Americas first peoples arrived at the end of the last Ice Age, eventually cultivated a wide variety of food crops which we still enjoy today, and built some impressive cities which you can still visit today...
It's important to keep in mind that America's first peoples were in fact peoples. While previous posts have noted common themes like cities planned out along celestial lines or the importance of maize as a staple food; the Native Americans were divided into distinct nations. Previously, we explored parts of the Southwest and Midwest, so tonight we'll turn out attention eastward.
A previous post touched on food as a part of culture, but artistry and craftsmanship shouldn't go ignored. The Wampum Belt is an exquisite example of fine craftsmanship, attention to detail, making use of available resources, and the ability of art to convey a message. Not long ago, I watched a show where this art form was being passed on to a younger generation, I believe using glass beads, but the original beads had been made of shells. What's most interesting about the belt isn't the skill of turning shells into beads or even weaving them together, it's the care and attention that is spent on conveying a message. The belts aren't just a piece of art; they are a record like a Medieval tapestry or the plaid patterns of the Celts. Important stories and messages are written into these belts.
Perhaps the most famous of these Wampum Belts is the Hiawatha Belt. This belt symbolizes the union of the five tribes who became the Haudenosaunee (aka Iroquois) Confederation. There's an oral history of the Great Peacemaker bringing the 5 tribes together to form the Confederation which you can enjoy by clicking here.
The people of the Confederation shared a common language, and lived in modern day New York and Pennsylvania. From reading various articles and interpretations of the oral history; it's hard to pin down an exact date for the forming of the Haudenosaunee Confederation. The range appears to be from after 1100 AD to before 1500 AD which is the kind of gap history textbooks aren't typically comfortable with. The Haudenosaunee lived in wooden long houses, and the population estimates vary between 5,000 and 20,000 people in the nation. Note this is a big difference when compared to the more urban societies of Cahokia or Teotihaucan, which had as many people in a single city.
According to the oral history, the Great Peacemaker traveled with Hiawatha, leader of the Onondaga people, and Jigonhsasee, a woman known for counseling warriors. After a period of wars between the Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Cayugas, and Oneida; the leaders are brought together to broker peace. Each group is able to maintain their own leadership structure but these leaders also meet as a council to decide on common causes. It should be noted that part of the law under which the Haudenosaunee Confederation operated share commonalities with our US Constitution. In the 18th Century as the colonies tried to chart a way forward in unison, they looked to the Haudenosaunee Confederation as an example of cooperation to follow.
Today, we still rely on symbolic or artistic representation to understand and communicate about past events. The 50 stars on the US flag represent a union of 50 states; in the same way the 5 tribes are represented on the Hiawatha Belt. But what you may not realize is that the bundle of arrows held in the bald eagle's talon under the banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" was a metaphor shared by a Haudenosaunee chief, Canassatego. Our culture and history today are influenced by the Americas original inhabitants even if that history has gone unnoticed in the past. I write this post knowing that I've brought us eastward for a reason, future posts will start looking at interactions of Europeans and the people already living on America's Atlantic coast.
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