Summary

A military alliance was formed between the Seneca, Cayuga, the Haudenosaunee and several other tribes and became one of the greatest states, known as the Five Nations, north of the Rio Grande in the two centuries before Columbus and the two centuries after his arrival. After making the transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer, populations grew among the tribes. Eventually inner conflicts led to fighting between the tribes. Deganawidah, the Peacemaker, emerged as a leader. So little is known about him that some feel he was merely a myth.

Most accounts claim he was not a member of the Five Nations but was born to a virgin girl in a village in the north. He had a message of peace but it was difficult to convey because he had a serious speech impediment. He connected with Ayenwatha, an Onondaga who...