Prophecies of the 6 nations of Iroquois

Mohawk Prophecy of the Seventh Generation

Finally, according to this prophecy, after seven generations of living in close contact with the Europeans, the Onkwehonwe would rise up and demand that their rights and stewardship over the Earth be respected and restored.

According to the wisdom of this prophecy, men and women would one day turn to the Onkwehonwe for both guidance and direction. It is up to the present generation of youth of the Kanienkehaka to provide leadership and example to all who have failed. The children of the Kanienkehaka are the seventh generation.

When Deganawidah was leaving the Indians in the Bay of Quinte in Ontario, he told the Indian people that they would face a time of great suffering. They would distrust their leaders and the principles of peace of the League, and a great white serpent was to come upon the Iroquois, and that for a time it would intermingle with the Indian serpent as a friend. This serpent would in time become so powerful that it would attempt to destroy the Indian, and the serpent is described as choking the life’s blood out of the Indian people. Deganawidah told the Indians that they would be in such a terrible state at this point that all hope would seem to be lost, and he told them that when things looked their darkest a red serpent would come from the north and approach the white serpent, which would be terrified, and upon seeing the red serpent he would release the Indian, who would fall to the ground almost like a helpless child, and the white serpent would turn all its attention to the red serpent. The bewilderment would cause the white serpent to accept the red one momentarily. The white serpent would be stunned and take part of the red serpent and accept him. Then there is a heated argument and a fight. And then the Indian revives and crawls toward the land of the hilly country, and then he would assemble his people together, and they would renew their faith and the principles of peace that Deganawidah had established. There would at the same time exist among the Indians a great love and forgiveness for his brother, and in this gathering would come streams from all over -- not only the Iroquois but from all over -- and they would gather in this hilly country, and they would renew their friendship. And Deganawidah said they would remain neutral in this fight between the white and red serpents.

At the time they were watching the two serpents licked in this battle, a great message would come to them, which would make them ever so humble, and when they become that humble, they will be waiting for a young leader, an Indian boy, possibly in his teens, who would be a choice seer. Nobody knows who he is or where he comes from, but he will be given great power, and would be heard by thousands, and he would give them the guidance and the hope to refrain from going back to their land and he would be the accepted leader. And Deganawidah said that they will gather in the land of the hilly country, beneath the branches of an elm tree, and they should burn tobacco and call upon Deganawidah by name when facing the darkest hours, and he will return. Deganawidah said that as the choice seer speaks to the Indians that number as the blades of grass, and he would be heard by all at the same time, and as the Indians are gathered watching the fight, they notice from the south a black serpent coming from the sea, and he is described as dripping with salt water, and as he stands there, he rests for a spell to get his breath, all the time watching to the north to the land where the white and red serpents are fighting.

Deganawidah said that the battle between the white and the red serpents opened very slowly but would then become so violent that the mountains would crack and the rivers would boil and the fish would turn up on their bellies. He said that there would be no leaves on the trees in that area. There would be no grass, and that strange bugs and beetles would crawl from the ground and attack both serpents, and he said that a great heat would cause the stench of death to sicken both serpents. And then, as the boy seer is watching this fight, the red serpent reaches around the back of the white serpent and pulls from him a hair which is carried toward the south by a great wind into the waiting hands of the black serpent, and as the black serpent studies this hair, it suddenly turns into a woman, a white woman who tells him things that he knows to be true but he wants to hear them again. When this white woman finishes telling these things, he takes her and gently places her on a rock with great love and respect, and then he becomes infuriated at what he has heard, so he makes a beeline for the north, and he enters the battle between the red and white serpents with such speed and anger that he defeats the two serpents, who have already been battle weary.

When he finishes, he stand on the chest of the white serpent, and he boasts and puts his chest out like he’s the conqueror, and he looks for another serpent to conquer. He looks to the land of the hilly country and then sees the Indian standing with his arms folded and looking ever so noble that he knows that this Indian is not the one to fight. The next direction that he will face will be eastward and at that time he will be momentarily blinded by a light that is many times brighter than the sun. The light will be coming from the east to the west over the water, and when the black serpent regains his sight, he becomes terrified and makes a beeline for the sea. He dips into the sea and swims away in a southerly direction, and shall never again be seen by the Indians. The white serpent revives, and he too sees the light, and he makes a feeble attempt to gather himself and go toward that light.

A portion of the white serpent refuses to remain but instead makes its way toward the land of the hilly country, and there he will join the Indian People with a great love like that of a lost brother. The rest of the white serpent would go to the sea and dip into the sea and would be lost out of sight for a spell. Then suddenly the white serpent would appear again on the top of the water and he would be slowly swimming toward the light. Deganawidah said that the white serpent would never again be troublesome to the Indian People. The red serpent would revive and he would shiver with great fear when he sees that light. He would crawl to the north and leave a bloody, shaky trail northward, and he would never be seen again by the Indians. Deganawidah said as this light approaches that he would be that light, and he would return to his Indian People, and when he returns, the Indian People would be a greater nation than they had ever been before.

Supreme Sachem of the Iroquois, Successor to the Original Tododaho, Speaker of the Hotinoshonee (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy

by Leon Shenandoah,
It’s prophesied in our Instructions that the end of the world will be near when the trees start dying from the tops down. That’s what the maples are doing today. Our Instructions say the time will come when there will be no corn, when nothing will grow in the garden, when water will be filthy and unfit to drink. And then a great monster will rise up from the water and destroy mankind. One of the names of that monster is “the sickness that eats you up inside�?-- like diabetes or cancer or AIDS. Maybe AIDS is the monster. It’s coming. It’s already here.  

Our prophet Handsome Lake told of it in the 1700s. He saw Four Beings, like four angels, coming from the Four Directions. They told him what would happen, how there would be diseases we’d never heard of before. You will see many tears in this country. Then a great wind will come, a wind that will make a hurricane seem like a whisper. It will cleanse the earth and return it to its original state. That will be the punishment for what we’ve done to the Creation.  

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Address to the general Assembly of the United Nations

Delivered October 25, 1985 by Leon Shenandoah, Tadodaho, Haudenosaunee

Listen to the words of the Creator given to the first United Nations -- the Haudenosaunee -- over 1,000 years ago.  

"The Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skins shall be seven spans, which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive action, and criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will, and their minds full of a yearning for the welfare of the people. With endless patience, they shall carry out their duty. Their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodging in their minds, and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation."  

In every nation there are wise and good people. These should be appointed Chiefs. They should be the advisors of their people and work for the good of all the people., and their power comes from the "Great Peace." A chief must never forget the Creator of mankind, never forget to ask the Creator for help. The Creator will guide our thoughts and strengthen us as we work to be faithful to our sacred trust and restore harmony among all peoples, all living creatures, and Mother Earth.  

We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show a great respect for all the beings of this earth... In our ways spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. When people cease to respect and express gratitude for these many things, then all life will be destroyed, and human life on this planet will come to an end.  

These are our times and responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this we must recognize the enemy -- the one within us. We must begin with ourselves.  

We must live in harmony with the Natural World and recognize that excessive exploitation can only lead to our own destruction. We cannot trade the welfare of our future generations for profit now. We must abide by the Natural Law or be victims of its ultimate reality.  

We must stand together, the four sacred colors of humans, as the one family we are, in the interest of peace.  

We must abolish nuclear and conventional weapons of war.  

When warriors are leaders, then you will have war. We must raise leaders of peace.  

We must unite the religions of the world as the spiritual force strong enough to prevail in peace.  

It is no longer good enough to cry, "Peace." We must act peace, live peace, and march in peace in alliance with the people of the world.  

We are the spiritual energy that is thousands times stronger than nuclear energy. Our energy in the combined will of all people with the spirit of the Natural World, to be of one body, one heart and one mind for peace.  

We propose, as a resolution for peace, that October 24th be designated as a Day of Peace, and a world cease-fire take place in honor of our children and the Seventh Generation to come.   

As you watch this struggle between the two serpents, a message will come to you, which will make you humble. When you become humble, you will be waiting for a leader, a youth from among the People who has not yet attained manhood, who will be a choice seer. No one will know who he is or where he comes from, but he will be given great power and will be heard by many people. He will give you the guidance and hope to refrain from going back to your land and he will be the accepted leader.

You shall gather together in the hilly country under the branches of an elm tree and burn tobacco and call upon me by name. You shall call upon the name Deganawida in your darkest hour and I will return. The choice seer shall speak to the People that number as the blades of grass and will be heard by all at the same time. As you are gathered watching the struggle of the serpents, you will notice from the south a black serpent approaching from the sea dripping with salt water. He will rest for a time and collect his breath while looking north to the land where the white and red serpents are fighting. They will begin slowly to fight, but will increase in intensity until the violence of their struggle shall cause the mountains to crack and the rivers will boil and the fish will turn up on their bellies. There will be no leaves on the trees in the area where they struggle. There will be no grass on the ground and strange bugs will crawl from the ground and attack the white and red serpents, which will become sickened when a great heat causes the stench of death to overcome them.

As the boy seer watches this fight, the red serpent reaches around the back of the white serpent and pulls from him a hair which is carried to the south by a great wind into the waiting hands of the black serpent. As the black serpent studies the hair, it changes into a woman, a white woman who tells him things that he knows to be true but he wants to hear them again. When she finishes talking, he takes her and places her gently on a rock with great love and respect. Becoming exceedingly angry at what she has told him, he proceeds in haste directly to the north and enters the baffle between the white and red serpents with such speed and anger that he defeats the two serpents that are already battle-weary. Standing on the chest of the white serpent, the black serpent begins to boast like a conqueror and looks about for another serpent to conquer. Looking to the land of the hilly country, he sees the People standing with arms folded and knows that this is not who he should fight. Turning eastward, he will be momentarily blinded by a great light many times brighter than the sun. The light will come from east to west across the water and the black serpent will become terrified and will go directly into the sea swimming to the south and shall never again be seen by the People.

The white serpent will revive and make a feeble attempt to go toward that light. A portion of the white serpent will refuse to remain but will go to the land of the hilly country to join the People with a great love like that of a lost brother. The remnant of the white serpent will go into the sea and disappear from sight for a time. Reappearing suddenly, the white serpent will swim slowly toward the light and will never again be a trouble to the People. The red serpent will revive and shiver with great fear when he sees the light. He will crawl to the north leaving a bloody, shaky trail northward never again to be seen by the People. 1, Deganawida, shall be that light and when I return to my people, you shall be a greater nation than ever