Hiawatha facts for kids
Hiawatha was a very important Native American leader. He lived a long time ago, before Europeans came to America. He helped create the Iroquois Confederacy, a powerful group of Native American nations. Hiawatha was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or sometimes both. Some stories say he was born Onondaga but later joined the Mohawks.
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The Story of Hiawatha
Even though Hiawatha was a real person, most of what we know about him comes from old legends. These stories say that the Iroquois Confederacy was formed around the mid-1100s. This was around the time of a special event, a solar eclipse. The stories we share here are mostly from the Mohawk version of the legend.
Meeting the Great Peacemaker
When the founder of the Confederacy, Dekanawidah, first came to the Iroquois lands, he met Hiawatha. At that time, Hiawatha was not yet called by that name. He was living alone in the wilderness. Dekanawidah sat with him and shared the Great Law of Peace. Hiawatha accepted this message. He agreed to work with his own people while Dekanawidah went to share the message with other nations.
Facing a Cruel Leader
The main chief of the Onondaga people was a cruel leader named Tadodaho. Stories describe Tadodaho as twisted in both body and mind. It was said his hair was full of living snakes. Snakes' eyes even looked out from his fingertips! Dekanawidah gave Hiawatha a special job. He asked him to change Tadodaho and "comb the snakes out of his hair." This is why Dekanawidah gave him the name Hiawatha, which means "he who combs."
Hiawatha's Sadness and Journey
After Dekanawidah left, Hiawatha tried to share his ideas with the Onondaga people. But Tadodaho always stopped him. The legend says Tadodaho even caused the death of Hiawatha's three daughters and his wife using magic. Hiawatha was heartbroken. He left his village and wandered, making special wampum beads. He was looking for someone who could understand his deep sadness.
Finally, he came to the land of the Mohawk people. Dekanawidah had already convinced the Mohawks to join his peaceful ideas. Dekanawidah then performed a special ceremony for Hiawatha. He chanted words that are still used today: "I wipe away tears from thy face." He used a soft deer skin to show pity and said, "I make it daylight for thee... I beautify the sky. Now shall thou do thy thinking in peace..." After this, Hiawatha felt better. He joined Dekanawidah in writing the laws of the Great Peace.
Uniting the Nations
Hiawatha and Dekanawidah, along with the Mohawk chiefs, then visited the other four nations. They easily convinced the Oneidas and the Cayugas. However, the Senecas were divided, and the Onondagas were scared of Tadodaho. A solar eclipse helped convince the Senecas to join. The Onondagas were finally brought in by the other four nations. They also offered Tadodaho a special role as the main chief of the new Confederacy. In the end, Tadodaho's mind became clear. The "crooks were taken out of his body," and Hiawatha "combed the snakes out of his hair."
Hiawatha was known for his great speaking skills. Dekanawidah, a Huron spiritual leader, wanted to unite the Iroquois people. But he had a speech problem. Hiawatha became his voice. He was very important in convincing the Five Nations to join together. The Tuscarora later joined in 1722, making it the Six Nations. We don't know much else about Hiawatha, like when or how he died. But his story lives on through oral traditions, songs, and books.
The Poem "The Song of Hiawatha"
The famous poem The Song of Hiawatha was written in 1855 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It tells the story of a hero with the same name. However, this poem is not about the real Hiawatha. Longfellow likely used the name Hiawatha for a different Native American hero from the Ojibwe people. This poem tells a fictional story of a hero's life, battles, and lessons. Longfellow wanted to create a sense of pride for Native Americans with his writing.
Longfellow's fictional Hiawatha became very popular. Because of this, many people know the poem's character more than the true historical Hiawatha.
The Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy was originally made up of five tribes. These were the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. Hiawatha was a leader from the Mohawk tribe. He was highly respected by all the tribes. He was a great speaker and became the voice for the Great Peacemaker.
The Great Law of Peace
The Great Peacemaker wanted to bring peace to all the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) lands. Because he had a speech problem, he needed someone to speak for him. Hiawatha was eager to help because there was a lot of violence. During this time, the cruel leader Tadodaho, who hated peace, targeted and killed Hiawatha's wife and daughters. After this tragedy, Hiawatha became the Peacemaker's speaker to stop the violence.
Dekanawidah and Hiawatha finally brought peace to the Iroquois. They promised Tadodaho that Onondaga would become the capital of the Grand Council. This was the main governing body of the Iroquois. Hiawatha and Dekanawidah created the Great Law of Peace. This law was recorded using special wampum belts. It helped to make the bond strong between the original five nations of the Iroquois.
Among the fifty traditional leaders, called Hoyenah or sachems, Hiawatha represented the Mohawk. Tadodaho represented the Onondaga.
The Hiawatha Belt
The Hiawatha Belt is a special wampum belt. It stands for the peace between the first five nations of the Iroquois. The belt shows the nations in a specific order from left to right.
- The Seneca are on the far left. They are known as the Keepers of the Western Door.
- Next is the Cayuga.
- In the very center, with a different symbol, is the Onondaga. They are called the Keepers of the Central Fire.
- Next is the Oneida.
- Finally, on the far right, is the Mohawk. They are the Keepers of the Eastern Door.
The white line connecting all the symbols shows the unity of the Iroquois. It also represents the Great Law of Peace and the Iroquois Confederacy working together.
What is Wampum?
Wampum belts are made of black or purple and white beads. These beads come from shells. In the Northeast of America, quahog clam shells are often used for the black and sometimes white beads. The Iroquois most often used different types of whelk spiral shells for the white beads.
Wampum is important in Hiawatha's story. When Hiawatha was very sad after his daughters were killed, the Great Peacemaker gave him whelk shells. He told Hiawatha to put them on his eyes, ears, and throat. These shells were a sign of healing and purity. Hiawatha used these shells to help create unity. The Iroquois Nation believes that the Peacemaker gave them the first wampum belt. This belt was later named the Hiawatha Belt.
Today, the image of the Hiawatha Belt is used on the Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy.
See also
- List of peace activists
