“That was when our men realized they had made a mistake. In their excitement they had forgotten to leave their bows and arrows behind. But they knew what to do to prove their sincerity. They removed all of their arrows from their quivers and stripped the feathers from them. Then, as a further sign of their intent to truly make peace, they fastened their feathers onto their gustowehs. Like mine,” Carries said, placing his hand gently on the feathered side of his cap. “It has now become the custom of all our men. And I think men of our other nations will all soon be doing the same.”

“I like that story,” Okwaho said. Then he looked again toward the Peacemaker. A tall Mohawk man and a woman elder with a kind, strong face had come from two other canoes to stand by the Peacemaker’s side.

“Who are those people?”

“Who do you think they are?” Carries asked in a teasing voice.

“Hiawatha and Tsakonsase?”

Carries just smiled.

The Peacemaker looked over at Okwaho and Carries. He nodded his head and then turned to look at Hiawatha and Tsakonsase.

“Is it time?” he said in his soft voice, a voice that could not be heard from far away.

“It is time,” Tsakonsase said.

“It is time,” Hiawatha repeated.

The Peacemaker lifted his right hand, two fingers pointing upward toward the sky land. Then he dropped his palm.

Understanding his friend’s signal, Hiawatha spoke. Unlike the Peacemaker’s voice, his voice was so loud and clear that Okwaho did not doubt that everyone, even those farthest away along the shore, could hear him.

“IT IS TIME TO BRING THE PEACE TO ATATARHO.”

“YES!” the gathered people responded with one voice, so loud that it echoed back to them from the far side of the lake.

“AS WE WALK, WE SHALL SING TOGETHER. WE SHALL SING THE SONG OF PEACE TAUGHT TO THE PEACEMAKER BY A BIRD.”

Then, as Hiawatha, Tsakonsase, and the Peacemaker led them, everyone began to walk toward the place around the bend in the shore where Atatarho was waiting. And as they walked, they sang together the song that had given itself first to Okwaho and then to the Peacemaker.

AEE, AEE, YAI

AEE, AEE, YAI