Note: While I will continue using the actual pronunciations of names (Ongwehonweh, the tribe names) for a few chapters, the limits of our timeline means that I will try to move to addressing tribes by their common names (Iroquois instead of Ongwehonweh), even though these names are inaccurate and also come from other clans. I am running out of real Iroquois names, and the reader will only be confused if I continually use names with more than ten letters. I apologize, since this will detract from historical accuracy, but in this situation I must resort to this measure.
From "The Grand Sachems", the Book of Hiawatha
"...After years of war, the Ongwehonweh took possession of the land that Taryenyawagon had granted them. By then, Hado'ih had become an old man, tired after years of war. The ongwehonweh had also been wearied. Many tents now sat with doused fires, in mourning following the deaths of their sons. Hado'ih consulted Taryenyawagon. 'Upholder of the Heavens, your people have taken possession of the land that you have bequeathed them. Yet your children are not numerous to defend us from our enemies around us. Many of our men have fallen. Will you simply allow your children to perish under the clubs of our enemies?' 'Do not fear,' replied Taryenyawagon, 'for I am with you. Take the aliens and the young captives among you, and put them under your mothers. Teach them the ways of the Ongwehonweh, and they will become your brothers and sisters. In this way, the tribes that I will have you destroy will leave a remnant, so that their names shall not disappear from the earth.' From then on, after wars, a Mourning War was carried out so that the Ongwehonweh could look for agille young men and women, skilled in mind, body and spirit, making them brothers and sisters under Taryenyawagon..."
"...All men must grow old and perish, and even Ethisoda, the Grandfather of the Ongwehonweh was no exception. The time eventually came for Ethisoda, son of Kateri[1], to depart from this world, to return to Taryenyawagon and The Sky World. Knowing his time was short, Ethisoda called his daughters and sons to a grand council at Caughnawaga. Now, his wife, Onatah, had died, and so it was left up to him to determine his successor. Now, Ethisoda's two eldest sons, Kahnianke (founder of the Mohawk) and Nundawa (founder of the Seneca) frequently bickered and fought with each other. Cayuga, the second youngest, sided with Nundawa, whereas Onayoteka, the youngest, sided with Kahnianke. Only Onondaga, the middle child, lived above this feud. Ethisoda called his five sons together to give them their final blessing, beginning with the eldest. 'Kahnianke, my son, you are the eldest and bravest of my children--yet you are also the most impetuous and argumentative. You are wise in the ways of agriculture, but you do not allow much space for flexibility. I leave to you the lands of the East, where our enemies lurk. May you always be the defender of your brothers in times of war, and a loyal sentinel in times of peace. May you be as the flint--the source of warmth and tools in peace, but the sources of Flame and Arrows in times of war." And so, Kahnianke and his clan came to become known as the Kahniankeaka/Mohawk[2], People of the Flint and also the Ganiengehaka, the Keepers of the Eastern Door. After Kahnianke had left, Ethisoda called in his second son, Nundawa. "Nundawa, you and Kahnianke are both sons whom I love--but neither of you harbor much love for each other. Yet, you are like the water to Kahnianke's flame - where he is rude, you are polite. Where he is brash, you are softspoken, yet your strenght is no less. Your conduct and manners to men, women and children are models for all the tribe. You will inherit from me the Western Gate of our lands, where our sisters the Aniyvwiyai (the Cherokee) and my mother's tribe in the West meet us. May you be like a Great Hill, a Great Hill that our clan can always look to, for pride, strength and dignity. May you be a shield for all your brothers - yes, Kahnianke also, and so show all the gentiles that the Ongwehonweh do not fight their own." From that day on, Nundawa and his clan came to be known as the Nundawaono/Seneca, the people of the Great Hill, though others called them Onondowahgah, the keepers of the Western Door. After Nundawa had left, Ethisoda called in Cayuga. "Cayuga, you love the animals and men that Taryenwagon had put into the world, and you are the most kindhearted of my children, the haven of those who have been rejected by all others. You are also a great hunter, one without equal. May you be like the Great Swamp where I will deposit you--a people that are forever in tune with nature, a preserver of the way of the heavens." Cayuga's children henceforth were known as the Guyohohnyoh/Cayuga, The People of the Great Swamp. Next, Ethisoda called in Onayoteka, his youngest son. "Onayoteka, you are a thinker, a dreamer, a contemplator who has always helped to calm down your eldest brother, Kahnianke. Your morals and beliefs are like stones, never changing in the face of fire, water, earth or wind. May you always be like stones--steadfast, loyal, and unwavering in your resolve." Onayoteka's tribe, the Oneida, came to be known as Onayotekaono, the People of the Standing Stone. Finally, Ethisoda called in all his sons. By now, his strength had begun to fail, and he could only reach out feebly for his middle son, Onondaga. "Onondaga, you have no great strengths. You are not an avid warrior like Kahnianke, nor are you as polite as Nundawa, as compassionate as Cayuga, or as stubborn as Onayoteka. Yet, you have all of these inside you--and, above all, a heart of peace. Though your brothers reject your overtures, you continue fighting for peace. Each of your brothers looks up to you in some respects, and you are above all the disputes that have threatened to tear all of you apart. You, Onondaga, my son, will lead the Ongwehonweh in my death. I have given you the land between your four feuding brothers--may you always be a voice of moderation, a voice of reason for your brothers. May you be a beacon, a fire of peace that will never dim, forever and ever." And thus, Onondaga came to be known as the Onundagaono - The Keepers of the Fire. Ethisoda, who now knew his time had come and propped himself up. "All of you, remember that you are brothers of one flesh, united by one tribal mothers, all the way back to our great ancestor, Atahensic. Now I must depart to the land of my mothers. May you always remember and be remembered by Taryenyawagon." and with that, Ethisoda's spirit was carried into the heavens by Taryenyaw, guardian of the Ongwehonweh/Iroquois."
"...and so began the days of the First of the Grand Sachems, Onondaga, father of the Iroquois. His wife was Nohankee, of the Mohawk [3]. After the period of mourning had ended, Onondaga gathered his brothers. "Our father, Ethisoda, has left us, and now our enemies, the Huron, now move against us. Though we may not be of one mind, we are of one flesh. Let us drive these invaders from our midst!" Oneida, though, suggested, 'let us first consult Taryenyawagon first.' Thus, Onondoga found the False Faces, the medicine men of the tribe. 'Inquire of the Holder of the Heavens for me.' At once, the spirit of Taryenwagon came upon one of the False Faces. 'Go, Onondaga son of Onatah, with your brothers. Subdue the Huron and drive them from your land. Do not doubt the strength of the hand that holds your war tomahawk--for that hand will be mine. Now go and be victorious.' And so, gathering the men of the tribe, Onondaga led the Iroquois in battle against the Huron on the banks of the Ontario. There, Onondoga struck down over fifty warriors, and the Iroquois were victorious. At Canandaigua, Kahnianke and Nundawa also defeated an invading Huron band, inflicting many casualties. The huron were forced to pay tribute equal to 400 men's worth of corn for the next five summers. A wave of fear paralyzed the neighboring nations as they realized taht Taryenyawagon was with the Iroquois..."
"...three summers after the defeat of the Huron, Onondaga and the Iroquois subdued the Northern Algonquin, the Mohicans, Pocumtucs and Sokoki, and the southern Lenni Lenape [4]. By this time, the lands of the Ongwehonweh had grown to twice the size of the land that Ethisoda left his sons. At teh early onset of autumn, a small band of braves arrived at Caughnawaga. "We bring tidings from Kanyenke, son of Taltsuska. Our chief has heard of your great victories. We, the Aniyvwiyai/Cherokee are now beset by enemies, the Susquehannock. We are of your flesh and your blood...can you not assist us?" Onondaga consulted with his brothers. 'Tell your chief that he is our brother. We will march to war with you.' he said to Kanyenke. At once, Onondaga gathered the clan mothers and elders of the tribe. "Iroquois, as you have heard, help has been requested from oru blood relatives, the CHerokee. I will bring my own tribe, the Onondaga, but I do not require that you, my brothers and sisters, follow me. Will you accompany us?" "We are with you body and soul," his brothers replied. And so, leaving some of the young men and most of the young men in the village, Onondaga led the young men of the village to Kituwa, city of the Cherokee, where they were welcomed by Kanyenke, son of Taltsuska and chief of the Cherokee. "My brother, let us make a pact of mutual friendship," Kanyenke proposed--and, then and there, Onondaga and Kanyenke made a blood pact of mutual assistance. The Iroquois and the Cherokee defeated their enemies on the banks of the Kituwa, and, after days of feasting, the Iroquois returned to their lands..."
"...these were the days of the Grand Sachems, when all of the Iroquois were led by the descendants of Onondaga. Every other Grand Sachem was an Onondaga, the others (depending on his spouse) from the other tribes [5]. In those days, the Iroquois were a great nation, spanning from the lands of the Cherokee to the lands of the Huron across the Great Lakes. For more than 120 summers, the Iroquois prospered.”
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Notes and junk...
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[1] The iroquois are Matrilinear in family line, and so Kateri is Ethisoda's mother and thus the clan mother. I will try to clear up the Iroquois family line system as I go.
[2] This is technically incorrect. The Mohawk were in fact considered to be excellent farmers and wise men, but not really men of war. This is mainly because Tadohado, who will be illustrated in other chapters, was a Mohawk, and because the Mohawk were one of the last in the story of Hiawatha to go over to the Confederacy.
[3] Because the Iroquois are matrilinear, the husband actually moves into the wife's household, and the children are born to the clan of the mother. Thus, it is important to track both (for the line of the Grand Sachems) the clan mothers and also (in general) the tribe's descent into another tribe.
[4] The Algonquins, the traditional enemies of the Iroquois (alongside the Huron), lived in the North and allied with the French during the Seven Years War. The Lenni Lenape inhabited what is today Long Island, New York.
[5] Because of the matrilinear system of the family line, the children of two tribe members was part of the mother’s tribe. Since the chief was a male, each child of an Onondaga isn’t an Onondaga (generally, clans couldn’t marry within), but with a marriage back into the Onondaga, it was possible to assure that every other generation would be Onondaga. This system is still a little warped in this case (generally, inheritance of rank doesn’t go to the son, but to the next of kin on the mother’s side—brother, cousin, etc.)