I.
The Birth of the Peacemaker
During the disputes with the Mound Builders, the onkwe honwe had become experienced
in warfare. This way of life went against everything that Teharonhia: wako had taught them
about living in peace. Sawiskera
seemed once again to be regaining control of the minds of the onkwe honwe. At that time,
the onkwe honwe lived in
small villages. Soon the strongest males
and best warriors began to take over the leadership of the people. They
stopped listening to the wise men and women elders. They even stopped
doing their ceremonies. Disputes arose amongst the different
peoples, and the onkwe honwe
were once again fighting with each other. It became no longer safe to
walk the trails at night or in the day. There was even a war trail that
extended right across the country which the onkwe honwe traveled upon. This war
trail went from the east to the west, through the great falls into the
north through the onkwe honwe
villages, then south down the
Susquehanna. There were times when alliances were made with each
other and then broken.
The women began to become worried. They were no longer able to tend to
their lands, as it was no longer safe to plant the corn,
beans and squash. The men even had to put up palisades around
their villages in case of attack.
During a moment of peace, it was decided that only the women had
the good sense to stop the warfare. The onkwe honwe held a great council
that included all the different nations. They decided that they would
find a virgin girl, who was pure of heart and had access to a lot of
orenta, and place her on the
war trail. If any members of a
nation were attacked and they could make it to her lodge, she would
mediate in the dispute. The person would be considered safe until she
made her resolution to decide their fate. A bear skin would be
hung in the middle of the lodge as a divider. The persons on the run
would be given sanctuary by her and placed on one side of the divider.
The attacking party would be allowed to enter the lodge but could only
go as far as the divider where the refugees had found sanctuary. It
would be up to the woman to intercede at this time and decide the fate
of the persons being chased.
It was decided by the great council that the woman would be placed in
the country of the Kakwako,
who were considered the most neutral people in the wars between the
nations. The Neutral country ran in between the two great lakes where
the Great Falls stood. They would refer to her village as Kienuka, and her name would be
called Tsokansase, Round Face.
So important was her duty that it was decided that, when she departed
to the Sky World, another would be chosen to follow and take her place
and name. As was the custom amongst the onkwe honwe, she would also feed
the warring parties as they passed through her village. It was not long
after that warriors were continually passing through Tsokansase’s lodge and being fed by
her. Soon after, there were so many parties trying to resolve their
disputes that she couldn’t keep up.
The different onkwe honwe
nations still were not biding by the teachings of Teharonhia: wako. They stopped
doing the four sacred ceremonies and began to fight amongst each other.
The young men stopped listening to the elders and women, and they began
to take to the warpath. Once again it was not safe to travel the
paths at night. Women became fearful for the generations to come.
From the Wendat (Huron)
country in the North to the Kenienkeh
(Mohawk) country in the east, from the Oneota haka (Oneida) next to them
to the Onontake hake (Onontaka)
and, next to them from the Kaokwen
haka (Cayuka) to the Sonontowa
haka (Seneca) country in the west, the onkwe honwe warred with one another
and other nations on Turtle Island.
The onkwe honwe knew that
there were two spirits that inhabited a person. One of the spirits was
to go to the spirit world while the other was to remain on the earth to
help replenish it. They began to believe that by eating a portion of a
warrior enemy, most notably the heart where the life-giving spirit lay,
that they could acquire his life spirit energy, orenta, making him a
more powerful warrior. Elders who knew the ceremonies of thanks
and peace were replaced by powerful war chiefs who began to run the
affairs of the people. Some of these war chiefs had acquired a
lot of orenta by becoming
cannibals, and they became feared by the people.
They used their orenta for
evil purposes otkon was the unnatural force that went against the laws
of the Creator. During this time, there was much sadness in the
villages throughout Turtle Island.
Teharonhia: wako looked on his
creation and became troubled by what the onkwe honwe were doing to each
other. The taking of a life went against the natural laws of
creation. Ever since Sawiskera
first killed his mother when the Earth World was new, the onkwe honwe had been foretold of
what would happen if a life was taken before its time. It seemed that Sawiskera had been able to turn the
minds of the onkwe honwe
against the ways of Teharonhia: wako
once again. Teharonhia: wako
had said the last time that, if the people strayed from the path of
peace, he would not return. However due to his great compassion for the onkwe honwe, he had said that he
would send someone to restore the minds and hearts of the onkwe honwe if they ever
turned away from him again. In fact, he had promised that he would do
this three times, and, if the onkwe
honwe would not listen, Sawiskera
would cause them to suffer from many things. The first person that he
had sent was the young man when the onkwe
honwe had begun to live in extended families and began to die or
move away from each other. He had brought them the clans to unify
the families. The clans were based on the natural ways of creation.
Teharonhia: wako said that the
worse thing that the onkwe honwe
could do was to fight amongst each other. Now, even the clan families
had become too large, and the people no longer recognized each other.
They were now living as separate nations among each other. He would
send someone who could bring the different warring nations together to
live in peace with each other. This would require someone with even
greater abilities than the first, as his mission would be even more
difficult. At the same time Sawiskera
promised that he would find a way to disrupt the Great Peace.
On the north side of the war trail, on the north shore of a river
divided by a mountain, was a Huron village named Kahoniyen, a Place Divided Between
Two Rivers. In the village lived a woman named Kaheto ktha, End of the Field, with
her daughter Kahetehsuk, She
Walks Ahead. Kaheto ktha
was very fearful for her daughter. There was so much warfare going on
that she asked herself what kind of life would her daughter have if she
remained. One day she decided to leave the village with her daughter to
find a place that was safe from the warriors and cannibals.
She traveled with her daughter, down the war trail to the south hiding
in the bush whenever she heard any warriors coming. They traveled
along the north shore of a Lake until they came to a bay situated at
the end of the eastern most great lake, Kanontario, known for its beauty.
Here, her daughter grew into womanhood. When she reached the age
when her life-giving cycle began, her mother put her away to be hidden
under the husk. It was during this time that a young girl would become
most powerful. Her grandmother, the Moon in the Sky World would guide
her for the rest of her living days. The onkwe honwe had remembered the
teachings of the Sky World, when the first woman had fallen through the
hole in the sky and brought life to the earth.
It had been the custom at the time for the onkwe honwe to put their children
away for up to a year for a period of instruction. For most girls, this
would later be reduced from the time her cycle began until the time of
her second cycle. During that time, she was not to be seen by
men, touch the same food with her hands, pick medicines or touch the
hunting tools of men. This was a time of purification and renewal for a
young woman. Boys on the other hand would be secluded after being
brought into a sweat lodge. For three days, they would drink the
red willow bark, fast and be purified. It was at that time that
they would obtain their guardian spirit and have their dreams
interpreted for the first time by an elder.
During the time of seclusion, children were taught how to conduct
themselves in society. Children learned how to walk and talk in a
respectful manner. It was believed that if children hollered at night
they could lose their voice. Boys would learn how to speak loud and
firmly so that they would be heard in council. They would be bathed
daily in the cold streams to make sure that their skin remained
taut. The girls would be shown the roles they had to perform as
women.
Marriages were also arranged at this time. Once they had reached
adulthood, the boys would be taken to the longhouse of a girl of
an appropriate age. The girl would have a basket of cornbread
prepared for the boy. The boy would also have a basket of venison
prepared for the girl. This was to show that the girl and the boy
could provide for each other as well as their future family. The boy
was not allowed to look at the girl until the time of marriage when
they exchanged baskets consummating the marriage. Some special children
were put away for a longer time, as it was believed that at that age
they could obtain powerful orenta,
the force that is in all life things.
After Kahetehsuk was hidden
under the husk, it was not long before her mother noticed that she
looked as if she were expecting a child. Kaheto ktha began to become
concerned and as the days passed her concern soon turned to anger.
One day, she confronted her daughter, “My daughter I have noticed
changes taking place within your body. Who have you been seeing without
my knowledge?”
Her daughter replied, “I have seen no one. I can’t explain what
is happening to me.”
Kaheto ktha became
really angry as she didn’t believe Kahetesuk.
She feared that perhaps an evil medicine man had afflicted her. It was
not long after that Kahetesuk
gave birth to a boy child.
Kaheto ktha would not accept
him as she had become so enraged with what she believed to be her
daughter’s promiscuity. She began to believe that the child would
bring bad luck to them, and so she decided to kill him. One day
in the winter she took the boy for a walk. She cut a hole in the river
and threw the child into it; he was swept away.
She then returned to the camp where she thought to herself, “I will
tell my daughter that I took my grandson for a walk and he slipped by
accident into the river where it had not frozen over.”
When she arrived at the camp, she heard a young child crying. She
looked and saw that the boy child was in the arms of her daughter. She
was shocked and now believed the child must have been conceived by an
evil spirit. The next morning she took the child again while her
daughter was sleeping and dug a hole in the snow. She then buried
the child and covered him up.
She said to herself, “I will tell my daughter that my grandson was
taken by wolves.”
When she arrived back at camp, she looked upon her daughter who was
sleeping, sitting beside her was the boy child. Now she was truly
convinced that the child was otkon,
bad-spirited. On the third morning, she thought of the most
horrible death that was used against those who used bad medicine. She
made a fire and took the child and throwing him into it, she watched
him burn.
When she arrived back at the camp, she heard the child crying; she
became very distraught. That night as she was sleeping in her lodge,
she heard a knock at the doorway of the lodge and heard a man’s voice
speaking. She could not see who it was in the shadows.
The voice said to her, “I have come from the west to relay a message to
you. What you are doing is wrong. You must stop trying to take the life
of your grandchild as he had been sent by the Creator to bring an
important message of peace. Even you, who left your village to find a
refuge where you could live in peace with your daughter, have been
affected by Sawiskera. He
will always try to find a way to deceive you so that he can gain
control of creation and do it harm.”
The spirit continued, “The child has been sent because there is so much
bloodshed on the earth and creation is being destroyed. Sawiskera’s influence is once again
spreading among the onkwe honwe,
and they are becoming more and more divided. The boy should be named Tekana: wita, Two Currents Coming
Down; that name will never be used by anyone else again. He will travel
among the different warring nations and bring them back to live in
peace.”
Finally, the voice ended by saying, “Your daughter has done
nothing wrong and you should reconcile with her.” Kaheto ktha watched the shadowy
figure walk away, disappearing into the darkness.
The next day, Kaheto ktha
looked out her lodge to see where the man had gone. She wondered if it
had all been a dream. She noticed that the tracks on the ground were
not those of a human being. They looked like they were the tracks of a
Jack Rabbit.
The next day, the grandmother took her daughter into her arms and said
to her, “My daughter, I feel bad for the way I have treated you and my
grandchild. My mind was deceived by Sawiskera.
I came here with you to this place with good intentions and, instead,
became as destructive as the warriors. From now on, I will take care of
you and my grandchild.”
She continued to tell her daughter, “Last night I was visited by a
messenger from the Sky World who told me that my grandson will bring a
message of peace to the warring villages. We are to name him Tekana: wita, for like two streams
flowing together he is born of both the Sky World and the Earth World,
and they always work together for what is right. I will do everything
to ensure that my grandson grows up to fulfill his destiny.”
Kaheto ktha, in not treating
him well, had done the same thing to the Peacemaker that Teharonhia: wako’s grandmother had
done to him. It would be a further reminder to the onkwe honwe that they should treat
all their children properly no matter who they were. It would not be
the grandmother’s duty any longer to discipline a child as this could
have grave consequences for his future. This would be left to the boy’s
uncle on his mother’s side. That would ensure that the grandmother no
longer took sides. It was not long after that the boy child began to
grow and mature at a quicker pace than normal.
One day, Kaheto ktha told her
daughter and grandson, “I believe that it is time to go back to our
village Kahoneyen.”
Tekana: wita was really
excited as he wanted to meet his relations whom he had never seen
before. Before they left, he said to his mother and grandmother, “I am
glad that we are going back to the village where you came from. I have
a message to tell them so that they will care for one another again.”
They then set off for the village that they had left many years
before. After they had lit a fire to warn the village that they
were coming, two warriors came out to greet them. They then brought
them to the war chief, who was the head of the village. Kaheto ktha asked him, “Do you
remember my daughter and I who left this village many years ago?”
The war chief answered, “We thought you were killed or taken captive by
warriors. It is a surprise to see you alive. Since you left there
have been many who have been killed, including many of your relations.
I will notify the people that you have returned.”
The war chief called a meeting of the people to see for themselves that
Kaheto ktha was alive and had
returned. Once everyone was assembled, the war chief stood up and
said to Kaheto ktha, “I have
made a special place for you to sit; now I want to know why you have
returned to us.”
Kaheto ktha answered, “I have
returned because my grandson has a message to relay to the people about
living in peace once again. Since I have left, there are many of you
who are no longer here. Our minds have been deceived by Sawiskera into believing that it is
all right to kill one another. Even I, who left with peaceful
intentions, became that way toward my grandson. Now I know the truth
and have come back to tell you so.”
The crowd listened and became excited when they heard her story. They
noticed that the boy had a way about him that was more like an elder
than a child. While this was going on, Tekana: wita had noticed the other
young boys, and he began to play with them. The boys began to
play rough, as if they were being prepared for war when they got older.
They began to fight among themselves, and the smaller ones were getting
hurt.
Tekana: wita yelled to them,
“Stop what you are doing! Why do you continue to play games of
war? Did not anyone in the village tell you that preparing for warfare
was against the will of the Creator, Teharonhia:
wako?”
Some of the elders were watching and listening, they were surprised at
what he was saying. Warfare had become a way of life for the onkwe honwe, and they had not heard
anyone speak against it for many years. The other boys went to their
lodges and told their parents about the strange ways of the new boy and
what he had told them. The elders, upon hearing what had happened,
wanted to hear for themselves what Tekana:
wita had to say. They asked the war chief to call an assembly
where all could hear him speak. The war chief agreed and called for an
assembly; when it opened Tekana: wita
was told to relay his message.
Tekana: wita said to the
people, “I have come to stop the bloodshed because what you are doing
is wrong. I want to bring a message that consists of three things. They
are peace, power and righteousness. There is to be no more warfare from
now on, and you are to put away your weapons. The rivers are the veins
of Mother Earth, and everything flows in a certain orderly direction.
Today, instead of the natural waters, the rivers are flowing with the
blood of the dead who have been killed in battle. By continuing to war
amongst yourselves, you are cutting off the natural creation. We are
only visitors to this world and only the Creator has the right to
decide when the creation may be cut off. Inside of us, we carry
both a spirit and a soul, and, when we die, the spirit remains near the
body while the soul travels the path of souls to the Sky World. It is
up to us to be respectful of the natural processes as set down by the
Creator. To kill each other destroys the harmony of that process.
In peace we can become much more powerful than when at war with each
other. This can only be done through righteous living. Righteous living
only comes from having a good mind.”
The people listened attentively to what Tekana: wita had to say. The
elders asked the war chief if they could meet in council and decide
what decision they were to going to make. The war chief agreed with the
elders and the next day they counseled with each other. They then
called another assembly.
The war chief said to the people, “The war chiefs and elders have
decided that people will put down their weapons and stop living in
fear. We will try to begin a new way of living in peace with each
other.”
When the war chief had finished, “The people said to him, Let us have a
feast to commemorate this occasion.” They then began to hug and
congratulate Tekana: wita,
his mother and grandmother; for the first time the anxiety of fear of
being killed was no longer within them. Tekana: wita would be remembered as
the one who brought peace to the Wendat,
and from this time on he was to be referred to as the Peacemaker.
After living in the village for a time, Tekana: wita informed his mother
and grandmother, “One day, we will have to go back to the place where I
was born, for I have to prepare for the great work that I will embark
upon.”
Every morning Tekana: wita
would leave and not return until it became dark. The other parents
noticed that the other male children would follow him. They began to
wonder what he was up to.
One of the mothers of the boys asked Tekana:
wita, “Why do you and the other children leave every morning?
Where are you going and what are you up to?”
He answered her, “I am doing the work that I was sent to do.”
She decided that she was going to follow the children and see what they
were doing. She noticed a path that went up a hill. There she saw the
boys assembled sitting in a circle.
She called out and asked, “What are you boys doing there?”
One of the boys replied, “Tekana:
wita is teaching us three of the ceremonies. They are the
great sacred Feather Dance, the Drum Dance and the Personal Song.”
During the time of warfare the people had forgotten how to give thanks
to the Creator. They had forgotten once again the ceremonies that Teharonia: wako had given them.
The woman then said, “I had heard stories about them but have never
seen them done.” The boys then showed her what they had been
taught, and pretty soon the village began to perform the ceremonies
once again.
When the boys were older, Tekana:
wita said to them, “Today is the last day that I will teach you,
as I have to leave. It will be up to you to continue to teach the
ceremonies to the generations of unborn.”
He told them, “When you become old, you are to gather together at this
same place, and I will return to show you the last ceremony.” Tekana: wita then walked around a
tree, and he disappeared from sight. He was later seen in the village
talking to his grandmother as they were preparing to leave the village.
Many years later, when the boys had turned into old men, they decided
to visit their old learning place, wondering what had happened to the
boy who had taught them so much about giving thanks. One of them looked
up and saw a man appear from behind the tree. It was Tekana: wita, the Peacemaker,
who was now old like they were.
He said to the boys, “I crossed a great water to another island
where our Creator’s brother had his island. He said when you see this
sign, beware, for there will be a great harm coming to you.”
He then raised his hands and showed where his hands had become bloodied
and he said, “I have come back for one last reason, that is, to remind
you how to once again do the fourth ceremony that decided the fate of
the world when it was first young. This is the Peach Stone game.”
He explained, “When you offer this to the Creator, it will make him
happy for he will know that you have remembered him. As long as you
perform the ceremonies and give thanks, you will be able to live in
peace amongst yourself.” Then he disappeared once again around
the tree.
The Peacemaker and his family left the village to return to the place
where he was born, at the hill where the eagles flew. He began to
prepare himself for the journey he was about to undertake.
One day, he took his grandmother up to the top of eagle hill. He said
her, “Duda, I must leave, but watch first.” He then pointed to a
maple tree near by and took out his knife. Approaching the tree
he slashed it, and the sap began to drip from it.
“Duda,” he said, “After I leave this place, every once in a while take
a knife and cut the tree. If ever you see the tree sap run the colour
red, you will know that something has happened to me.”
Next, the Peacemaker began to build a canoe from white stone which
would carry him on his journey. He then told his mother and
grandmother, “I am ready to leave, and I will not be returning.”
His grandmother prepared him something to eat so that he wouldn’t be
hungry along the way. She pulverized some corn and said to him, “If you
ever go hungry my grandson, eat some of this and then drink some water.
It will cause your belly to swell and you will be full.”
