HIAWATHA

Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He is estimated to have lived between the 15th and 16th centuries. He was the leader of one or both of the Onondaga or Mohawk peoples. Some stories say he was born Onondaga and became Mohawk. He followed the ideas of a native prophet called the Great Peacemaker. Sharing his vision, he united five indigenous nations under the name Iroquois (iroki) to form the confederation.