The Rotinonshonni Through
the Eyes of
Teharonhia:wako and Sawiskera
to their Traditional Territory
by Natoway (Brian Rice, PhD)
The Rotinonshonni Through
the Eyes of
Teharonhia:wako and Sawiskera
Not very long after the ceremony, one of the onkwe honwe suddenly passed from the earth. The rest of the onkwe honwe dug a hole in the ground outside of the village and placed the body in the earth, just as the young man and woman who brought the corn, beans and squash had told them to do.
It was not long after when others, both young and old, began to also pass from the earth. This was occurring in spite of the fact that there was no sickness. Some of the onkwe honwe also began to leave the villages and not return; this caused even more grief. Many of the people were no longer content, and all you could hear through the village, day and night, was weeping and sorrow. As the people began to leave, the four ceremonies were once again forgotten.
The elders got together to discuss the matter, and one of them said, “We must assemble all the people so that we can decide what to do. It is not good that we stand here and do nothing about this situation. Everywhere we go our people are crying and lamenting about their loved ones who have departed.”
It wasn’t long after that the onkwe honwe assembled. The elders chose a person to speak for them and guide them in what they were to do.
A speaker then rose up and said, “The one who formed our bodies has given us the days that we are to live and the light that shines within each of us. He intended that the onkwe honwe should always have esteem for the things that live in the world with him. We are assembled here to decide what to do about what is happening to us and what we are to do about the losses of lives that are taking place. We, who are born from the same earth, are now becoming separated from one another. We watch our people crying and pitying each other’s losses. This is occurring in all the families in the village. It is evident what the cause of this suffering is. It is the result of families losing the ones they care about. We, who have assembled here, wish that someone might devise a course of action which will restore the happiness which we had before. We should also like them to come up with a plan to stop the cause of the people’s suffering.”
The elders made the usual offerings of tobacco, then placed the problem before the assembled people and told them, “We all have a responsibility in this situation, and it doesn’t matter who devises the plan. Let the women, or even the youths, be the ones to do it if they can, so that our children and our grandchildren may continue to live and have a future.”
Teharonhia:wako knew that the people would be in distress, so he had imparted wisdom in a young man before he had left. He knew the day would come when the onkwe honwe would expand, and as they did they would suffer from losses. At first it seemed like the onkwe honwe lived for a long time and that few ever departed from the earth. As the onkwe honwe grew larger in size, Teharonhia:wako knew that the earth would become too full, so he gave each one a limited life span. He also knew that there would come a time when the onkwe honwe would begin to split up; they would need to find a way to stay together and come to agreement with one another if they were to remain happy in their families.
The onkwe honwe contemplated the situation that had befallen them for a long time. They held several sessions; at these, they could not come to a consensus as to what to do.
A young male, who was viewed as being the quiet type and was thought would never amount to much, stood up and said to the assembled people, “I want to make a suggestion as to what we should do. The works that the Creator formed are truly great. Both his power, as well as his mercy, are great as well. Everything that he has done is good in its nature. These are my thoughts on the matter. The earth has life within her. She is the mother who has given birth to many different things that grow. Everything, from the many different grasses to the different trees, are charged with a different duty to perform, to live as different species. This is the same for the different birds that fly, as well as for the animals that run about. This includes the things that we live on and call our mothers. Even they have different shapes and sizes and are alive. The same goes for the pools of water that flow, for the Elder Brother, the Sun, who warms the earth, for our Grandmother, the Moon, as well as for our ancestors, the Stars, that keep the night bright. These are all alive. Our grandfather Thunders who came from the west, as well as the Winds, are also alive. All of these things differ in size, types and nature. It is these very differences that make them useful to us, as they are all charged with different duties to perform.”
He continued, “Teharonhia:wako has placed them here so that we may continue to live. If we look at each of them, we would see that they all have different duties and belong to different clans. They even have different names for each of them. Some of these Teharonhia:wako made for medicine, and when mixed together they may help the onkwe honwe when they become ill. If one uses them, they will become content in their minds and live in peace. We onkwe honwe are made in the same way as these different things, and we should imitate the way Teharonhia:wako formed them. Among the flying creatures, there are robins and bluebirds. The same can be said for the bears and the other creatures that roam the earth. They may be similar to each other, but they have their own unique differences.”
He continued, “The time has come when we should form clans to live in. We have to do this because we have become too numerous as a people to be one type. We should therefore portion up the people into several different clans whose members would call themselves brothers and cousins to one another. This is the way it should be as long as our extended families continue to exist. This should be the method that we use, as we are now becoming more widely spread out and beginning to separate from each other. Whenever we lose a member of one of the families who have departed from this earth, it affects the whole sisterhood. When this happens, the opposite sisterhood of the people who are still well should get together and go to the place where the person who was lost had come from. They will then say words of comfort and cheer up the minds of the bereaved and encourage them so that their minds do not get carried away in their grief. It is not good when one’s mind is clouded in darkness. In fact, each young person should have a special friend to help them whenever they are in grief. You elders should consider as to whether the onkwe honwe will be like other things living in the world and have differences. It is evident that there are clans of grasses, as well as shrubs, trees and game animals.”
The young man finished by saying, “I have told you all the things which I have meditated upon. I have finished what I have to say, and I leave the matter resting with you as to whether my plan should work.”
The elders and others marvelled at what had been suggested by the youth. They considered the matter for a while. After some time they came to an agreement that they would accept his proposition. The entire body of onkwe honwe would now be divided, and each would have a clan. Whenever someone was lost in one of the sisterhoods, the other sisterhood would be responsible to attend to the care of the bereaved sisterhood. It would be their duty to speak to them and encourage those who remain alive in the family, until their grief is ended and they can think clearly again.
A representative of the people them asked, “How do we go about making it possible for there to be clans.”
The elders the got together to discuss the situation. They could not come to an agreement on how the clan system could work.
The elders then called another meeting and said to the people, “We have failed in the work that was given to us, which was ti find a solution on how to best make the young man’s proposal work. Perhaps it would be better if we asked the young man himself if he could find the solution for us. He could then complete the thing that we have been unable to do - form a clan system. It seems that in the midst of all of us, he seems to have the best abilities to come up with a solution. It will probably result in something good, if we deliver the matter for him to resolve. It is his idea, so he should be the one to complete the task.”
The elders then invited the young man to come before the people. They told him, “We have decided to invite you here. The reason being is because we have failed to come up with a solution to formulate a plan based on the ideas that you came up with. We want to hand this problem over to you so that you can solve it for us. We will leave it for you to arrange how the clan system can evolve into existence. We give up our executive power and hand it over to you so that you can complete your work.”
The young man answered them, “You are right, this situation has to be resolved. It is true, there is a void that is taking place within us, as we continually separate from each other here on earth. That is the reason that we must find a solution to our problem. Tomorrow at noon, all the onkwe honwe will assemble themselves together. At that time, I will try to arrange something so that the clan system will work. Those who are female will be the principal persons involved in the process. That is because they are the ones who give birth to the new onkwe honwe on earth. The female who is the oldest of each of the families will be the head of the entire clan that I will develop.”
The elders then replied, “That is great; what we needed to hear in order to help us is finally about to happen.”
The elders notified the people, and they were excited as to what was about to occur. They began to prepare themselves for it, and the next day everyone was ready. All the onkwe honwe assembled in one place.
The young man spoke to the crowd and said, “We are all assembled here, and the time has arrived for me to do what you had requested of me. I will now take my place in the front, and we shall depart; you will follow me to the river.”
The onkwe honwe then left with the young man, Okwe ta: seh, in the lead. They were all grouped in their families, and when it became evening they arrived at the bank of the river where they all stood and waited.
The river was deep and fast flowing, and they did not know how they would be able to cross to the other side. There was no log around to help cross and the current was swift. The onkwe honwe all had their eyes fixed on the young man as he descended the bank. They watched him as he approached a very large tree at the water’s edge.
The young man then grabbed hold of the vine hanging from the tree and said to the onkwe honwe. “The has now arrived when Teharonhia:wako has chosen to divide the people.”
He then pulled on the vine and threw it to the other side of the river where it became entangled in the bushes.
He told the onkwe honwe, “Soon we will cross the stream to the other side. The time has nearly arrived in which the onkwe honwe will be divided. However, tonight we will camp by the river. When the Elder Brother once again takes his journey in the, sky, you will all watch to see what will happen. At that time, the eldest woman in the family shall go to fetch water to be used for the preparation of the food in the morning. When she dips up the water, she will look to see what kind of animal will appear by the river and will remember it. I will come in the morning to see what happened.” He continued, “Now you will all follow me across the river.”
The young man then took hold of the vine and began to cross the river. Many of the onkwe honwe followed the young man and began to cross the river one by one, as quickly as possible holding onto the vine. At that time, the sun began to go down. There were still many who were waiting for their turn to cross. In the excitement to get across before it got dark, the onkwe honwe started to bunch up. They were trying to cross two at a time, when suddenly the vine broke. Some of them were still crossing when this occurred and they floated down the river to the other side. Those left on the bank could do nothing to get across to the other side as the current was to swift. Some of them became distressed thinking they had failed. The onkwe honwe on both sides of the river set up their camps that night and kindled the fire. The camps went for quite a distance on each side of the river. They were still in a state of shock by what happened that day.
That night the elders assembled the people and told them, “Do not worry everything will work out. We will wait and see what the young man does tomorrow. It appears that something remarkable has occurred today. The young man has kept his word that he would divide the onkwe honwe and we will soon find out why. He has succeeded in that there are now camps on both sides of the river.”
After the assembly was over, the onkwe honwe went to sleep. The elders meanwhile stayed awake, watching to see what the young man would do. The next morning, everyone rose up and prepared themselves for what would happen. The eldest of each of the families watched as the Elder Brother Sun began to rise up. As it became daylight, all the onkwe honwe were anxious to go by the river. They watched as the young man Okwe ta: seh started out with the elders following him behind.
He approached the lodge of the eldest matron of one of the families and entered. Once inside, he spoke to her, “I am thankful for what has occurred. I will ask you what you saw when you went to fetch water?”
The old matron replied, “When I went to dip my ladle into the water of the river, I saw a deer standing nearby. I then departed for my lodge where I prepared some food to feed my children and grandchildren.”
The young man said to her, “You have seen a game animal that was made by the same one who created our bodies. From now on this will be your family’s clan. Those in your family will say, as sure as the sun moves in the same direction in the sky and the waters flow in one direction that the Deer is our clan. The Deer is the first to be chosen and is the first messenger to our creator.”
The young man then left the woman and her Deer Clan extended family. He arrived at another lodge, where lived another family and then approached the eldest women. He said to her, “I am thankful that this day has arrived and we are living in peace.”
The women replied, “I am also thankful for this day.”
He then asked her, “What did you see when you went to get some water at the river.”
She replied, “I went to dip water from the river, and, as I bent down, I was surprised because sitting close to me was a bear. I then left, so that I could prepare food for my children and grandchildren so that they could eat.”
The young man said to her, “You saw a game animal whose body was formed by the same one who gave life to us both. You clan from now on will be the Bear, and that is what the people will call your family. Your grandchildren will say that the Bear is our clan. You will be brothers and sisters to the first family I came to, those of the Deer clan.
The young man then got up and left. He made his way to the lodge of the eldest woman of another family. He approached her and said, “I am glad that another peaceful day has arrived.”
She replied, “I am also very thankful for this day.”
He then asked her, “What did you see when you went to get water?”
She answered, “I went to dip some water at the river and as I was leaning down, I saw running along the sand, a sandpiper.”
He told her, “You have seen a small type of game animal that flies. From now on, you and your family will refer to yourselves as members of the Sandpiper Clan. You will be brothers and sisters of the two clan families, the Deer and the Bear.”
The youth then left and went to another lodge where lived the eldest woman of one of the families. Upon entering her lodge, he told the woman, “I am thankful that we are having another peaceful day.”
She replied, “I am thankful for this day as well.”
He asked her, “Did you see anything this morning?”
She told him, “I went to get some water from the river and as I dipped down, I saw and eel swimming in the current.”
He said to her, “You and your family will be members of the Eel Clan. That is what your children and grandchildren will refer to themselves as from now on. You will be brothers and sisters to the other families I have already met: The Deer, the Bear and the Sandpiper. The four of you will be brotherhood and sisterhood. There is still some business that I have to take care of over on the other side of the river before the sun rises to its full height. I will have to cross the river because there are families who have kindled their fires that need to be taken care of on that side as well.”
He then departed, and the eldest women of the four clans followed him to the river. When he arrived at the shore of the river he pulled up the grapevine and threw it over to the other side. He then crossed the river with the eldest women following him behind.
They arrived at the place where the other families had set up their camps. They then approached the lodge of the eldest woman of all the families and he entered. He said to the eldest woman, “I am glad that another dawn has come to us and we are at peace.”
She replied, “I am also very thankful for this peaceful dawn that we have.”
He then asked her, “What did you see after you awoke?”
She replied, “I went to dip water from the river. When I turned around, I saw a wolf running along in the back of me.”
He said to her, “From now on, you and your family will be members of the Wolf Clan. Both your children and grandchildren will say we are of the Wolf Clan.”
He then left her and went to the next family. When he arrived at the lodge of the eldest woman, he said to her, “I am glad that we have another day where we are living in peace.”
She replied, “Indeed it is true what you say, and I am also thankful.”
He then asked her, “Did you see anything this morning when you went to get water?”
She replied, “When I went to the river to dip some water, I saw a beaver swim by as I bent down.”
He told her, “You and your family will from now on be members of the Beaver Clan. As long as your family and your children and grandchildren continue to exist, they will call themselves the Beaver Clan. You will also be a sister clan to the Wolf.”
The young man then went to another family. When he arrived, he said to the eldest woman of the family, “What did you see when you woke up and went to the river?”
She replied, “I went to the stream to dip up some water, when to my surprise I saw a great snapping turtle swim by.”
He told her, “From now on, you will be members of the Great Turtle Clan. In the future, both your children and grandchildren will say we are of the Great Turtle Clan. You will be a sister clan to the Wolf and Beaver Clans.”
The young man then moved onto another family. He went to the lodge of the eldest woman and said to her, “I am thankful that another day has arrived in peace.”
She replied, “You are right, I am also thankful for this day.”
He asked her, “What happened to you since the sun came up?”
She told him, “I went to the river to dip up some water and, to my surprise, walking in the mud was a bear cub.”
Just then the young man said, “Something has gone wrong. That is because it is now daylight and the business I set out to do is not finished. Now there are two elder women, who have seen the same animal. There is already a Bear Clan family on the other side of the river. On this side there is also a Bear Clan, except the only difference is that this is a bear cub. We will leave it like this for a while, and then change it later. I think that maybe then we will put both Bear Clans together, which means one Bear Clan family will have to cross over the river to the opposite side. In spite of this your family will be referred to as the Bear Cub Clan as long as it continues to exist. Your grandchildren will continue to say we are of the Bear Cub Clan.”
The young man continued, “You and the families I have already visited on this side of the river are to be brothers and sisters. The first family is composed of the Wolf Clan, and the family beside them, the Beaver and next to them the Turtle Clan. You three clans, who have your fires next to each other, should know that this is the Bear Cub Clan.”
The young man then pointed to the Bear Cub Clan and said, “Those will be the clans on this side of the fire who will consider each other as brothers and sisters. That will be the size of your sisterhood. You who are on this side of the river and those who are on the side of the river will have a council fire between you in the same way as the river is between you.”
He continued, “You will sit opposite to one another and greet each other with the kinship term, cousin. When either side of the fire speaks they will refer to those across the fire as their cousins. That will be the custom from now on, and both of you will respect it. You will be equally responsible for the observances of the council, and that will be the way it will be into the future.”
He then said, “You ancient ones, the eldest women of the clans, are to be in charge of this matter. Now, call all your people into an assembly so that we can meet in a council. You, who have the river between you, are now cousins and shall have a council fire between you in the same way that the river separated you. I still have a few things left that I have to say, and all the members of the council fire should hear what they are.”
Then the eldest women selected a place where they could assemble. Those persons on the other side crossed the river. Once all the onkwe honwe were assembled at the chosen place, the ancient ones placed everyone according to where their clan was supposed to be seated. Those of the common sisterhood were placed on one side of the fire and those of the common sisterhood were placed on the other side of the fire. The eldest women then said, “We have now completed what we were asked to do. Now tell us what you have left to say?”
The young man stood up and spoke, “First of all, we should decide once and for all what we should do, as there are now two kinds of Bear Clans on each side of the council fire. You should decide which of the Bear Clans must cross the council fire to go to the other side.”
The onkwe honwe then considered in council what they were going to do. This was the first decision that they had to agree upon.
After coming to agreement, the eldest matrons of the clans said, “The Bear family is something that exists in nature. Customarily the oldest mother bear travels all over the place while her cubs remain home. We have decided that it should be the ancient one, the mother bear, who should cross over the fire. There the two Bear Clans will sit together as one.”
The young man told them, “I believe that you are doing the right thing. I will now ask you to ask the mother Bear Clan to cross over the fire to be with her children.”
The eldest woman of the clans said, “The matter has now been attended to.”
They then asked the young man, “What are you going to do about the family living on the other side of the river who still does not have a clan?”
He said to them, “Tell the eldest woman of the family to come here.” Runners were then sent to get the eldest woman, and when she arrived she took a seat beside the young man.
He said to her, “Is it you whom I forgot, when I was visiting the different families on the other side of the river?”
She answered, “That is right, we thought you had forgotten us. We were expecting you to arrive and when you did not show we became anxious about it.”
He then asked her, “What did you do that morning when I told you to get water.”
She answered, “When it became light outside, I went to dip some water and then I returned home. As I was walking by the place where we have our fire kindled, I noticed sitting on top of a log was a sharp-skinned hawk.
He told her, “From now on your family will be the Hawk Clan. That is what people will continue to call you and your family into the future, as long as the world continues to exist. Now I have completed the business of setting up the clan families.”
He continued, “It is important that you pay attention to all the things that I am about to tell you. You ancient ones, the eldest women, have the responsibility to teach the children these things. I will start with the Deer Clan. Never forget that your Deer Clan will follow the woman’s lineage, and they will be the leaders of it. The reason for this is that it is within the body of the women from where all onkwe honwe who come to live on this earth are born. You women must give names to all members of your children; these will be passed on when they depart from the world, so that the names will always continue with the clans.”
The young man the said, “Now, you of the Sandpiper Clan. You also must be vigilant in your duty. The women will rule the family, and they will give the names to each member of the Sandpiper Clan. That is because the women are the head of family and only they can pass these names onto their children. There can be so many names therefore only so many members of a family.”
He continued, “The same will go for the Eel Clan. Each member should have no more than three children. In this way, there will always be plenty available for everyone. It will also ensure that the families will remain close to one another. There is medicine that can be taken to make sure that the families don’t become too large and destroy to much of the creation.”
He continued, “You of the Sharp-shinned Hawk Clan. The women will be the head and give names to your children as well.”
He then told them, “You four clans shall be sisters to one another, and that will be the size of your sisterhood that will sit on your side of the council fire.”
Next, he called upon those from the other side of the river. He told them, “You, who are the Wolf Clan, will also make the women the rulers of your family, and they will ensure that the children have names.”
He continued, “You, who are of the Beaver Clan, the same goes for you, in that the women will be the rulers and give the children their names.”
He continued, “You, who are of the Great Turtle Clan, must also make the women the chief persons in your clan, and they will be responsible for naming the children.”
He continued, “Finally, you of the Bear Clan and Bear Cub Clan who now sit together will likewise make the women the leaders of your clan, and they will make sure that all the children have names.”
He then said to them, “You five clans are a sisterhood on your side of the council fire. Now you know how many clans there are who will sit on each side of the council fire. You, who sit on opposite sides of the fire, shall greet one another by the term, our cousins. This will be the way in which your families will continue to exist. Any issues that must be resolved will occur between the council fire of you both.”
He then said, “The primary thing that must be remembered is the four ceremonies given to us by Teharonhia:wako. Next is all the festivals that occur during the year. Finally, ensure that our days on earth end doing the above and giving thanks; this will ensure yourselves of taking the narrow road to the creator.”
Finally, the young man said, “I am finished, and this all I am able to do. The thing that we have all participated in creating will be so durable that it will last as long as the families continue to exist. It will last as long as: the grass, shrubs, and trees continue to grow; the animals endure; the streams of water continue to grow; the sun and the moon take their journey; and the stars bring brightness to the earth. It will last as long as the thunders come from the west and the winds move the earth the air on the earth.”
He then finished by saying, “Now then, I will leave it all up to you two sisterhoods who are cousins to one another to make sure that you continue to do what we have arranged. I have now finished arranging your affairs.”
The ancient ones, the eldest women, considered everything that the young man had told them, from the time he had first made his proposal as to what should be done to the manner in which he achieved what he set out to do, first by dividing the people and then making them whole again.
The ancient ones said, “It will be a long time before we see the likes of someone like him who was able to do so much for us. We will now be able to live in peace in both mind and body. Our families will be governed into the future in this way, as long as the families continue to exist. He has given us back the plenary power we gave to him. Now listen, cousins who sit on each side of the council fire, and hear what we have to say. He has said that this is as much as he is able to do. Now, cousins, you will hear what we of the sisterhood have to say. With one voice we thank the young man for the important work that he has done for us.”
After they were finished speaking, those who were on the other side of the council fire considered what had been said. They replied, “We on our side of the council fire, with the united voice of our sisterhood of clans, think that it is a really good thing that has been accomplished. We thank the young man as well. We still have one thing that we want to contribute. Whenever we speak of this young man we shall forever remember him as Oniko he wa: neh. We of the Wolf Clan and also our sister clans will from now on call this young man Oniko he wa: neh. This is because he was able to do what no one else could do for us, and our grandchildren and we will remember him always in reverence. We will confirm this resolution with the Adonwa Ceremony. After we are finished, we will shout aloud three times, in thanks to him, for completing the work that will enable us to think and live in peace with one another into an unknown future.”
At that time, they confirmed the proposition that they had come up with, and then the elders asked the young man to stand in their midst.
The eldest man, Agatoni heno, of the Wolf Clan stood up and said, “This young man has completed the entire system of rules which will govern the assembly of people here. Whenever anyone speaks of him they will call he He Who Has A Great Mind, Oniko he wa: neh. It is not certain how long he will be with us on this earth, and it may be that in the future that we will still need him for something. If anyone needs advice they should go to Oniko he wa: neh, and we should always remember him when we are in need.
At that time an onkwe honwe, know as the Wolf, said, “I will now confirm by a chant what Oniko he wa: neh has done for us.”
He then began to sing, and the entire body of onkwe honwe soon after accompanied him, hiu, hiu, hiu. When he had finished the song, the oldest of the Deer Clan rose up and spoke.
“Now that my cousin has confirmed the matter, I will confirm it on my side of the fire as well. I greet Oniko he wa: neh with repeated thanks for what he has done for us. I also want to greet with thanks Teharonhia:wako, as it must have been him who gave his mind the ability to achieve this. Now we are living in good health and peace. I will confirm the proposition by chanting the Adonwa.” He then began to sing, and the entire body of onkwe honwe sang with him, hiu, hiu, hiu, and at the same time the women clapped their hands.
He finished his song and then said, “Now let us all stand up and hold each other’s hands. The reason we will do this is because our creator resides in the Sky World and we will therefore shout three times to him.”
Then, all the assembly of people including the ancient ones as well as the children stood up and held each other’s hands with their arms turned upward. The entire assembly of onkwe honwe then shouted three times and then sat down again.
He said, “Now the whole matter is completed.”
At that time the onkwe honwe then dispersed with some crossing the river to their side and others staying behind.
Oniko he wa: neh then said, “This is the way it will continue to be in the future; there will always be families of onkwe honwe living on both sides of the river and deciding issues on both sides of the fire.”
