The advocate., 1897-08-18
The Real Hiawatha.


While spending few days in Albany
recently | was shown one Of the most
valuable and interesting historical
relics in America, which is now the
trophy or the Mayor of that city. 1t
is the wampum belt of Hiawatha, and
was made to commemorate the fOrma-
ton of the IrOquois federatiOn-the
league of the Five Nations which oc-
Cured about the middle of the four
teenth century.
Hiawatha was not love-sick warrior
and minstrel, as LOngfellOw describes
him. He was the foremost statesman
of his age in America, and was several
centuries ahead of his time. He was
the first advocate on American soil of
international arbitration. He was the
first apostle of peace in America that
we know anything about, and his un-
tutored mind developed the fundamen-
tai principles of Christianity as he trod
the Adirondacks in his moccasins.
The wampum is a belt of bead en-
broidery, for that is the meaning OF the
term. It represents four squares about
five inches by four inches in size, two
of which are on either side of the dia-
mond-shaped center They are con-
nected by links. The diamond-shaped
figure represents the OnOndaga nation,
which was the wealthiest and most
powerful The other four figures rep
resent the Senecas, the MohaWks, the
Cayugas and the Oneidas. Later the
Tuscaroras joined the cOnfederacy, and
they became known as the Six Nations
Tt was Hiawatha who brought about
the confederation. He was a member
Of the Onondaga tribe, but was con-
sidered a person Of miraculous birth,
which gave him great influence as a
medicine man among the supeTstitious
Indians. This belief was corrobOrated
by several narrow escapes from death.
Hiawatha was also known and greatly
esteemed by all the tribes in New York,
New England and eastern Canada for
his wisdom and benevolence. He be-
held with great grief the evils of war;
and the destruction that attended the
struggles that we're constantly going on
between the neighboring tribes over
little jealOusies and petty ambitions
and the misgoveTnment and miseries
which those wars produced He there
fore proposed a great confederation Of
all the Indians north and east of the
Allegheny mountains. Each nation
was to retain it's own individuality and
manage it's own domestic affairs as be-
fore, but their mutual relations, or
their foreign affairs, as one might say,
were to be governed by general coun-
Gil composed of delegates from each in
proportion to their population. His
great purpose was to abolish war and
promote the welfare of his people He
intended that the confederation should
extend so as to include other tribes,
until all the races of men should be
embraced in single union with COM
mon interest, and that peace should
reign everywhere. Thus he was the
first peace commissioner in American
history.
Twice Hiawatha failed to secure the
assent of his own tribe because Of the
ambition and war-like disposition of
Atotarho, chief of the Onondagas, but
the latter finally agreed to enter the
confederation provided he should be
made the great chief, and the chief
tainship and the keeper of the
wampum should always remain with
his tribe. Through the diplomacy of
Hiawatha the other nations were per-