TyrannusRex
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Hiawatha leads the Iroquois in Sid Meier's Civilization VI!
and...
Jigonsaseh also leads the Iroquois in Sid Meier's Civilization VI!
Nota Bene: "Iroquois", while being a popular shorthand for this confederacy of native peoples, is an exonym given to them by an imperialistic power. They refer to themselves as the Haudenosaunee {HOH-din-oh-SHOH-nee}, and I would encourage the use of this name out of respect for living members of the community. For the purposes of this post, however, I'll be using "Iroquois", the name used in Civilization V.
Hiawatha, according to tradition, was a leader among the Onondaga or Mohawk people, and a cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Alongside Jigonsaseh and the Great Peacemaker, he went among the Five Tribes and helped spread the Great Law of Peace, eventually uniting Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca under one constitution, sometime between the 15th and 17th Centuries.
A rough depiction of Hiawatha's in-game model and icon. The small antlers on the headdress are a tradition of Haudenosaunee leaders/councilmen, and the feathers on the headdress represent tribal affiliation.Hiawatha is said to be either Onondaga, Mohawk, or Onondaga-born and adopted by the Mohawk later in life.
Hiawatha's unique ability is called Envoy of the Peacemaker. Whenever Hiawatha or one of his allies end a war with another civilization peacefully, he gains 3 free Envoys and 100 Diplomatic Favor, increased to 300 with Diplomatic Service and 500 with Ideology. Hiawatha also has the ability to send Envoys to city-states he is at war with to convince them to stand down, and any Envoys sent to a city-state he or one of his allies is at war with count as double their number. Additionally, levied city-state units return half their recruitment cost when their contract runs out or their allegiance switches. If there's one leader who's mastered the art of diplomacy, it's certainly Hiawatha!
Hiawatha's agenda is called Firekeeper, referencing the Onondaga's role as the keepers of the council fire during meetings of the nations. He likes civilizations who avoid declaring war on himself, his allies, and his vassal city-states, and he will try his best to protect friends, allies, and city-states by joining wars, as well as never breaking his Alliances, such as during World Congress Emergencies. Naturally, he dislikes those who attack his friends, allies, or city-states, as well as those who won't go to similar lengths to protect their own. Expect to pay careful attention to the state of world diplomacy whenever Hiawatha's in the game!
But of course, that's not to say that the other Iroquois leader isn't equally committed to peace...
Jigonsaseh is honored as the Mother of Nations among the Iroquois, and is likewise one of the Confederacy's cofounders. Iroquois society was notably matriarchal, and it was clan mothers who had the power to appoint and dismiss chieftains or council representatives. Jigonsaseh was said to be a Seneca woman who allowed people of any tribe to rest in her longhouse as long as they kept the peace. When warriors of different tribes would cross paths under her roof, she would feed them from the same pot, thus making them kin and forbidden to fight each other.
A rough depiction of Jigonsaseh's in-game model and icon. I know I made her quite a bit older than the above piece of art; to be fair, her age is never specified in the story, there aren't many artistic renderings of Jigonsaseh that I could find, and I realized that Civ VI was missing an elderly female character, so I figured I'd kill three birds with one stone. Also, the clothing options on Hero Forge really only work for generic Native Americans, so I'd love to have more Iroquois-specific designs for her and Hiawatha both.
Jigonsaseh's unique ability is called, fittingly, Mother of Nations, and this ability introduces an entirely new mechanic to the game! She gains the Inspiration for Diplomatic Service from the beginning of the game, and, upon researching it, can partake in a special World Congress event called Mediation. When one of her friends or allies is engaged in a war with a civilization with whom the Iroquois are neutral, or against another civ who is also one of her friends or allies, Jigonsaseh can enter Mediation with them after 10 turns of war have passed. In Mediation, Jigonsaseh can spend Diplomatic Favor to help the two parties work out a peace agreement as per regular gameplay, suggesting capitulations or cessations that could be made, with the greater the ask (such as surrendering a city) costing more Diplomatic Favor. To encourage cooperation, AI civs will be slightly more compliant to Jigonsaseh's suggestions than they would be to a player seeking peace themselves; further details on Mediation will come in the Deep Dive post.
Once an agreement is reached, the war ends, all Grievances between both civs are halved, and Jigonsaseh gains +10 Diplomatic Favor per turn for the next 10 turns. However, if one of those civs decides to be ungrateful and declare war upon the Mother of Nations, their Grievances against her are doubled and decay twice as slowly!
In addition, if Sweden is in the game, completing Mediation nets Jigonsaseh 10 Victory Points toward winning a Nobel Peace Prize, boosted to 20 with Ideology.
Jigonsaseh's agenda is called Gaiwoh, Skenon, Gashadenshaa - in English, that's Righteousness, Health, and Power, principles of the Great Law of Peace. She likes civilizations at peace who maintain happy, well-fed cities, and will try her best to keep her cities' Population growing and supplied with Amenities. She dislikes those civs who have starving or shrinking cities or few Amenities, especially if they declare frequent wars.
But now on to the civilization itself! The Iroquois civ ability is called - what else? - Great Law of Peace. After ending a war peacefully, all Iroquois cities, including newly captured ones, cannot lose Loyalty for 20 turns.
A couple different mockups of a Rotisken’rakéhte model, as well as their unit icon, inspired by Haudenosaunee warpaint & headdresses.
The Iroquois unique unit is the Rotisken’rakéhte, from a Mohawk word referring to a band of warriors. They are a unique Renaissance Era unit that replaces the Musketman, but unlike the Musketman, has no Strategic Resource cost to train. They heal quickly in neutral territory, and they gain +5 combat strength while occupying Woods or Rainforest tiles, as well as suffering no movement penalty on said terrain.
The Iroquois have a unique tile improvement in the Ganoñhsésgeh (which I can't show you because I hit the 10-attachment limit! Just as well, I was having trouble designing one.) From an Onondaga(?) word meaning "longhouse", these homes were built entirely of wood, with their frame made of flexible poles and saplings filled in with sheets of bark, like shingles, then bolstered from the outside with a second frame. Unlocking with Construction, the Ganoñhsésgeh provides +1 Food and +2 Housing, increasing to +2 Food and +3 Housing with Sanitation. If adjacent to a Commercial Hub or Theater Square, it provides Gold or Culture proportionate to its base tile yields. They can be built adjacent to each other, but cannot be built on Hills or Desert tiles.
With a diplomacy game unlike any other civilization, the Iroquois are ready to foster brotherhood and prosperity no matter who leads them. If they are forced to march the warpath, however, they can claim new territory with their Rotisken’rakéhte and hold onto it easily with their unique ability, as well as helping the ravaged land recover by building their longhouses. Hiawatha's Envoys can help sway wars and city-states in your favor, and Jigonsaseh's unique Mediation mechanic can net you some global brownie points, as well as ensuring harmony among your social circle.
Will you stand for peace amid a world at constant war? How will you lead the Iroquois in Sid Meier's Civilization VI?
and...
Jigonsaseh also leads the Iroquois in Sid Meier's Civilization VI!
Nota Bene: "Iroquois", while being a popular shorthand for this confederacy of native peoples, is an exonym given to them by an imperialistic power. They refer to themselves as the Haudenosaunee {HOH-din-oh-SHOH-nee}, and I would encourage the use of this name out of respect for living members of the community. For the purposes of this post, however, I'll be using "Iroquois", the name used in Civilization V.
Hiawatha, according to tradition, was a leader among the Onondaga or Mohawk people, and a cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Alongside Jigonsaseh and the Great Peacemaker, he went among the Five Tribes and helped spread the Great Law of Peace, eventually uniting Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca under one constitution, sometime between the 15th and 17th Centuries.
A rough depiction of Hiawatha's in-game model and icon. The small antlers on the headdress are a tradition of Haudenosaunee leaders/councilmen, and the feathers on the headdress represent tribal affiliation.Hiawatha is said to be either Onondaga, Mohawk, or Onondaga-born and adopted by the Mohawk later in life.
Hiawatha's unique ability is called Envoy of the Peacemaker. Whenever Hiawatha or one of his allies end a war with another civilization peacefully, he gains 3 free Envoys and 100 Diplomatic Favor, increased to 300 with Diplomatic Service and 500 with Ideology. Hiawatha also has the ability to send Envoys to city-states he is at war with to convince them to stand down, and any Envoys sent to a city-state he or one of his allies is at war with count as double their number. Additionally, levied city-state units return half their recruitment cost when their contract runs out or their allegiance switches. If there's one leader who's mastered the art of diplomacy, it's certainly Hiawatha!
Hiawatha's agenda is called Firekeeper, referencing the Onondaga's role as the keepers of the council fire during meetings of the nations. He likes civilizations who avoid declaring war on himself, his allies, and his vassal city-states, and he will try his best to protect friends, allies, and city-states by joining wars, as well as never breaking his Alliances, such as during World Congress Emergencies. Naturally, he dislikes those who attack his friends, allies, or city-states, as well as those who won't go to similar lengths to protect their own. Expect to pay careful attention to the state of world diplomacy whenever Hiawatha's in the game!
But of course, that's not to say that the other Iroquois leader isn't equally committed to peace...
Jigonsaseh is honored as the Mother of Nations among the Iroquois, and is likewise one of the Confederacy's cofounders. Iroquois society was notably matriarchal, and it was clan mothers who had the power to appoint and dismiss chieftains or council representatives. Jigonsaseh was said to be a Seneca woman who allowed people of any tribe to rest in her longhouse as long as they kept the peace. When warriors of different tribes would cross paths under her roof, she would feed them from the same pot, thus making them kin and forbidden to fight each other.
A rough depiction of Jigonsaseh's in-game model and icon. I know I made her quite a bit older than the above piece of art; to be fair, her age is never specified in the story, there aren't many artistic renderings of Jigonsaseh that I could find, and I realized that Civ VI was missing an elderly female character, so I figured I'd kill three birds with one stone. Also, the clothing options on Hero Forge really only work for generic Native Americans, so I'd love to have more Iroquois-specific designs for her and Hiawatha both.
Jigonsaseh's unique ability is called, fittingly, Mother of Nations, and this ability introduces an entirely new mechanic to the game! She gains the Inspiration for Diplomatic Service from the beginning of the game, and, upon researching it, can partake in a special World Congress event called Mediation. When one of her friends or allies is engaged in a war with a civilization with whom the Iroquois are neutral, or against another civ who is also one of her friends or allies, Jigonsaseh can enter Mediation with them after 10 turns of war have passed. In Mediation, Jigonsaseh can spend Diplomatic Favor to help the two parties work out a peace agreement as per regular gameplay, suggesting capitulations or cessations that could be made, with the greater the ask (such as surrendering a city) costing more Diplomatic Favor. To encourage cooperation, AI civs will be slightly more compliant to Jigonsaseh's suggestions than they would be to a player seeking peace themselves; further details on Mediation will come in the Deep Dive post.
Once an agreement is reached, the war ends, all Grievances between both civs are halved, and Jigonsaseh gains +10 Diplomatic Favor per turn for the next 10 turns. However, if one of those civs decides to be ungrateful and declare war upon the Mother of Nations, their Grievances against her are doubled and decay twice as slowly!
In addition, if Sweden is in the game, completing Mediation nets Jigonsaseh 10 Victory Points toward winning a Nobel Peace Prize, boosted to 20 with Ideology.
Jigonsaseh's agenda is called Gaiwoh, Skenon, Gashadenshaa - in English, that's Righteousness, Health, and Power, principles of the Great Law of Peace. She likes civilizations at peace who maintain happy, well-fed cities, and will try her best to keep her cities' Population growing and supplied with Amenities. She dislikes those civs who have starving or shrinking cities or few Amenities, especially if they declare frequent wars.
But now on to the civilization itself! The Iroquois civ ability is called - what else? - Great Law of Peace. After ending a war peacefully, all Iroquois cities, including newly captured ones, cannot lose Loyalty for 20 turns.
A couple different mockups of a Rotisken’rakéhte model, as well as their unit icon, inspired by Haudenosaunee warpaint & headdresses.
The Iroquois unique unit is the Rotisken’rakéhte, from a Mohawk word referring to a band of warriors. They are a unique Renaissance Era unit that replaces the Musketman, but unlike the Musketman, has no Strategic Resource cost to train. They heal quickly in neutral territory, and they gain +5 combat strength while occupying Woods or Rainforest tiles, as well as suffering no movement penalty on said terrain.
The Iroquois have a unique tile improvement in the Ganoñhsésgeh (which I can't show you because I hit the 10-attachment limit! Just as well, I was having trouble designing one.) From an Onondaga(?) word meaning "longhouse", these homes were built entirely of wood, with their frame made of flexible poles and saplings filled in with sheets of bark, like shingles, then bolstered from the outside with a second frame. Unlocking with Construction, the Ganoñhsésgeh provides +1 Food and +2 Housing, increasing to +2 Food and +3 Housing with Sanitation. If adjacent to a Commercial Hub or Theater Square, it provides Gold or Culture proportionate to its base tile yields. They can be built adjacent to each other, but cannot be built on Hills or Desert tiles.
With a diplomacy game unlike any other civilization, the Iroquois are ready to foster brotherhood and prosperity no matter who leads them. If they are forced to march the warpath, however, they can claim new territory with their Rotisken’rakéhte and hold onto it easily with their unique ability, as well as helping the ravaged land recover by building their longhouses. Hiawatha's Envoys can help sway wars and city-states in your favor, and Jigonsaseh's unique Mediation mechanic can net you some global brownie points, as well as ensuring harmony among your social circle.
Will you stand for peace amid a world at constant war? How will you lead the Iroquois in Sid Meier's Civilization VI?
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