The Haudenosaunee 'Tree of Peace' finds its roots in a man named Dekanawida, the peace-giver. The legends surrounding his place amongst the Iroquois (the Haudenosaunee) is based in his role in creating the Five Nations Confederacy, which consisted of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, and his place as a cultural hero to the Haudenosaunee Nation, commonly known in Western culture as "Iroquois". The official title of the confederacy is, Kayanerenh-kowa (the Great Peace) as described by Paul A. Wallace, "it is also known as Kanonsionni (the Long-House), a term that describes both its geographical extent and its constitutional form". The myths and legends surrounding Dekanawida have the roots in the oral histories that followed many Native American tribes throughout their histories.
A political reality, with mythic proportions, the association of Dekanawida and the Tree of Peace is central to the Haudenosaunee. Dekanawida, on his travels to bring the warring Nations together, talked only of peace, friendship, and unity. As Barbara Graymont states, "Dekanawida's ideas and actions were noticeably separating him from his people. The Wyandots could...
⚡Lord of Misrule⚡
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