REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I91I d'J 



from all quarters they found themselves in a precarious situation. 

 The very peril in which they lived developed their strategic ability 

 and fostered diplomacy. It likewise produced leaders and finally 

 the great lawgiver who should bring about peace and unity and make 

 the Iroquois the " Indians of Indians," the " Romans of the New^ 

 World." Hale referred to Hiawatha as the " lawgiver of the Stone 

 age " ^ but Hiawatha himself does not deserve the title. 



The IMohawk nation recognizes in Dekanawideh its great culture 

 hero and the founder of its civic system, giving Haiyentwatha 

 (Hiawatha) a second place. Nearly all authorities among the other 

 nations of. the five agree in this and attribute to Dekanawideh the 

 establishment of the Great Peace. The prefatory articles of the 

 Great Immutable Law recognize him as such and represent him as 

 saying : 



I am Dekanawideh and with the Five Nations' Confederate Lords 

 I plant the Tree of the Great Peace. I plant it in your territory, 

 Adodarhoh and the Onondaga Nation, in the territory of you who 

 are Fire Keepers. 



I name the tree the Tree of the Great Long Leaves. Under the 

 shade of this Tree of the Great Peace we spread the soft white 

 feathery down of the globe thistle as seats for you, Adodarhoh and 

 your cousin lords. . . . There shall'you sit and watch the Council 

 Fire of the Confederacy of the Five Nations. . . . 



Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace . . . 

 and the name of these roots is the Great White Roots of Peace. If 

 any man of any nation outside of the Five Nations shall show a 

 desire to obey the laws of the Great Peace . . . they may trace 

 the roots to their source . . . and they shall be welcomed to take 

 shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves. 



The Smoke of the Confederate Council Fire shall ever ascend and 

 shall pierce the sky so that all nations may discover the central 

 Council Fire of the Great Peace. 



I, Dekanawideh, and the Confederate Lords now uproot the tallest 

 pine tree and into the cavity thereby made we cast all weapons of 

 war. Into the depths of the earth, down into the deep underearth 

 currents of water flowing into unknown regions, we cast all weapons 

 of strife. We bury them from sight forever and plant again the 

 tree. Thus shall the Great Peace be established and hostilities shall 

 no longer be known between the Five Nations but only peace to a 

 united people. 



As one gets further into the unique document the method by which 

 universal peace is to be established is revealed. All nations were to 

 sit beneath the Peace Tree and acknowledge the imperial regency 



1 Proc. Am. As. Adv. Sci., vol. 30. p. 324. t88t. 



