IROQUOIS LEGENDS

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

THE FIVE NATIONS

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Long, long ago, one of the Spirits of the Sky World came down and looked at the earth. As he traveled over it, he found it beautiful, and so he created people to live on it. Before returning to the sky, he gave them names, called the people all together, and spoke his parting words:
"To the Mohawks, I give corn," he said. "To the patient Oneidas, I give the nuts and the fruit of many trees. To the industrious Senecas, I give beans. To the friendly Cayugas, I give the roots of plants to be eaten. To the wise and eloquent Onondagas, I give grapes and squashes to eat and tobacco to smoke at the camp fires."
Many other things he told the new people. Then he wrapped himself in a bright cloud and went like a swift arrow to the Sun. There his return caused his Brother Sky Spirits to rejoice.
The Six Nations
Long, long ago, in the great past, there were no people on the earth. All of it was covered by deep water. Birds, flying, filled the air, and many huge monsters possessed the waters.
One day the birds saw a beautiful woman falling from the sky. Immediately the huge ducks held a council.
"How can we prevent her from falling into the water?" they asked.
After some discussion, they decided to spread out their wings and thus break the force of her fall. Each duck spread out its wings until it touched the wings of other ducks. So the beautiful woman reached them safely.
Then the monsters of the deep held a council, to decide how they could protect the beautiful being from the terror of the waters. One after another, the monsters decided that they were not able to protect her, that only Giant Tortoise was big enough to bear her weight. He volunteered, and she was gently placed upon his back. Giant Tortoise magically increased in size and soon became a large island.
After a time, the Celestial Woman gave birth to twin boys. One of them was the Spirit of Good. He made all the good things on the earth and caused the corn, the fruits, and the tobacco to grow.
The other twin was the Spirit of Evil. He created the weeds and also the worms and the bugs and all the other creatures that do evil to the good animals and birds.
All the time, Giant Tortoise continued to stretch himself. And so the world became larger and larger. Sometimes Giant Tortoise moved himself in such a way as to make the earth quake.
After many, many years had passed by, the Sky-Holder, whom Indians called Ta-rhu-hia-wah-ku, decided to create some people. He wanted them to surpass all others in beauty, strength, and bravery. So from the bosom of the island where they had been living on moles, the Sky-Holder brought forth six pairs of people.
The first pair were left near a great river, now called the Mohawk. So they are called the Mohawk Indians. The second pair were told to move their home beside a large stone. Their descendants have been called the Oneidas. Many of them lived on the south side of Oneida Lake and others in the valleys of Oneida Creek. A third pair were left on a high hill and have always been called the Onondagas.
The fourth pair became the parents of the Cayugas, and the fifth pair the parents of the Senecas. Both were placed in some part of what is now known as the State of New York. But the Tuscaroras were taken up the Roanoke River into what is now known as North Carolina. There the Sky-Holder made his home while he taught these people and their descendants many useful arts and crafts.
The Tuscaroras claim that his presence with them made them superior to the other Iroquois nations. But each of the other five will tell you, "Ours was the favoured tribe with whom Sky- Holder made his home while he was on the earth."
The Onondagas say, "We have the council fire. That means that we are the chosen people."
As the years passed by, the numerous Iroquois families became scattered over the state, and also in what is now Pennsylvania, the Middle West and southeastern Canada. Some lived in areas where bear was their principal game. So these people were called the Bear Clan. Others lived where beavers were plentiful. So they were called the Beaver Clan. For similar reasons, the Deer, Wolf, Snipe and Tortoise clans received their names.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

BATTLE WITH THE SNAKES

There was a man who was not kind to animals. One day when he was hunting, he found a rattlesnake and decided to torture it. He held its head to the ground and pierced it with a piece of bark. Then as it was caught there, he tormented it.
"We shall fight," he said and then burned the snake until it was dead. He thought this was a great jest and so, whenever he found a snake, he would do the same thing.

One day another man from his village was walking through the forest when he heard a strange sound. It was louder than the wind hissing through the tops of tall pine trees. He crept closer to see. There, in a great clearing, were many snakes. They were gathered for a war council and as he listened in fright he heard them say:

"We shall now fight with them. Djisdaah has challenged us and we shall go to war. In four days we shall go to their village and fight them."

The man crept away and then ran as fast as he could to his village to tell what he had heard and seen. The chief sent other men to see if the report was true. They returned in great fright.

"Ahhhhh," they said, "it is so. The snakes are all gathering to have a war."

The chief of the village could see that he had no choice. "We must fight," he said and ordered the people of the village to make preparations for the battle. They cut mountains of wood and stacked it in long piles all around the village. They built rows of stakes close together to keep the snakes out. When the fourth day came, the chief ordered that the piles of wood be set on fire. Just as he did so they heard a great noise, like a great wind in the trees. It was the noise of the snakes, hissing as they came to the village to do battle.

Usually a snake will not go near a fire, but these snakes were determined to have their revenge. They went straight into the flames. Many of them died, but the living snakes crawled over the bodies of the dead ones and continued to move forward until they reached the second row of stakes.

Once again, the chief ordered that the piles of wood in the second row of defense be set on fire. But the snakes crawled straight into the flames, hissing their war songs, and the living crawled over the bodies of the dead. It was a terrible sight. They reached the second row of stakes and, even though the people fought bravely, it was no use. The snakes were more numerous than fallen leaves and they could not be stopped. Soon they forced their way past the last row of stakes and the people of the village were fighting for their lives. The first man to be killed was Djisdaah, the one who had challenged the snakes to battle.

It was now clear that they could never win this battle. The chief of the village shouted to the snakes who had reached the edge of the village: "Hear me, my brothers. We surrender to you.

We have done you a great wrong. Have mercy on us."

The snakes stopped where they were and there was a great silence.

The exhausted warriors looked at the great army of snakes and the snakes stared back at them. Then the earth trembled and cracked in front of the human beings. A great snake, a snake taller than the biggest pine tree, whose head was larger than a great long house, lifted himself out of the hole in the earth

"Hear me," he said. "I am the chief of all the snakes. We shall go and leave you in peace if you will agree to two things."

The chief looked at the great snake and nodded his head. "We will agree, Great Chief," he said.

"It is well," said the Chief of the Snakes. "These are the two things. First, you must always treat my people with respect. Secondly, as long as the world stands, you will never name another man Djisdaah."

And so it was agreed and so it is, even today.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

WHY THERE ARE MOSQUITOES

Many winters ago two giant mosquitoes appeared on either side of a river. These giant creatures were as tall as a good sized pine tree. As the Indian people paddled down the river in their canoes, these giant creatures would bend their heads and attack them with their beaks. The mosquitoes killed many people.

Knowing that these giant mosquitoes were waiting to attack any canoe that floated down the river, the people began to shun this particular stream. It was then that these giant creatures moved to other streams to seek their prey.

For a while, it was a reign of terror for the Iroquois who were great canoe travelers. They never knew just when these giant mosquitoes would pounce out and devour them.

Finally, one day a war party was organized to seek out these creatures and to destroy them. Twenty warriors in two great canoes floated down a river where they expected the mosquitoes to be. In their hands, ever ready, they held their bows and arrows. Fastened to their belts were their war clubs and hunting knives.

Suddenly, two shadows loomed over them and a giant beak pierced one of the canoes. Giving their war cry, the warriors filled the air with many arrows. The battle was terrific! The giant mosquitoes seemed to be everywhere at the same time. in a little while, half the warriors had been killed.

The remaining braves determined to die courageously. They hid behind trees and bushes. They surrounded the mosquitoes who were unable to get them because of the thick branches. The Iroquois buried many of their arrows in the bodies of the two mosquitoes. Finally, after most of the arrows had been shot and the supply had become low, the two mosquitoes fell to the earth. They were covered with many wounds. Immediately, the warriors fell upon them with their war clubs and, with powerful blows, they tore the bodies of the mosquitoes apart.

From the blood of the two giant mosquitoes there sprang many little mosquitoes and the air was soon filled with them> These little mosquitoes, like their grandfathers, are fond of the taste of human blood. They hate man for killing their grandfathers and are continually trying to get revenge upon man for this reason.

This is how mosquitoes came to be. The battle took place on the Seneca River in New York State.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

THE FIERCE BEAST

In ancient days three brothers were camped beside a mountain in what is now New York State. they were on a hunting trip and had left their main village on the Mohawk River.

One morning the oldest brother took his bow and quiver of arrows and, stepping into the forest, said he was going hunting for deer. He told his two brothers to remain in camp until he returned.

The hunter did not return and after two days, the next older brother said that he would see if he could get a deer. He said he would find the missing brother. Taking his bow and arrows, he went into the woods.

After wandering for several hours, he came to a little stream. "Here," he thought, "I will find game of some kind." Quietly he followed the course of the brook, his sharp eyes watching for a rabbit or a squirrel. The stream wound in and out among the trees. The little boy followed the winding stream for some time. The stream led the boy to a beautiful valley surrounded by high hills.

As the boy wandered on up this valley, he happened to look up at one of the hills that overshadowed the stream. At the foot of this hill, he saw a cave. "Perhaps I will find game in the cave," thought the boy. He left the flat land, climbed to the entrance of the cave and glanced in.

The inside of the cave was very dark but the boy was very brave. Firmly grasping his bow and an arrow, he crept into the dark shadows. For a while he could see where he was going but as he went farther back from the mouth of the cave, it became very dark. In a little while he could see nothing at all but still he walked on.

As he was groping his into the heart of the hill, he stepped into a huge hole in the floor of the cave. Without warning, he fell into a deep pit. He felt himself falling down, down he knew not where. Every minute he expected to crash against the ragged rocks at the bottom of the pit but, to his surprise, he continued falling.

After falling for what seemed a long time, the boy saw far below him a pinhole of light. As he fell toward this light, it became brighter and larger until he saw it was an opening in the bottom of the pit. Below the opening was a body of water that seemed to be a lake. As the boy fell through the hole, he braced his body for a plunge into the water. Down he fell into the lake. Gasping for breath, the boy swam up until his head was above water. Near at hand was land and, as he was a good swimmer, he soon reached the shore.

Stepping upon a sandy beach, he found himself in a strange country. The grass was so big that he had to walk around each blade. A blade of grass was higher than a tree. Flowers towered high above his head. The little boy came to what he thought was a cliff. Upon walking around the edge of it he found it to be a tree. The top branches were so high he could not see them. An anthill was as high as a mountain in this strange country.

The boy still held his bow and arrows and now, very cautiously, he stalked around the tall grass. He came to a little hill and was just about to climb it when he heard voices on the other side. Grasping his hunting knife, he slowly crept toward the sound. Cautiously walking from behind a blade of grass, the boy saw his two missing brothers.

The two brothers appeared very excited and were looking up at the branches of a gigantic tree. The little brother went to them. He asked them why they were so excited. "Look at that great animal in the tree!" said the older brother. "We have been trying for several days to kill it and bring its great skin back to the village. We would be greatly honored!" Saying this, he shot an arrow at the fierce monster.

Glancing up, the little brother saw a fierce looking animal crouched in a large branch of a tree. As the little brother looked up, the arrow that the older brother had just shot hit the tail of the monster. With a deafening roar, the huge creature jumped down on the branch below him.

The fierce animal glared down at the three brothers and,opening his mouth, showed its great teeth, at the same time letting out a roar which could be heard for many miles around. The two other brothers had exhausted their supply of arrows and, turning to the little brother, asked him for his quiver of arrows. They shot arrow after arrow at the huge beast. Occasionally, an arrow would hit a limb of the tree or glance off the monster's thick hide. At such times, the beast would growl and jump to a lower branch, getting nearer and nearer the three brothers.

Finally there was one arrow left and the creature was still alive. The little brother said, "Let me try. Perhaps I can hit him." Taking up the last arrow, he carefully drew it to its head. Taking very careful aim, he let the arrow fly. Up, up it went, and with a thud, cut through the beast's thick hide and into its heart!

With a deafening roar, the giant creature pawed the air, lost its balance and fell crashing to the earth. over and over it fell, breaking the heavy branches of the tree as if they were spiders' webs. Down he fell straight at the boys who jumped to one side and hid behind three blades of grass. With a loud thump, the monster fell on its back, the earth trembling as he hit the ground.

Eagerly the brothers rushed out from behind the grass. They stared in awe at such a gigantic monster. Never before haad they seen such a big creature. "The meat will last for many days," said the little brother. "It will take all three of us to carry its huge hide." said the middle brother.

The brothers grasped the legs of the monster and tried to pull it over on its side. They pulled and pulled and, exerting all of their combined strength, they manage to pull the giant animal over.

What do you think it was? It was a mouse!!

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

THE HERMIT THRUSH

Long ago the birds had no song. Only man could sing. Each day man greeted the rising sun with a song. The birds, as they flew by, listened to the beautiful song and they wished they too could sing. One day the Creator visited the earth.

The Creator walked around on the earth looking at all the things he had created. He noticed, though, that there was a great silence. Something was missing.

As the Creator thought about this, the sun sank behind the western hills. Then he heard the distant sound of a drum followed by the chanting of the sunset song. The sounds pleased the Creator.

When the Creator looked around, he noticed that the birds were also listening to the singing. "That's what's missing!" said the Creator. "Birds should also have songs."

The next day the Creator called all the birds to the great council. The birds came from far away.The sky filled with flying birds and the trees and bushes bent under the weight of so many birds.

The Creator sat on the council rock. The birds perched and became quiet. The Creator spoke.

"Would the birds like to have songs and be able to sing as the people sing?" With one voice, the birds replied, "Yes! Yes!"

The Creator spoke to them. "At tomorrow's dawn, fly as high in the sky as you can. When you can fly no higher, it is there where you will find your song. The bird who flies the highest will find the most beautiful song."

The next morning, all the Creator's birds gathered upon the land. Excitement spread throughout the birds. One small brown thrush was not excited. He was perched next to a great eagle. He looked at the strength of the eagle and thought to himself, "What chance do I have of reaching the most beautiful song? This eagle is so great. I will never be able to compete with a bird such as he."

The eagle, eager for daybreak, took no notice of the small brown thrush near him. The thrush had an idea. The thrush flew to the eagle's head and quickly hid beneath his feathers. The eagle stretched his wings. "With my great wings, I will surely fly to the most beautiful song."

At that moment, the first break of dawn appeared. With a great roar of wings, the birds took off. The morning sky remained dark as so many birds flew up higher and higher.

The first bird found his song. He had flown so hard you could hear a hum coming from his wings. The hummingbird song plainly calls, "Wait, wait for me." Next the cowbird tires, and as he flies down to the earth, he sees other birds weaken and find their songs.

The sky began to darken once again. As the sun went down behind the horizon, only the Eagle, the Hawk, the Owl, the Buzzard, and the Loon flew higher.

As daybreak came the next day, only Eagle, the chief of all birds, was left. He flew steady and strong until the sun was halfway in the sky. He looked and saw he was the only bird left in the sky. He began triumphantly soaring to the earth. The thrush awoke from his sound sleep at the back of eagle's head. He hopped off the eagle's head and began flying upward. The eagle saw the thrush begin his journey, but was exhausted. The eagle could do nothing more than stare at him in anger.

The little thrush flew higher and higher. He soon came to a hole in the sky. Entering the hole, he heard a beautiful song coming from the Spirit World. He stayed and learned the song. When he had learned it perfectly, he took leave of that place and returned anxiously to earth. He could not wait to share this most beautiful song with the others.

As he came closer to earth, he could see council rock, and he could see the great eagle, Stagwia, waiting for him. All the other birds waited in silence for thrush's arrival upon the earth.

The thrush, nearing the earth, no longer felt proud of his song. He began to feel ashamed that he cheated to find this song. He feared Stagwia, for he was the one thrush cheated out of the song. He flew in silence to the deep woods. He hid in shame under the branches of the largest tree. He could not proudly share his song.He was so ashamed that he wanted no one to see him.

There you will find him even today. The Hermit Thrush never comes out into the open because he is still ashamed that he cheated. Sometimes, he can't help himself, though, and he must sing his beautiful song. When he does this, the other birds stop singing because they know the song of the Hermit Thrush is from the Spirit World. That is why the Hermit Thrush is so shy and that is why his song is the most beautiful song of all the birds.