VI.
The Onontaka haka Join the
Great Peace
The
Onontaka village was a
three day journey from Kanunta saka.
Upon
arriving at Onontaka Lake,
they waited for Tsokansase.
As they
waited, they discussed how they would approach the shaman war chief of
the Onontaka haka who lived
in the main village named, Kanata
kowa.
Everyone began to argue with one another. The arguments were becoming
so intense that there were fears that the Peace would be broken.
The Peacemaker yelled, “Stop! We four nations must begin to speak with
one voice if we are to convince the fifth to join. We will create a
means where everyone will have a chance to speak. We will divide the
nations up in two moieties who will sit across the fire from each
other. Whenever the four come together to council, the Kenienke
haka and Sonontowa haka
will sit on one side of the fire. On the other
side will sit the Kaokwa haka
and the Oneota haka. If there
is a
resolution to be discussed, it will be discussed by the Kenienke haka
first, who will in turn pass it to the Sonontowa haka. When they have
resolved the issue, it will be passed back to the Kenienke haka who
will in turn pass it across the fire to the Kaokwa haka. They will then
turn it over to the Oneota haka,
who will pass it back to the Kaokwa
haka, who will turn it over to the Kenienke haka for a final
resolution. If we do it this way, everyone’s voice will be
heard.” They all agreed that it was a good idea.
Just then Tsokansase arrived
from the neutral Kakwa: ko
nation. She saw
the men who had been warriors now being advocates of peace. There were
many canoes lined up at the western shore of the lake Onontaka. She
then went and took her place at the head of the women.
Upon receiving Tsokansase, the Peacemaker said, “Now that we are all
together, we will show the great shaman war chief the power that
can come from living in peace.”
Ayenwatha said, “This is
great; we are now one mind, one voice and one
body.”
They all got into their canoes with the Peacemaker, Ayenwatha and
Tsokansase in the lead, and
they began paddling across the lake.
Suddenly, the clouds began to darken, and, like the sound of the
thunder beings, they heard a voice travel through the air saying
“Asokanee,” is it time.
Everyone dropped their tobacco into the
water in order to appease the spirits of the lake as it began to swell.
All of a sudden, they saw the Peacemaker wave his hand, and at that
moment the waters began to calm down. Two more times they heard the cry
“Asokanee.” Every time
the waters became rough, the Peacemaker
would wave his hand, and the water would calm down. Finally, they
reached the other side safely.
They parked their canoes and took a path which led up a hill. Sitting
on a rock, with all of his warriors waiting to do battle, was the
shaman war chief. His mind had become so twisted that there appeared to
be snakes coming out of his head. When he saw all the men from the
different nations surrounding him and his warriors, he appeared to be
intimidated. Even he knew that if they battled he would probably lose.
However, he put up a brave face. He knew that the way to avoid
annihilation was contingent on everyone remaining at peace.
The shaman war chief said to them, “I know why you have come. My
warriors and I are ready to do battle with you.”
The Peacemaker replied, “We have many potential warriors here on both
sides. If we do battle with each other, then many will be killed.
Remember, once the killing starts it will not stop. This is why we must
remain at peace with one another. If we live together in peace, we will
continue to grow stronger to take up the hatchet against one
another. Then no one will ever want to do us harm. The potential
for war, to take up the hatchet against one another is always there for
us. If we continue to do so, our enemies will know that we are weak. We
have to open ourselves to them so that they will never attempt to
destroy us. Through the power of numbers, we can be examples of
righteous living and always live in peace with one another and with
others as well.”
The shaman war chief said, “If we accept to join your Great Peace, what
is in it for me and my people?”
The Peacemaker answered, “The four nations that are here have formed a
council for resolving disputes. The Kenienke
haka and the Sonontowa
haka sit on one side of the fire while the Kaokwa haka and the Oneota
haka sit on the other side of the fire. We shall sit you in the
middle,
above the fire. When all the rest have counseled, you will be given the
final voice to decide the issue.”
The Peacemaker continued, “The central fire for all the nations will be
here at Kanata kowa. Our
territory from the east to the west will be a
reflection of the Sky World. Even our lodges, that we will live in,
will be based on our cosmology. Here at Kanata kowa, we will plant a
great tree of peace that will travel into the sky, just as the tree
exists in the Sky World. The Great White Pine will represent the heart
of the five onkwe honwe
nations. Anyone will be able to breathe in
safety once they reach it. The tree will spread its roots to the four
corners of Turtle Island. Anyone who chooses to follow the roots may do
so, and they will find protection under the long leaves at the tree’s
source.”
The Peacemaker then said to the great shaman war chief, “You will have
more royaner than the other
nations. That is because you will have to
keep the central fire alive at all times.”
Before the great shaman could answer, the Peacemaker began to sing,
“Aee, Aee yai.” So
peaceful was the song that everyone soon
joined in.
The shaman war chief and his warriors were overwhelmed by it. It was
said that the Peacemaker had learned it from listening to a bird
during a moment of reflection, when he was contemplating what to do
next while in the forest.
Just then Tsokansase and Ayenwatha moved toward the shaman
war chief.
Tatotaho had been known to be
an abuser of women. It was said that he
had an enormous phallus which he used on captured women. Like the
keeper of the Tree of Light in the Sky World, he was a destroyer of the
generations to come.
The Peacemaker pointed toward Tsokansase
and said to Tatotaho, “There
is the mother of all our nations. Go and rape your mother.”
Tatotaho looked down in shame
and said, “I cannot.”
The Peacemaker replied, “Women are the mothers of the future
generations to come of this Long House of One Family. They are to be
respected from now on and held in the highest esteem.”
Just then, Tsokansase took Tatotaho by the hand, and she
rubbed away
the aggression from his warrior’s body. Then Ayenwatha, with his soft
words, combed the snakes from his hair. This meant that his mind was
cleared of violence and anger. In fact, so moved was he that he became
completely subdued by all that had happened to him.
Tatotaho then replied, “I
accept the Great Peace.”
The Peacemaker said, “Now that we are all together, we will call it
Kanonsonnione, Longhouse of
One Family and others will know us as
Rotinonshonni, Longhouse
People.
He then told Tsokansase to
step forward, and he said to her,
“Tsokansase, mother of our
nations, it is time to put the antlers on
the head of this shaman war chief and the other royaner.”
Tsokansase picked up the deer
antlers and placed them on the shaman war
chief’s head. As she was doing this, the rest of the warriors and women
sang the peace hymn. Tsokansase
then told the shaman war chief, “You
will now perform your duty as a royaner,
that is to keep the peace
inside the territory of the Longhouse of One Family.”
The Peacemaker said to the shaman, “You will always be known as
Tatotaho, the Entangled, in
remembrance of this moment when the snakes
were removed from your head. Whenever another is chosen in your place,
unlike the other royaner, a
council will take place to choose a
successor from the men. Yours will be an open title that will be
reserved for the best representative of the Onontaka haka of the
Longhouse of One Family. You will not be chosen by the Clan matrons
from a clan like the others, but by the people themselves.”
He continued, “Now that you have the duty of a royaner, the Sun is
getting brighter all the time, and the darkness is being lifted from
our eyes. When nations come to the trunk of the great tree, you will
oversee them. I will place an eagle on top of the tree to be your eyes.
Like the uncle, Thunder Being, who sat watching the children in the Sky
World, the eagle will watch over his children here on the earth. That
is because the eagle can see far distances. Whenever it is required
that all the nations are to meet at the central fire, it will be your
duty to send the wampum out and they will come. This will be your duty;
however, you will not have any more power than other royaner. You
royaner will all be known as
trees of equal height. Whenever you
council, you will speak one at a time; you will deal with one issue at
a time until you speak with one voice. Only when everyone has come to a
consensus will the issue be resolved. Those who represent their nation
must speak on behalf of the nation and not for themselves. To ensure
that everyone remains at peace with one another, councils will meet
until mid-afternoon, and if the issue has yet to be resolved, it will
be put under the pillow until the next day. Then the mind will be fresh
the next day.”
