worn by 
 warfare and its soil darkened with the blood of 
 battle. The voice of the wide pine forest mur- 
 mured the thoughts of Hiawatha: "The hearts of 
 the Mohawks have become hardened with war- 
 fare, and their backs are bent with its burden. 
 Their minds are darkened with the lust of battle 
 so that they cannot understand the words re- 
 corded in the white wampum." 
 
 As he went forward a great fear fell on Hia- 
 watha. He said: "If the Mohawks reject the 
 message of the Great Peace, no other tribe of the 
 Real Men will listen. The peace-loving Oneidas 
 will not dare to stand for it against the will of 
 Atotarho; and the Cayugas and Senecas will 
 close their minds against it because of hatred for 
 the Onondagas." Once more he took the trail to 
 the eastward. 
 
 An aged man named Don-ya-daas was living 
 at Skanehtade. One morning as Donyadaas was 
 flaking arrows at the doorway of his longhouse, 
 his daughter stood beside him and said: 
 
 "Ihani, my Father, a wonderful stranger has 
 entered the lodge of the chieftain. His breast is 
 covered with white shell strings, but his bearing 
 is dejected." 
 
 The aged man was silent a moment; then he 
 said: "Kyeaha, my Daughter, I would speak with 
 this stranger." 
 
Through the Land of the Mohawks 255 
 
 An hour later, Hiawatha left the lodge of the 
 chieftain with a rejected message. As he turned 
 into the trail along the River Skanehtade, the 
 daughter of Donyadaas approached, saying: 
 
 ''Will not the great chieftain enter the lodge 
 of Donyadaas, my father?" 
 
 So Hiawatha came to the longhouse of the old 
 man, who said, "lyeaha, my Son, dost thou bring 
 any word to Donyadaas?" 
 
 At once Hiawatha read the words of the wam- 
 pum, the Otekoa. As he read, the face of the aged 
 man became shining. When the message recorded 
 in the last shell string had been given, Donyadaas 
 spoke : 
 
 "For three winters Donyadaas has awaited the 
 coming of the Great Peace Message, the Kari- 
 wiyo, that was promised to the Mohawks through 
 a dream sent to him by the Great Ruler. Listen 
 lyeaha, my Son. In his dream Donyadaas stood 
 alone on the long trail at the south bank of the 
 Mohawk, and his eyes were turned toward the 
 sun's setting. He stood on the ancient trail of 
 his Fathers, as one who waits the coming of 
 runners bearing a great message. 
 
 "While he waited, Donyadaas saw a star rise 
 in the north sky and stand above the land of the 
 Mohawks. The beauty of Ojishanda, the star, 
 filled the heart of Donyadaas with gladness, as 
 if a great word had been spoken. 
 
 "As he looked, Donyadaas saw a second star 
 rise in the west sky and move slowly toward the 
 
256 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 sun's rising until it stood close to the first star. 
 And Donyadaas marveled that a star should rise 
 in the west sky. Then he saw that the land of 
 the Mohawks was filled with a wonderful bright- 
 ness. Donyadaas said in his dream, 'These stars 
 are the messengers that I awaited.' As he spoke 
 the dream passed from him. 
 
 "Donyadaas told his vision to the dream in- 
 terpreter, who promised that great tidings of 
 peace should come to the Mohawks. Two runners 
 should come, one from the north and one from 
 the west, and each would bear the same message. 
 Their coming would fill the land of the Mohawks 
 with plenty and bring a blessing to their 
 children." 
 
 Hiawatha was torn by strange doubts when he 
 left Skanehtade. He believed that the dream of 
 Donyadaas foretold the coming of the Great 
 Peace; but what did the first star rising in the 
 north sky signify? Was not the dream-promise 
 already lost, since the 3Iohawks rejected the 
 Great Peace Message? 
 
 In his sorrow, Hiawatha said: "Have I failed 
 to understand the teachings of my clan spirit? 
 If one bears a message and finds no one to receive 
 it, then is the messenger ashamed to meet the 
 faces of men, for he knows well that he has failed 
 to wrap his message close and keep it. Surely, 
 if I have missed the Word that was given, I am 
 a lost one who must forever wander alone in the 
 forest." 
 
Through the Land of the Mohaxichs 257 
 
 So unseeing, unhearing, Hiawatha followed 
 the trail that led to Gahoose. 
 
 But the words of the Great Peace had not been 
 lost. Even as Hiawatha was approaching Ga- 
 hoose, there were those who spoke in secret of 
 the wonderful messenger whose breast was cov- 
 ered with white shell strings. Some of the chief- 
 tains and wise men in each of the three strong- 
 holds of the Mohawks were pondering in silence 
 the words of wisdom spoken by Hiawatha. 
 
 Two scouts of Atotarho had followed Hia- 
 watha from village to village. The next sun after 
 he left Skanehtade they entered Kanatagowa and 
 said to Atotarho: 
 
 "We have seen Hiawatha leave each one of 
 the JNIohawk strongholds unattended and unhon- 
 ored. We left him walking along the Skaneh- 
 tade like a warrior blinded by a heavy blow in 
 battle." 
 
 Atotarho asked, "Did you not follow to Ga- 
 hoose?" 
 
 They answered, "Small is Gahoose and its 
 chieftain, Da-ga-no-w^e-da, is a stranger." 
 
 The face of Atotarho darkened as he answered: 
 "Do not the Real Men fill their houses with the 
 strongest people from every nation? Where is 
 there a tribe from whom they have not adopted 
 captives? Daganoweda was a stranger; but he 
 is filled with magic, and already he is a chieftain 
 and a powerful leader. The JNIohawks believe 
 
258 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 that he is taught by the Great Sph'it. They say 
 that the sacrificial fire of Daganoweda is more 
 powerful than the council brand. Who shall say 
 that the message is rejected, when Hiawatha has 
 yet to meet Daganoweda? 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT 
 
 THE MOHAWKS LISTEN TO THE GREAT PEACE 
 
 The next sun Hiawatha stood where the Mo- 
 hawk, the river of his people, turns southward to 
 find the waters of the Great Sea at the Sun's 
 Rising. 
 
 He saw the wide forest sweeping southward; 
 saw the distant blue mountains; felt the roaring 
 of the waters, and saw them leaping downward 
 and hurrying forward to meet the Skanehtade; 
 and his heart was moved with the wonder of 
 beauty, as he looked on this work of Hawenniyu, 
 the Great Wisdom. 
 
 Close at hand was the village of Gahoose. As 
 he stood there, Hiawatha saw a man advancing 
 from the village to meet him. "This is a strange 
 thing," he thought. "I have uttered no call; but 
 some one approaches as if he had awaited my 
 coming." 
 
 Hiawatha wondered at the noble freedom of 
 the stranger's bearing, for he moved like one rich 
 in the gifts of life. His face was handsome, and 
 the eyes that looked into the face of Hiawatha 
 were clear and far-seeing. But when the stranger 
 made his greeting, Hiawatha saw that his tongue 
 halted, and that he was unused to the language 
 of the JNIohawk people. 
 
 Hiawatha said, "I am Hiawatha, the bearer of 
 the wampum token." 
 
 The man answered, "Daganoweda welcomes 
 
260 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Hiawatha, and his ears are open to the message 
 that he carries." 
 
 Then Hiawatha knew that this was that seeker 
 for peace of whom Jigonsasa had spoken. Full 
 of wonder, Hiawatha read the white-shell 
 strings. When he had finished, he saw that Da- 
 ganoweda listened as one who understood the 
 Great Peace from the beginning. 
 
 In that moon a strange message spread 
 through the land of the Mohawks. It was whis- 
 pered by the leaves of the forest. It was breathed 
 by Oah, the wind, as he passed through the wood- 
 land; and all the summer birds sang it as they 
 flew through the opens. It said: "The bearer of 
 the white wampum is in the village of Gahoose. 
 He dwells in honor with Daganoweda, the wise 
 chieftain of the Turtles, and much they counsel 
 together." 
 
 In those suns when Daganoweda and Hia- 
 watha talked together of the Great Law of the 
 United People, a large bark canoe was swiftly 
 skimming the southern shores of Ontario. Its 
 course was toward the sun's rising. 
 
 Within the canoe sat Jigonsasa, the Peace 
 Queen of the Neutrals. Beside her was a woman 
 of the House of Peace, and there were four 
 strong men at the paddles. 
 
 Across Ontario, the Beautiful Lake, like a 
 strong white bird, the canoe of Jigonsasa came 
 flying. Sun after sun it moved eastward like 
 
The Mohawks Listen to the Great Peace 261 
 
 some eager living creature. It entered the mouth 
 of the Oswego; it touched the shores at the falls 
 of the river. Between the forested banks of the 
 Oswego, the canoe of Jigonsasa glided south- 
 ward; it swam the Lake of the Oneidas and en- 
 tered the creek, Ka-ne-go-dick.^ It was carried 
 lightly across the portage and placed on the ^lo- 
 hawk. Following the river in its course toward 
 the sun's rising, it came to the falls at Gahoose. 
 Here the great canoe rested. 
 
 That moon a new message of wonder spread 
 quickly among the Mohawks. It said: "Jigon- 
 sasa, the Great ^lother of Nations, is come 
 among us! She is dwelling at Gahoose in the 
 house of Daganoweda. She is in the lodge that 
 shelters the bearer of the white wampum. Surely 
 this is a marvelous thing!" 
 
 Then messengers hurried over the main foot- 
 paths to every town and village of the Mohawks. 
 They carried the painted sticks that summoned a 
 meeting: "In three suns the Mohawks will meet 
 in council at Ganayohe. It is Daganoweda that 
 invites them." 
 
 From all the towns of the Mohawks, the people 
 flocked to the council. The aged and feeble came 
 leaning on their staffs ; women came with young 
 babes looking out from the cradle-boards; 
 maidens, children, youths, warriors and chief- 
 tains — all came, crowding the paths that led into 
 Ganayohe. They came two by two or in groups 
 
 ^ Woods Creek. 
 
262 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 that were strangely silent, for all the people 
 awaited some event of wonder. Soon the 
 council place was filled; the women on one side, 
 the men on the other. 
 
 The eyes of the people were divided. Many 
 sought the face of Jigonsasa, the Queen of the 
 Neutrals, where, erect and noble, she sat at the 
 front of the women. In wonder and reverence 
 they gazed on her who was descended from the 
 first mother, Ataensic. The women turned their 
 children's faces to look on Jigonsasa, for they 
 wished the eyes of their children to hold the image 
 of the Great Mother of Nations. But the people 
 looked most on Hiawatha, the bearer of the white 
 wampum, for they knew that he would give the 
 great message of the council. 
 
 Tecwihoga, the eldest sachem of the Mohawks, 
 arose and lighted the council fire. From the 
 sacred council brand he lighted Ahsoquata, the 
 peace pipe. Placing it to his lips, he drew the 
 smoke through the long stem. Then he lifted the 
 pipe, with the blue rings of smoke curling up- 
 ward from bowl and mouthpiece, and offered a 
 prayer of thanksgiving to the JNIastt. of Life. 
 
 He offered thanks to the earth where men 
 dwell; to the streams of water, the pools, the 
 springs and the lakes; to the maize and the 
 fruits, to the medicinal herbs and trees, to the 
 forest trees for their usefulness; to the animals 
 that serve as food and give their pelts for cloth- 
 ing; to the great winds and the lesser winds; 
 
The meeting of Hiawatha, Daganoweda, and Jigonsasa 
 at the Falls of Gahoose 
 
264 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 to Heno, the thunderer ; to Kagagwa, the sun, the 
 mighty warrior ; to the messengers of the Creator 
 who reveal his wishes. Last of all he gave 
 thanks to the Great Creator who dwells in the 
 heavens above ; who gives all the things useful to 
 men, and who is the source and the ruler of health 
 and life. Like all the Real Men, the Mohawks in 
 their thanksgiving began with the humblest life 
 and climbed upward and upward until they 
 reached the Great Wisdom. 
 
 When the brief prayer was ended, Tecwihoga 
 placed the pipe to his lips and blew the smoke of 
 Ahsoquata to the eastward and the southward, 
 to the westward and the northward — toward 
 the four corners of the earth he blew the smoke 
 of peace. Then he bent his head and blew the 
 sacred smoke downward toward the fruitful 
 earth, Yoanja; last of all he blew it upward 
 toward Otshata, the sky, in praise of the Great 
 Ruler. 
 
 Advancing to Jigonsasa, the Peace Queen, 
 Tecwihoga said: "Will the Great Mother of Na- 
 tions smoke the peace pipe with her Mohawk 
 children?" The Yegowaneh, the Great Woman, 
 took the pipe, and, holding it in her hands for a 
 moment, drew a breath of smoke from the sacred 
 tobacco. After that Hiawatha blew the smoke 
 upward. Then it was passed to the chieftains and 
 wise men. 
 
 When the smoke of the peace pipe had as- 
 cended, Tecwihoga arose, and, addressing Hia- 
 
Tlie Mohawks Listen to the Great Peace 265 
 
 watha, said: "My Brother, thou art welcome to 
 the council fire of the Mohawks. Thou comest 
 to us with a gi'cat message. The ears of the 
 people are open to receive it." 
 
 Holding the white shell strings in his hands, 
 Hiawatha arose ; through his face shone the light 
 that comes from the sky world. He said: "My 
 Brothers, I am come to bring to you Kariwiyo, 
 the Great Peace, that shall fill your lodges with 
 plenty and bless your children in future ages. 
 
 "The Mohawks are proud because they are 
 Real Men. But they have forgotten that the 
 greatest glory of the Real ^len was achieved 
 in their battles for freedom. 3Iy Brothers, long 
 ago the Real !Men became a great ^^eople because 
 Hagwedij^u led them. They prospered in those 
 ancient days. On the hills of Onondaga, every 
 sachem saw the founding of a new village, so 
 rapidly did the people multiply. 
 
 "Then the Real Men lighted separate council 
 fires, distant from each other; they forgot the 
 language of the Ancient Fathers, and their hearts 
 became strangers to each other. In those winters 
 the strength of the Real INIen was divided. JNIany 
 suns have passed over the divided people. And 
 now clan brothers have turned their weapons 
 against each other, and the power of the Real 
 Men is broken." 
 
 Hiawatha took five arrows and bound them 
 firmly together, then he continued : "Let us now 
 combine all the, power of the separate nations 
 
266 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 into one j^ower. With deer sinew, we have bound 
 the five arrows together into a bundle which no 
 one can bend or break. Each arrow stands for 
 one of the tribes of the Real Men. If one arrow 
 is taken, the bundle will be weakened. It will be 
 still worse if two are taken. If three are taken, 
 the bundle may easily be broken. And what is the 
 strength of one, apart from the four others? So 
 it will be with the United People ; so it is with the 
 single tribe that stands apart from the others. 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers, let the tribes of the Real 
 Men bury their warlike weapons deep beneath 
 the tallest pine tree — the pine tree whose five 
 needles represent the union of the tribes; let 
 them cover their weapons of warfare forever. 
 
 "Let the Real JNIen build a great Longhouse 
 where they can dwell together as clan brothers. 
 The eastern door of that Longhouse shall be at 
 the River Skanehtade, and its western door shall 
 look down on the Gennisheyo. In that mighty 
 Longhouse, five fires shall be lighted, one fire 
 kept by each Brother. Like clan brothers, let 
 them light a common council fire where together 
 they shall determine those things that belong to 
 all of the LTnited People. In times of trouble and 
 danger, let them come together at one council 
 brand. Let no tribe enter warfare apart from 
 the others. If any nation shall come against 
 them, let the five brothers stand together. Thus 
 will each Brother hold the strength of the four 
 others. So shall the Real Men again become a 
 
The Mohawks Listen to the Great Peace 267 
 
 United People. My Brothers, let the Mohawks 
 listen to the words of the Great Peace, the Ka- 
 riwiyo." 
 
 Then Hiawatha read the words of the Great 
 Peace recorded in the white shell strings; read 
 them slowly and clearly, so that all could receive 
 the message. Surely the words of Hiawatha 
 reached the hearts of the listening people, for he 
 spoke as one who has wrapped his message close 
 and carried it for many winters. 
 
 In the long silence that followed, Jigonsasa 
 arose and looked with kindly eyes into the faces 
 of the j^eople. She said : "Radixaa, my Children, 
 for many winters Jigonsasa has dwelt in Kien- 
 ika, the House of Peace. ]\Iany sad and bur- 
 dened ones come to the Peace Queen; come to 
 find safety from the avenger who follows. Their 
 mouths are filled with words of confusion. Their 
 eyes are darkened by fear and hatred, so that 
 they have lost sight of the sky world. When they 
 lift their eyes toward the Great Ruler, when they 
 open their hearts to the light sent down by the 
 Master of Life, they are loosed from their 
 troubles. 
 
 "My Children, listen to the words of the Great 
 INIother. You are burdened and troubled; your 
 little ones are silent and fearful ; your women are 
 bowed with labor and sorrow. Truly, the Mo- 
 hawks are bent under the heaAy burden of war- 
 fare. Listen, my Children, to the teachings of 
 the Great JNIother. Wrap the words of the Great 
 
268 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Peace in your hearts and ponder them in silence. 
 Become the first to will a United People, that 
 the Master of Life may look upon you in kind- 
 ness and bless your children for many genera- 
 tions. Xaho. I have spoken." 
 
 The words of Jigonsasa, spoken with au- 
 thority, found a place in the hearts of her Mo- 
 hawk children. 
 
 When the chiefs had consulted together, they 
 made answer to Hiawatha through the aged Tec- 
 wihoga. He said: "My Brother, the Mohawks 
 have listened to the words of the Great Peace 
 that Hiawatha has brought them, and they find 
 them very good. 'The JNIohawks will consider 
 the message of their brother. Let Hiawatha re- 
 turn on the next summer's day^ and receive their 
 answer." 
 
 Two suns later Jigonsasa left Gahoose. As 
 she stood on the bank of the Mohawk where her 
 canoe was waiting, she said to Hiawatha: "Ji- 
 gonsasa will meet Hiawatha at the place of dan- 
 ger." With this promise, the Great Mother 
 departed. 
 
 ^ The next vear. 
 
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE 
 
 THE GREAT NORTHERN HUNTING 
 
 Even as the canoe of Jigonsasa left Gahoose, 
 Atotarho was listening to a message from two 
 of his swiftest runners who had journeyed by 
 night and day to bring news of the Mohawk 
 council. As he listened, Atotarho saw clearly 
 that if the Mohawks accej^ted the Great Peace, 
 the Oneidas would almost surely follow and leave 
 him without allies. Before the canoe of Jigon- 
 sasa reached Lake Ontario, he had dispatched 
 two of his most skillful scouts to dog the foot- 
 steps of Hiawatha and kill him in secret. 
 
 No one knew so well as Atotarho the difficulty 
 and danger of that commission. In Dagano- 
 weda, Hiawatha had a powerful defender. The 
 eyes of Daganoweda were sleepless, and they 
 were as keen and far-sighted as the eyes of 
 Oteanyea, the eagle. All this was known to 
 Atotarho. He knew, too, that the Mohawks, 
 Iiaving pledged themselves in council to consider 
 the Great Peace, would during that year keep 
 themselves from warfare and hold the person of 
 Hiawatha sacred. The ascending smoke of Ahso- 
 quata, the peace pipe, had carried their words to 
 the Great Spirit; no Ileal Man ever forgot the 
 pledge made while the smoke of Ahsoquata as- 
 cended. The Mohawks would be incorruptible, 
 and they would avenge the death of Hiawatha 
 while he was their tribal guest. 
 
 Immediately after the peace council, the Mo- 
 
270 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 hawks renewed their treaties with their neigh- 
 bors northward and eastward and southward; 
 for this year, while they were considering the 
 Great Peace, their warriors would be hunters. 
 
 When the hunting month came, there was un- 
 wonted stir in the towns of the Mohawks. Every 
 able-bodied man armed himself with a strong 
 bow and a well-filled quiver of arrows ; every one 
 was equipped with stout moccasins and snow- 
 shoes, and with high leggings and the warm deer- 
 skin coat, ready for the great northern hunting. 
 Never in the memory of the most aged, had the 
 people seen such an army of hunters leave for the 
 forests. The women became eager in the work of 
 parching corn and preparing clothing and camp- 
 ing outfits; many of the strongest of them joined 
 the expedition. 
 
 In one of the hunting parties that took its way 
 northward were Hiawatha and Daganoweda. 
 The great northern hunting trail led through the 
 beautiful valley of the upper Skanehtade. There 
 the ancient forests were in the possession of the 
 bear and wildcat, the wolf and lynx, the deer, 
 the beaver, and the muskrat. The mountains 
 eastward and northward were the nesting places 
 of eagles; the wooded lakes were the homes of 
 the wild swan, the heron, and countless flocks of 
 wild geese and ducks; there was no hunting 
 ground richer in fish and game, and none so 
 matchless in beauty. The party of Daganoweda 
 took a trail that led them to the healing springs 
 
The Great Nortliern Hunting 271 
 
 of Shar-la-to-ga' where their evening campfire 
 was lighted. Here they ate venison that was 
 brought by the young men from the lakeside, 
 and they talked about the healing waters. 
 
 The next day they moved forward to the falls 
 of the Skanehtade," where they camped again. 
 The old hunting lodges there were quickly 
 cleared of dead leaves, and fresh boughs were 
 laid. Soon the cheerful light of campfires 
 gleamed over the foaming waters of the Skaneh- 
 tade and fought with shadows at the edge of the 
 forest. 
 
 Still keeping the great nortliern trail, they left 
 the river the next day and came to Lake Andia- 
 ta-roc-ta,'' where they found many hunting lodges 
 and where they erected new ones. A part of the 
 company were already camped near the western 
 bend of the Skanehtade. 
 
 At once the w^ork of the winter hunting be- 
 gan. Parties entered the dense forests broken 
 only by the well-beaten trails of wild creatures 
 that made the lake their drinking place. At tlie 
 end of the first day of hunting a score of deer 
 were brought in, and the work of preserving meat 
 and skin was begun by the women. 
 
 In the early days of the hunting, Dagano- 
 weda's watch-care over Hiawatha was redoubled, 
 for he knew that in the great northern forest a 
 lurking spy would have every advantage. 
 
 ^ Saratoga. * The present site of Glens Falls. 
 
 ^ Lake George. 
 
272 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 One day as O-gas-aa, the evening, began to 
 darken the woodlands and the hunters gathered 
 about the campfires to hsten to the evening story 
 telhng, Hiawatha heard close at hand in the for- 
 est the low call of Sohont, the turkey, followed 
 by the soft cluck of Kawesea, the partridge. A 
 moment later he stood within the darkened wood, 
 and beside him were Sosondoweh and Dawey- 
 ongo. In tones as low as the voice of Neoga, the 
 south wind, Hiawatha said: 
 
 "The pleasant voices of Hiawatha's friends 
 call to him from the forest; will they come and 
 sit at the fireside of their Mohawk brothers?" 
 
 They answered: "Let' Sosondoweh and Da- 
 weyongo talk with Hia ha where the friendly 
 darkness of Soa, the ni^., is about them." 
 
 Then Hiawatha qu 3ned: "My Brothers 
 bring news from the I house of the Turtles 
 in Kanatagowa?" 
 
 They answered: "Th re is a goodly light in 
 the longhouse of the Turtle, and the ears of Ai- 
 jah, wife of Daweyongo, are filled with the pleas- 
 ant voices of her children." 
 
 For a moment there was silence, then Hia- 
 watha said: "This speech of Sosondoweh and 
 Daweyongo is as music, for good are the words 
 they have spoken. Let my Brothers uncover 
 their message, for the ears of Hiawatha are 
 open." 
 
 Then Sosondoweh spoke: "Seven suns ago 
 two birds of darkness left the lodge of Atotarho 
 
The Great Northern Hunting 273 
 
 and flew toward the sun's rising. Silently as 
 Ohowa, the night bird, wings his way through the 
 forest, they followed the Mohawk company 
 northward. Now they hover about the hunting 
 parties of the JMohawks. When Hiawatha goes 
 out to follow Skanondo, the deer, they noiselessly 
 flit about his pathway. When they can approach 
 close enough to reach Hiawatha with Kajawa, 
 the war club that leaves no trace of the slayer, 
 they will swoop down swiftly and strike him." 
 
 Hiawatha answered: "Hiawatha will wrap 
 the message of his Brothers closely. Let Soson- 
 doweh and Daweyongo return to their people 
 with quiet hearts, for liawatha is guarded by 
 the sleepless eyes of ganoweda — eyes that 
 see farther than the t of Atotarho, for they 
 are filled with light fr the sky world." 
 
 The next sun Do-w h and 0-sa-ha, the two 
 spies of Atotarho, fled astward, for they knew 
 by a sense as keen as thv't of Jitso, the fox, that 
 their presence was known to the Mohawks. 
 Where could they flee ? The hunting trail south- 
 ward was too dangerous. They must trust to the 
 unbroken wilderness for protection. 
 
 For seven suns the fugitive spies made their 
 way through the thicketed forest that covered 
 the hills dividing the waters of the Skanehtade 
 and the Rapid River. With moccasins and stout 
 leggings torn by that fight with the almost im- 
 penetrable woodland, they were in deadly peril 
 from Saista, the serpent, too sleepy with cold to 
 
274 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 warn them with liis rattle; in peril from the 
 stealthy approach of Dajoji, the panther, and 
 from the hungry wolf, Hotyone. But they were 
 in greater peril from the Mohawks, who hotly 
 pursued them. At length their trail was covered 
 from their baffled enemies; but they dared not 
 light a fire to guard their restless slumber ; dared 
 not kill or cook the game all about them. 
 
 At last the two spies reached a fair mountain 
 lake where the Mohawks sometimes came to track 
 beaver.^ Here they cooked fl^esh for the first time. 
 Without further pause in their flight, they fol- 
 lowed the obscure trails along the eastern 
 branches of the Skanehtade, and, scouting the 
 north bank of the Mohawk, they reached their 
 own land in safety. 
 
 Silently Atotarho listened to their story. 
 When it was ended he said: "Sosondoweh and 
 Daweyongo have been absent from Kanatagowa. 
 They are swift runners, and their eyes are un- 
 sleeping. They have followed the scouts of Ato- 
 tarho and warned the JNIohawks. It is not well 
 that Mohawk ears should hear the words spoken 
 in the lodge of Atotarho. Let the tongues of 
 Sosondoweh and Daweyongo be silenced." 
 
 Five suns later an empty canoe tossed and 
 drifted on the waters of Ontario, and never again 
 did the swift feet of Sosondoweh and Daweyongo 
 fly over the wood paths in the service of Hia- 
 watha. 
 
 ^ Lake St. Catherine. 
 
CHAPTER THIRTY 
 
 ON THE HEAD OF THE TURTLE 
 
 The news that Atotarho had sent spies among 
 them stirred the Mohawk people to deep resent- 
 ment, and it turned their hearts toward Hia- 
 watha. When they saw that Hiawatha was a 
 great hunter, that he was wise and sagacious in 
 council, that his heart was so hig that he lived 
 like a father among them, they sought to give him 
 honor. When the New Year came they made 
 him a chieftain. 
 
 Then Hiawatha went to live with his sister 
 Gawenneta whom he had now found once more 
 at Teahtontaloga. The people of Teahtonta- 
 loga knew that the heart of Hiawatha was as 
 wide as the heavens; and the humblest among 
 them did not fear to call him brother. 
 
 During that winter as Hiawatha counseled 
 with Daganoweda,.all doubt and impatience fell 
 from him forever. He appeared like one who 
 runs fearlessly because he feels the strong earth 
 beneath him and knows that above are shining 
 the stars that will guide his feet on the unknown 
 trail. 
 
 In the planting moon the Mohawks met to 
 consider their answer to the message of Hia- 
 watha. In that council Oaagowa, the head chief- 
 tain of Ganayohe, spoke. He said: "My Brothers, 
 many are the foes of the ^Mohawks. They are 
 watching us at the sun's rising. Often they have 
 driven us backward from the great river Skan- 
 
 275 
 
276 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 ehtade. While our people are fighting the Real 
 Men toward the sun's setting, the foes at the 
 sun's rising swim the River Skanehtade, burn 
 the homes of our absent warriors, waste our maize 
 fields, and make captives our women and chil- 
 dren. 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers. We have foes to the 
 southward ; and to the northward are our ancient 
 enemies, the Algonkins, who fearlessly trespass 
 on our northern hunting ground. Surely the 
 Mohawks would be more secure in their lands if 
 they held the strength of a United People, if 
 there were Four Brothers behind them ready 
 to join in their battle." 
 
 But there were warriors filled with the lust 
 for blood. They asked: "Why should the Mo- 
 hawks join in a confederation that will keep them 
 from the warpath? Always the Mohawks will 
 have their own grievances to settle." 
 
 Immediately the aged Tecwihoga answered: 
 "In the avenging of just grievances, the Four 
 Brothers will fight beside the Mohawks even as 
 clansmen fight together. Has not Hagwediyu, 
 the Good Mind, taught the Real Men to live to- 
 gether as brothers? And has not the dream 
 promise sent to Donyadaas foretold the coming 
 of Daganoweda and of Hiawatha; foretold the 
 coming of this peace message that will bless the 
 people? Surely the Mohawks will not turn from 
 such a dream-promise." 
 
 At the beginning of the fawn moon, Hia- 
 
On the Head of the Turtle 277 
 
 watha was given answer: "The Mohawks have 
 considered the great message of their brother 
 Hiawatha, and they find it good. They are will- 
 ing to enter the Longhouse of the Five Brothers. 
 They will stand at the sunrise door of the Long- 
 house and faithfully guard it." 
 
 Two winters passed while the Great Message 
 was carried to each of the Four Brothers of the 
 Mohawks. 
 
 The Oneidas and the Cayugas had joined with 
 the Mohawks in founding a single Longhouse. 
 Then, one morning when the maize was knee 
 high in the fields, Hiawatha received from the 
 hands of Gawenneta the sustaining ]3arched corn 
 and turned his feet toward the southern hunting 
 path. As he left the village, his quick eye noted 
 a strange warrior standing close to the Great 
 Central Trail. The image of the newcomer 
 stayed in Hiawatha's mind as he ran lightly 
 along the well-trodden footpath southward. 
 Surely he had seen that powerful warrior in 
 action, had seen him deftly wield Kajawa, the 
 war club; but where, he could not remember. 
 
 Two hours later, Hiawatha stood on a dizzy 
 height among the O-nis-ka-thaw Mountains^ that 
 look down on the wide country sloping to the 
 Skanehtade. He was on the head of the Great 
 Turtle. As he stood there, gazing over the vast 
 forests below him, his thought took in the whole 
 fair land of the Real Men, and he exulted in its 
 
 ^ The Helderberg INIountains. 
 
:278 The Hero of the Longhousc 
 
 beauty. How would it be when that glorious 
 land belonged to an undivided people? That 
 very moon a delegation from the three united 
 tribes, the Oneidas and Cayugas and Mohawks, 
 would visit the Seneca people. 
 
 The scenes at the meetings with the Oneidas 
 and Cayugas passed swiftly before the mind of 
 Hiawatha. Again he stood on the hill of the 
 Oneidas and Daganoweda and Jigonsasa were 
 beside him. He saw the council fire burning be- 
 side the great stone, the O-ni-a. He remembered 
 how the Mother of Nations touched the sacred 
 stone in reverent wonder, for the great stone, the 
 Onia, was the altar of the people. It silently 
 spoke to them of the Great Ruler's watch-care. 
 The keepers of the faith told them how, unas- 
 sisted by human hands, it had followed the Onei- 
 das from one village site to another. They be- 
 lieved that no calamity could befall the tribe 
 while the Onia was with them. 
 
 A look of sorrow passed over the face of Hia- 
 watha as he recalled the people who gathered 
 in that council. Where were the youths whom he 
 had met as a boy at the Deosongwa, the Deep 
 Basin Spring? Where were the young men who 
 had come to Kanatagowa for memorable ball 
 games? They had perished on the warpath or 
 were captives, while strangers sat in their places. 
 The children of the Oneidas looked sober and 
 aged. The women were old in their youth, and 
 they were bent with labor. The faces of the aged, 
 
On the Head of the Turtle 279 
 
 deep-lined with heavy care, were full of sorrow 
 as they heard the words of the Great Peace, for 
 well they knew that the war lust of Atotarho was 
 destroying the People of the Stone. Neverthe- 
 less, there were many warriors who listened as if 
 Gus-ta-ote, the spirit of the rock, possessed them. 
 
 He had seen that the Oneidas were torn by 
 two opinions. Many were filled with fear or 
 hatred of the message. They said: "This mes- 
 sage will yet bring disaster to us, for now that 
 the Mohawks have accepted the Great Peace, 
 thej'^ will no longer aid the Oneidas in warfare. 
 The People of the Stone cannot listen to the 
 message, for it will bring on them the vengeance 
 of Atotarho." 
 
 Others said that the peace movement was an 
 omen of great good for all of the Real Men, and 
 these prevailed in the council. The Oneidas 
 promised to consider the Great Peace. 
 
 Hiawatha recalled how a year later, when the 
 deer in the forest were calling softly to their 
 young fawns, the peace messengers had threaded 
 the westward trail and again climbed the hill of 
 the Oneidas. There, beside the mysterious Onia, 
 they had received the answer of the Oneidas: 
 "The Great Stone People accept the peace mes- 
 sage. They will join with their brothers, the Mo- 
 hawks, in the building of the Longhouse of the 
 United People." 
 
 There had been great rejoicing among the 
 Mohawks over that union with the Oneidas. Ages 
 
280 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 before, the Oneidas had gone out from the Mo- 
 hawks, built a separate council fire, and become 
 the Younger Brother of the Mohawks. Now the 
 Mohawks were reunited with this Younger 
 Brother. The old men said it was a good omen 
 that the tribe nearest of kin should be the first to 
 come into the Longhouse with the JNIohawks. 
 
 The signal call of a hunter brought the mind 
 of Hiawatha back to his immediate surround- 
 ings. He listened for a moment to the sounds of 
 life in the forest. From the mountain side, far 
 below, he heard the occasional calls of a company 
 of boy hunters who were scaling the dizzy heights 
 by steps of projecting rock layers. While he 
 listened, Hiawatha took his bow as if to follow 
 the deer; but the bow shpped from his idle hand, 
 even as his thoughts flew back again to the past. 
 
 Now he was far away in Ge-wa-ga, the strong- 
 hold of the Cayugas that looked out on Cayuga 
 Lake. He visioned the people flocking to the 
 council. Some came from Ne-o-dak-he-at,^ at 
 the head of Lake Cayuga. Some threaded the 
 deer-filled forests eastward and crossed Lake 
 Cayuga in their canoes to reach the place of 
 council. With what wonder the people looked 
 on the white wampum that held the words of 
 confederation! They gazed on Daganoweda 
 and the Peace Queen as if they saw messengers 
 from the sky world; and the women were glad 
 if the hands of their little ones but touched the 
 
 ^ At the present site of Ithaca. 
 
On the Head of the Turtle 281 
 
 deerskin garments of Jigonsasa, the Great 
 Mother. 
 
 In the council, the Cayugas pointed to the great 
 peril of their position between the warring Sen- 
 ecas and Onondagas. But the wisest answered 
 that the Neutral Nation had maintained itself in 
 such a position while it kept from the warpath; 
 and what people was more prosperous than the 
 Neutrals? Last of all, they said that long ago 
 Ga-da-gwa-sa, an aged chieftain, had foretold 
 the coming of a great peace council of which 
 their children should be told through many gen- 
 erations. 
 
 So the Cayugas determined to consider the 
 message recorded in the white shell strings. At 
 the end of a year they pledged themselves to 
 unite with the Oneidas and Mohawks. 
 
 As a twig snapped near at hand, Hiawatha's 
 mind turned suddenly to the present. He stood 
 fixed like a statue; but eye and ear were keenly 
 active, and every muscle was ready for action. 
 There was a crash behind him. Hiawatha turned 
 instantly. Ten paces distant lay the fallen body 
 of Dowago, spy of Atotarho. From the steep 
 pathway below came the sound of flying foot- 
 steps. Quickly Hiawatha gained the shoulder 
 of the mountain and looked downward. Thirty 
 paces below he saw Osaha fleeing, the pursuer 
 close behind him. And the pursuer was the 
 stranger who that morning had stood on the 
 Central Trail at Teahtontaloga. A moment 
 
282 21ie Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 later Hiawatha heard a loud challenge given 
 and answered. It was followed by the sound of a 
 descending war club. Then all was silent. 
 
 Quickly Hiawatha returned to the top of the 
 mountain and hid himself where he could see the 
 body of the fallen Onondaga. Soon he heard 
 footsteps. Then the strange warrior ap- 
 proached the dead Dowago and stood for a mo- 
 ment in silence above the body. It was Aodog- 
 weh, banished long ago from Onondaga for mur- 
 der; Aodogweh, whom Hiawatha had met last in 
 ambush after the burning of Nantasasis. 
 
 As Aodogweh moved to turn away, Hia- 
 watha stepped from cover and silently faced him 
 for a moment. Then Hiawatha spoke: "Many 
 winters ago White Eagle hunted beside Aodog- 
 weh and fought with him in mimic warfare. Once 
 since then have Aodogweh and Hiawatha met. 
 There was no vow of friendship between them; 
 but now Aodogweh defends Hiawatha even as 
 one fights for another whom he calls friend." 
 
 The deep -lined face of Aodogweh quivered 
 with emotion as he answered : "Long ago in Kan- 
 atagowa a vow of friendship was spoken between 
 Aodogweh and Daweyongo. In a far-off land, 
 it was whispered in the ear of Aodogweh, the 
 exile, that Daweyongo had fallen by the hands 
 of Dowago and Osaha. It was forbidden Aodog- 
 weh to walk the land of the Onondagas, so he 
 came to the land of the jMohawks to carry out his 
 vengeance. He knew well that Atotarho would 
 
"It was Aodogweh, banished long ago . . . for murder" 
 
284 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 send his two best spies to watch Hiawatha; he 
 knew that Dowago and Osaha would haunt the 
 trail of Hiawatha without sleeping. So for the 
 moons of two winters Aodogweh has shadowed 
 the footsteps of Hiawatha, watching for the com- 
 ing of the slayers of Daweyongo. Aodogweh 
 has met his enemies and killed them ; now he will 
 depart from the land of the Mohawks." 
 
 The banished Onondaga turned as if to go, 
 then stopped to face Hiawatha for a moment 
 longer. He said: "Have not the spies of Ato- 
 tarho struck down the kinsfolk of Hiawatha and 
 slain his sworn friend, Sosondoweh? Why does 
 not the powerful chieftain seek vengeance?" 
 
 Hiawatha answered without passion, "There is 
 a better way to vanquish Atotarho." 
 
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE 
 
 AT NUNDAWAO 
 
 Far away in the Seneca country, on the Great 
 HilP that overlooks the blue waters of Lake Can- 
 andaigua, stood Nundawao, the ancient seat of 
 the Seneca people. On that bare height was the 
 tribal altar, where for countless generations the 
 people had worshiped. There was the sacred 
 council brand, and there the beacon fire was 
 lighted when sudden danger threatened. The 
 ancient fathers could remember no home before 
 it; so they called themselves the People of the 
 Great Hill. 
 
 The scouts and messengers of the Great Hill 
 People traveled far. They went eastward among 
 the other tribes of the Iroquois. They went 
 southward to the populous country of the Chero- 
 kees. They went westward and northward to 
 the lands of the Eries and Neutrals and Hurons. 
 From their high seat at Nundawao, the Great 
 Hill People looked far about them, and they lis- 
 tened to messages that were brought from many 
 tribes. 
 
 On the highest point of the Great Hill, the 
 council fire was lighted, and wide around it the 
 people were gathered. A weighty message had 
 reached Nundawao. It told the Seneca people 
 that their allies, the Cayugas, had accepted the 
 Great Peace. Even as the Senecas deliberated 
 over this message, a bird^ whispered in the ear of 
 
 ' Bare Hill, near Naples, New York. ^ A messenger. 
 
 285 
 
286 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 the chieftain Kan-ye-da-re-yo that Hiawatha and 
 the other messengers of the Three Nations were 
 aj^proaching Xundawao. 
 
 That same sun, in her canoe, came Jigonsasa, 
 the Peace Queen. At once messengers were dis- 
 patched to summon the Senecas to council. 
 
 The next day Hiawatha stood on Xundawao 
 and looked far away to the foot of Lake Canan- 
 daigua. He saw many canoes skimming the 
 lake, and all were moving toward Xundawao. 
 From the wide valley westward that was check- 
 ered with maize-filled opens, the Seneca people 
 were climbing the broad slopes of the Great Hill. 
 The place of council on the wide hilltop was 
 crowded, and still the people were coming. 
 
 Hiawatha had never looked on so numerous a 
 gathering. JNIany of the men proudly wore the 
 heron feather, and their belts were fringed w^ith 
 scalp locks. Fair were the maidens in their fresh 
 deerskin garments ; courageous were the faces of 
 the youths. Truly the Great Hill People showed 
 that they were rich in maize fields and adven- 
 turous in war. Xevertheless, Hiawatha saw that 
 their backs were bent under the burden of war- 
 fare. Among them were captives from many 
 peoples, and he knew well that these filled the 
 places of lost warriors and kinsfolk. 
 
 When, at the council, the smoke of Ahsoquata 
 had been blown to the four corners of the earth, 
 the Mother of X^ations arose and addressed the 
 Seneca people. 
 
At Nundawao 287 
 
 She said: "Radixaa, my Children, when the 
 Great Hill People lighted their first council fire 
 on Nundawao, its flame leaped high in sign that 
 the Great Ruler was pleased with His children. 
 They assembled about the leaping fire and gave 
 thanks for their beautiful hunting grounds, for 
 the guarding hills and fruitful valleys and rivers, 
 and for Lake Canandaigua with its peaceful 
 waters. 
 
 "And the Master of Life loved the Great Hill 
 People and sent game to their forests and fish to 
 their lakes and streams that they might dwell in 
 peace and plenty forever. 
 
 "Then a great calamity befell the people of the 
 Great Hill. A Two-Headed Serpent, the Ka- 
 is-to-wan-ea, appeared among them. The war- 
 riors fed the strange creature until it grew to be 
 a monster that devoured the game in their forests 
 and brought upon them starvation. 
 
 At last the tribe, in dread of the monster, de- 
 termined to leave the Great Hill and flee to a 
 place of safety. But when the next sun came, 
 they found that the Two-Headed Serpent had 
 encircled the Great Hill and lay with its two sets 
 of jaws extended before the gateway of the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 "Then it was that a dream was sent to Ha- 
 ja-no, a youthful warrior, commanding him to 
 make an arrow fledged with the hair of his 
 mother and go forth against the Serpent. 
 
 "When that arrow reached the heart of the 
 
288 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 Monster he fled into the deep waters of Canan- 
 daigua and perished. 
 
 "My Children, your Fathers have taught you 
 in this story of the Two-Headed Serpent that 
 people are destroyed when they become divided 
 and war on each other. Truly the Two-Headed 
 Serpent is destroying the Real Men. For many 
 years the monster has wasted with one head the 
 hunting grounds of the Real Men, while with the 
 other it has devoured the warriors and women 
 and children. 
 
 "Listen, Radixaa. Your Fathers have taught 
 you in this story that the power of Rong-we and 
 Young-we, the power of man and woman, must 
 be united if this monster of warfare is to be van- 
 quished. To the strength of the man must be 
 joined the forgiving heart of the woman. For 
 the Great Serpent of War flees to his caves of 
 darkness when brother meets brother in forgive- 
 ness. This is the wisdom that for many ages the 
 Great Mothers of Jigonsasa have taught the na- 
 tions. This is the wisdom of the Great Peace. 
 Naho. I have spoken." 
 
 The People of the Hill listened to these words 
 of the Mother of Nations devoutly, for they 
 knew her authority and wisdom. 
 
 One after another, the messengers of the Three 
 Nations arose and spoke weighty words inviting 
 the Senecas at Nundawao to unite with the Three 
 Brothers in confederation. Deep was the silence 
 on the Great Hill while the people listened to the 
 
At Nundawao 289 
 
 speech of Hiawatha. He said: "We invite our 
 Seneca brothers to become the keepers of the 
 western door of the Longhouse. Their two chief 
 warriors shall stand at the great black door 
 through which all good and evil messages must 
 come to reach the United Council. If any person 
 or nation has a matter to lay before the United 
 Council, it must come through this door. If the 
 People of the Great Hill accept this message, the 
 war power of the Konoshioni, the United People, 
 will be in their hands. If the Four Brothers war 
 with any other nation, the Senecas shall be the 
 leaders in defense of the Longhouse." 
 
 That same sun the Great Hill People gave 
 this answer to the messengers of the Three Na- 
 tions: "The Senecas at Nundawao have wrapped 
 the words of the Great Peace in their hearts. Let 
 their brothers return on the next smnmer day and 
 receive the answer." 
 
 The Seneca people were a great tree with two 
 branches. One branch was lifted over Nunda- 
 wao; the other stretched across the Gennisheyo 
 and covered the Seneca town of the chieftain 
 Sha-de-kar-on-yes. 
 
 Two suns after the council at Nundawao, the 
 peace messengers departed. They crossed the 
 Gennisheyo, the River of the Beautiful Valley, 
 and sat down with Shadekaronyes and his peo- 
 ple. At the end of the council, Shadekaronyes 
 gave his answer. His people would unite with 
 their brothers of Nundawao in considering the 
 words of the Great Peace. 
 
290 The Hero of tlic Longhouse 
 
 The next summer Hiawatha and Daganoweda 
 journeyed again to Nundawao. There they re- 
 ceived the answers of the two branches of the 
 Great Hill People: "The Senecas will build the 
 western door of the United Longhouse and faith- 
 fully keep it." 
 
 Then the people of the Great Hill bestowed on 
 Daganoweda a large shell brooch of pearly white- 
 ness that was wonderfully cut. 
 
 To Hiawatha they gave a canoe that was made 
 of white birch bark brought from the land of the 
 Chippewas. For the people of Nundawao said: 
 "Is not the white color, 0-wis-ka, the sign of 
 peace? Let the canoe of Hiawatha be covered 
 with whiteness so that at a distance the Real Men 
 may see it and know that the bearer of the sacred 
 wampum is among them." 
 
PART FOUR 
 
 The Building of the Longhouse 
 
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO 
 
 THE CONQUEST OF DARKNESS 
 
 RuNNEES had sped to Kienika, the House pf 
 Peace, with a message from Hiawatha, for the 
 time had come when he and Daganoweda must 
 encounter the direst foe of the Great Peace. 
 These were the words that the runners carried: 
 "Will Jigonsasa come to Kanatagowa, the place 
 of difficulty? It is Hiawatha that asks it." 
 
 In response to the call of Hiawatha, the canoe 
 of the Peace Queen was straightway skimming 
 Lake Ontario, moving swiftly toward Kanata- 
 gowa, the place of danger. Early on the seventh 
 sun, the messengers of the Four Nations met 
 Jigonsasa at Lake Onondaga. Soon they were 
 in the longhouse of Atotarho. 
 
 They found Atotarho seated on a bench richly 
 covered with bearskins. His face was dark and 
 forbidding. He listened to the message sent by 
 the four united tribes, but he spoke no word. As 
 he sat there in silence, the war chieftain appeared 
 like a man possessed of an evil spirit, and who is 
 inwardly fighting to maintain his dark magic 
 against the force of the Good Mind. In that 
 hour the powers of light and darkness contended 
 in Atotarho as in the ancient days when Hagwe- 
 diyu and Hagwedaetgah fought for earth's do- 
 minion. 
 
 After they had waited long, watching the silent 
 war chieftain, the messengers withdrew to counsel 
 with one another. 
 
 293 
 
294 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 At once O-dat-seh-te, a wise chieftain of the 
 Oneidas, said: "When the People of the Stone 
 accepted the Great Peace, a company of Mo- 
 hawks and Oneidas visited Atotarho inviting him 
 to join his old allies in this new union. He re- 
 ceived them in silence and dismissed them with- 
 out answer. A year later the Cayugas joined 
 hands with the Two United Brothers and entered 
 the Great Longhouse. At once the Three United 
 Brothers sent messengers to invite the Onon- 
 dagas to join with them. Again they were dis- 
 missed without answer. Another year has passed; 
 and now, under the smoke of Ahsoquata, our 
 Seneca Brother has pledged himself to the Great 
 Peace. Now Four United Brothers come to Ato- 
 tarho, come with Hiawatha and Daganoweda and 
 the Mother of Nations, and invite him to enter 
 the Longhouse of the LTnited People. But again 
 he makes no answer. 
 
 "Listen to the words of Odatsehte. Long ago 
 the heart of the great w^ar chieftain came to love 
 power. He spoke smooth words into the ears of 
 the JNIohawks and Oneidas and Onondagas, and 
 he turned their thoughts to his purpose. Through 
 alliance he became the great war chieftain of the 
 Three Brothers, and they came and sat down with 
 him around the council brand at Kanatagowa. 
 Then Atotarho looked westward and sought to 
 subdue the Senecas and Cayugas, sought through 
 long warfare to make them his vassals. 
 
 "The eyes of Odatsehte are open. They see 
 
The Conquest of Darkness 295 
 
 that Atotarho is still in love with power. Odat- 
 sehte believes that Atotarho would open his ears 
 to the Great Peace if the Four United Brothers 
 would promise to make him the Great Sachem of 
 the United Iroquois." 
 
 Tecwihoga, the aged Mohawk chieftain, an- 
 swered. His words were carefully uttered : "We 
 have heard the words of Odatsehte, and we know 
 that he has spoken truly. But how can our 
 brother bring this matter before us? Odatsehte 
 knows well that the thoughts of the Four United 
 Brothers are not hidden from their messengers. 
 The people, in their minds, have already chosen 
 the Head Sachem. Among the Five Tribes there 
 is but one man whom they would see lighting the 
 council brand of the United Iroquois; there is 
 but one man whom they would see standing be- 
 fore them, blowing the smoke of Asoquata up- 
 ward to the Great Ruler. That man is Hiawatha ! 
 
 "Brothers, the minds of the people have opened 
 wide to the Great Peace, and their hearts are big 
 for the bearer of the White Wampum. Already 
 they look forward to the great day when Ka- 
 gagwa shall look out of the east sky and see all 
 of the Real Men gathered in united council ; see 
 the sacred horns of the Chief Sachem placed on 
 the head of Hiawatha. They would have that 
 great office crown the labor of Hiawatha so long 
 as he walks among them, and never would they 
 have his name pass from the office of Chief 
 Sachem in the generations to follow." 
 
296 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 At once Hiawatha spoke, and his words were 
 plain and simple: "My Brothers, we are building 
 a Longhouse that shall shelter our children for 
 many generations. If the middle rafters of that 
 Longhouse are lacking, if its central fireplace is 
 dark and the benches empty, it will bring grief 
 to our children. When our feet have left the 
 earth-paths and entered the lodges where our 
 Great Fathers are waiting, the Fathers will tell 
 us that we have left the weapons of warfare un- 
 buried, that we have left to our children the heavy 
 burdens of famine and fruitless labor; they will 
 rebuke us, because we have left the Great Peace 
 work unfinished. 
 
 "Listen, my Brothers. The words of the White 
 Wampum are well known. The Four United 
 People know that no man can wear the sacred 
 horns of office unless he keeps the admonition 
 that makes him a chieftain. It is known to all 
 the Real Men that if the Great Sachem disobeys 
 the laws recorded in the white shell strings, his 
 horns shall be knocked off, the office shall pass 
 from him, and his name be lost from it forever. 
 
 "My Brothers, so well is our Longhouse 
 builded, that its Chief Sachem cannot shake it. 
 Let the united fire of the Five Brothers be kin- 
 dled at Kanatagowa. This is the counsel of Hia- 
 watha: Let the Chief Sachem be Atotarho." 
 
 For a moment there was a silence so deep that 
 it seemed as if Gaoh had leashed the four winds 
 so that even the forests listened. 
 
The Conquest of Darkness 297 
 
 Then Shadekaronyes, the Seneca chieftain, 
 spoke: "Are there not Four United Tribes to 
 meet Atotarho on the warpath? Shadekaronj^es 
 is confident that Four United Brothers can sub- 
 due Atotarho in battle and bring him to their 
 wishes." 
 
 And Tecwihoga answered: "My Brother 
 speaks wisely. Let Kajawa, the war club, con- 
 quer this proud chieftain." 
 
 This word of Tecwihoga was received with 
 strong words of approval. 
 
 Then the quiet voice of Daganoweda was 
 heard. He said: "My Brothers, the rafters of the 
 Longhouse we are building must not be black- 
 ened and charred by the fire of vengeance, or they 
 will shake when tempests come, and fall on the 
 heads of our children. Only in peace can the 
 Longhouse of the LTnited People be securely 
 builded. My Brothers, it is recorded in the 
 Otekoa, the white shell strings, that the care of 
 the chieftain's office is in the hands of the people. 
 The Head Sachem cannot wear the sacred horns 
 in dishonor, unless the people cease to guard their 
 Longhouse. Daganoweda agrees with the 
 counsel of Hiawatha. 
 
 "My Brothers, it is true that Hiawatha holds 
 the hearts of the people. Through all the years 
 of his earth-life, the love of the Real Men will fol- 
 low his footsteps ; and when he passes to the Land 
 of the Blessed, our children for unnumbered 
 generations will revere him. This shall be the 
 
298 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 great reward of Hiawatha's labor. Naho. I 
 have spoken." 
 
 Then the Queen of the Xeutrals spoke. She 
 said: "Wise are the words of Hiawatha, and wise 
 is his action. Let the greatest war chieftain of 
 the Ileal Men light the brand in the Great Peace 
 Council. Will it not be a sign of forgiveness and 
 union? Will not the Great Wisdom look on it 
 with approval and wise men for ages confirm it?" 
 
 There was no answer. Long the peace dele- 
 gates sat speechless, while the sun climbed the 
 heavens. At last, between long intervals of si- 
 lence, one after another of the chieftains assented 
 to the will of Hiawatha. When the last voice had 
 been heard in agreement, the messengers re- 
 turned to Atotarho. 
 
 Then Hiawatha, speaking for the others, said 
 to the war chieftain: "The messengers of the 
 JNIohawks and Oneidas, of the Senecas and Cay- 
 ugas, extend their hand to Atotarho. They say 
 to him, 'If Atotarho approves and confirms the 
 laws of the Great Peace, if he comes into the 
 Longhouse with his Brothers, then the great 
 council fire of the Real JNIen shall be lighted at 
 Kanatagowa, and Atotarho shall be made the 
 Fire Keeper of the United Council; on his head 
 shall be placed the horns of the Chief Sachem." 
 
 The war chieftain heard the words of Hia- 
 watha as one who listens to a long-desired mes- 
 sage. His head became erect, he rose to his feet, 
 and stood listening intently. After a moment he 
 
the Chief Sachem" 
 
300 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 said: "The words of the Great Peace are well 
 known to Atotarho. His ears are open to the 
 promise of the Four Brothers. Now he will come 
 into the Longhouse of the United People and 
 stand before its central council fire." Lifting 
 his hand he added, "The smoke from it will arise 
 and pierce the sky." 
 
 Thus Hiawatha conquered Atotarho. 
 
 Thereafter the messengers labored truly to 
 open the heart of the war chieftain to the message 
 of the white wampum. Jigonsasa spoke to him, 
 because she had authority; and Daganoweda ut- 
 tered words of power. But most of all, the 
 speech of Hiawatha prevailed with Atotarho. 
 For Hiawatha remembered the days when Ato- 
 tarho's heart was still human. So it was that 
 Hiawatha, with much labor, cleared the darkened 
 mind of Atotarho and drove out the poison that 
 had entered when he killed the white bird of 
 promise. 
 
 Two suns later the Onondagas, in council at 
 Kanatagowa, confirmed the words of the peace 
 message. 
 
 Once more the people of Onondaga saw before 
 them the two great chieftains who for many 
 winters had stood by the council fire as op- 
 ponents. Now they saw them united. They 
 heard Atotarho speak the old familiar peace word 
 for which Hiawatha had struggled. They heard 
 him confirm the union that buried all weapons of 
 warfare, that established peace between the tribes 
 of the Real Men forever. 
 
The Conquest of Darkness 301 
 
 As the peo23le witnessed this marvelous change 
 in Atotarho, they asked themselves how such a 
 w^onder had been accomplished. But this ques- 
 tion of the Onondagas was answered when they 
 looked on Hiawatha. For, as he stood in the old 
 familiar place of council, he appeared like a man 
 who had won a battle of surpassing difficulty, 
 who had made a conquest like that of Hagwe- 
 diyu — the great Conquest of Darkness. 
 
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE 
 
 THE GREAT COUNCIL 
 
 The first council of the United People was held 
 with the Onondagas. It was in the moon of green 
 corn. From all the footpaths that united the Five 
 Nations, from the broad trails of their lakes and 
 rivers, the people crowded to Kanatagowa. 
 Never had there been such a meeting of the Real 
 JNIen. They left their villages behind them de- 
 serted, and, like flocks of birds that darken the 
 skies in autumn, they crowded to the place of 
 council. 
 
 The oldest was there and the youngest. The 
 utmost skill of the medicine men had been put 
 forth, for the sick must b* ealed for the journey. 
 From far off Gahoose p e came, and from be- 
 yond the Gennishej^o; + »vho would be absent 
 from the first great co of the United Iro- 
 
 quois ? 
 
 From Xundawao c young man that 
 
 would later lead the Ui uois against the 
 
 Eries, and, in the nai '^^eat Ruler, 
 
 compel them to obey th ~ T^house. 
 
 Beside her mother ran m future 
 
 winters would bring to t ^ of the Long- 
 
 house a new beauty. From a gaoseha peered out 
 a little child who would be revered as an aged 
 man because his eyes had looked on Jigonsasa; 
 looked on Daganoweda and the beloved Hia- 
 watha, as they stood together in the Great 
 Council. 
 
The Great Council 303 
 
 Men have said that at the first great meeting 
 of the Real Men, the Gennisheyo at the western 
 door of the Longhouse sang a greeting to the dis- 
 dant Skanehtade that flowed at the great eastern 
 door. They have told how the deep-toned Do- 
 sho-weh' spoke in prophecy to Skanodario of the 
 fateful events that would carry the power of the 
 Iroquois along its wide stretch of waters; how 
 lakes and forests and mountains awakened to 
 wonder, as they saw the Real Men go up to that 
 first council. 
 
 Across the broad Oneida Lake, the canoes of 
 the Mohawks and Oneidas came crowding. The 
 Oswego was filled with swift-moving canoes, and 
 Lake Onondaga was rkened with the barks of 
 the Brothers. Amo )these crowding canoes 
 there was one that u all eyes because of its 
 beauty and whitenes; iw all eyes, because the 
 people knew that it ^ he canoe of the beloved 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 In a vast en X, not far from Lake 
 
 Onondaga, +' he Longhouse sat down 
 
 together' it the eyes of the Great 
 
 Ruler loo. approval at seeing the 
 
 Five Brother;.,, . es of separation, coming 
 
 together about the sacred council brand. 
 
 Those that had fought with each other met 
 there in tears, for the Master of Life touched 
 them with his finger and the stern hearts of strong 
 warriors softened at that touch. On all sides, the 
 
 * Lake Erie. 
 
304) The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 people saw chieftains who had contended in war- 
 fare meeting as brothers. On all sides, captives 
 and exiles who had lost their birthrights met their 
 lost kinsfolk. The hearts of the people became 
 big with forgiveness when they looked into each 
 others' faces. In that great encampment, they 
 buried old wrongs deep in the earth and became 
 a people possessed by one spirit. 
 
 There the Real Men saw the smoke from Ah- 
 soquata ascending in clouds to the Great Ruler, 
 carrying with it the thanksgiving of the United 
 People. There they saw Hiawatha stand up with 
 Daganoweda and Jigonsasa ; they saw them raise 
 up Atotarho to be the Chief Sachem of the 
 United People. Grasping the sacred horns of 
 office between them, Daganoweda and Jigonsasa 
 placed them on the head of Atotarho. In the ears 
 of all the people they uttered the admonition of 
 the Great Peace : 
 
 "We now do crown you with the sacred 
 emblem of the antlers, the sign of your lordship. 
 You shall now become a mentor of the people of 
 the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin 
 shall be seven spans, for you shall be proof 
 against anger, offensive action, and criticism. 
 With endless patience you shall carry out your 
 duty, and your firmness shall be tempered with 
 tenderness for your people. Neither anger nor 
 fear shall find lodgment in your mind, and all 
 your words and actions shall be marked with calm 
 deliberation. In all your official acts, self-interest 
 
'^.^■^W' 
 
 n 
 
 V _".j»>l s ' r 
 
 "The smoke from Ahsoquata' 
 
306 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 shall be cast aside. You shall look and listen for 
 the welfare of the whole people and have always 
 in view, not only the present but the coming gen- 
 erations — the unborn of the future Nation." ' 
 
 The warriors and chieftains who had fought 
 with Atotarho, and all the company of warriors 
 who had followed him in battle, and the men who 
 had served him in secret, looked at him now with 
 amazement. For the face of the Great Sachem 
 was changed. The people said: "Truly Hia- 
 watha has combed all the snakes from the hair of 
 Atotarho. The evil spirit that possessed him has 
 departed, so that now he has the hmiian heart and 
 image." And the wise men said: "Truly Hia- 
 watha is the greatest of the Real JMen. He alone 
 has changed the heart of Atotarho. Atotarho 
 had covered him with sorrow and filled his path- 
 way with danger. But through the greatness of 
 his spirit, Hiawatha has conquered." 
 
 In those first days, Hiawatha and Dagano- 
 weda made the Onondagas the fire keepers and 
 the keepers of the sacred wampum that holds the 
 laws of the United People. They made the Sen- 
 ecas keepers of the western door of the Long- 
 house. They made the INIohawks keepers of the 
 eastern door of the Longhouse. And they raised 
 up sachems to guard the great black doors that 
 look eastward and westward, giving to each 
 sachem a counsellor and assistant. Thencefor- 
 ward all good and evil messages came through the 
 
 ^ From the Constitution of the Iroquois. 
 
The Great Council 307 
 
 eastern and western doors of the Longhouse to 
 reach the United People. 
 
 On the seventh sun, the fifty sachems of the 
 United People took their places in order about 
 the central fire. On that day Kagagwa looked 
 forth from the east sky to see the Five Brothers 
 sitting together: the Three Elder Brothers, the 
 Mohawks and Onondagas and Senecas, facing 
 the Two Younger Brothers, the Oneidas and 
 Cayugas. Then Hiawatha spoke to the United 
 People: "Deep under this tall pine tree by the 
 council fire we now bury our weapons of warfare. 
 Into the depths of the earth, down into the deep 
 under-earth currents of water that flow to un- 
 known regions, we cast the tokens of strife. We 
 bury them from sight; the pine tree shall cover 
 them, and its five needles shall ever remind the 
 Real Men of their union. Thus is the Great 
 Peace established. AVarfare shall no longer be 
 known between the Five Nations, and peace shall 
 become the heritage of the United People I" 
 
 On the ground about the council fire, Hia- 
 watha spread before the people the symbols that 
 were to remind them of the laws on which the 
 liOnghouse was founded. Among these sjTnbols 
 were the w^hite wampum belt which was to sig- 
 nify the Great Peace ; a swan's wing, with which 
 to sweep all dust, all stain, and all evil of every 
 kind away from the white wampum belt; a rod 
 with which to defend the white wampum belt 
 from creeping, evil things; and a bundle of five 
 
308 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 arrows, the sign of the strength of the Konoshi- 
 oni, the United People. 
 
 Also Hiawatha spread before the people the 
 sacred strings of wampum that held the laws of 
 the Konoshioni. Each winter these strings would 
 be read at the great council fire so that the laws 
 recorded there might be wrapped close in the 
 hearts of the people. 
 
 In the last days of the council, the great laws 
 recorded in the sacred wampum were read, one 
 by one, before the assemblage, and they were con- 
 firmed by the United Chieftains. As the jjeople 
 listened to these laws, the wisest among them said 
 to each other: "Truly the Real Men are building 
 a Longhouse that shall stretch from the Skaneh- 
 tade to the Gennisheyo. They will make it strong 
 in every part; they will clear it of every hurtful 
 thing ; they will faithfully guard its doorways so 
 that it shall shelter their children forever." 
 
 At the last meeting of the council, Dagano- 
 weda said: "The Real Men must overcome diffi- 
 culties surpassing those of any other people 
 before they can reach the fullness of their power 
 and prove themselves indeed the Men of Men. 
 This Longhouse that is building shall stand as 
 a witness to the Real Men. If in future ages 
 they forget the trust bestowed on them by the 
 Master of Life, may the memory of their Fathers 
 rebuke them and call them again to duty. 
 
 "My children, see that you remember these last 
 admonitions of Daganoweda." 
 
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR 
 
 THE WHITE CANOE 
 
 Ix the winters that followed the Great Council, 
 the life of Hiawatha was filled with busy labor, 
 and very often he counseled with Daganoweda at 
 Gahoose. There were many crooked pathways 
 between the Real Men, that by long and patient 
 effort could be straightened. There were pitfalls 
 and obstructions that snared the feet of the 
 people and hindered them on their journey. As 
 they labored to clear away these obstructions, 
 Daganoweda and Hiawatha saw old jealousies 
 and feuds slowly buried and replaced with better 
 customs. Very slowly clan vengeance was dis- 
 appearing — that relentless clan vengeance that 
 had left every footpath blood-stained. 
 
 The great Hiawatha labored with tireless pa- 
 tience, and many labored with him to clear the 
 tangled trails of the people. So it was, that, 
 winter by winter, the Longhouse of the United 
 People became stronger. Its fireplaces were 
 wider and cleaner. The pottery that stood on the 
 shelves and the implements and weapons that 
 hung on the walls were better made and of 
 greater beauty. 
 
 All the tides of life were flowing, and the pulse 
 of the people beat strong with the hope that pos- 
 sessed them. Like living shuttles, runners were 
 daily speeding across the many footpaths that 
 united the Real 3Ien. All the water trails were 
 alive with swift canoes that were threading the 
 
 309 
 
310 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 rivers, swimming the lakes, seeking every creek 
 and inlet, and crowding the portages along On- 
 tario and Erie. 
 
 Among these crowding canoes there was one 
 that came like a white bird of promise. Seen 
 from afar, it was hailed by every Iroquois with 
 joy and expectation. When he sighted a white 
 canoe, the heart of the Real ]Man asked only one 
 question, "Does it bring Hiawatha, or is it the 
 bark of a stranger?" When in springtime the 
 lakes and rivers were freed from their icy fetters, 
 the White Canoe gladdened the eyes of the 
 people along pathways near and distant. But 
 there w^as one water trail that saw it most often : 
 it was the river road between Teahtontaloga, 
 home of Gawenneta, and Gahoose, where dwelt 
 Daganoweda. 
 
 One day, when ten winters had passed after 
 that first great Council of the United People, 
 Hiawatha left his lodge at Teahtontaloga. The 
 sun was low in the western sky. Entering the 
 White Canoe, Hiawatha turned its prow toward 
 Gahoose. The hand that held the paddle was 
 very steady, and the White Canoe moved slowly 
 on with the river, obeying the touch of its master 
 as he kept its course eastward. 
 
 Once a bark canoe passed, and the four hunt- 
 ers within it saluted the White Canoe. Each 
 one of them noted the upright figure of the Great 
 Chieftain; noted his deep-lined face both strong 
 and kindly; saw that his hair was touched by the 
 
Tlie White Canoe 311 
 
 snows of winter, and that his eyes were clear and 
 far-seeing. He seemed to be thinking intently. 
 
 In truth, the mind of Hiawatha was filled with 
 an urgent question that he was bringing to Da- 
 ganoweda. A tribe to the southward had refused 
 an alliance offered by the Iroquois. Too weak to 
 make war on the United PeojDle, their warriors 
 hid in the forests of the Mohawks and Oneidas 
 and murdered the Iroquois by stealth. Most of 
 the chieftains of the Ileal Men believed that the 
 treacherous enemy should be subdued by war and 
 made a subject people. 
 
 Hiawatha was now confronted by the old ques- 
 tion of warfare. The Real Men had learned how 
 to live in peace with each other; how could they 
 be taught to live in peace with their warlike 
 neighbors. As Hiawatha pondered the question 
 he recalled words spoken long ago by Jigonsasa, 
 the Peace Queen: "If the Great Peace is carried 
 to still other tribes, it must be borne by runners 
 who will labor after the work of Hiawatha is 
 finished." And Hiawatha thought, "The Great 
 Mother spoke truly. The work of the Great 
 Peace is only begun. Now it must be extended. 
 The Great Wisdom will choose messengers to 
 bear it." 
 
 The eyes of Hiawatha turned again to the 
 familiar path of the Mohawk; to the friendly 
 forests that bordered the river; to Kagagwa, the 
 sun, shining low in the west sky. For a few 
 moments he urged the White Canoe forward; 
 
312 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 then suddenly the paddle dropped from his hand, 
 and he sank back in dreamless slumber. 
 
 Then Oah, the wind, came and talked with the 
 drifting canoe, the Gaowo — so the old men 
 among the Iroquois tell the story. The Gaowo 
 said: "Leash Dajoji, the west wind, for my 
 Great Master is sleeping. Let me move very 
 slowly, for he is weary, else he would not slumber 
 under the eye of Kagagwa." 
 
 And Oah answered: "Only the breath of Ne- 
 oga, the south wind, shall touch him. I will rock 
 the Gaowo very gently, even as I rocked his ga- 
 oseha when it hung from the trees long ago in 
 far-off Onondaga." 
 
 So the White Canoe drifted gently, blown by 
 the breath of the south wind. 
 
 Then the River spoke: "I go on a long 
 journey. I join the swift Skanehtade. I shall 
 never pause on my journey until I come to the 
 Great Sea at the Sun's Rising." 
 
 The White Canoe quivered as it felt the urge 
 of the strong River. 
 
 As Ogasah, the evening, drew near, all the 
 woodlands began to murmur to the drifting 
 Gaowo. "Stay with us," they said. "Stay with 
 the wide forests that your Master loveth. Here 
 Kiondaga, the oak tree, will give him shelter, and 
 here Ostaa, the pine, will sing to him in his 
 slumber." 
 
 The White Canoe answered the Forest, as it 
 drifted onward with the River: "Your roads are 
 
>^.^^ 
 
 'Then from out the starry belt of Gadowaas flashed 
 a ray of wondrous beauty" 
 
314 The Hero of the Longhouse 
 
 long and your footpaths are lonely and dark- 
 some. My Master can no longer follow your 
 trails, for his feet are very weary." 
 
 Through the quiet of Ogasah, the evening, the 
 deep voice of far-off Ontario sounded; sounded 
 near yet very distant. It whispered, "Bear him 
 backward to my sounding waters. Bring him 
 once more to the ancient homeland at the head of 
 the Rapid River." 
 
 Then the Gaowo, the White Canoe, made an- 
 swer: "Do not call him. You have seen him often, 
 as he hastened to Kienika, the peace town; you 
 have seen him resting at the Falls of the Oswego; 
 you have seen his years of labor. Now that he 
 slumbers, do not wake him." 
 
 From out the night-blue of heaven, the silent 
 stars looked downward ; and Gadowaas, the Soul 
 Watcher, whispered: "The Great Chieftain is 
 sleeping. His feet are set toward my shining 
 pathway." 
 
 Then from out the starry belt of Gadowaas 
 flashed a ray of wondrous beauty; it bathed the 
 White Canoe in splendor. And the spirit of the 
 sleeper, loosing itself from every fetter, followed 
 the bright pathway upward and stood before the 
 Great Soul Watcher. 
 
 Straightway Gadowaas bent downward and 
 plucked a great star that was throbbing with the 
 light of the sky world. He stooped and fastened 
 it to the belt of the Great Chieftain; then he led 
 him along the blessed pathway to the pleasant 
 
The White Canoe 315 
 
 lodges where the beloved ones waited to greet him 
 with old familiar voices. 
 
 But the quiet stars that looked downward saw 
 that the White Canoe had yielded to the will of 
 the River. It had passed Gahoose where Daga- 
 noweda waited; it had passed the fair village of 
 Skanehtade. It was moving southward on the 
 straight course of the River Skanehtade; it was 
 following the far-off call of the Great Sea at the 
 Sun's Rising. 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 Beauchamp, W. M. New York State Museum Bulle- 
 tins, 1897-1903: 
 
 No. 13, Religious and Mourning Councils and 
 
 Ceremonies of Adoption of the New York 
 Indians. 
 
 No. 16, Aboriginal Chipped Stone Instruments 
 
 of New York. 
 
 No. 18, Polished Stone Articles Used by the New 
 
 York Aborigines before and during Euro- 
 pean Occupation. 
 
 No. 22, Earthenware of New York Aborigines. 
 
 No. 32, Aboriginal Occupation of New York. 
 
 No. 41, Wampum and Shell Articles Used by 
 
 the New York Indians. 
 
 No. 50, Horn and Bone Implements of the New 
 
 York Indians. 
 
 No. 78, History of the New York Iroquois. 
 
 Canfield, W. W. The Legends of the Iroquois. 
 
 The White Seneca. 
 
 Chadwick. People of the Longhouse. 
 
 Clark, Joshua V. H. Onondaga, or Reminiscences of 
 
 Earlier and Later Times. 
 CoLDEN, Cadwallader. History of the Five Nations. 
 
 A. S. Barnes & Co., 1904. 
 Converse, Harriet Maxwell (Ya-ie-wa-noh). Myths 
 
 and Legends of the New York State Iroquois. 
 
 Bulletin 25. 
 CusicK, David. Sketches of Ancient History of the 
 
 Six Nations. 
 DiNSMORE, Frances. Chippewa Music. Bureau of 
 
 American Ethnology, Bulletin 45. 
 DoRSEY, J. O. Religion of Siouan Tribes. 
 Eastman, Charles. Indian Boyhood. 
 
 The Soul of the Indian. 
 
 Fletcher, Alice C. The Hoko: A Pawnee Ceremony. 
 22d Report of Bureau of American Ethnology. 
 
 • The Omaha Tribe. Report of Bureau of Ameri- 
 can Ethnology, No. 27. 
 3J6 
 
Bibliography 317 
 
 Hale, Horatio. The Iroquois Boole of Rites. 
 
 Hall, Captain Basil. Travels in Xorth America. 
 
 Haruington, M. R. Last of the Iroquois Potters. 
 62d Report of New York State Museum. 
 
 Heckewelder, John. History, Manners, and Cus- 
 toms of the Indian Nations. 
 
 Hewitt, J. N. B. Iroquois Cosmology. Bureau of 
 American Ethnology, 21st Report. 
 
 Holmes, W. H. Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans. 
 Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology. 
 
 LiGHTHALL, W. D. The Master of Life. 
 
 LowiE, Robert. Dance Associations of the Eastern 
 Dakotas. 
 
 Morgan, Lewis H. League of the Iroquois. Edited 
 by H. M. Lloyd. 
 
 Houses and Home Life of the American Abo- 
 rigines. 
 
 Ancient Society. 
 
 Moulthrop, S. p. Iroquois. 
 
 Parker, Arthur Caswell. Certain Iroquois Tree 
 Myths and Symbols. American Anthropologist, 
 Vol. XIV, No. 4. 
 
 Constitution of the Five Xations. New York 
 
 State ArcliJEological Department Bulletin, April, 
 1916. 
 
 Iroquois Uses of Maize. New York State Mu- 
 seum Bulletin, No. 144. 
 
 Seneca Societies. New York State Bulletin, No. 
 
 133. 
 
 Peace Policy of the Iroquois. Southern Work- 
 
 ingman, December, 1911. 
 
 The Story of Daganoweda. ]\Ianuscript in New 
 
 York State Archaeological Department. 
 
 The Departure of Hiawatha. Manuscript in 
 
 New York State Archaeological Department. 
 
 Roundthaler. Life of John Heckewelder. 
 Seaver, James E. Life of Mary Jemison. 
 Schoolcraft, H. R. Notes on the Iroquois. 
 
318 Bibliography 
 
 Smith, Erminie. Myths of the Iroquois. Report of 
 the Bureau of American Ethnology, Vol. II. 
 
 Stites, Sara Henry. Economics of the Iroquois. 
 Bryn Mawr College Monograph, Vol. I, No. 3. 
 
 Thwaites, R. G. Jesuit Relations. Translations. 
 
 WissLER, Clark. Societies and Ceremonial Associa- 
 tions in the Oglala Division of the Teton-Dakota. 
 Anthropological Papers of the Museum of Natural 
 History, Vol. XI, Part 1. 
 
 I 
 
GLOSSARY 
 
 It is suggested that where this book is used as a supple- 
 mentary reader an effort be made to pronounce the Indian names, 
 the pronunciation of which, after a little practice, will be found 
 very simple. The vowel sounds should be rendered as follows: 
 
 a as in ate; S as in at; a as in far; ai as in aisle; e as in feet; 6 as 
 in met; i as in pine; I as in hit; o as in tone; 6 as in fond 
 
 Ad-i-ron'dack. An Indian tribe 
 located near the St. 
 Lawrence River, once the 
 masters of the Iroquois. 
 The Iroquois referred to 
 them contemptuously as 
 Tree Eaters. 
 
 Ah-so-qua'ta. The peace pipe. 
 
 Ah-weh'ah-ah. The American 
 swan. Swans were found 
 on our inland lakes, not in 
 flocks but in pairs. "Wlien 
 the Indian departed, they 
 spread their wings and fol- 
 lowed him." 
 
 Ai'jah. Seneca captive maiden. 
 She became the wife of 
 Daweyongo. 
 
 Al-gon'kin. An Indian tribe 
 located to the west of the 
 Iroquois. The Algonkin 
 stock was widely scattered 
 over eastern North America 
 and included the Ojibwa, 
 Ottawa, Cree, Algonkin, 
 Micmac, and Blackfeet 
 tribes. 
 
 Ali-quip'so. A heroine of the 
 Oneidas. 
 
 an'da. Day. 
 
 An-da Ka-ga'gwa. " Day sun." 
 See Anda and Kagagwa. 
 
 Andia-ta-roc'ta. Lake George. 
 
 A-o-do'gweh. The sworn friend 
 of Daweyongo, exile and 
 avenger of Daweyongo. 
 
 ar-o'se-a. The squirrel. 
 
 Ata-en'sic. The Great Mother 
 of Iroquoian mythology. 
 The line of Peace Queens of 
 the Neutral Nation had a 
 legendary descent from Ata- 
 
 ensic; hence their great 
 authority with the Iro- 
 quoian (or Huron-Iroquois) 
 race. She is referred to as 
 Sky Mother, Sky Woman, 
 and First Mother. The 
 Island of Ataensic is the 
 earth. 
 
 Ato-tar'ho. The most famous 
 war chieftain of the Onon- 
 dagas. He opposed Hia- 
 watha in the making of the 
 League. He was the first 
 sachem of the League, and 
 his name still descends with 
 the office in the Canadian 
 Reservations. His char- 
 acter as represented here 
 is taken from Iroquoian 
 sources. 
 
 A-wey'ni-yont. Name (fem.) 
 means " Hanging Flower." 
 
 birds. Messengers. " Birds of 
 dark plumage " was a term 
 applied to evil messengers, 
 as the spies of Atotarho. 
 
 bone fiaker. The bone instru- 
 ment used for flaking arrows. 
 Sometimes a stone instru- 
 ment was used. 
 
 Boy Foxes or Fox Boys, Boy 
 Hunters, and Boy Warriors. 
 These were different asso- 
 ciations for the training of 
 the Iroquois youth. 
 
 Brothers. The members of the 
 United Tribes. The Elder 
 Brothers were the Senecas, 
 Mohawks, and Onondagas. 
 The Younger Brothers were 
 the Cayugas and Oneidas. 
 
320 
 
 Glossary 
 
 Ca-yu'ga. One of the United 
 Tribes or " Five Nations." 
 Most of the representatives 
 of this tribe are now living 
 in Ontario. Some still re- 
 main in New York, and 
 some are in Oklahoma.- 
 
 Caz-e-no'vi-a. Lake Cazenovia. 
 Iroquois name, Ah-wa'gee. 
 
 Che-nan'go. The Chenango 
 River. It enters the Sus- 
 quehanna. The Iroquois 
 name was 0-che'nang, 
 meaning " bull thistles." 
 
 Cher-o-kee'. An Indian tribe of 
 Iroquoian stock, formerly 
 located about the head- 
 waters of the Tennessee 
 River and in the country 
 northward. 
 
 Chip'pe-wa. (Another form of 
 the name Ojibwa or O- 
 jibway.) An Indian tribe 
 of the Algonkin stock living 
 about Lake Superior. 
 
 clan. The Indian clans were 
 known by the names of 
 animals, as Turtle, Bear, 
 Fox, Wolf, and Snipe. The 
 clans were inter-tribal and 
 the names of individuals 
 indicated the particular 
 clans to which the individ- 
 uals belonged. Member- 
 ship in a clan was deter- 
 mined by descent in the 
 female line. The Clan 
 Mother was the most im- 
 portant of the Royaners of 
 a tribe — as Shawenis is 
 represented to have been 
 among the Onondagas. 
 
 Coo-e'a. The call given by a 
 stranger on approaching a 
 village. 
 
 Da-ga-no-we'da. Meaning in- 
 exhaustible. A Mohawk 
 chieftain. He is supposed 
 
 by some of the best authori- 
 ties to have been a Huron by 
 birth who was adopted by 
 the Mohawks. He shares 
 with Hiawatha the honor 
 of founding the League. 
 He is sometimes designated 
 as the founder. Among the 
 Iroquois he is regarded as 
 a superhuman character. 
 
 Da-j6'ji. The panther; also 
 name for the west wind, 
 which was figured as a 
 panther. 
 
 Da-wey-on'go. A Cayuga cap- 
 tive, adopted into the Onon- 
 daga tribe. He belonged to 
 the Wolf Clan. 
 
 Da-yo-ho'go. A young Mo- 
 hawk chieftain who married 
 Gawenneta, sister of Hia- 
 watha. 
 
 death song. Before execution, 
 the Indian recounted his 
 deeds of valor; this was 
 his " death song." 
 
 Delaware. An Indian people of 
 the Algonkin stock. In 
 the time of Hiawatha they 
 inhabited the Delaware 
 Valley. They are now lo- 
 cated in Oklahoma and in 
 Ontario. The Indian name 
 of the tribe was Leni 
 Lenape. Under that name 
 they figure in Cooper's The 
 Last of the Mohicans. 
 
 De-0-song'wa. The Deep Spring 
 or Great Spring near the 
 present Manlius. It lay on 
 the Great Central Trail, on 
 the boundary line between 
 the Oneidas and Onondagas. 
 It was a favorite stopping 
 place of the Iroquois in 
 their journeys upon that 
 great throughfare. Name 
 means " spring in the deep 
 basin." 
 
Glossary 
 
 321 
 
 Dew Eagle. The Dew Eagle 
 holds a prominent place in 
 the lore of the Iroquois. 
 Their ideas about it are in- 
 dicated in Chapter 16. 
 
 Don-ya'daas. Name (masc). 
 
 Do-sho'weh. Seneca name for 
 Lake Erie and for Buffalo. 
 " Place of basswood." 
 
 Do-wa'go. A spy of Atotarho. 
 
 dream-fast. This essentially re- 
 ligious experience was the 
 most important event in 
 the life of an Indian. It 
 was not uncommon for an 
 Indian youth to die of star- 
 vation while he awaited 
 inspiration from his clan 
 spirit. 
 
 Erie. An Indian tribe of the 
 Iroquoian race. At the 
 time of this story they were 
 living along the eastern and 
 southern shores of Lake 
 Erie. At a later period they 
 were conquered by the 
 United Tribes and most of 
 the survivors were incor- 
 porated with the Senecas. 
 
 Evil Spirits. The Iroquois be- 
 lieved in evil spirits and in 
 witches. They visioned evil 
 spirits as flying heads of 
 terrible aspect. 
 
 Fathers. Great Fathers. Terms 
 by which the Iroquois re- 
 ferred to their remote an- 
 cestors. 
 
 feather dance. The "Os-to- 
 weh'go-wa," a dance of 
 thanksgiving. It was the 
 most impressive and beauti- 
 ful of the Iroquois dances. 
 It originated about the 
 time of the making of the 
 League. 
 
 Fire Spirit. Ho-deTia. 
 
 Ga-ah'na. Lake Otisco. Name 
 means " Rising to the sur- 
 face and again sinking." 
 It refers to the legend of a 
 drowning man. 
 
 Ga-da-gwa'sa. A Cayuga chief- 
 tain of the Bear Clan. 
 
 Ga-do'waas. The Soul- Watcher, 
 or Great Soul- Watcher. 
 The belt of Gadowaas, 
 thrown across the heavens, 
 makes the Milky Way, the 
 " starry belt " of the Iro- 
 quois. Each soul receives a 
 star from this belt to guide 
 it on its way. W'hen the 
 soul has crossed the heavens, 
 Gadowaas returns the star 
 to its appointed place. 
 
 ga'ga. The crow. 
 
 Ga-hen-wa'ga. Big Salmon 
 Creek. Name means " a 
 creek." 
 
 Ga'oh. Spirit of the winds. 
 Referred to as Wind 
 Keeper. 
 
 Ga'ho-ose. Cohoes Falls; also 
 the name of a Mohawk 
 village located just north of 
 the Falls. The name means 
 " shipwrecked canoe." 
 
 gain'jeh. A fish. 
 
 ga'ka. Breechcloth of deerskin 
 about a quarter of a yard 
 wide and two yards long. 
 It was secured by a deer- 
 skin belt, the embroidered 
 ends falling over the belt 
 before and behind. 
 
 Ga-na-yo'he. Middle strong- 
 hold of the Mohawks located 
 at the site of Canajoharie. 
 Name means " washing the 
 basin." 
 
 Ga-na-wa'ga. The St. Lawrence. 
 Name means " the rapid 
 river." 
 
 ga'ne-a. Ball bat about five 
 feet long, curved at the 
 
322 
 
 Glossary 
 
 end. A network of deerskin 
 within the curve caught the 
 ball. 
 
 Ga-ne-a'ga. Upper Mohawk 
 stronghold near Herkimer 
 and nearly opposite the 
 junction of the West Canada 
 Creek and the Mohawk 
 River. Name means " pos- 
 sessor of the flint." It was 
 probably the oldest village 
 of the Mohawks and the 
 one from which they took 
 their name, " people of the 
 flint." 
 
 Ga-nius'ka. The Stone Giant. 
 Name means " stone giant" 
 or " great worker in stone." 
 
 Ga-no-a-lo-ha'le. Oneida Lake; 
 also the Oneida strong- 
 hold. Name means " head 
 on a pole." 
 
 Ga-nun-da'gwa. Canandaigua 
 Lake. Name means " place 
 selected for a settlement." 
 
 Ga-nun-da-sa'ga. Seneca Lake. 
 
 ga-ose'ha. Cradle-board carried 
 on the back by means of 
 a burden strap which is 
 placed across the mother's 
 forehead. 
 
 ga-o'wo ipl. gaowa). Bark canoe, 
 usually made of red elm or 
 bitternut by the Iroquois. 
 The canoes varied in size 
 from twelve feet, which 
 would carry about two men, 
 to forty feet, with a capacity 
 of thirty men. 
 
 Ga-sun'to. Jamesville Creek. 
 Name means " bark in the 
 water." 
 
 ga-wa'sa. See Snow snake. 
 
 Ga-wen-ne'ta. The sister of 
 Hiawatha. The name be- 
 longs to the Turtle Clan. 
 
 Ga-ye'was. The name of a 
 boyhood friend of the 
 hero. 
 
 Gen-nis'he-yo. The Genesee, 
 the " river of the beautiful 
 valley." 
 
 Ge-wa'ga. Cayuga stronghold 
 at the site of Union Springs. 
 Name means " promontory 
 running out." 
 
 gorget. A breast ornament sus- 
 pended from the neck. 
 
 Great Sachem. An official who 
 presided over the United 
 Councils, lighting the 
 council fire. His position 
 was one of dignity rather 
 than power. 
 
 Great Sea, Great Sea at the 
 Sun's Rising, and Great 
 Water. Names applied to 
 the Atlantic Ocean. It was 
 called " O-jih-ha-da-gi'ga," 
 meaning " salt water." 
 
 Gus-ta-ote. Spirit of the Rock. 
 
 Gwe-u'gweh. Cayuga Lake, 
 " the lake of the mucky 
 land." 
 
 Ha'goks. A mystical eagle of 
 marvelous plumage. 
 
 Ha-gwe-da-et'ga. The Spirit of 
 Evil, the Bad Mind, or the 
 Evil Mind. He was opposed 
 to Hagwediyu, Spirit of 
 Good. See the story of 
 Ataensic, Chapter Two. 
 
 Ha-gwe-di'yu. Spirit of Good, 
 or the Good Mind. He was 
 the worker of good under 
 the care of Hawenniyu. 
 Though earth-born, he was 
 heaven-descended, the son of 
 Ataensic. Hence he is spoken 
 of as Holder-of-the-Heavens, 
 one who keeps hold of his 
 heavenly powers. 
 
 Ha-ja'no. Mythical hero who 
 slew the Two-headed Ser- 
 pent. 
 
 ha-nu'na. The turtle. The 
 " Great Turtle " indicated 
 
Glossary 
 
 323 
 
 the highland of central New 
 York. 
 
 Ha-wen-ni'jm. The principal 
 god of the Iroquois. Name 
 means " he who governs." 
 He was called the Great 
 Spirit, the Great Wisdom, 
 the Master of Life, the 
 Great Ruler, the Great 
 Creator. With the Iroquois 
 he holds the place of the 
 Christian God. 
 
 He'no. Spirit of the thunder. 
 He called the Iroquois his 
 grandchildren. He was a 
 foe to monsters and unclean 
 spirits and pursued them 
 with relentless fury. 
 
 heron feather. An emblem of 
 courage among the Iro- 
 quois. 
 
 Hi-a-wa'tha or Hy-ent-wat'ha. 
 The name had several forms. 
 The meaning most com- 
 monly given to it was, 
 " bearer of the wampum 
 belt." It was also rendered 
 "he who finds his lost mind" 
 and " the comber-out of 
 snakes." With Dagano- 
 weda, Hiawatha was the 
 founder of the Iroquois 
 League. 
 
 Ho-das-ha'teh. Name (masc), 
 Wolf Clan. 
 
 Ho-de'gweh. The instructor of 
 the Boy Hunters. 
 
 Ho-do-an'jo. The arrow maker. 
 
 Ho-no-che-no'kee. The invisi- 
 ble helpers. These were 
 good spirits that befriended 
 the Iroquois. 
 
 Ho-no-we-na'to. Name (masc). 
 Wolf Clan. 
 
 Homed Serpent. A fabled 
 monster slain in Lake On- 
 tario by Heno. 
 
 Ho-sa-ha'ho. A chieftain of the 
 Onondaga Turtles, the son 
 of Shawenis. 
 
 ho-ty-6'ne. The wolf. 
 
 Hu-na-dan'lu. The Story-teller. 
 He is referred to as " keeper 
 of the faith " and " friend 
 of man." 
 
 Hu'ron. A tribe of the Iro- 
 quoian (or Huron-Iro- 
 quoian) stock. The Hurons 
 inhabited the country be- 
 tween Lakes Huron, Erie 
 and Ontario. They were 
 conquered by the United 
 Iroquois, who absorbed 
 most of the survivors. 
 
 i-han'i. " My father." Iroquois 
 form of address. 
 
 Invisible helpers. See Ho-no-che- 
 no'kee. 
 
 Iroquois. The most powerful 
 and the most civilized In^ 
 dian people north of Mexico. 
 The name comes from the 
 Algonkin word meaning, 
 " real snakes." The Iro- 
 quois are referred to as Men 
 of Men, Real Men, Real 
 People, United People, 
 Five Brothers. "Ong-we'- 
 ho-we," the name by which 
 they called themselves, is the 
 Iroquois term for Real Men 
 or Men of Men. 
 
 is-te-a'ha. " My mother." Iro- 
 quois form of address. 
 
 i-yea'ha. " My son." Iroquois 
 form of address. 
 
 je'ye. The dog. 
 
 Ji-gon'sa-sa. Queen of the 
 Neutrals. She belonged to 
 a line of Peace Queens or 
 Great Mothers whom the 
 Iroquois believed to have 
 descended from Ataensic, 
 the Sky Mother. She is 
 referred to as Great ^lother. 
 Peace Queen, Great Mother 
 of Nations, Great Woman, 
 and the Yegowaneh, 
 
324 
 
 Glossary 
 
 jis-ko'ko. The robin. 
 
 jit'so. The fox. 
 
 jo-ga'o. The Elf Folk, the 
 active helpers of the Iro- 
 quois. They are also re- 
 ferred to as the Little 
 People. The children of 
 the Iroquois still watch 
 the cornfields for the Elf 
 Folk. 
 
 jon-i'to. The beaver. 
 
 Ka-ga'gwa. The sun. 
 
 ka-ja'wa. The club, or the war 
 club. 
 
 Ka-is'to-wan-ea. A two-headed 
 serpent. The story of this 
 serpent is one of the best 
 known among the Iroquois. 
 In the judgment of School- 
 craft it pictures civil strife. 
 
 Ka-na'ta-go'wa. Principal vil- 
 lage of the Onondagas at 
 the time of the founding of 
 the League. It was called 
 Onondaga Castle by the 
 white settlers. The term 
 " castle " was applied to the 
 principal villages or strong- 
 holds of different tribes. It 
 has been avoided in this 
 story as being anachro- 
 nistic. 
 
 Ka-ne-go'dick. The present 
 Woods Creek, a stream 
 flowing into Oneida Lake 
 from the east. The short 
 portage or carrying place be- 
 tween this stream and the 
 nearest branch of the Mo- 
 hawk River made the one 
 break in the long waterway 
 from central and western 
 New York to the Atlantic 
 Ocean. This portage was for 
 ages a great thoroughfare 
 of the Indians. 
 
 Kan-ye-da're-yo. A Seneca 
 chieftain of the Turtle Clan, 
 one of the fifty sachems of 
 
 the League. The name 
 means " beautiful lake." 
 The word corresponds to the 
 Mohawk word " Skano- 
 dario," from which we de- 
 rive " Ontario." 
 
 Ka-ri'wi-yo. Iroquois word 
 meaning Great Peace. 
 
 Ki-en-i'ka. Town of the Peace 
 Queen. It was located on 
 the Niagara River. See 
 map. The Peace Queen's 
 residence is referred to as 
 House of Peace or Peace 
 Home. See Jigonsasa. 
 
 ki-on-da'ga. The oak tree. 
 
 Ko-nosh-i-o'ni. The United 
 People, a name the Iroquois 
 gave themselves at the 
 Confederation. They also 
 called themselves the " Ho- 
 de-no-sau'nee" or People of 
 the Longhouse. 
 
 Koo-weh'. The Iroquois cry of 
 mourning. 
 
 Ko-sa'ge. Winter. 
 
 kwaa. The woodpecker. 
 
 kwa-ah. The cry announcing 
 the approach of an enemy. 
 
 Kwa-e'sea. The partridge. 
 
 ky-e-a'ha. " My daughter." 
 Iroquois form of address. 
 
 Land of the Blessed. Land 
 of the Sunset, Sunset-Land 
 of the Blessed. The Iro- 
 quois believed that the 
 spirits of the dead journeyed 
 to their homes in this Sunset- 
 Land. 
 
 Light World. Upper World. 
 
 Longhouse. The communal 
 dwelling of the Iroquois. 
 " The Longhouse to which 
 the Iroquois likened their 
 political edifice opened its 
 eastern door upon the 
 Hudson, while the western 
 looked out upon Niagara." 
 Lewis H. Morgan 
 
Glossary 
 
 325 
 
 " To an Iroquois the League 
 was not like a Longhouse. 
 It was a Longhouse ex- 
 tending from the Hudson 
 to the Genesee, in which 
 five fires, the five tribes, 
 gathered. The Mohawk 
 Wolf Clan kept the eastern 
 door, the Seneca Wolves the 
 western. At each fire the 
 sachems like pillars upheld 
 the roof, the chiefs were 
 the braces that fortified 
 the structure." Morgan 
 
 " We constitute but one 
 house, we five Iroquois 
 nations, we build but one 
 fire, and we have through 
 all time dwelt under the 
 same roof." 
 
 General Ely S. Parker 
 
 though their territory ex- 
 tended northward to the 
 St. Lawrence and south- 
 ward to the Delaware River 
 and the Catskills. 
 
 moon. The different moons or 
 months were referred to as 
 fawn moon, moon of maple 
 sugar, moon of green corn, 
 moon of falling leaves, etc. 
 The moon itself was often 
 called " grandmother moon." 
 See Soa Kagagwa. 
 
 mourning council. The council 
 at which a new chieftan was 
 histalled; also the council 
 that mourned the dead chief- 
 tain. 
 
 mystery bag. A bag in which 
 sacred objects were put. It 
 was buried with the dead. 
 
 medicine. Medicine creatures, 
 medicine animals, medicine 
 plants. "Medicine" means 
 a magical potence. 
 
 medicine man. A man having 
 knowledge of mysteries. 
 
 Mohawk. At the time of the 
 American Revolution, the 
 Mohawks were the leading 
 tribe of the Iroquois, then 
 known as the Six Nations. 
 (The Tuscaroras had come 
 into the Confederacy early 
 in the eighteenth century.) 
 They took sides with the 
 English and later fled to 
 Canada, where most of the 
 representatives of the tribe 
 still live. The Mohawks 
 called themselves Ka-ni- 
 en-ge-ha-ga, " people of the 
 flint." 
 
 Mohawk River. The Iroquois 
 name for this river was 
 Te-uge'ga, meaning " at 
 the forks." The Mohawk 
 people dwelt in its valley. 
 
 na-ho'. " i have spoken." This 
 was the customary last 
 word of a formal speech. 
 
 Nan-ta-sa'sis. An Onondaga 
 village southwest of Kana- 
 tagowa. There were still 
 other Onondaga villages, but 
 Nantasasis and Kanatagowa 
 were most important. 
 
 Na-sa'geh. Name (masc). 
 Wolf Clan. 
 
 Ne-ah'ga. Niagara. Term ap- 
 plied to the river and the 
 falls. The Senecas applied 
 this term to Lake Ontario 
 also. It corresponds to the 
 Mohawk word Skanodario, 
 from which we derive On- 
 tario. 
 
 Ne-a'weh. " I am thankful," 
 an expression frequent 
 among the Iroquois. 
 
 Ne-0-dak-he'at. Iroquois vil- 
 lage located on Cayuga 
 Lake at the site of Ithaca. 
 Name means " At the end 
 of the lake." 
 
326 
 
 Glossary 
 
 ne-6'ga. A fawn. The south 
 wind was figured as a fawn. 
 
 Neutral Nation, or the Neutrals. 
 A tribe of the Iroquoian 
 stock ruled by the Peace 
 Queens. They occupied the 
 country north of the Eries. 
 See Map. They were con- 
 quered and absorbed by the 
 Senecas after the formation 
 of the Iroquois confederacy. 
 
 New Year. Among the Iroquois 
 the festival of the New Year 
 was celebrated as described 
 in Chapter Seventeen. The 
 idea of putting away wrong 
 and beginning anew domi- 
 nated this festival. The 
 medicine men wore false 
 faces during this and other 
 ceremonials. 
 
 No-gon'dih. Name (fem.). Wolf 
 Clan. 
 
 no'ji. The muskrat. 
 
 Nun-da-wa'o. The principal 
 Seneca village located near 
 the present Naples was on 
 the summit of Bare Hill. 
 The name means " Great 
 Hill." To the Iroquois, 
 Bare Hill is one of the most 
 sacred spots in the state. 
 
 O-a-a-go'wa. Name (masc). 
 
 6'ah. The wind. 
 
 och-do'ah. The bat. 
 
 0-dat-seh'te. A wolf chieftain 
 of the Oneidas. He became 
 one of the fifty chieftains of 
 the League. Name means 
 " quiver bearer." 
 
 od-jis'ta. The fire. 
 
 0-eh'da. The earth (soil). 
 
 o-gas'aa. Evening. 
 
 o-han'ta. The ear. 
 
 o-ho'wa. The owl. 
 
 o-jish-an'da. A star. 
 
 6'kah. The snow. 
 
 0-ka'ra. The eye. 
 
 0-kwa'ri. The bear. The north 
 wind is figured as the bear. 
 The term " Great Bear " or 
 " Celestial Bear," " Master 
 Bear " or " Mighty Bear," 
 was applied by the Iroquois 
 as by the ancients, to 
 the constellation that we 
 know as the Great Dipper. 
 
 o'leek. The pigeon. 
 
 o-na-s6'kwa. Parched corn, one 
 of the most valuable foods 
 of the Iroquois. 
 
 O-na'ta. The corn spirit, a 
 mythical maiden who 
 watched over the maize 
 fields. The belief in some 
 such spirit has, at one time 
 or another, been held by 
 almost every tribe of men. 
 
 On-di-ya'ka. The father of 
 Hiawatha, a chieftain of 
 the Wolf Clan. 
 
 0-ne-a-da'lote. Lake Cham- 
 plain. 
 
 0-nei'da. One of the United 
 Tribes. They lived near 
 Oneida Lake. Representa- 
 tives of the tribe are now 
 living in New York, Wis- 
 consin, and Canada. The 
 name means Great Stone 
 People or People of the 
 Great Stone. 
 
 0-ni'a. " A stone." The tribal 
 name of the Oneidas was 
 derived from this word. 
 The sacred stone pf the 
 Oneidas is now in the ceme- 
 tery at Utica. 
 
 O-nis'ka-thaw. Iroquois name 
 for Helderberg Mountains. 
 
 On-on-da'ga. One of the United 
 Tribes. Remnants of the 
 tribe still exist in New York 
 and Ontario. The name 
 means " on the hills." The 
 Onondagas called them- 
 selves " People of the Hills." 
 
Glossary 
 
 327 
 
 on-yo'sa. The nose. 
 
 0-ris'ka-ny. The Indian name 
 for Oriskany Creek was 
 0-lc'hisk. 
 
 o'staa. The pine tree. 
 
 0-sa'ha. Spy of Atotarho. 
 One of the " birds of dark 
 plumage." 
 
 Os-to-weh'go-wa. See Feather 
 ilance. 
 
 Os-we'go. The Oswego River; 
 also called " Swe-geh " by 
 the Iroquois. Name means 
 " flowing out." The Falls 
 of the Oswego is one of 
 the sacred places of the 
 Iroquois. 
 
 ote-an'yea. The eagle. 
 
 ote-ko'a. Wampum strings. 
 History was preserved by 
 means of wampum strings, 
 each tribe having its wam- 
 pum keeper. The consti- 
 tution of the Iroquois pro- 
 vided for the reading of the 
 wampum strings at stated 
 times. 
 
 ot-sha'ta. The sky. 
 
 o'weh. " Our own." See the 
 story of the Echo, Chapter 
 Eight. 
 
 o-wi'raa. An infant. 
 
 o-wis'ka. White. 
 
 o-yan-do'ne. The moose. The 
 east wind was figured as a 
 moose. 
 
 Pleiades. This constellation was 
 know among the Iroquois 
 as the Seven Brothers. 
 
 Qua-ra'ra. A mythical hero who 
 taught the use of medicinal 
 herbs. 
 
 ra-dix'aa. " Children," or " my 
 children." Iroquois form 
 of address. 
 
 rong'we. Man. 
 
 ro-yan'er. A title similar to 
 " lord " or " lady " con- 
 ferred on a class of women 
 who had important civil 
 rights in the choice of chief- 
 tains and in depriving chief- 
 tains of office. See Chapters 
 Nineteen and Twenty-three. 
 
 sais'ta. The snake. In the 
 second paragraph in Chap- 
 ter Twenty-Seven " saista " 
 refers to the Mohawk 
 River. 
 
 Seneca. The Senecas were the 
 strongest of the United 
 Tribes. Possibly three thou- 
 sand of them still live in 
 New York. A few are in 
 Ontario, and a few in Okla- 
 homa. The name means 
 " Great Hill People." 
 
 Sha-de-kar-on'yes. A Seneca 
 chieftain of the Snipe Clan, 
 one of the sachems of the 
 League. 
 
 Shar-la-to'ga. Saratoga. 
 
 Sha-we'nis. The principal 
 royaner of the Onondaga 
 Turtles, mother of Waun- 
 dana and Hosahaho, and 
 grandmother of Hiawatha. 
 
 Skan-e-a'di-ce. Lake Skane- 
 ateles. Name mean " long 
 lake." 
 
 Ska-neh-ta'de. The Hudson ; 
 also the name of a Mohawk 
 village on the site of Albany. 
 Name means " river beyond 
 the openings." 
 
 Ska-no-da-ri'o. Mohawk name 
 for Lake Ontario, meaning 
 " the beautiful lake." Our 
 word " Ontario " is a deriva- 
 tive. 
 
 ska-non'do. The deer. 
 
 Sko-har'Ie. Schoharie Creek. 
 
 sky journey. After death tiie 
 soul journeyed to the Sun- 
 
328 
 
 Glossary 
 
 set Land of the Blessed. 
 See Gadowaas. 
 
 sky world. In general this was 
 the Iroquois heaven, and 
 the subject of a very rich 
 and beautiful mythology. 
 The earth was held by 
 power coming from the sky 
 world. 
 
 snow snake. The snow snake 
 (gawasa) was a light hickory 
 shaft, highly polished and 
 oiled. It was five to seven 
 feet in length. The head 
 was round, turned up 
 slightly, and pointed with 
 lead to increase the momen- 
 tum. The snake was thrown 
 underhand by placing the 
 forefinger against the base 
 of the shaft and supporting 
 it with the thumb and 
 the remaining fingers. The 
 snake ran in a groove made 
 by drawing a log through 
 the snow. On snow crust it 
 could be made to run with 
 the speed of an arrow, 
 sometimes as far as sixty or 
 eighty rods. 
 
 so'a. Night. 
 
 So 'a Ka-ga'gwa. The moon. 
 Literally " the night sun." 
 
 so'hont. The turkey. 
 
 So-no-sa'se. An Oneida chief- 
 tain of the Turtle Clan. 
 
 so'ra. The duck. 
 
 So-son-do'weh. The sworn 
 friend of Hiawatha. The 
 name belongs to the Wolf 
 Clan, and it means " mighty 
 darkness." 
 
 Star Woman. The morning star 
 was spoken of as the Star 
 Woman who, with her torch, 
 lighted the council fire of 
 Kagagwa, the sun. 
 
 Sus-que-han'na. " The Great 
 Island River." 
 
 Swan. See Ah-weh'ah-ah. 
 Swa-o'weh. A young ball player 
 killed by Aodogweh. 
 
 taw-is-taw'is. The snipe. 
 
 Ta-yo'ga. Tioga point. Name 
 means " the forks." 
 
 Te-ah'ton-ta-l6'ga. The lower 
 stronghold of the Mohawks, 
 located on the Mohawk 
 River at the mouth of the 
 Schoharie Creek and a little 
 west of Schenectady. The 
 name means " two streams 
 coming together." The Iro- 
 quois name for Schenectady 
 is "Ono-a-la-gone-na," " at 
 the head." 
 
 Tec-wi-ho'ga. Name (masc). 
 
 Te-ka'ne-a-da'he. Tully Lake. 
 Name means " a lake on a 
 hill." 
 
 Ti-ough-ni-o'ga. Tionghnioga 
 River, the name meaning 
 " shagbark hickory." The 
 river is also called " Nan- 
 no-gi-is'ka." 
 
 ti'so-te. Grandfather. Iro- 
 quois form of address. 
 
 To-ne-da'wa. The daughter of 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 To-nes-sa'ah. An Onondaga 
 chieftain of the Beaver 
 Clan. 
 
 To-no-a-ga'o. A chieftain of the 
 Oneidas. 
 
 Totem. The sacred symbol given 
 by the clan spirit at the 
 dream-fast. The totem of 
 Hiawatha is not known. The 
 totem of the united needles 
 of the white pine was given 
 because of its fitness to this 
 story. 
 
 Tree -That - Lights -the -World. 
 Tree of Light. The tree 
 held a conspicuous place in 
 Iroquois mythology. For 
 this reason its convention- 
 
Glossary 
 
 alized form was very much 
 used in decoration. This 
 design is shown in the iUus- 
 tration on page 31. See 
 the story of Ataensic, Chap- 
 ter Two. 
 ty-o-kar'as. The darkness. 
 
 U-neen'do. Cross Lake. Name 
 means, " floating hemlock 
 boughs," probably referring 
 to the hemlocks growing so 
 close to the water that the 
 boughs touched it. 
 
 wa-a'no. The bow. 
 
 wa-gwen-ne'3ruh. Iroquois word 
 for trail. The Great Central 
 Trail which ran through the 
 state from the site of Albany 
 to the site of Buffalo was 
 most judiciously located. 
 After the country was sur- 
 veyed, the turnpikes were 
 laid out upon the Indian 
 highway, with slight varia- 
 tions, throughout the length 
 of the state. The Indian 
 traveler regularly made 
 thirty or forty miles a day. 
 See map on page xxiv. 
 
 wampum. Wampum was used 
 for religious purposes, and 
 to record laws and treaties. 
 White wampum was the 
 Iroquois emblem of purity 
 and of faith. In ancient 
 times six strands of white 
 wampum was paid in 
 condonation for a murder. 
 The primitive wampum of 
 the Iroquois consisted of 
 strings of small spiral, 
 fresh-water shells called 
 
 " otekoa." Wampum beads 
 were later made from the 
 conch shell, which yields 
 both a white and a purj)le 
 bead. 
 
 wa-nah'sa. The tongue. 
 
 wan'da. The light. 
 
 Wa-nut'ha. The wife of Hia- 
 watha. 
 
 war post. An upright post where 
 the warrior recounted his 
 deeds of valor. It was often 
 decorated or roughly carved 
 to indicate the particular 
 deeds accomplished. 
 
 Wa-un-da'na. The Mother of 
 Hiawatha. 
 
 White Eagle. The name White 
 Eagle was chosen for the 
 purposes of this story be- 
 cause it fitted in with the 
 idea developed in Chap- 
 ter One. Another White 
 Eagle, a full-blooded Indian, 
 gave his life in France, 
 as a soldier in the Great 
 War. His feather costume 
 is now to be seen at 
 the American Museum of 
 Natural History in New 
 York, to which he be- 
 queathed it. 
 
 Ya-e-wa'-no. Name (fem.). It 
 means " she watches over 
 us." 
 
 yees-noon'ga. The hand. 
 
 ye-go-wa'neh. " Wise woman," 
 or " great woman." Name 
 here applied to Jigonsasa. 
 
 Yo-an'ja. The earth as 
 
 mother. 
 
 yon'he. Life. 
 
 young'we. Woman. 
 
FIONEEK LIFE SERIES 
 
 THE WHITE INDIAN BOY 
 
 OR UNCLE NICK AMONG THE SHOSHONES 
 
 Everybody that knew Uncle Nick Wilson was always begging him 
 to tell about the pioneer days in the Northwest. When he was eight 
 years old the Wilson family crossed the plains by ox-team. He was 
 only twelve when he slipped away from home to travel north with 
 a band of Shoshones, with whom he wandered about for two years, 
 sharing all the experiences of Indian life. Later, after he had re- 
 turned home, he was a pony express rider, he drove a stage on the 
 Overland route, and he acted as guide in an expedition against the 
 Gosiute Indians. 
 
 A few years ago Uncle Nick was persuaded to write down his recol- 
 lections, and Professor Howard N. Driggs helped him to make his 
 account into a book that is a true record of pioneer life, with its 
 hardships and adventures. 
 
 The White Indian Boy is illustrated with many instructive photo- 
 graphs and with drawings of Indian life by F. N. Wilson. 
 
 Copies of this book can be obtained from any bookseller. Discounts 
 are allowed when a number of copies are ordered from the publishers. 
 
 WORLD BOOK COMPANY 
 
 YONKERS-ON-HUDSON, NeW YoRK 
 
 2126 Prairie Avenue, Chicago 
 
INDIAN LIFE AND INDIAN LORE 
 
 INDIAN DAYS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LONG AGO 
 
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 OF THE 
 
 HEAD-HUNTERS 
 
 two books for young people by 4931 
 Edward S. Curtis 
 Author of " The North American Indian''^ 
 
 'THEODORE ROOSEVELT once 
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 TN Indian Days of The Long Ago the 
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 The book tells the story of Kukusim, 
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 The story centers about Motana, the 
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