White Roots of Peace

by Paul A.W. Wallace, John Fadden

Book by Paul A. W. Wallace

Genres: Indigenous, Religion, Nonfiction, Research, Native American, Philosophy, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1946 by the historian/anthropologist Paul A.W. Wallace, this slim book offers a beautiful retelling of the traditional Iroquois epic concerning the prophet Deganawidah (the Peacemaker), and his quest to unite the warring peoples of the Earth under the Great Tree of Peace - a quest that resulted in the formation of the mighty Iroquois Confederacy.

A Huron by birth, Deganawidah set out to the land of the Iroquois during a time of terrible strife. His "Good News of Peace and Power," and the new mindset that it represented eventually transformed the five nations of the Iroquois (the Tuscarora were not to join the League until much later), and after the evil Onondaga chief Atotarho was converted, Deganawidah and Hiawatha instituted the rituals, policies, and customs that make up the "Great Law" upon which the Confederacy is based.

This is a story whose political and religious components are inseparable - Deganawidah is clearly a prophet in the metaphysical sense, the miracles that accompany his progress and his assurances that he carries the "Mind of the Master of Life" attest to this. Parts of the story were reminiscent of things in the Christian tradition - like Jesus, the Peacemaker was born of a virgin mother; while Christ walked on water, Deganawidah sailed across it on a white stone canoe; both brought messages of peace. But unlike Christ, Deganawidah was interested in setting up earthly institutions, his message of peace not aimed towards after-life salvation, but the harmony of inter-human relations. His vision was both spiritual and political...

Well worth reading, on many different levels. Full of valuable information for both the historian and folklorist, this is also a beautiful story and an important spiritual document. This edition, released in 1993, includes a foreword by Leon Shenandoah (Chief of the Onondaga and Tadodaho from 1967-1996), and a historical epilogue by the scholar John Mohawk, which provides a very brief synopsis of the history of the Six Nations from the American Revolution to the present day. The black and white illustrations are done by John Kahionhes Fadden.

[Ted Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is actually three books in one. The first section relates the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) creation story, which involves a mythological figure the name of Deganawidah, whose vision and teachings formed the foundation of the Five Nation (later Six) Confederacy. The writing is rather stilted however, so it is a bit laborious to get through. The second part of the book, which I found to be the most interesting, related the philosophy and political workings of the confederation. The detailed look at how the confederation was organized gives support to the notion that their ideas were manifested in the U.S. Constitution (although there are a lot of dissimilarities as well). The Epilogue (and it is a rather long epilogue) provides the reader with a whirlwind tour of the history of the Haudenosaunee, beginning with the arrival of the French and ending in the 1970's. There is a lot of focus of the trials and tribulations of the twentieth century, as the tribes fought for survival through a series of policy changes at both the federal and state level. But the book moves through this history a little too quickly for my taste, and one would be better off taking on Laurence Hauptman's book "The Iroquois Struggle for Survival." In any event, "White Roots of Peace" is a valuable book simply for the view it provides of a worldview much different from that of "the West."

[Dianne Laheurte · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The land shall be beautiful,
the river shall have no more waves,
one may go everywhere without fear."

This little book of the legend of Deganawidah, Hiawatha and the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy and their laws of Great Peace was just the antidote I needed after reading "Empire of the Summer Moon - the Rise and fall of the Comanches", a People of big game hunters and Warriors.

While the Comanches were a South Central and Western nomadic Plains People following their food source, the buffalo, the Iroquois lived in great houses in the North East, hunted small game and deer in the forest, and were a peace loving farming People, until, that is, English and French came along...

[Samuel Guthridge Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The realization I had when I finished this book was that I have read an insufficient amount of indigenous people's literature. I had no idea that the Six Nations were the original "united states." As far as origin stories go, this is not your typical Gilgamesh tale of battles between man and the gods but of man searching for peace among his neighbors.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even being dated, this book is so important! You can definitely tell how old it is when reading it. The epilogue written by John Mohawk, a historian and scholar, was gold and added soooo much to this book. The beginning is a very old retelling of the creation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the middle section goes into a philosophical and political look at the Confederacy, and the end covers the struggles (wins and losses) that the Haudenosaunee have been faced with since the 1800s. It is fair, honest, interesting, and a good overview! The illustrations were a cute little addition as well. Definitely essential reading for all Haudenosaunee people, as it’s interesting to see it told this way and to consider it from both insider and outsider perspectives and to get more details about our specific land losses.

[Alyssa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. Easy read and very informative.

[Eyani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Epilogue at the end by John Mohawk, providing a short primer of treaties between NYS and the various Iroquois nations, a great primer to lead further studies.

[Margy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolutely fabulous, easy to read and remember primer on the history, philosophy, government, and values of the Haudenosaunee (AKA Iroquois). The modern forward by Chief Leon Shenandoah and the Epilogue by John Mohawk put the remaining narrative by Paul Wallace into perspective. The epilogue is an extremely well written modern history of the Haudenosaunee that includes a summary of all of the ways in which the federal and state governments stole the lands of the Haudenosaunee up through the 1960s. That last chapter is very depressing. This book will be my go-to reference for answering questions of my own and of others I talk with.

[Fred Provoncha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open a window to the past, and see what might have been. In the before time, like now, each event is seen by different people in vastly different ways. Here is one view about how the Haudenosaunee came to be..

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely infantile version of Deganawidah, but overall a decent read.