The Five Nations

[1889]

This story was inspired by a terrible starting location in the Rumble in the Jungle PBEM. I felt an immediate bond with my tribe, who through no fault of their own had been placed, like myself, in the most senselessly brutal place in creation, the desert.

The Five Nations
The story of the Haudenosaunee

1) For a long time Sky Spirit looked down upon the world. He wanted to find the most beautiful spot in all his creation. There he would place a great nation and surrounded by his majesty they would sing his praises all day. He had already been looking for a long time though and it was getting late, so he decided to take a break.

He found a spot that wasn't exactly beautiful, but handsome...in a way, and instead of a great nation he made only a small tribe...to prepare him a meal. The meal was filling and so Sky Spirit made another tribe. This time to gather twigs for his bed. Oh, and one more to sing his praises while he slept.

In the morning when it came time to go the people were sad, for to serve him was their purpose. Sky Spirit took pity on his people and left them with one more gift. He made a very small tribe of very rich aristocrats for the people to serve in his absence, but the people did not seem to appreciate this gift. Sky Spirit grew angry and so decided to bless them one more time. He made a band of brutal lawgivers to remind the people to sing his praises everyday.

Sky Spirit was not very good with "good-byes" so he told the people that he may return at any moment, and then went back to his search.

2) When the people were sure that Sky Spirit was finally gone, they took a moment to look at their surroundings. A moment is all it took. As the sun began to rise on that first day the people felt as though they had been set afire. The brilliant glare of the sun off the blasted white sand, and the sickening motion given to the horizon by the shimmering waves of heat gave the sense that they were looking at the world from inside a flame. On that day they knew their destiny was to be the Haudenosaunee, the burning people. They sighed their desultory praise to the Great Spirit and shuffled away to carry out their duties.

3) The patient Oneidas began to search for the least barren ground, for their duty was to provide food for the Haudenosaunee. At the furthest corner of the tiny village they found a patch of ground that could be cultivated. It was difficult to scratch away the crust of death, and it was tedious bringing the water that would revive the thirsty soil, but finally they managed to coax a tough prickly weed from the desert. Tsohnohskwenrie, or Snake Root, was a sturdy little plant. Its tough skin was a pale yellow hue and covered with numerous small thistles, inside it had a taste not unlike a radish only less flavorful. Still, the people gave thanks for they now understood that while The Great Spirit would not often give them what they wanted, He would provide what they needed.

[1889]

4) The industrious Senecas immediately made an important discovery: the blazing ball of fire in the sky was the source of the oppressive heat. They put this discovery to good use because it was their duty to provide shelter for the Haudenosaunee. They found that the cracked ground could be broken into bricks and piled up to create areas of shade. They called these shelters Ganohsesgeh or “Where the sun does not shine”. As their skill in piling sandstone grew they began to exercise their aesthetic sense, for Sky Spirit loved beauty above all things. At first designs would be scratched into the walls, later they realized bricks could be added to walls to produce patterns. Later still, and this would require the approval of the Lawgivers, walls would be built that weren’t even rectangles. They could be any shape imaginable, like squares or even other shapes.

5) The eloquent Onondagas had the sacred duty of singing praise, or Sadahosiyohsda, to The Great Sky Spirit. They sang of his power and wisdom, and though it was more challenging they sang of his mercy also. Most of all they knew he would appreciate songs of beauty. So in their minds they would imagine the most beautiful notes and cords, but as the dry air chapped their lips, dried their throat and swelled their tongue every song took on a monotonous rasp. In the end they sang mostly of his power and wisdom, and at the behest of the other tribes they took to singing a little further out in the desert.

6) The wealthy Cayugas, whose duty was to be served by the other tribes, were proud of the effort they put into making the Haudenosaunee a great people. They spent long days in their Ganohsesgehs thinking of ways that the Oneidas could prepare Tsohnohskwenrie, of all the imposable things the Senecas could make them and of how the Onondagas could sing more quietly. Even after long days of thinking of these useful things they would often not stop. Oh no, for their dedication was so great that they frequently thought late into the sweltering night. They thought of ways that the Lawgivers could make the others do the things they thought, they thought of ways to increase their ridiculous wealth, and they though of when the Sky Spirit would return and lead them to the most beautiful spot in all creation and make them a great nation.

7) The Mohawks were the Lawgivers. Their duty was to enforce the edicts of the Cayugas, and ensure the rest of the Haudenosaunee sang praise to the Great Spirit. Through long years of pitiless experimentation they refined savage intolerance into one perfect tool for both these tasks, the Sewatsiaken or “encouraging word.” The Sewatsiaken, which is a heavy wooden bludgeon, would be wielded with both hands, and through a powerful overhead blow bring the complacent to realize that The All Giver takes away gifts that are taken for granted.

[1889]

8) These five nations the sky placed upon the cruel earth. Life was very hard for the people of the sky, but when a rare cloud would pass across the sterile blue, they knew to sing the praise of the ever-searching spirit. Someday he would return with the glorious news that they were to be taken to a paradise and made great. They would take the reigns of power on earth in his name and he would shower them with the gifts of heaven. This was the quiet but constant refrain of the Sadahosiyohsda, and the unforgettable impression left by every swinging Sewatsiaken.

9) Iatekwah was the chief of the Mohawks and the real chief of the Five Nations. Few knew this and fewer cared, Iatekwah included. His power may not have been absolute, but he could easily have done anything he wished. However, exiled as he was in this inferno, there was very little that he cared to do. One day while being fanned by two of his favorite concubines, and being unable to muster the strength even to enjoy their presence, Iatekwah began to think of what he would do with real power. He began to think of the Great Spirit. More precisely of his search, and decided there was one thing that he cared to do very much.

10) Iatekwah gathered a squad of his strongest Lawgivers, put a pair of prayer-muffs over his ears, acknowledging that not all the Cayugas ideas were useless, and let his men lead him into the desert. He nodded a greeting to the moving lips of Hodenayedakwa, chief of the Onondagas. It was difficult speaking when he could not hear his own words, but he felt that removing the prayer-muffs now, in front of the priest, would be misinterpreted as a sign of respect and he wanted above all to be clear. He delivered his message as concisely as he could, the Onondagas among all the people were prone to find hidden meaning in words. Iatekwa had none. When he was done he waited for a response. In that brief pause the face of his interlocutor displayed an astounding array of emotion, discomfort at the Lawgivers presence, shock at the insult of the prayer muffs, horror at the proposal, and terror that it could not be refuse. The face then did the thing Iatekwa had hoped it would not; it began a slight motion as if it would shake a disagreeing side-to-side. Iatekwah had seen enough. He nodded to his men and his squad quickly dispersed into the crowd of priests, Sewatsiakens swinging. When Hodenayedakwa’s face showed fear and shame Iatekwah knew that the debate over primacy of Mohawk or Onondaga had been settled. The head shaman had to accept the righteousness of this argument: Perhaps the Haudenosaunee were not meant to wait for the Great Spirit’s return, but were meant to help him search.

This story will continue to evolve as I find inspiration and new insults for this place I must call home. The game and this story will play out here Rumble in the Jungle

[ChrisiusMaximus]

interesting start could you provide any maps or screenies to show different tribes etc, and a list of all the strange words and their meanings would help ie a glossary

Ill take a look at the PBEM thread to get a better idea though

Looking forward to how this will develop

[Paddy]

good to see this being brought together for all to enjoy

well done

[1889]

Haudenosaunee Dictionary

I have just begun to explore so my map has little to offer. There is one city in the desert. The five nations is an ancient confederacy of tribes. Each tribe refers to itself as a nation, but really they are just social classes in the rigid Haudenosaunee society. The Cayugas are the smallest nation and are the official rulers. The Mohawks are just under them. They are the only ones who may carry the Sewatsiaken. Next come the Onondagas who are a priestly class. The Seneca are builders and laborers. Slightly below them are the simple Oneidas or farmers.


Most of these words are real Iroquois the definitions have sometimes been changed. As for pronunciation your guess is as good as mine.

)Cayugas - Nation of rulers. They were Sky Spirit's gift to the people. The people live to serve them.

)Ensehsahtenti - The city founded after the great exodus of 2900BC. Literally "Going Home".

)Gaedinowahe - It is a derogatory refrence to someone who has forgoten his duty and takes to wandering or daydreaming. Literally "Where is he going?"

)Ganohsesgeh - A home. Simple sandstone structures. Literally “Where the sun does not shine”.

)Haudenosaunee - How the people of the Five Nations refer to themselves. Literally “The burning people”.

)Hodenayedakwa - Chief of the Onondaga Nation.

)Iatekwah - Chief of the Mohawk nation. Effective ruler over all the five nations.

)Ioiatanekherent - Stranger

)Mohawks - Nation of police and soldiers. Although they must take orders from the Cayugas they are feared by all.

)Oneidas - Nation of farmers. They live on the farms and stay away from the city and its politics. The lowest ranking but little molested because of their unobtrusiveness.

)Onondagas - Nation of priests. Though highly respected by most there company is seldom missed.

)Phoenix - The original city of the Haudenosaunee.

)Sadahosiuahsda - The chants of the priests that give praise to the Sky Spirit. Literally “Singing praise”.

)Sahwihsdaegeh - Chief of the Cayuga nation.

)Senecas - Nation of laborers. Though they are above the Oneidas they live in the city and so are easy targets.

)Sewatsiaken - The unique club given to each Mohawk boy. Literally “Encouraging word”.

)Tekwahtekwah - Son and heir to Iatekwah.

)Tsohnohkwennrie - The only crop that grows in the desert. Also referred to as Snakeroot.

[Paddy]

wow

[1889]

11) “Where should we search?” asked one of his generals nervously. Iatekwah seethed in the silence. Silence, he thought to himself and winced. Aside from the idiotic ranting of the Cayugas, the incessant rasping of Onondagas, the perpetual panting of the exhausted Senecas, and the infernal scratching of the Oneidas, there were the other sounds of this accursed place that he found even more irritating. The sizzling of the sand anguishing under the sun, and the faint drip of sweat rolling off his generals even as they sat in the shade of the great hall. Where should they search. “Away from the god damn desert!” he yelled.

12) Tekwahtekwah was chosen to lead the expedition. He was eager to please his father, but he had no idea how to go about such a huge task or even why it was necessary. The Great Spirit said he would return at any moment, didn’t he? Still he followed his instruction as best as he could. The sound of his shoes on the sand told him he was traveling east. He knew that the sand was less fine in that direction, and as the songs of the shaman faded the crunching of the sand increased. When the sun no longer shone mostly on his face, but partly on his back he knew it was time for mid-day meal. He halted his men and while they sat down to eat their Tsohnohskwenrie, he opened his eyes for a brief glimpse of what lay before them. Floating above the shimmering horizon was the crest of a hill. If he was to fulfill the Spirit’s search, perhaps he should search as the Spirit would and look down upon the world. With a plan in mind he closed his eyes again, pulled the thorns off his Tsohnohskwenrie, and rejoined his men.

13) A meal of Snake Root was best described by Sky Spirit himself, “It was filling.” This narrative satisfied its purpose so well that no one had ever bothered to think of additional adjectives to apply to the unassuming weed. A meal of Tsohnohskwenrie, or even one with just a bit of Tsohnohskwenrie, was not likely to conjure any recognizable emotion in its consumer. A Haudenosaunee meal very much resembled a nap. The somnambulist would only be aware of what he was eating if a careless chef had failed to remove one of the numerous small thorns that adorn the plant. Food was eaten, praise was murmured, tasks performed. If anyone had bothered to think of it, the plants character was as much of a blessing as its abundance. Haudenosaunee society was ill prepared to handle excitement.

[1889]

14) The view from atop the small rise was disorienting. Away from the familiar surroundings of the desert now he had to rely on his eyes, and they could make little sense of what he saw. The horizon was long and strait and motionless, it made him feel a bit ill. It was awash with a cacophony of color, He could barely discern where one feature ended and the next began. He gripped his Sewatsiaken and started down the other side of the hill. One longing look back and his home was already gone; did he have to come all this way to see it for the first time? Would he ever see it again? The last image he had was the dusty peak of the familiar sand tornados.

15) The first land he came to was a very eerie place. It was dark as shade and seemed a good place to search, for the vegetation blocked out the sky. The vibrant colors and constant movement of the regions inhabitants made his eyes feel heavy. “Where did they get the energy?” he thought to himself. The variety of the creatures in size and shape, and again with the colors, was something he would never have believed. He tried, but was entirely unable to find a single color from the rainbow he recognized. Neither brown, sienna, tan, beige, khaki or yellow existed here.

16) His expedition was out of food by now and that was his first priority. He watched a group of creatures similar in shape to himself but somewhat smaller in stature. They seemed to enjoy an oddly curved yellow fruit that hung from trees in abundance. He peeled it and took a tense bite. Bah, the taste was horrible. Like Snake Root candy but so much sweeter. In fact every fruit he tried was like candy. This place reminded him of the story of Hanosesel and Gretesonso, he would not have been surprised to find a gingerbread Ganohsesgeh. He ordered his men to eat as much as they could, they could only hope to find more suitable food later.

[Paddy]

bring it on matey

[1889]

17) Every few month a pair of runners would report back on the expedition’s progress. Every one of them had gone completely insane. Eyes wide, mouths open and curved upwards at the ends, and they had even gained weight. Iatekwah listened to their stories and knew that Hodenayedakwa had been right. This news of a land beyond the wastes was much too dangerous. What they had to say was blasphemy or truth, but either way it could not be repeated. With out hesitation the scouts were put to death.

18) Every returning scout was killed. The knowledge they carried could not be let loose on the people. He was completely correct when he recognized the danger of their words, but he could not resist them himself and failed to realize that the knowledge was already loose. Each time before the scout was killed, Iatekwah listened with great interest to their tale. He was probably the most discontent of all his subjects and the seed took firm root. He found himself more than once peering into the glare waiting for the next report.

19) The long boring wait between reports ate at him, so long without news of the lands beyond the desert, beyond his realm. Iatekwah was not idealistic. He was not interested in the strange animals, the numerous plants, the colors, sights, smells sounds, or tastes that the delirious scouts tried to explain in a wholly inadequate language. He heard only that the land was empty. That it was ready for him to rule. It was just as The Great Spirit had promised.

Hodenayedakwa had told him that the Great One rewards obedience and that the people were meant to wait for his return, but the first report of ioiatanekherent changed all that. Other people in the world? What could it mean?

[1889]

20) Iatekwah’s duty was to keep order, meaning was for the Onondagas. People knew that the expedition had gone, and when they realized that the secret had become a rumor and the rumor had developed into undisputed fact, their speculations grew bolder. Little news came back from the expedition but still excitement grew. Never before had the people thought of what wonders lay beyond the desert. Now the stories of lands and creatures ran rampant. They grew discontent with what the Spirit had given and the Law Givers could not beat the discontent from them.

Iatekwah’s decision was simple. Send more expeditions, and send Oneidas and Senecas with them. The expeditions where traveling much further now and outposts and new sources of food would be needed if they were to continue into new territory.

21) Only the Onondagas had any inkling of where this would lead. Or maybe it was only Hodenayedakwa, because even some of his priests began to join the expeditions and sing of adventures and new discoveries. Gaedinowahe, they were called by the true believers that stayed behind. It was an ancient phrase whose meaning is hard to translate into the languages of more curious and less sedentary societies. To the Haudenosaunee it meant, “where is he going?” and it had never been asked as a serious question until now.

22) Hodenayedakwa asked the Sahwihsdaegeh, chief of the Cayugas, to stop them. The Spirit had entrusted the Cayugas to lead the people in their wait. It pleased Sahwihsdaegeh very much to have a chief tell him so, but the scar Hodenayedakwa still wore on his brow told him all he needed to know about going against Iatekwah. As the meeting continued he grew less pleased with the old priests presence. So many years wandering the open desert had made the cleric’s skin dark and rough, but the Cayugas valued suppleness and the chief began to hope that Iatekwah could tame a more suitable climate. In the end the Law Givers were summoned and the old chief was escorted to the edge of the settlement.

[1889]

23) Tensions grew ever tighter between Onondaga and Mohawk. Iatekwah had fixed his mind on the solution and so cared little how large the rift grew. He forced none to leave with him. Ensehsahtenti he called it, “going home.” The point was to leave the discontents and religious radicals in Phoenix and start anew.

Gaedinowahe was the Onondaga word for the stream of people abandoning their way of life. Let the Mohawks and all their minions leave. Those that stayed behind were the true believers and they would not need the sewatsiaken to perform their duties. Duties that kept the people busy no mater what belief they held, and so only Hodenayedakwa noticed the lone cloud drift over the city and out over the desert.

24) Even such a huge event as the exodus caused little stir to those that stayed behind. The tsohnohskwennrie still required tending by the Oneidas that lingered. It grew with little enough effort, but the harvest was another matter. The roots grew deep in their lifelong search for a sip of moisture. That made harvesting difficult enough without the ever-present thorns for those who let their mind wander from the task at hand. The sandstone ganohsesgeh needed constant attention from the remaining Seneca, as the edges wore away by wind and sand. Even though few Onondagas left sadahosiuohsda was required in even greater quantity now that the Mohawks were not around to ensure others did their share. Also there were most of the Cayugas, who did not appreciate the hardship of travel, to serve.

25) Iatekwah did not bother to look back, but those who did soon saw only the dusty peak of the familiar sand tornados. Life in the new settlement was not as the people expected however. Tsohnoskwennrie drowned in the rich soil, and the ground was too moist to construct ganohsesgeh. The first season in Ensehsahtenti was cold and hungry. They began to copy the animals that grabbed food from the trees, and because the sun was not so bright the people could look up into the sky as they worked. Heaven was often filled with clouds though and the people feared the judgment that rained down on them, drowning their crops and washing away their homes. Even in Ensehsahtenti the Lawgivers found much encouraging needed to be done.

[Paddy]

Rumble Rumble Rumble on

thanks for this

ok, I am in the game, and am enjoying ths very much

[1889]

Thanks Paddy. I'm enjoying it to. Haven't written very far ahead so it keeps surprising me. I hope Iatekwah can find a place he likes though.