Evening star., 1919-05-04

Hiawatha, was able to unite half
savage peoples and knit them into a
league of nations which worked for
more than three centuries. This league
went down finally it is true, but only
before a condition which it's founders
could not possibly have foreseen-the
coming of the white man with his su-
perior civilization.
For some years after the arrival of
the Dutch, the English and the French
in New York the Indians League was
able to maintain itself With it as the
power in the land the British bargained.
To it they appealed for redress against
marauding bands of the Della wares or
Shoshones, subject peoples of the Iro-
quois federation, and this federation
had power to obtain for them the
protection sought.
The best proof Of all lies in COL
lection of rites and songs preserved
by word of mouth among the Iroquois
peoples for generations and written
down century ago. when one of
their languages was first reduced to
writing. This book, sometimes called
the "Condnling Council" gives the
speeches and ceremonies which made
up the rite of mourning dead chief
and installing his successor in the
council of this Indian league of ma
tions. During this ceremony the
fundamental laws of the league We're
rehearsed for the benefit of the new
chief and the edification of the gath
cred tribes. a litany was chanted in
praise of this ancient league and the
names of the original fifty chiefs who
composed the first council were re-
cited. The chant is highly dramatic.
The cynical may smile at the
thought of North American Indian
tribes being in any especial state of
peace about the year roo, and doubt
as to previous states of peaceful
living in the centuries before that
time. No, it was not the kind OF
millennium peace that lays aside the
sword entirely or hangs up the bow
and arrow. 1t did not encompass all
of the then known (to thamD world
VI ktiuCUlCtS oI VNc uHnuV"H "oti"
OF Europe in the year 1863! What
it aid accomplish WAS an uninter-
rupeed truce among the five nations
who composed the league and the
Offering of haven of safety to-
weaker tribes who chose to fly to it
for refuge. 1t also made its sigma
tories strong against their enemies.
Ia A. lau NJ
nations. ever instituted among men
which can point to three centuries
Of domestic unity and peace.
The founding of the league is a
story full of incident. Hiawatha (and
not the Hiawatha Of Long.feilow's
romanceo is it's hero 1t took place
among the indian nations known un-
der the group name Of Iroauois. At
one time long before they hRd been
one people and "dwelt under one
roof" as did the various Slavic peo-
pies. for instance. or the Aryans. At
the time OF the leagues beginning
they had been split apart as separate
nations for some centuSissS. and in
the words of tribal historian, their
language was altered" These ma
tions later to be united in federation
and known as the Five Nations. were
the Moha wks, the Onondagas. the
Oneidas, the Cayugas and the Sem
ecas. In the words OF a scholar:
n 4
There was at this time (the mid
die of the fifteenth century) among
the Onondagas chief Of high rank.
whose name. variously written Hia-
watha, Hayenwatha. etc. is render
ed, he who seeks the wampum belt
He had made himself greatly esteem
ed by his wisdom and his beneHo-
lence. He was now past middle age.
Though many Of his friends and reia-
tives had perished by the machina-
tions OF the head chieftain Of the
tribe, Atotarho, he himself had been
spared, The qualities which gained
him general respect had, perhaps, not
been without influence even on that
redoubtable and grim chief, Atotarho.
"Hiawatha had long beheld with
grief the evils which afflicted not only
his own nation but adj the other tribes
about them, through the continual
In ,utt trl, pa n