He Walked the Americas (part Three) *The Pawnee tell of a Prophet who taught them of His Father, "The Mighty Holy of the Heavens." He warned them not to forget what they were taught by Him, and when they would return to warfare, they often thought about how He taught them that "war but breeds more carnage." He had also told them about the white men coming. They remember Him as Paruxti and His Father was Tirawa.
The Pawnee claim the Prophet visited them twice, the second time was out of anger. As the story goes, some young men of the Pawnee had gotten together a secret league to attack merchants and make "war" on them. One night the Pawnee was by the Mississippi River and came across a camp of worn out merchants. The merchants had not been aware these young Pawnees had returned to the old ways and thought they were safe. One of the young merchants had stated that he was sad he never got to see the Dawn God. But they smoked the Peace Pipe and went to sleep.
The wild Pawnee then attacked, forced the merchants to carry their own goods back to the bandits' camp. They had a wild night, dancing, yelling and preparing the two men for a sacrifice to the Fire god. One old man protested, pointed to the east where the Morning Star was beginning to rise. But no one paid attention to him and carried on what they were doing. One of the prisoners was already dead and the other was dying. The Pawnee stated, "Let Him come and revive these men! That would be much better magic than stopping a wind storm or walking on water!"
"At the point, the eastern sky lit up with fire, clouds reflecting the fire ever brighter. Everyone turned toward the brightened sky and stopped in their tracks. Suddenly there He was among them! They say He shined with a strange radiance, each hair of His head luminescent, a weird glow rippling from His garments and His sea-colored eyes flashing with lightning. He stood staring at the wild Pawnees.
"He asked them if this was how they kept His commandments, insulting the Father. "I came to shield you from His anger, or lo, great wind would ignite the forest! And to ashes would be consigned the Pawnee Nation!"
"At this point, the prisoner that was still alive called to Chee-Zoos and asked to be released. The Healer told the man he was free and to walk from the fire. Those who were watching saw the man stumble toward the Healer. When he had touched the Healer's robe, the man straightened up and didn't have a mark on him from the fire. The Healer turned to the dead man, telling him that he wasn't yet for the Land of the Shadows. The fire died away and the blackened body stirred. The Healer told him to rise up. The man rose up and was completely healed.
"This story is still told sometimes by the elders at the fireside during the winter evenings."
*The "Algonquin of the Eastern Seaboard" tell they received their name for the Dawn Light from the Pale One. They wouldn't name the Prophet as He had asked them to do. They wanted to know what He was called where He grew up and He told them a name that was strange and hard to say. But they tried hard to say it: Chee-Zoos, God of the Dawn Light, basically the same as the Puants.
*The Chippewa remember very well the "pale Great Master." They tell He gave them medicine lodges where the signs and emblems are secret and taken from those across the ocean. And according to the author, they keep this secret to this day.
*The Dakota (Sioux) say He gave them their rite of baptism and purification, also many of their lodges. They remember Him talking about the coming of the white man and many other predictions. "We have backslid from His teachings, but to Him we dance the Sun Dance. We remember Great Wakona well." (Speaker not identified.)
*In the times of the Prophet, the place which is now St Louis was once the capital of the Puant nation. The streets of the city actually represented history. Each street started from the Central Hub (which is where the Crest mounds were) and grew outward like a spoke on a wheel. When a dynasty was complete, the line would end and pottery with significant pictures of the period would be placed within the mound. The crest would be closed with a Mound of Extinction. Beyond it, counterclockwise, the new crest would begin.
The capitol buildings stood on the old crest, usually built of logs and beautifully painted. Many crests had been closed at the time of the Prophet and the city was large and many imports and exports went through the streets. The Algonquin remember Him well at the time of His arrival. The fleets coming down the river ceremoniously brought Him, always greeted with flowers. Once the Prophet heard tales of the Sunrise Ocean and the Five Tribes of Warring Nations.
He wanted to go see them immediately; He was so opposed to war and left with the merchants. He came upon the Seneca's and called the chiefs into a council. Quoting....."Long He spoke to them on the ways of His Father, as He had throughout the Broad Land, handling the language with great ease. He explained His peace religion, then He asked of them quite simply: what was the reason for their warfare? The Fire Chieftains were embarrassed, for they had long forgotten the reason, if indeed they ever had a reason. Each warrior looked upon the other and none could think of a valid answer.
"Therefore He bound them ceremonially into a never-ending alliance. To each He gave a sacred duty to perform for the alliance, and then He asked them to smoke the Peace Pipe, filled with tobacco and cedar shavings, and to blow the smoke to the four directions making the sign of the Great Cross, which is a holy symbol. Never from that time onward have the Five Nations fought each other, nor has the trust He gave them been cracked and broken.
"At this Council was a Seneca chieftain who was tall, for we are a tall nation. Like many of our people he had a lofty stature, and could easily look down on the heads of the others. Indeed the Prophet was not a short man, but neither was He as tall as the chieftain. The Seneca, seeing that he was the tallest, and could look over the light hair of the Pale God, rose and waited to speak. "There was a shocked silence. Would he presume to question the Prophet? The chieftain looked upon the Healer.
"'I have been watching you while you were speaking, oh One whom the people call the Dawn God. It is true that you hold a most strange fascination over the minds of men. I know that the people call you the Dawn God. If it is true, then you can prove it. Meet me here in four days in the early morning before the sun has shot his first long red arrow, and we shall stand before this door together. If the first red arrow of the dawn light, touches your hair before it paints my eagle feather, then indeed you are the Dawn God. This I give to you as a challenge. Now, for this day, I have spoken.'
"Everyone turned to look at the Prophet. He sat quite still as if in deep thought. At last He arose. 'Your stand is well taken. I will meet you here before the dawning. When from the Sunrise Ocean arises the golden light of the Dawn Star, I will be standing here before the Great Lodge. I will use up the moments of waiting to talk once more with the people-all who care to hear me. For now, I too have spoken.'
"During the four days the Healer went among the tribes, and though He did not speak of His appointment, everyone knew that He would keep it, for the Great One never broke a promise. Accordingly, at the time appointed, great crowds swarmed about the small mound where the Great Lodge stood open to the eastward. First to climb the mound was the Prophet. As over the horizon arose the first golden shafts of the Dawn Star, the Pale God spoke to the assembled nations. It is said that He always charmed His listeners, but now there was almost a breathless silence. Indeed it seemed the very trees were listening and also the assembled animals of the forest, so softly He spoke and so well did they hear Him, because of the silence that had settled.
"Now the tall chieftain left the others and slowly climbed the small mound, taking his place beside the Prophet. The two eagle feathers in the hair of the chieftain projected well above the head of the Healer, but no sign except a friendly greeting was given by the Pale Heawahsah, who turned and began the Chant of the Dawning. This was a prayer chant He had taught the people, which has long since been forgotten. Everyone started to join in and then, suddenly, a miracle happened.
"Before anyone else saw the sunlight, a golden shaft of radiant beauty came down from some clouds banked high with firelight, and touched the curling hair of the Prophet, diffusing itself like a halo until He stood, a luminous creature, painting all the ground around Him with gold. The people then fell down saying: 'Behold He is indeed the Dawn God who has come to walk among us!' and 'He draws his power from the Star of the Dawning.'
"The tall chieftain, seeing the Great One clothed in gold light, knelt in the dust beside Him and taking the hem of the Prophet's mantle, laid his cheek on the line of creases. I know that you think this sounds something like the Legend of Hiawatha written down by Longfellow, the poet. You are right; there is a resemblance.
"Once he was our guest and heard us chanting. He liked our stories so well that he kept urging us onward through his interpreter of the language. We told him many stories. When he returned and began to write them, he mixed them all together; but he was not trying to make fun of our legends-he was confused. We still honor him for enjoying the chants, and even trying to get the rhythm of their language. We honor him although Heawahsah never sought a Dakota maiden. That was a much later hero, who married with a distant nation.
"The meaning of Heawahsah? It is He From Afar Off. It is our name for the Prophet, who drew His great strength from the Dawn Star. All nations know He was of the Dawn Star, and that is why, even now, no nation of the ancient people know as 'red-skins' will ever make war or fight a battle while the Sacred Star of Peace is still shining in the great heavens. They dare not, for it is the Star of the Prophet."
(Note: Few know where to reach the ' Big Tree,' the Seneca, or even if it is still alive. He once told this legend to a child to illustrate the fact that the tallest men are not always the greatest. I hope he will not mind its inclusion here. Since there is a variation of this legend in Bancroft, recorded over a hundred years ago, it seems to be quite authentic to Seneca tradition-Author.)
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