Bury the Hatchet

To "bury the hatchet" is to put an end to a dispute and reestablish a friendship. It is a saying that has been used for many years; the earliest recorded instances in literature date from the middle of the eighteenth century. It alludes to an even older practice of some Native American tribes, who would figuratively bury their weapons after a fight to symbolize their return to peace.

Since the majority of Native American history was passed down orally, it is impossible to determine the actual age of the practice or expression. The Iroquois Confederacy was created when the Five Nations, which included the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca, agreed to the Great Law of Peace, according to an old tradition. The story goes that the chiefs of the tribes gathered their weapons and buried their hatchets, thus bringing peace, under the roots of a great white pine tree.