Thousands of tourists from
all over the world have boarded “Maid of the Mist” boats at Niagara Falls in
order to get a closer look at the falls.
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| Maid of the Mist tour. |
When this corporation based
out of New York began these tours in 1846 they capitalized on a local legend
entitled the “Maid of the Mist” that had been told since the 17th
century. They even named their boats after it.
When they told this
tale on their inaugural voyage it was considered to be fact. Up until recent
years, this tale was still told on a recording that played on these tours.
The Six Nations of the
Haudenosaunee * or Iroquois people had a major problem with this story being
told. For this tale known more specifically as The Legend of Lelawala misrepresented their culture and traditions.
Recently, the president of
the Maid of the Mist Corp. agreed to stop playing this tale on his boats when
Seneca Nation members with other Haudenosaunee support threatened to protest
his company if they did not stop promoting this incorrect version of the tale
to its customers.
* Haudenosaunee is said “Ho
dee noes ho nee” meaning-- People Building a Long House.
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| Long House |
A False Legend
The man most to blame for
this false tale was Robert Cavelier de La Salle. He was a European explorer
that made contact with the Iroquois in 1679.
He traded his knowledge on
guns and ammunition in exchange for the Native people giving him information on
agriculture, hunting and gathering techniques.
In his writings about his
visit with the Haudenosaunee he mentions that they practiced “human sacrifice.”
Young pretty maidens were
sent to their deaths in a canoe over Niagara Falls. He states he witnessed this
firsthand.
He writes that he watched as
a virgin maiden--a chief’s daughter named Lelawala was chosen as that years’
sacrifice--this was to appease a God that was killing off the Indians.
At the last moment the chief
changed his mind and darted after her in his own canoe but both fell over the
Falls to their deaths.
Years later, de La Salle’s
wife announced her husband’s account was false. She stated he had wanted to portray the
Haudenosaunee as an “ignorant people.” The reason for this was to make it easy to take their
land so they could colonize the area.
So her husband set out to “demonize”
them so there would be no sympathy for them, and even more important so the
colonization would not be opposed.
He also hoped the dark picture he
painted would meet with approval from the King and Queen of France. Their
financial backing was needed for more expeditions.
The Haudenosaunee people treated
de La Salle with “intelligence and hospitality” --this makes his false
representations even worse.
A Cruel God and Human Sacrifice
The Haudenosaunee especially
took offense at to two concepts presented in the Legend of Lelawala. **
First, this legend includes a
God, Hirnum that needs to be appeased or he will kill the natives. In contrast,
the Haudenosaunee Gods are positive deities. They only want peace and love for
the people.
The second part caused an
even greater offense. The Haudenosaunee people never performed human
sacrifices.
In fact, this culture holds
their woman in the highest regard. Unlike the Europeans that came to
colonize--the Haudenosaunee woman played critical roles and responsibilities
within their government and communities.
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| Corn farming. |
They were one of the first
peoples to have suffrage.
** The Legend of Lelawala is based on a real Haudenosaunee legend but the two
have little in common--except both maidens go over the Falls.
In Part ll of Maid of the Mist: A Lie I share both the false legend and the real Haudenosaunee legend that
it is based upon.
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