The Prophecy Of Deganawidah (an Iroquois Legend) The White, Red and Black Serpents by Forrest Liggett

The Prophecy Of Deganawidah (an Iroquois Legend) The White, Red and Black Serpents by Forrest Liggett

When Deganawidah was leaving the Indians in the Bay of Quinte in Ontario, he told the Indian people that they would face a time of great suffering. They would distrust their leaders and the principles of peace of the League,1 and a great white serpent2 was to come upon the Iroquois. For a time it would intermingle with the Indian people and would be accepted by the Indians, who would treat the serpent as a friend. This serpent would in time become so powerful that it would attempt to destroy the Indian. The serpent is described as choking the life's blood out of the Indian people.

Deganawidah told the Indians that they would be in such a terrible state at this point that all hope would seem to be lost. He told them that when things looked their darkest, a red serpent would come from the north3 and approach the white serpent. The white serpent would be terrified, and upon seeing the red serpent he would release the Indian who would fall to the ground almost like a helpless child. The white serpent would then turn all its attention to the red serpent. The bewilderment would cause the white serpent to accept the red serpent momentarily. The white serpent would be stunned and take part of the red serpent and accept him. Then there is a heated argument and a fight. The Indian revives and crawls toward the land of the hilly country. 4 He would then assemble his people together and they would renew their faith5 and the principles of peace that Deganawidah had established. There would at the same time exist among the Indians a great love and forgiveness for his brother and in this gathering would come streams from allover-not only the Iroquois but from allover-and they would gather in this hilly country, and they would renew their friendship.6  Deganawidah said they would remain neutral in this fight between the white serpent and the red serpent.

At the time they were watching the two serpents locked in this battle, a great message would come to them which would make them ever so humble. When they become that humble, they will be waiting for a young leader, an Indian boy possibly in his teens. who would be a choice seer. 7 Nobody knows who he is or where he comes from, but he would be given great power, and would be heard by thousands. He would give them the guidance and the hope to refrain from going back to their land and he would be the accepted leader. Deganawidah said that they would gather in the land of the hilly country beneath the branches of an elm tree. They should burn tobacco and call upon Deganawidah by name when they are facing their darkest hours, and he would return.

Deganawidah said that as the choice seer speaks to the Indians that number as the blades of grass, he would he heard by all at the same time. As the Indians are gathered watching the fight. they notice from the south a black serpent coming from the sea.8 He is described as dripping with salt water. He stands there and rests for a spell to get his breath. All the time he is watching to the north to the land where the white serpent and the red serpent are fighting. Deganawidah said that the battle between the white ad the red serpents opened real slow but would then become so violent that the mountains would crack and the rivers would boil and the fish would turn up on their bellies. He said that there would he no leaves on the trees in that area. There would he no grass, strange bugs and beetles would crawl from the ground and attack both serpent and he said that a great heat would cause the stench of death to sicken both serpents.9 As the boy seer is watching this light. the red serpent reaches around the back of the white serpent and pulls from him a hair which is carried toward the south by a great wind into the waiting hands of the black serpent. As the black serpent studies this hair, it suddenly turns into a woman. a white woman10 who tells him things that he knows to he true11 but he: wants to hear them again. When this white woman finishes telling these things. he takes her and gently places her on a rock with great love and respect. He becomes infuriated at what he has heard so he makes a beeline for the north and enters the battlel2 between the red and white serpents with such speed and anger that he defeats the two serpents who have already been battle weary.

When he finishes,13 he stands on the chest of the white serpent and boasts putting his chest out like he's the conqueror and he looks for another serpent to conquer. He looks to the land of the hilly country and then he sees the Indian standing with his arms folded and looking ever so nobly so that he knows that this Indian is not the one that he should fight. The next direction that he will face will he eastward.14 At that time he will be momentarily blinded by a light that is many times brighter than the sun. The light will be coming from the east to the west over the water. When the black serpent regains his sight, he becomes terrified and makes a beeline for the sea. He dips into the sea and swims away in a southerly direction. He shall never again be seen by the Indians. The white serpent revives and he, too, sees this light and makes a feeble attempt to gather himself to go toward that light. A portion of the white serpent refuses to remain but instead makes its way toward the land of the hilly country. There he will join the Indian people with a great love like that of a lost brother.15 The rest of the white serpent went to the sea and dipped into the sea and was lost out of sight for a spell. Then suddenly the white serpent appears again on the top of the water and is slowly swimming toward the light. Deganawidah said that the white serpent would never again be a troublesome spot for the Indian people. The red serpent would revive and he would shiver with great fear when he sees that light. He would crawl to the north and leave a bloody shaky trail northward. He would never be seen again by the Indians.16  Deganawidah said as this light approaches that he would be that light. He would return to his Indian people, and when he returns, the Indian people would be a greater nation than they ever were before.17


The following endnotes are an attempt to tie together Iroquois prophecy with scriptural prophecies out of the Bible. the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. There are also additional stories out of other tribal cultures that support these conclusions. We would ask that you take the time to look up these scriptural references in order to be better informed.

1. 1 Nephi 3:34
2. 1 Nephi 3:148-150
3. Ezekiel 38
4. Mt Zion, Genesis 49:26. Isaiah 4. Isaiah 2:2,3
5. 3 Nephi 7:35-37
6. 3 Nephi 7:28,29, Ezekiel 37:21,22
7. 2 Nephi 2: 10
8. Mexico & Central America
9. Nuclear, chemical, biological warfare
10. Revelations 12:7 identifies the woman as the church. The church would speak the gospel; possible reference to white buffalo calf woman.
11. D & C 3:15 a,b reference to Book of Mormon.
12. 3 Nephi 9:51,52
13. 3 Nephi 9:99, 100
14. Matthew 24: 27 & 38
15. 3 Nephi 9:92,10:1
16. Joel 2:20
17. 3 Nephi 10:18,21,25