Haudenosaunee Confederacy

Hello there. Can you imagine a great big family where everyone promises to be friends and help each other, always? That’s me. Before I existed, many families who lived near the big forests and sparkling lakes were arguing, and it made them very sad and lonely. They needed a way to be happy together. I am the idea that joining together makes everyone stronger and safer. I am a promise of peace and friendship that lasts forever. My name is the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

A very long, long time ago, even before your grandparents' grandparents were born, between the 12th and 15th centuries, five nations needed help to stop fighting. They were the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca people. A wise and kind leader called the Great Peacemaker traveled to see them all. His good helper, Hiawatha, was with him. The Great Peacemaker had a special way to show them something important. He picked up one single arrow and showed how easily it could be snapped in two. Snap. It was broken. But then, he took five arrows and tied them together in a strong bundle. He tried with all his might, but he could not break the bundle. He told the people that they were like the arrows. Alone they could be broken, but together they were strong. They listened and agreed to join in peace under a Great Law.

The five nations created a special friendship, like a big, warm longhouse where everyone had a safe place. They shared and worked together as one big family. Much, much later, around the year 1722, a sixth nation, the Tuscarora, joined our family too. I became a beautiful example of how people can live and work together peacefully. My ideas of freedom and being united even inspired the leaders who created the United States of America. Today, I am still alive and strong, reminding everyone that peace is the best way to build a happy home for all people.