Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

Canadian musician Robbie Robertson tells the story of Hiawatha in this gorgeously illustrated picture book for children.

The story begins with Hiawatha losing his wife and three beautiful daughters when they are murdered by the evil Chief, Tadodaho. As Hiawatha recovers from his wounds, he can think only of revenge. Then one morning as the mist clears off the river waters, Hiawatha sees a man in a hand-carved stone canoe paddling towards him.

The strange person tells him he knows his pain and his loss. He has come to tell him of the "Great Law: Fighting among our people must stop. We must come together as one body, one mind, and one heart. Peace, power, and righteousness shall be the new way."

However, Hiawatha is doubtful as war and fear has always been the way the tribes have ruled. The stranger asks Hiawatha to accompany him to the land of the Mohawk to spread his message of peace. While his voice is soft and he does not speak well, he asks Hiawatha to speak for him. Hiawatha agrees.

Even though the white canoe was made of stone, they paddled off to Hiawatha's people, the Mohawk. With everyone, the Chief, the Elders and the Clan Mothers gathered around, the Peacemaker placed his hand on Hiawatha's back and Hiawatha was easily able to "speak his words". He tells the Mohawks that "Peace, power, and righteousness shall be the new way...All nations will become one family. Our people shall have one body, one mind, and one heart. This is the message of the Great Law."  

Although the Clan Mothers were in agreement, the War Chief wanted proof that this was true. So the Peacemaker and Hiawatha set off to the other nations, promising to "return with proof that our nations can join together."

And so Hiawatha along with the Peacemaker visited the Cayuga, the Seneca, the Oneida and the Mohawk nations with his message. With representatives from each of the nations, the Peacemaker and Hiawatha paddled to confront the Onondaga chief, Tadodaho. Can they convince Tadodaho to join the four nations and live in peace?

Discussion

Author Robbie Robertson, who is of  Cayuga and Mohawk heritage was often taken by his mother,  to the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. On one occasion, Robertson listened to a story in a longhouse, the traditional housing of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nation, told by an elder. It was the story of the Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha. This story made a lasting impression on the young Robertson, who hoped someday to tell stories as this elder did.

In this picture book for readers of all ages, Robertson retells that story accompanied by the magnificent, powerful illustrations of David Shannon. As Robertson indicates in his Author's Note at the back,  Henry Wadworth Longfellow's poem, Song of Hiawatha, does not tell the true legend of Hiawatha. It is instead a different story of another Indigenous person.

There are many variations of the legend of Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker but the essence of the story is that these two worked together to bring peace to the warring Indigenous nations living around the Great Lakes. In addition, one cannot ignore the many spiritual elements to the legend, especially of a loving Creator who wanted his people to live in peace.

Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker are believed to have lived before the First Contact with European peoples. At this time, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca were constantly at war. There was not only fighting between the tribes, but also within villages and within families. 

The Great Peacemaker, was also known as Deganawida, whose birth was foretold in a dream to his grandmother. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. When he grew to adulthood, he was convinced that he was to bring a message of peace from the Creator to their people. To begin his mission, Deganawida sailed across the lake in a white stone canoe to bring a message of peace to the various tribes. 

There are variations in the legend as to how they met. In Robertson's version, The Great Peacemaker met Hiawatha after the latter had lost his entire family as a result of a raid by the Onondaga chief,  Tadodaho. In other versions, the two meet well after the Great Peacemaker has begun his mission. However, the main storyline is that the Great Peacemaker travelled from nation to nation, spreading the message of peace known as the Great Law of Peace. This law forbade cannibalism, human sacrifice and black magic. Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker eventually confronted Tadodaho, telling him about the Great Law. Tadodaho was so evil that it manifested itself in his appearance: he was ugly, dirty and had snakes in his hair. Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker cured Tadodaho of his evil ways and his appearance changed; they combed the snakes out of his hair.

Their weapons of war where thrown into the hole where a large white pine tree had been uprooted and the tree was replanted with an eagle placed on top to watch for any threats to this peace. Today it is recognized that the Five Nations, which became the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy with the addition of the Tuscarora nation in 1722, is the oldest participatory democracy on earth.

Robertson's telling of this remarkable story is beautifully enriched by the colourful illustrations of David Shannon. Shannon's artwork was painted using oils on hot press illustration boards. Included are a Historical Note providing some information about the legend of Hiawatha as well as an Author's Note which explains how Ronnie Robertson came to hear the story of Hiawatha and how it impacted his life.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker is an excelling picture book to use as a starting point for learning about First Nations people, their culture and their oral tradition. Those who might want to learn more about the Haudenosaunee way of life can visit the Haudenosaunee Confederacy website.

 Image credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/books/robbie-robertson-of-the-band-tells-all-in-testimony.html

Book Details:

Hiawatha and The Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers   2015