Hiawatha's arrival by the Detroit Photo Company, 1904. Hiawatha was a pre-historical Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Depending on the version of the narrative he was a leader of the Onondaga, or the Mohawk or both. According to some versions he was born an Onondaga, but adopted into the Mohawk. Vintage image restored by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.