THARONHIAWÀ:KON

THARONHIAWÀ:KON

Kannien:Kéhà:kà

Tharonhiawà:kon by Rita Konwatsi’tsaién:ni Phillips

Tharonhiawà:kon, ne kén:ton’, ráhawè tsi karonhiá:tè ronónhà raotinì:io ne rononkwehón:we. Shakònikón:rarè tánon’ shakoia’tanonstá:ton. Karonhiá:ke nithawé:non otsható:kon, watshatará:ken, è thó wahoké:thotè.

Washakona’tón:hahsè tánon’ tahshakó:ion’ ne rononkwehón:we nattokháhtshera, nahontó:ratè, nahontátenontè, tánon’tsi nahatì:ierè nahatiwatá:kòne raonatsherónnià. Washakonàtón:hahsè ononhkwàshón:à, tánon’ ohtehràshón:à, nahotìtsenhtè. Wahshakohsatsténhseron’ tánon’ rotirihwakwarìhsion tsi rón:nès. Tahshakó:ion’ ne ó:nenhstè washakona’tón:hahsè kà nón nahatitshén:ri’ ne onatsakén:ra, òniónkseri, osahé:tà, tánon’ onono’ónserà.

Raònikón:rà thatenniéhthà tsi nì tsi ronatétshens thó nì tsi rotitokenhsehátiè tsi neniawénhsheron. Khwató:ken nàtekónteron’ tsi ronwá:kens enhshkorihónnien’ nahó:ten’ ioiánerès ahonnón:nì. Kwáh skenén:à tahshakowihátiè kaia’torehtatsherí:ìo. Ronaterì:iohkwè ó:nen ronwatishennionhátiè, thontaiawénhstsì kén’ nahatì:ierè, Tharonhiawatá:kon wahoké:tohtè… Wahén:ron’, “Tóhsà! Tesewànikonhrhá:ren!”. Aktè nonsakaié:ràtè tsi ronaterì:io, wahontkwé:ni’.

Tharonhiawà:kon, wahshako’nikonhrátà neTekanawì:ta, tánon’ Aié:watè nahianiriohkón:nì ne Kaianerè’kó:wa. Kì:ken Tekanawì:ta, tánon’ Aié:watè, kwáh ì:ken tsi nihsennowanén:nè, Wentaht (Huron) thohténtion ne Tekawì:ta, ok ne Aié:watè, Kanien’kehró:non’. E:sò wahianonhtonnión:kò tsi nahnì:ierè nahianitiokón:nì. E:sò iohserá:ke wahotiió’ten’ tsi wahianitiohkwahserón:ni, Tharonhiawà:kon é:sò wahshakònikón:ron’ tsi nahonníerè ne tóhsà aonterìhsì ne Kaianere’kó:wa né:ne tsi nén:wè enkatátiè. Wahnì:ron’, tsi nikarì:wes enkahwatsiratátiè tánon’ entkarahkwinekénhsekè, óhentè entkahnióhsekè tánon’ ohné:kanos kón:nès é:thó nikarì:wes enkatàtiè ne Kaianere’kó:wa.

Aié:watè, wahakwé:nì wahonàtón:hahsè ne atotárho, onontàkehró:non’ nahaiàtó:ten, né:ne aonhá:à thronkwètáksen, wahohró:rì tókà enháhserè ne Kaianerèkó:wa tsi tenkaté:nì tsi rónnhè, è thó ki nàá:wen’nè. Wahaié:nà ne Kaianerè:kó:wa wàthatté:nì. Iáh teshronkwètáksen, wahotinenhrá:kò ne onontàkehrón:non` tsi ní tsi tehotté:nion ne Rotiiá:ner Atotárho, akwé:kon wahonnní:ron`, “Teionkwatonhwentsó:ni aiakwáhserè ne Kaianerè:kó:wa.”

Aié:watè akwé nontá:rehtè ne wísk nihononhwentsá:ke, Kanien:kehá:kà, Onieniothá:kà, Ononta:kehá:kà, Kaio:konhá:kà, tánon` Shotinontowanèhá:kà, wahshakohró:rì tsi niioiánerè ne akwé skén:nen` ahón:ton` ne onkwehón:we. Kwáh ionehrákwa tsi niioiánerè tsi ní tsi wahnikwatá:kò notióhkwà, iáh ne té:ken ne iohsnó:rè aonnitiohkwarìhsì nok né:ne tsi nén:wè. Akwé wahatirihwanón:wènènahatíhserè ne Kaianere:kó:wa. Wísk-niwáhsen nihá:ti Rotiiá:ner wahontkennìsà katsénhakon. Wìsk nàthatì:nerenkè ne kaién:kwirè, ne ke’n:ton` tsi ó:nen wìsk nihononhwentsá:ke iàthóntiestè, enhatìshátsten’nè skáthne enthontihénthò skén:nen’ enhón:ton’, kaié:ri-iawén:rè tewen’niáwè tánon’ wísk-niwáhsen shiiohseró:ten nihonatitiohkón:ni. Oh nàkénhkhà ne Tuscaroras ronatiá:tarè. Iá:iàk Nihononhwentsá:ke wahón:ton’. Enska ne tsóhsera ronnitiohkwaró:rokswè ne wìsk-niwáhsen nihá:ti Rotiiá:ner, katsénhakon enhontkennìsà nek ratihá:wì ne raoneriáhsakon ne skén:nen’ tánon’ ne kariwí:io nek enhonnonhtonnión:kò ne akwé ahotiliáneren’nè ne raononkwètàshón:à.

Wahatiweientéhtànè tahotìnikonhraién:tànè, iáh nì ó:nen thàtehshontatetshá:nis. On:wà wenhnisera’:tè tewehiá:ràs né:ne Iá:iàk Nihononhwentsá:ke, tsi ronónhà tonanitsohkwí:son ne Kaianere:kó:wa.

Kahnawá:ke iá:ken’ nohná:ken’ Tharonhiawà:kon shonwá:ken, áktà ne Tiohtiá:ke. Thó nì tsi shohténtion tsi ní tsi thawé:non otsható:kon tsi karonhiá:ke nionsá:rè.

Warisó:se Kaieríthon

English version.

Tharonhiawatá:kon means “The Holder of the Heavens”, the Thunderer. He was the great God of the true people, the Haudenosonees or Iroquois, who presided over them and their hunting grounds and protected them. He came down from Heaven in a white cloud to help the true people.

He showed and gave the true people wisdom and the skills to hunt, feed themselves and how to sew clothings for himself. The true people were sustained by the bounty of the earth, river and forest. Tharonhiawatá:kon showed them the herbs and roots that would deal their sickness and wounds. He gave them the corn, wild rice, onions and squash.

He gave strenght and integrity. Tharonhiawatá:kon declared his will to them in dreams; in like manner he disclosed of future events. It was he who guided the true people in their early wanderings. He visited them from time to time in person to protect them from their enemies and to instruct them in useful arts. Slowly, he gave them a better judgement. He appeared in one of their battles when it looked like they were going to be defeated. Tharonhiawatá:kon assured them all would be well if they persevered, and the battle turned and they were victorious.

Tharonhiawà:kon inspired them the Tekanawì:ta, who was the foundation of the Great League of Peace. Hiawatha was his spokesman. His name, came from the great Hurons as he was sent by Tekanawì:ta and he was a truthful Mohawk. For years Tekanawì:ta meditated and, with inspiration from Tharonhiawà:kon, had elaborated in his mind the plan of a vast Confederation which would ensure universal Peace. The system which he devised was not to be for a short time but a lasting one. He said that this Confederacy would last from a generation onto generation, as long as the Sun shines, grass grows and, the waters run.

Tekanawì:ta sent Hiawatha to the wicked Chief Atotarho of the Onondagas, to show him that his plan for peace would change his whole life for the best and Atotarho accepted this plan. When the Onondagas saw how it had changed their Chief, they all wanted to participate to the plan.

Hiawatha then went to each of the other four nations to tell them about this new way of living together in peace. Finally the Mohawks, the Senecas, the Onondagas, the Oneidas, and the Cayugas… all said they would become part of the peace plan. Fifty Chiefs gathered around the Council fire. Tekanawí:ta said, “We shall now combine our power into one great power which is the Confederacy; we shall therefore symbolise the union of these powers by each nation contributing one arrow each, to be tied up together in a bundle with deer’s sinews, which are strong. When they are tied together, no one can bend or break them and that is how much endurance the Confederation will be able to have.”

Five arrows were then bound together to show that the five Iroquois Nations were now jointed into a peaceful League of Five Nations. The League of Five Nations was formed in the year 1450. Later, when the Tuscaroras came into the league, it became the League of the Six Nations. Once each year the fifty Chiefs met around the Great Council Fire. The Chiefs who came to this meeting were supposed to have hearts full of peace and good will, patience, love, honor and to cultivate friendship. They were to think of what would be good for all the Iroquois, not for just the people of their own tribe. They learned to understand one another and they were no longer afraid of each other. That is how the League of Six Nations began.

Today, the Iroquois are remembered because of the League of the Six Nations. Tharonhiawà:kon, the Thunderer, was last seen at Caughnawaga (Kahnawá:ke), near Montreal. He left the same way he came, in a white cloud.

This story was told to me by my grandfather and his friends.

Josephine Horne