WILDERNESS MESSIAH: The Story of Hiawatha and the Iroquois

by Thomas R. Henry ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

More than the story of a single prophet, as the title would seem to indicate, this is a view of Iroquois life from the creation myth to the downfall of the five Nations. The author spreads before us the riches of the Iroquois religious beliefs, their following the words of the prophets to make a Confederacy, (the constitution of which is included in an appendix) and their ensuring the Great Peace by bloody conquest. The relations of the iroquois with the French, their contacts with the Jesuits and the unfortunate attack by Champlain induced by the Hurons which affected further contacts; their relations with the British, all are part of the picture after the white man came. The set-up of the matriarchal society, the roles of the sexes, the torture of enemies and what it meant to tormented and tormentor are part of the book as the author interprets an amazing, often admirable culture.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow-Wm. Sloane

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1955

Categories: NONFICTION