The Onondagas assumed an elevated rank for their wisdom and learning among the other tribes, and there was not one of these which did not grant them the superior privilege of lighting the council fire.

But in the midst of the high tide of their prosperity, suddenly there arose a great alarm at the invasion of a ferocious band of warriors from the North of the Great Lakes. As these bands advanced, they made an indiscriminate slaughter of men, women, and children. Destruction fell upon all alike.

The public alarm was great, but Hiawatha advised them not to waste their efforts in a hasty manner. Instead, he told them to call a council of all the tribes that could be gathered together, from the East to the West; and, at the same time, he appointed a meeting to take place on an eminence on the banks of the @Onondaga Lake. There, accordingly, the chief men assembled, while the occasion brought together a vast multitude of men, women, and children. All hoped for some marvelous deliverance.