A remarkable lawgiver, prophet and statesman, Hiawatha was a member of the Hotinonshonni who lived in the 16th century.
In an effort to halt the continual intertribal feuds and wars of the Iroquois tribes, he and his mentor, Dekanawida formed the League of the Longhouse. Also known as the Confederation of Five (later Six) Nations. In his aim to establish a democratic political structure for his people, Hiawatha advocated special rights for women, who were empowered to choose the male delegates to the ruling council of the Nations. Benjamin Franklin admired the Iroquois system, which he believed to be indissoluble, and used it as a model for the Articles of Confederation, adopted by Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states March 1, 1781. Return to Indians of the Northeast
