Which pairing is traditionally credited with shaping the Great Law of Peace and the formation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?

• A. Hiawatha and Red Jacket
• B. Deganawida and Canassatego
• C. Hiawatha and Orenda
• D. Deganawida and Hiawatha

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the Great Law of Peace and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy come from a collaboration between a visionary messenger and his eloquent advocate, who together united the warring nations under a shared system of governance. Deganawida is described as the prophet who received and conveyed the message of peace, while Hiawatha acted as the powerful spokesperson who traveled among the nations, persuaded their leaders, and helped organize the alliance. Their partnership gave shape to the Confederacy’s structure—a council-based government that sought consensus, balance among the nations, and peaceful resolution of conflicts. This pairing—one person bringing the spiritual foundation and another translating that vision into practical leadership and diplomacy—fits the tradition of how the Great Law of Peace and the Confederacy were formed. The other options involve figures or concepts not traditionally credited with that founding dynamic, such as later leaders or abstract ideas, so they don’t capture the same historical pairing.