Hiawatha and the Peacemaker

Introduction

• Story written by Robbie Robertson
• Illustrations by David Shannon
• Permission to read by Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York

Hiawatha's Loss and Isolation

• Hiawatha's family and village destroyed by Tadodaho
• Consumed by anger and thoughts of revenge
• Seeks refuge by the river

Arrival of the Peacemaker

• Peacemaker arrives in a white stone canoe
• Offers a message of healing, peace, power, and righteousness
• Proposes uniting tribes under the Great Law
• Seeks Hiawatha's help to spread the message

Journey to Spread the Great Law

Visit to the Mohawk Tribe

• Initial skepticism about peace
• Concerns about Tadodaho’s strength
• Promised to return with proof of unified nations

Encounter with the Cayuga Tribe

• Cayuga devastated by Tadodaho
• Peacemaker speaks of peace over war
• Hiawatha begins to understand forgiveness

Visit to the Seneca Tribe

• Initially surrounded by armed warriors
• Message of peace welcomed by Seneca
• Seneca chief joins the journey

Encounter with the Oneida Tribe

• Captured and bound by the Oneida
• Hiawatha shares his personal loss and begins to forgive
• Oneida chief joins the peacemaking mission

Return to the Mohawk with Proof

• Mohawk chief remains skeptical
• Peacemaker demonstrates faith by jumping into the river
• Elder clan mother advocates for peace

Confrontation with Tadodaho

• Tadodaho appears evil and grotesque
• Peacemaker's singing halts violence
• Solar eclipse seen as a miracle
• Hiawatha prepares healing medicine for Tadodaho

Transformation of Tadodaho

• Tadodaho begins to heal and soften
• Peacemaker removes snakes from Tadodaho's hair
• Symbolic burying of all weapons beneath the Tree of Peace

Establishment of the Great Law

• Five nations unite (Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga)
• Women to appoint chiefs
• Tadodaho becomes the protector under the Great Law
• Symbol of unity: an eagle atop the Tree of Peace

Conclusion

• Story of transformation from vengeance to peace
• Establishment of unity among the five nations
• Celebration of the new era of peace guided by the Peacemaker