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 THE LIBHARV OF 
 CONGRESS, 
 
 Two Cof-ita RtCEiveo 
 
 AUG. 19 1901 
 
 COWRIQMT ENT^r 
 
 CLASS ^XXc No 
 COPY B. 
 
 Copyright 1901, 
 ov 
 
 . '^HIJiESTIHaRT.' 
 
PREFACE 
 
 of Wsccosbi lauijj o . _r_-:-j- 
 
birth, led to a careful reading of all 
 works of authority on the subject. 
 
 My determination was to provide 
 pupils with a work for supplementary 
 reading that might stimulate them to 
 further research. I am deeply indebted 
 to Lewis H. Morgan, that honored cit- 
 izen of Rochester, for much that may 
 be found in the following pages. Park- 
 man, Hosmer, Lockwood Doty, Peter 
 A. Porter, Eggleston, Hale's Book of 
 Rites, by D. G. Brinton ; the Jesuit 
 Relations, from the New York Histor- 
 ical Collections and papers by Dr. 
 Beauchamp, have been carefullv read and 
 studied. They are all benefactors, and 
 should be so recognized by students. 
 
To Miss Sadie Pierepont Barnard the 
 readers are indebted for the illus- 
 trations that form one of the most in- 
 teresting and instructive features of the 
 work. Trusting that its mission may 
 be fulfilled and others led to the field 
 of investigation, I remain 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 S. P. M. 
 
iRoauois 
 
 "I've threaded many a devious maze 
 And Alpine path without a rail. 
 
 Yet never felt such tipsy craze 
 
 As touched me on the Indian trail." 
 
 N the Niagara frontier which 
 played so important a part, 
 was so coveted, and exerted 
 so great an influence in peace and 
 war, on the control, growth, settlement 
 and civilization of the country ; almost 
 within hearing of the mighty roar of 
 the " Great Falls Oakinagaro," and 
 fully within reach of their power is a 
 fitting spot for the erection of this 
 magic Pan-American city, which por- 
 
trays in Architecture, Sculptare anc 
 Color, the transitiGn of man from the 
 savage state to civilization, and within 
 its gates are found the descendents of 
 the " Ireokwa " in Indian tongue, 
 meaning " The Tobacco People." 
 
 Fascinated by the charm of story, 
 myth, and legend relating the History, 
 Life and Religion of the Indians of 
 New York state it is intensely interest- 
 ing to search along the Indian Trails 
 now so nearly obliterated by the re- 
 lentless march of civilization, for some 
 trace or record of the savagen' that has 
 paled and passed away. 
 
 The hatchet has long been buried, 
 and the treachery and cruelt\- of the 
 savage that terrorized the early settlers 
 is well nigh forgotten, and as zealously 
 
as they sought to avoid crossing the 
 path of the redman, we new seek to 
 discover their old battle sroxinds, hoard- 
 ins every tiny bead, or arrow found, as 
 a link in the chain that binds ta-zether 
 the days of primitive life in the fores3 
 and the all absorbing hurrv scurrv of 
 modem times. 
 
 Lured alone the trail of the Inxmois 
 by discerning on a hill the broken oat- 4^ 
 line of some old fortification and bv ^ 
 finding bits of pottery, tomahawks, 
 flint knives, arrows and spear points, in 
 imasination we are led back to the time 
 of fores3 primeval, which covered the 
 Empire State, when the iii^hwavs o: 
 water sni steel now traversins; fertile 
 valley and farm, through village an. 
 town, trom dtv to citv teeming wirh s-; 
 
 f^ 
 
•iRoauois. 
 
 life and industry, were all unknown and 
 unwished. 
 
 When the song of the birds, the cry 
 of wild animals, the rush of streams and 
 roar of cataracts, the sound of the wind 
 through the trees, the voice of Henu, 
 the Thunder God, among the hills and 
 the war cry of the red man the true son 
 of the forest, were the only sounds to 
 break the stillnes. 
 
 A far cry from that time to this, but 
 imagination knows no bounds and will 
 take us even farther back, to the tradi- 
 tional origin of the Redman as given by 
 the Oneida Sachems. 
 
 Before man existed there were three 
 great and good spirits, of whom one 
 was superior to the other two and is 
 emphatically called the Great and Good 
 
Spirit. At a certain time this exalted 
 being said to one of the others, make a 
 man. He obeyed, and taking chalk 
 formed a paste of it, moulding it into 
 the human shape, infused into it the 
 animating principle and brought it to 
 the Great Spirit. 
 
 He, after surveying it said, "this is 
 too white." He then directed the 
 other good spirit to make a trial of his 
 skill. Accordingly taking charcoal he 
 pursued the same course and brought 
 the result to the Great Spirit, who after 
 surveying it said, " it is too black." 
 Then, said the Great Spirit, " I will now 
 try myself, and taking red earthy he form- 
 ed a human being. In the same manner 
 surveying it, said, " this is a proper, or 
 perfect many 
 
 5 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 And these redmen, whose minds 
 were filled with the vast solitudes of 
 nature, whose untamed freedom and 
 utter intolerance of control were in 
 harmony with the cataracts, were stamp- 
 ed with a hard and stern physiognomy. 
 
 Ambition, envy, revenge and jeal- 
 ousy were their ruling passions, and their 
 cold temperments were little exposed to 
 those vices that are the bane of weaker 
 races. 
 
 Yet, in spite of their haughty inde- 
 pendence thev were devoted hero wor- 
 shipers, and high achievement in war or 
 policy, became a chord to which their 
 nature never failed to respond. They 
 looked up with admiring reverence to 
 the sages and heroes of the tribe. Their 
 love of glory was a burning passion. 
 6 
 
The Iroquois were a people noted 
 in history and their institutions are not 
 yet extinct. They had acquired their 
 country by conquest and gloried in the 
 achievement. 
 
 The Mo-he-ka-news, considered 
 themselves the original inhabitants of 
 this part of North America and were 
 spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 
 Lacking concentration and harmony 
 they fell an easy prey to the Iroquois, 
 who planted themselves in the midst of 
 this widely extended nation. The 
 Indian population of New York at its 
 highest, was estimated at 7,000 to 
 18,000. "That they had some ideas in 
 advance of their white brothers who 
 are exterminating birds, beasts and fish, 
 may be inferred from the fact that the 
 
 7 
 
jRoauois. 
 
 Iroquois once made war on the Illinois, 
 and nearly destroyed them, because 
 they had violated the game laws of the 
 hunting nations in not leaving a certain 
 number of male and female beavers in 
 each pond." 
 
 Their moral and mental endowments 
 must have been of a high order to call 
 out such an eulogium as this : 
 
 "Nowhere in a long career of dis- 
 covery, of enterprise and extension of 
 empire, have Europeans found natives 
 of the soil with as many of the noblest 
 attributes of humanity ; moral and 
 physical elements which, if they could 
 not have been blended with ours, 
 could have maintained a separate exist- 
 ence and been fostered by the proxim- 
 ity of civilization and the arts. Every- 
 8 
 
where, when first approached by our 
 race, they welcomed it and made dem- 
 onstrations of friendship and peace. 
 Savages as they were called and 
 savage as they may have been in their 
 assaults and wars upon each other, 
 there is no act of theirs recorded in our 
 histories of early colonization, or wrong 
 or outrage that was not provoked by as- 
 saults, treachery or deception — breaches 
 of the hospitalities they had extended 
 to the strangers. Whatever of the 
 savage character they may have possess- 
 ed, so far as our race was concerned, it 
 was dormant until aroused to action by 
 assaults or treachery of intruders upon 
 their soil, whom they had met and 
 treated as friends." This does not 
 bear out the theory that the only good 
 
>lRoauois 
 
 Indian, is a dead one. The long house 
 of the Iroquois had for its eastern door 
 the sparkling v/aters of the Hudson, 
 while the rolling waves of Lake Erie 
 formed its Western entrance. This 
 country, comprising as it did the pres- 
 ent state of New York, was favorably- 
 located for their stronghold, but their 
 success was due to their inherent energy 
 wrought to the most effective action 
 under a political fabric well suited to 
 the Indian life. 
 
 Their highways were trails leading 
 from different points of vantage, but all 
 converging at Onondaga Village, the 
 Onondagas being the fire keepers of the 
 Six Nations which composed the great 
 and strong Iroquoian Confederacy. 
 
 This confederacy, called by themselves 
 
Ho-de-no-sau-nee, consisted originally 
 of five nations, Mohawks, Oneidas, 
 Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas, aug- 
 mented to six by the adoption of the 
 Tuscaroras in 1714 or 15. From the 
 western end of the Territory sallied 
 forth the warlike Senecas, killing and 
 making prisoners from the tribes in what 
 are now known as the Western States, 
 east of the Mississippi. In fact they laid 
 all under their tribute. They roamed 
 like the wolves that infested the forests 
 through the tribes, adopting those 
 whom they chose, thus strengthening 
 their war parties, with every raid by in- 
 corporating the flower of the tribes 
 captured. 
 
 Possibly they thought " all is fair in 
 love and war," but not in games, of 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 which the Indian is very fond, for tra- 
 dition tells us of a mighty war which 
 ended in the expulsion of the Eries 
 from the territory west of the Gene- 
 see, about the year 1654, because of a 
 breach of faith or treachery on the part 
 of the Eries in a ball game to which 
 they had challenged the Senecas. " As 
 there is no record, we may never know 
 as to the umpire present on that occa- 
 sion, whether he was smitten with a 
 war club, cleft with a tomahawk, or 
 merely transfixed with a flight of ar- 
 rows. The Senecas were fair men, and 
 it must have been some great prov- 
 ocation that led them to wreak such 
 vengeance on the Eries." Upon the 
 whole they were an extraordinary 
 people. Had they enjoyed the advan- 
 
tages possessed by the Greeks and 
 Romans, there is no reason to believe 
 that they would have been at all inferior 
 to those celebrated nations. Their 
 minds seem to have been equal to any 
 efforts within the reach of man. Their 
 conquests, if we consider their numbers 
 and circumstances, were little inferior to 
 Rome itself In their harmony, the 
 unity of their operations, the energy of 
 their character, the vastness, vigor and 
 success of their enterprises, and the 
 strength and sublimity of their elo- 
 quence, they may be fairly contrasted 
 with the Greeks. Each nation was 
 divided into three tribes. The Tortoise, 
 Bear and Wolf, each village a distinct 
 republic, and its concerns were managed 
 by its particular chief. 
 
 13 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 Their exterior relations, general in- 
 terests, and national affairs were super- 
 intended by a great council, assembled 
 annually at Onondaga, the central 
 council composed of the chiefs of each 
 republic, and eighty sachems were fre- 
 quently convened at their national as- 
 sembly. 
 
 It took cognizance of the great ques- 
 tions of war and peace and of the affairs 
 of the tributary nations. 
 
 All their proceedings were conducted 
 with great deliberation and were distin- 
 guished for order, decorum and solem- 
 nity. They esteemed themselves as 
 sovereigns, accountable to none but 
 God alone, whom they called the Great 
 Spirit. No hereditary distinctions were 
 admitted. The office of Sachem was 
 
 H 
 
the reward of personal merit, great wis- 
 dom, commanding eloquence or distin- 
 guished services in the field, their 
 most prominent characteristic being an 
 exalted spirit of liberty that spurned 
 foreign or domestic control. In war 
 the use of stratagem was never neglect- 
 ed. While they preferred to take an 
 enemy off his guard, by leading him 
 into an ambuscade, yet when necessary 
 to face him in an open field they fought 
 with a courage and contempt of death 
 that has never been surpassed. 
 
 One of the early missionaries de- 
 scribes an Indian who shot at a large 
 bear and wounded him ; the bear fell 
 and lay whining and groaning. The 
 Indian went up to him and said : 
 " Bear, you are a coward, and no war- 
 
 15 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 rior. You know that your tribe and 
 mine are at war, and that your's began 
 it. If you had wounded me I would 
 not have uttered a sound ; and yet you 
 sit here and cry and disgrace your 
 tribe." 
 
 It is said that the Iroquois had 
 planned a mighty union, and without 
 doubt had the coming of Europeans 
 been delayed a century later the league 
 would have included all the tribes be- 
 tween the Great Lakes and the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 The I roquoian Confederacy remained 
 long after the Eastern and Southern 
 tribes had lost their standing, and to 
 this day keep intact their confederacy 
 and tribal organizations. Their orig- 
 inal congress was composed of fifty 
 i6 
 
Sachems, and generally met at the On- 
 ondaga council house. 
 
 The business of the congress was 
 conducted in a grave and dignified man- 
 ner, the reason and judgment of the 
 chiefs being appealed to rather than 
 their passions. It was considered a 
 breach of decorum for a Sachem to re- 
 ply to a speech on the day of its de- 
 livery, and no question could be decided 
 without the concurrence of every mem- 
 ber, thus securing unanimity. The 
 Sachems served without badge of office, 
 their sole reward being the veneration 
 of their people in whose interests they 
 were meeting. Public opinion exercised 
 a powerful influence among the Iro- 
 quois, the ablest among them having a 
 common dread of the people, Subor- 
 
 17 
 
:lRoauois. 
 
 dinate to these Sachems was an order 
 of chiefs, among whom were Red 
 Jacket, Corn Planter and Big Kettle, 
 who by their oratory and eloquence 
 moved the councils or turned the braves 
 on the warpath. A noticeable trait of 
 the Iroquois was the regard paid to the 
 opinions of women ; the sex were rep- 
 resented in council by chiefs known as 
 squaw men. Thus might the women 
 oppose a war or aid in bringing about a 
 bond of peace. They claimed a special 
 right to interfere in the sale of land, 
 their argument being that the land 
 belonged to the warriors who defended 
 and the squaws by whom it was tilled. 
 
 Ml. . . '^^^^^ 
 
 
II. 
 
 N taking up the government of 
 the Iroquois the position which 
 it occupies seemed to be be- 
 tween the extremes of Monarchy on 
 one hand and Democracy on the other. 
 They had passed out of the first stages 
 or eariiest forms of government, that of 
 chief and mentor. It will be readily 
 recognized that a monarchial govern- 
 ment is incompatible with hunter life. 
 Several tribes first united into one 
 nation, the people mingled by inter-mar- 
 riages, and the power of the chiefs ceased 
 to be single and became joint. This 
 brought out an Oligarchial form of gov- 
 ernment ; several nations were united 
 into a confederacy or league. Morgan 
 
 19 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 says that in its construction it was more 
 perfect, systematic and liberal than those 
 of antiquity; there was in the Indian 
 fabric more of fixedness, more of de- 
 pendence upon the people, more of 
 vigor. It would be difficult to find a 
 fairer specimen of the government of 
 the few than the Iroquois, the happy 
 constitution of its ruling body, and in 
 the effective security of the people from 
 misgovernment it stands unrivalled. 
 The spirit prevailing in the confederacy 
 was that of freedom. The people had 
 secured to themselves all the liberty 
 necessary for the united state, and fully 
 appreciated its value ; the red man was 
 always free from political bondage. 
 "His free limbs were never shackled." 
 The Iroquois were entirely convinced 
 
that man was born free, that no person 
 on earth had any right to make any at- 
 tempt against his liberty, and that noth- 
 ing could make amends for its loss. 
 The power of the desire for gain, that 
 great passion of civilized man in its use 
 and abuse, his blessing and his curse, 
 never roused the Indian mind; un- 
 doubtedly it was the reason for his re- 
 maining in the hunter state. The de- 
 sire for gain is one of the earliest man- 
 ifestations of the progessive mind, and 
 one of the most powerful incentives to 
 which the mind is susceptible ; it clears 
 the forest, rears the city, builds the 
 merchantmen, in a word it has civilized 
 the race. 
 
 The creation of the class of chiefs 
 furnishes the clearest evidence ot the 
 
development of the popular element. 
 Under this simple but beautiful fabric 
 of Indian construction arose the power 
 of the Iroquois, reaching at its full me- 
 ridian, over a large portion of our re- 
 public. It is perhaps the only league 
 of nations ever instituted among men, 
 which can point to three centuries of 
 uninterrupted domestic unity and peace. 
 Their political system was necessarily 
 simple. Their limited wants, absence 
 of property in a comparative sense, and 
 the infrequency of crime, dispensed 
 with a vast amount of legislation and 
 machinery incident to the protection of 
 civilized society. From a speculative 
 point of view the institutions of the 
 Iroquois assumed an interesting aspect. 
 Would they naturally have emancipated 
 
the people from their strange infatuation 
 for a hunter life? It cannot be de- 
 nied that there are some grounds for 
 belief that their institutions would have 
 eventually improved into civilization. 
 
 The Iroquois at all times have mani- 
 fested sufficient intelligence to promise a 
 high degree of improvement if It had 
 once become awakened and directed 
 into right pursuits, though centuries 
 might have been required to effect the 
 change. 
 
 But their institutions have a present 
 value irrespective of what they might 
 have become. The Iroquois were our 
 predecessors, this country was once 
 theirs. We should do justice to their 
 memory by preserving their name, 
 deeds, customs and institutions. We 
 
 23 
 
jRoauois 
 
 should not tread ignorantly upon those 
 extinguished council fires, whose light 
 in the days of aboriginal occupation was 
 visible over half the continent. 
 
 24 
 

 
 ^Dlii&iiJl 
 
 . , .t 
 
III. 
 
 HE villages of the Mohawks 
 were chiefly in the Mohawk Val- 
 ley. Around and near Oneida 
 Lake were the principal villages of the 
 Oneidas. The Onondagas were estab- 
 lished in the valley of a river of that 
 name and upon the hills adjacent. 
 
 On the East shore of Cayuga Lake 
 and upon the ridges to the Eastward 
 were the villages of the Cayugas. In 
 the center of Ontario and Monroe 
 Counties were found the principal vil- 
 lages of the Senecas, the most popu- 
 lous of the Confederacy. In later 
 years during their intercourse and 
 warfare with the whites many of the 
 ancient settlements were abandoned and 
 
 25 
 

 new ones established. In the natural 
 order of things it became necessary for 
 the town sites to be changed occasion- 
 ally, as game or fish grew scarce, thus 
 in the course of time nearly all of 
 Western New York was covered with 
 village sites. 
 
 They boasted of occupying the high- 
 est part of the continent, they owned 
 the territory from whence flowed the 
 head waters of the Mohawk, Hudson, 
 Genesee, Deleware, Susquehanna, Ohio 
 and St. Lawrence flowing in every 
 direction to the sea. They held the 
 gates of the country and through them 
 could descend upon any point. Lake 
 Ontario and the mountains on the north 
 and the Alleghanies on the south 
 aflxjrded ample protection from marau- 
 26 
 
ders and migratory bands. Lakes and 
 streams in a remarkable manner inter- 
 sected every part of the Long House; 
 whose head waters were separated only 
 by short portages, and its continuous 
 valleys divided by no mountain barri- 
 ers offered unequaled facilities for in- 
 ter-communication. 
 
 Indian geographers had little trouble 
 with boundary lines. Their custom of 
 settling or establishing themselves on 
 both sides of a river or taking in the 
 entire circuit of a lake enabled each 
 nation to know the boundaries of its 
 territories. Having no knowledge of 
 wells, their settlements were always 
 made near natural water courses. 
 
 The Tuscaroras when expelled from 
 their possessions in North Carolina, in 
 
 27 
 
•iRoauofs 
 
 17 1 2, sought the protection of the 
 Hodenosaunee. They were admitted 
 into the Confederacy as the sixth nation 
 and afterwards regarded as constituent 
 members of the League, although never 
 admitted to a full equality. In 1785 
 the Tuscaroras were partially scattered 
 among the other nations although they 
 continued to preserve their nationality. 
 They had some settlements at a later 
 day near Oneida Lake, a village west of 
 Cayuga and one in the valley of the 
 Genesee below Avon. Subsequently 
 the Senecas gave them a tract on the 
 Niagara River to which they removed, 
 their descendants still occupying a por- 
 tion of this land near Lewiston. 
 
 There were two other remnants of 
 tribes located within the territory of the 
 
 28 
 
Oneidas. The Mo-he-ke-nuks, a few 
 miles south of Oneida Castle, and Dele- 
 wares a few miles south of Clinton. 
 They asked the Oneidas for a place to 
 spread their blankets, their possessions 
 being subsequently secured to them by 
 treaty. Upon their foreign hunting 
 grounds, which were numerous either 
 nation was at liberty to encamp, but 
 by the establishment of territorial limits 
 the political individuality of each tribe 
 was maintained. 
 
 The most interesting feature of abo- 
 riginal geography is the location of the 
 trails, and singularly enough if we take 
 either of the great railway lines now 
 extending through our state, we are 
 following one or the other of the leading 
 trails that Lewis H. Morgan has traced 
 
 29 
 
'iRoauois. 
 
 as being used in 1732 ; the Indians 
 usually following the line of least re- 
 sistance. The central trail, extending 
 from east to west, intersected by cross 
 trails which passed along lakes or the 
 banks of rivers, is commenced at the 
 point where Albany now is, touched 
 the Mohawk at Schenectady, following 
 the river to the carrying place at Rome, 
 from thence west, crossing Onondaga 
 Valley, the foot of Cayuga and Seneca 
 Lakes, and coming out at Buffalo 
 Creek, the present site of Buffalo. This 
 trail was later the route taken, with a 
 few exceptions, by settlers in building a 
 turnpike. This route connected the 
 principal villages, and established a 
 line of travel into Canada on the 
 west, and over the Hudson on the east. 
 
 30 
 
THOMAS LA FORTE. 
 
 Sho-heh-do-nah. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 L«--. 
 
 
 ' W^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^^ -f 
 
 
 
 J Mi'. 
 
 
 Wp 
 
 I^a-"- 
 
 
 ALBERT CUSICK. 
 
 Sa-go-neh-quah-deh. 
 
 OhhIS FARMER. 
 
 Hu-DE-CWEH. 
 
 ON-ON-DA-GA. 
 
Upon the banks of the Susquehanna 
 and its branches, which have their 
 source near the Mohawk, and upon the 
 banks of the Chemung, which has its 
 source near the Genesee, were other 
 trails, all of *which converged upon 
 Tioga at the junction of these two prin- 
 cipal rivers, thus forming the great 
 Southern route into Pennsylvania and 
 Virginia. For century upon century, 
 and by race after race these old and 
 deeply worn trails have been used by 
 the red man from the Atlantic to the 
 Mississippi. These trails were as ac- 
 curately laid out and judiciously planned 
 as our own great thoroughfares. On 
 many of these foot paths the Iroquois 
 had conducted war parties and become 
 well versed in the geography of the 
 
 31 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 country. With their immediate country 
 they were as famihar as we, with 
 our maps, books and teachers as 
 aids. Lakes, hills and streams each 
 had a significant name, and in many 
 instances if the aboriginal names could 
 be given such lakes and rivers, we 
 should in time come to like them 
 better. The nations spoke a different 
 dialect of a common language ; al- 
 though understood by all, the distinc- 
 tion was decisive. This was probably 
 the reason why geographical names 
 vary so much in spelling. 
 Buffalo in the Seneca dialect was, Do-sho-weh 
 Buffalo in the Cayuga " " De-o-sho-weh 
 Buffalo in the Onondaga " " De-o-sa-weh 
 
 Buffalo in the Oneida " " De-ose-lols 
 
 Buffalo in the Mohawk " " Deo-hose-lols 
 Buffalo in the Tuscarora •* '• Ne-o-thro-ra 
 
 32 
 
CAROLINE G. MOUNTPLEASANT. 
 
 Ge-keah-saw-sa. 
 
 The Peacemaker Queen of the Seneca-s Wolf Clan. 
 
In the translation of Indian words 
 from their unwritten language into our 
 written language they lose much of 
 their euphony and force of accent. Many 
 of their sounds are difficult to express 
 in our language with our letters. The 
 names, origin and significance are inter- 
 esting. From the best authorities we 
 note the following : The Senecas 
 called themselves the Nun-da-wa-o-no, 
 which signifies Great Hill People ; Nun- 
 da-wa-o, the root of the word, means a 
 Great Hill, and the terminal syllable 
 o-no means people. This was the 
 name of their oldest village, upon a hill 
 at the head of Canandaigna Lake, near 
 Naples, where according to Seneca tra- 
 dition they sprang out of the ground. 
 Gue-u-gweh-o-no, the name of the 
 
 33 
 
•Iroquois 
 
 Cayugas, the people at the mucky land, 
 doubtless referring to the marsh at the 
 foot of Cayuga Lake, near which 
 their first settlements were made. 
 O-nun-da-ga, Onondaga, signifies " or 
 the hills," hence their self-applied name 
 O-nun-da-ga-o-no means the People 
 on the Hills, their first settlements 
 being on the hills overlooking Onon- 
 daga Valley. The Oneidas have so 
 long been known as the people of the 
 stone that the literal rendering of their 
 name O-na-yoh-ka, may be interesting ; 
 it signifies " Granite Rock." We give 
 them their natural name Ono-yote-ka- 
 o-no, " The Granite People." 
 
 The significance of Ga-ne-a-ga-o-no, 
 the Mohawks, the rendering of their 
 name in rheir dialect meaning " The 
 
 34 
 
DANIEL LA FORTE. 
 
 THOMAS WEBSTER. 
 
 JARI3 PIERCE. 
 
 ONONDAGA. 
 
Possessor of the Flint." The name of 
 the Tuscaroras, Deo-ga-o-weh, is ren- 
 dered the " Shirt Wearing People ;" 
 was a name given them before their mi- 
 gration from North Carolina. All the 
 preceding have been given in the Seneca 
 dialect, to preserve uniformity. 
 
 35 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 IV. 
 
 *' Realm of the Senecas no more. 
 In shadow lies the pleasant vale ; 
 
 Gone are the chiefs who ruled of yore 
 Like chaff beiore the rushing gale." 
 
 **^HE Senecas were not only the 
 most numerous of the Six 
 Nations, but foremost on the 
 war-path, and gloried in their title of 
 Ho-na-ne-ho-out, or the door-keepers of 
 the upper entrance, proving a living 
 barrier to all intruders and foes, often 
 carrying war into other nations. The 
 origin of the Senecas, as given by them- 
 selves is legendary, although there is an 
 apparent connection with their predeces- 
 sors, showing that there may be some 
 foundation to the statement by Lock- 
 wood, that a thousand years or — as our 
 
 36 
 
SOLOMON O. BAIL. 
 
 IMtUUUHt JIMhHSON. 
 
 De-hah-teh. 
 
 CHESTER C. LAY. 
 Ho-DO-EH-JI-AH. 
 
Indian friends would say one thousand 
 snows — before the arrival of Columbus 
 the Senecas were at war with the Kah- 
 kwas. These prehistoric people, if we 
 may so characterize them, must have 
 been remarkable for their industry, 
 patience and skill, as alone evinced by 
 their fortifications, some of which may 
 now be seen in a remarkable state of 
 preservation. 
 
 A portion of the old fortification at 
 Oakfield, N. Y., still remains. The 
 place was called by the Senecas Tegat- 
 anasghque, meaning a doubly fortified 
 town, having a fort at each end ; the 
 one contained about four acres of 
 ground, the other, about two miles dis- 
 tant from this, and situated at the other 
 extremity of the ancient town, enclosed 
 
 37 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 twice that surface. The ditch around 
 the former was about five or six feet 
 deep. A small stream of living water 
 with a high bank circumscribed nearly 
 one-third of the enclosed ground. 
 There are traces of six gates and a dug- 
 way from the works to the water. The 
 ground on the opposite side of the 
 water is in some places nearly as high 
 as that on which they built the fortifica- 
 tion, which might have made it neces- 
 sary for the covered way to the water. 
 A considerable number of large oaks 
 have grown up within the enclosure, 
 both in and upon the ditch and em- 
 bankment. Some of them appear to 
 be at least three or four hundred years 
 old. In some places at the bottom of 
 the ditch one could dig down five or 
 
 38 
 
JOHN GRIFFIN. 
 
 Wer-dyah-seha. 
 
 WM. COOPER. 
 
 Her-nohn-gwe-sers. 
 
 DAVID MOSES. 
 
 JO-WEESE. 
 
 CHAUNCEY ABRAMS. 
 
 NiS-HEA-NYAH-NANT. 
 
 SENECA. 
 
six feet before reaching the original soil. 
 Indian tradition savs that these works 
 were raised, and a famous battle fought, 
 in true Indian style, with Indian 
 weapons, long before their knowledge 
 and use of firearms. The nations used 
 at that time bows, arrows and spears 
 the war club and death mall. When 
 the arrows were expended they came 
 into close engagement, using the death 
 mall. Their shield or dress for this 
 method of fighting was a short jacket 
 made of willow sticks laced tightly 
 around the body. The head was cov- 
 ered with a cap of the same kind, but 
 commonly worn double for the better 
 protection of that part against a stroke 
 from a war club. Some affirm that in 
 this battle 800 were slain four or five 
 
 39 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 ages ago, an age being reckoned as one 
 hundred snows or winters. 
 
 The other best preserved work of 
 primitive man is the one known as Fort 
 Hill, three miles north of Leroy, on a 
 point of land formed by the junction of 
 a small stream called Fordham's brook 
 with Allen's creek. The best view of 
 this fortification is had at the north of 
 it, on the road from Bergen. From 
 this point one may easily imagine that 
 it was erected as a fortification by a 
 large and powerful army looking for an 
 inaccessible bulwark of defense. 
 
 In the great contest for supremacy 
 in North America, between France and 
 England the Senecas played a con- 
 spicuous part. Both French and Eng- 
 lish claimed the Iroquois as subjects, 
 40 
 
but the Senecas always claimed inde- 
 pendence. The Neuter nation occu- 
 pied all the territory north of Lake 
 Erie from the Detroit river eastward, 
 until their lands met those of the Iro- 
 quois near the Genesee river. 
 
 In 165 1 the Senecas, always on the 
 war path for a slight cause, attacked 
 them, and in a short but fierce campaign 
 wiped them out as a nation, incorpo- 
 rating the few remaining into their own 
 tribe. The Senecas thereafter claimed 
 title to this land gained by conquest 
 and the other Indian tribes, holding 
 them in fear and respect, recognized 
 their claim. In 1679 and 1719 they 
 granted the French important rights on 
 the Niagara river, but refused equal 
 rights to the English. In 1725 they 
 
 41 
 
>lRoauois 
 
 allowed the French to build a stone 
 fort at the mouth of the river 
 
 While the Indians made many- 
 treaties and gave land deeds, they did 
 not feel particularly bound by them if 
 they interfered with their pleasure or 
 convenience, and Indian giver is a term 
 used to describe one from whom a per- 
 son dislikes to receive a gift, not know- 
 ing how soon its return may be desired. 
 When two nations claim the same ter- 
 ritory there is bound to be trouble, and 
 so the French and English came in 
 contact. What one nation acquired by 
 deeds from the Indians they were 
 obliged afterwards to acquire by arms 
 from the other nations, and finally un- 
 der treaty to surrender to a new nation. 
 
 It has been said that no one spot of 
 42 
 
land in North America has played a 
 more important part, been more covet- 
 ed, and exerted a greater influence, both 
 in peace and war, on the control, on 
 the growth, on the settlement and on 
 the civilization of the country than the 
 few acres embraced within the limits of 
 old Fort Niagara, 
 
 Beginning with 165 1, for eighteen 
 years the Indians owned the land where 
 Fort Niagara stands ; for fifty-six years 
 more the Indians owned it, but the 
 French influence was much in evidence; 
 still another period of thirty-four years 
 of Indian ownership, but occupied by 
 the French; then five years of In- 
 dian ownership, with occupation by the 
 English. Now Indian ownership no 
 longer. For twenty-four years the 
 
 43 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 English owned and occupied the spot 
 for which they had longed and worked 
 for eighty years. Then came American 
 ownership with English occupation, 
 and finally American ownership and oc- 
 cupation. 
 
 In the fall of 1763 Pontiac had or- 
 ganized his great conspiracy, and the 
 Senecas, whose hostility to the English 
 had been noted by Sir William John- 
 son two years before, and which was 
 partly due to their bitterness at their 
 loss of the business at the portage — 
 Englishmen now monopolizing that 
 business and employing carts instead of 
 Indian carriers — were ready to and did 
 co-operate with him, urged on thereto, 
 no doubt by French influence and in- 
 trigue in what they hoped would prove 
 
 44 
 
the means of driving the English from 
 Fort Niagara. This hostility of the 
 Senecas had made it necessary to main- 
 tain a garrison at the foot well as at 
 the head of the portage ; and for large 
 or valuable trains guards of soldiers 
 were furnished from the fort. 
 
 On September 14, 1763 a new por- 
 tage road had been finished between 
 Lewiston and Schlosser, and a train of 
 twenty-five wagons and one hundred 
 horses and oxen guarded by troops 
 from Fort Niagara, variously stated at 
 from twenty-five to three hundred, set 
 out for Schlosser. At the Devil's Hole 
 the Senecas to the number of five hun- 
 dred ambushed and pillaged the train, 
 threw the wagons and oxen down the 
 bank and slew all but three of the es- 
 
 45 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 15^_^. 
 
 cort and drivers. Hearing the firing 
 the garrison at Lewiston, consisting of 
 two companies, hastened to help their 
 comrades. But the Senecas had pre- 
 pared an ambush also for this expected 
 action, and all but eight of this force 
 were killed. Some of these eight car- 
 ried the news to Fort Niagara, whence 
 the commander with all the soldiers, 
 leaving a sufficient guard for the fort, 
 hastened to the scene of the slaughter. 
 The Senecas had fled, but over eighty 
 scalped corpses, including those of six 
 officers, bore bloody witness to their 
 hatred of the English. 
 
 On the collapse of Pontiac's bold 
 and partly successful scheme, the Sen- 
 ecas, fearful of receiving at the hands 
 of the English the punishment they so 
 46 
 
richly deserved, sent in April, 1764, 
 four hundred men to Sir William John- 
 son to beg for peace. Now was the 
 time for the English to make the Sen- 
 ecas pay off the Devil's Hole debt, 
 and Sir William Johnson was the man 
 to face the settlement. Yet he was too 
 shrewd to think, of demanding life for 
 life, or any galling conditions that 
 would have involved England in a war 
 for the extermination of the Senecas. 
 No ; he desired most of all that the 
 Senecas should be the friends of the 
 English, and so he made them pay for 
 their past misdeeds in land. Eng- 
 land already had the occupation of 
 this territory along the Niagara river. 
 She wanted also the unquestioned fee. 
 Here was Sir William's chance, and he 
 
 47 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 improved it. He insisted that besides 
 other conditions the Senecas should 
 cede to England all the land on both 
 sides of Niagara river, from Lake On- 
 tario to Schlosser. The Senecas as- 
 sented, provided the land be always ap- 
 propriated to the king's sole use, and 
 provided that a definite treaty be had 
 within three months, and that the lines 
 be run in the presence of Sir William 
 Johnson and the Senecas, so as to pre- 
 clude any subsequent misunderstand- 
 ings. Eight chiefs signed the agreement, 
 which, by the way, they never intended 
 to keep, although they left three of 
 their chiefs with Johnson as hostages. 
 Before this visit of the Senecas, ar- 
 rangements had already been completed 
 by the British to prevent the recur- 
 48 
 
rence of another conspiracy like that of 
 Pontiac. All the tribes whose friend- 
 ship, with a reasonable expectation of its 
 permanency could be obtained by pre- 
 sents and good treatment, were to be 
 secured in this way. Against all others 
 armies were to be sent to crush and 
 overawe them. 
 
 The occasion when the above treaty 
 was to be ratified, was a general meet- 
 ing of all Indian tribes who desired 
 peace at Fort Niagara in July, 1764, to 
 which Johnson had already invited 
 them, in order to readjust their rela- 
 tions with the English government. 
 Two military expeditions were planned, 
 one for the west under General Brad- 
 street, 1,200 strong, which assembled 
 at Oswego in June, where it was joined by 
 
 49 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 Sir Wm. Johnson, with 550 Iroquois. 
 They reached Niagara July 3,1764, and 
 found there such a scene of activity as 
 one can hardly conceive of to-day. 
 
 Over one thousand Indians, repre- 
 senting many tribes, extending from 
 Nova Scotia to the headwaters of the 
 Mississippi, whose numbers a few days 
 later were increased to 2,060, were as- 
 sembled to meet and treat with John- 
 son. Such a representative concourse 
 of Indians had never before been seen. 
 Their wigwams stretched far across the 
 fields, and to this picturesque scene 
 were now added the white tents of Brad- 
 street's men. Many reasons had in- 
 duced this great assemblage of the In- 
 dians. Some came to make peace be- 
 cause the aid from the French had not 
 
 50 
 
been forthcoming ; some because they 
 were tired of war ; some because they 
 needed clothing, amunition, etc., and 
 could get them in no other way ; some 
 to protest their friendship for the En- 
 glish ; some by an early submission 
 to avert retribution for past offenses ; 
 some came as spies, and some, no doubt, 
 because they knew that at such a time 
 firewater would be easily obtainable. 
 
 Though this assemblage consisted of 
 peace-desiring savages, their friendly 
 disposition was not certain. Several 
 straggling soldiers were shot at, and 
 great precautions were taken by the 
 English garrison to avert a rupture. 
 The troops were always on their guard 
 while the black muzzles of the cannons 
 thrust from the bastions of the fort 
 
 51 
 
 ^^^-=^ 
 
►iRoauois 
 
 struck a wholesome awe into the savage 
 throng below. But among all the 
 throng the Senecas were not present, in 
 spite of their promise to ratify their 
 agreement at this time. They were at 
 home considering whether they would 
 keep it or not, for they had already 
 made an alliance with other tribes 
 against the English. Notice was sent 
 to them that unless they at once ful- 
 filled their agreement the army, then 
 at Niagara, would forthwith march 
 against them and burn their villages. 
 A large body of this warlike tribe over- 
 awed by this menace, at once went to 
 Niagara. It took all the diplomacy, 
 shrewdness and influence of Sir William 
 Johnson to preserve order and peace 
 among the savages. Many who had 
 
 52 
 

 HISTORIC WAMPUM OF THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
been hostile to each other, and but 
 lately fighting against the English. The 
 business of the assemblage detained 
 him at the fort for a month. 
 
 The council room was crowded from 
 morning until evening ; but the tiresome 
 formalities which had to be observed on 
 such occasions, the speeches made and 
 the replies thereto, the smoking of 
 pipes, the distribution of presents, the 
 judicious serving out of whiskey, the 
 terms of each treaty, the tax on the 
 memory of remembering what each 
 belt of wampum given by and received 
 from each tribe meant, while fatiguing, 
 were finally brought to a successful end. 
 One point of policy was rigidly adhered 
 to. Johnson would hold no general 
 conference; with each tribe he either 
 
 53 
 
■iRoauois 
 
 made a separate treaty, or where satis- 
 factory treaties were in existence he 
 merely tightened the chain of friend- 
 ship. By this course he made the 
 best of terms, by promoting a rivalry 
 among the tribes. He also thus dis- 
 couraged a feeling of union and of a 
 common cause among them. First of 
 all he met the Senecas, and till their 
 agreements had been ratified and the 
 Imes of the land to be deeded to the 
 English had been settled ; Sir William 
 would transact no other business. 
 
 The Senecas ratified their former 
 agreement, and on August 6th they 
 deeded to the English crown a strip of 
 land four miles wide on each bank of 
 the Niagara river from Lake Erie to 
 Lake Ontario, thus adding to their for- 
 
 54 
 
mer agreement all the land from Schlos- 
 ser to Lake Erie on both sides of the 
 river. General Bradstreet had asked 
 Johnson to try and get this extra ces- 
 sion, in order that England might have 
 title to the land where Fort Erie, at 
 the source of the Niagara on the Can- 
 adian side now stands. He was anxious 
 to build a depot for provisions there. 
 Johnson asked for it. The Senecas 
 were ready to do anything asked of 
 them while that English army was on 
 the ground, so they readily consented. 
 They specially excepted from their 
 grant and gave to Johnson personally, 
 as a gift, all the islands in the Niagara 
 river, and he promptly gave them to 
 his sovereign. This was the first tract 
 of land in the limits of the present 
 
 55 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 Western New York to which the In- 
 dian title was absolutely extinguished, 
 and this remarkable land deal, so vast 
 in the amount of territory involved, so 
 beneficial to the whites in the power it 
 gave them for trade and the settlement 
 of the country, and of such enormous 
 subsequent value in view of very re- 
 cent developments along this frontier, 
 was closed 137 years ago, within the 
 historic fortifications of Fort Niagara. 
 From this time on for fully thirty years 
 the Senecas were allied with and es- 
 poused the cause of the English. The 
 treatise with the many other tribes were 
 then arranged without difficulties. The 
 cost of this Indian congress at Niagara 
 was considerable. The expense of pro- 
 visions for the Indians only was 
 
 56 
 
^25,000 New York currency, equal to 
 about 1 1 0,000, while ;^3 8,000 sterling, 
 1190,000, was expended for presents 
 made to them. 
 
 57 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 V. 
 
 ED JACKET, whose war- 
 whoop rang along the banks 
 of Tonawanda creek was an 
 orator of whom any nation might be 
 proud, and as if by common consent 
 the Senecas were allowed the head war 
 chief. He was also at the head of the 
 Iroquois. He was born about 1750, 
 where the town of Geneva now stands 
 at the foot of Seneca lake. He laid no 
 claim to noble descent ; he came of an 
 ordinary Indian family, who undoubted- 
 ly did not expect great thmgs from 
 him, as he was small and insignificant 
 for an Indian; Red Jacket made 
 up the deficiency by his immense 
 58 
 
RED JACKET. 
 
conceit. He evinced no predilection 
 for war ; in fact did not go upon the 
 war path till the invasion of his country, 
 when he was 29 years of age forced 
 every Iroquois to defend his home. 
 He was a swift runner in his youth, 
 and called Otetiani or Always Ready. 
 His own people used him as a messen- 
 ger, and during the Revolutionary war 
 he was useful as a runner, but more 
 useful as an orator possessing unusual 
 intelligence. As a reward for his serv- 
 ices he was presented a red or scarlet 
 jacket, richly embroidered. Imagine 
 for yourself his feelings when Otetiani 
 donned this, which gave him the name 
 by which he was afterward known by 
 the whites. He was so delighted that 
 at the close of the war, when the Amer- 
 
 59 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 cans wished to gain his favor, he was 
 kept well supplied with red jackets. 
 
 The opposite of Red Jacket, the 
 Seneca, was Brant, the Mohawk. One 
 from the east end of the Long House, 
 the other from the west. Brant, tall 
 and muscular, with large bright eyes 
 and broad, low forehead. Red Jacket 
 small, wiry, with little sharp eyes look- 
 ing out from overhanging brows, and a 
 towering forehead. Brant was the 
 grandson of a chief reared under Chris- 
 tian influences, educated among the 
 whites, a member of the Episcopal 
 church and gentlemanly in his bearing. 
 Red Jacket was an Indian of the In- 
 dians, hated civilization, detested edu- 
 cation and Christianizing influences and 
 did not pretend to conform to the 
 60 
 
usages of society. Brant was proud ; 
 had gained his influence as a warrior. 
 Red Jacket was vain and lacked cour- 
 age. He was very smart and had no 
 scruples as to what means he used to 
 gain influence. They were both great 
 men among the Six Nations, both pat- 
 riotic, both loved their own people and 
 customs, and preferred them to those 
 of the whites. Brant hated Red Jacket 
 heartily, and could find no excuse for 
 the lack of courage shown by him. 
 Brant was prompt with his aid in the 
 English cause. Red Jacket was a 
 young man with gifts, was not a war- 
 rior, and unscrupulous as to which 
 cause he espoused so long as he gained 
 influence. The two naturally clashed. 
 Brant called Red Jacket the cow killer, 
 6i 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 claiming that Red Jacket with his elo- 
 quence urged his people to fight, but 
 when the fight came oflf he was missing, 
 having stayed at home to eat up a cow 
 which he had captured. The brave 
 Seneca chief Cornplanter had as much 
 of a dislike for Red Jacket as Brant, 
 calling him an intriguer. The story is 
 told of a dinner at which Red Jacket 
 was a guest. Cornplanter told the story 
 of the cow as though some other In- 
 dian was concerned. Brant and Corn- 
 planter enjoyed the joke hugely ; Red 
 Jacket was confused, and could not con- 
 ceal it. When some one seemingly 
 quizzed Red Jacket as to his prowes, 
 he responded : " I am an orator ; I 
 was born an orator ;" and judging 
 from accounts he must have been a 
 62 
 
very eloquent speaker. His name 
 Sagoyewatha, or " He keeps them 
 awake," applied to him by his cotem- 
 poraries, would indicate the esteem with 
 which his powers of oratory were held. 
 Red Jacket was a favorite with the 
 squaws ; they always chose him to speak 
 for them when they were allowed to 
 have a voice in the meeting of the great 
 council of the Six Nations. In 1794 
 he said for them that they wished to 
 remark that they fully agreed with their 
 Sachems that the white people had 
 caused the troubles of the Indians. 
 The white people had squeezed them 
 together until it gave them a pain at 
 their hearts, and they thought the white 
 people ought to give back all the lands 
 which they had taken. One of the 
 
 63 
 
•Iroquois 
 
 white women said Red Jacket had told 
 the Indians to repent at the last meet- 
 ing, and the Indian women now called 
 on the white people to repent, for they 
 needed repentance as much as the In- 
 dians. During this conference Red 
 Jacket often addressed the Commis- 
 sioner, Col. Pickering, and a few quota- 
 tions may enable the reader to form an 
 idea of his ability : 
 
 " We stand on a small island in the 
 bosom of the great waters ; we are en- 
 circled, we are encompassed ; the evil 
 spirit rides upon the blast and the 
 waters are disquieted; they rise, they 
 press upon us, and the waves settle over 
 us ; we disappear forever. Who then 
 lives to mourn for us ? None ! What 
 marks our extermination ? Nothing." 
 
 64 
 
Once during the council, Mr. Morris, 
 who was acting as an agent, remarked 
 that the lands in their present state were 
 worth but little. Red Jacket admitted 
 that, but said that the knowledge of 
 ownership was of great value to the 
 Indian. That knowledge is everything 
 to us, said he ; it raises us in our own 
 estimation. It creates in our bosom a 
 proud feeling, which elevates us as a 
 nation. Observe the difference in 
 which a Seneca and an Oneida are 
 held. We are courted, while the Onei- 
 das are considered a degraded people, 
 fit only to make brooms and baskets. 
 Why the difference ? It is because the 
 Senecas are land owners, while the 
 Oneidas are cooped up in a narrow 
 space. At the close of the meeting 
 
 65 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 Red Jacket, although openly opposing 
 the terms of the treaty, secretly asked 
 permission to place his name at or near 
 the top. 
 
 Red Jacket visited Philadelphia in 
 1792. While there he was presented 
 with a large silver medal by President 
 Washington. On it was represented 
 Washington in military attire handing 
 a peace pipe, about four feet long, to a 
 conventional Indian with a tuft of 
 plumes growing out of his head. A 
 white man was plowing with a yoke of 
 oxen in the background. Red Jacket 
 prized this medal highly, and wore it 
 on all state occasions. 
 
 While in Philadelphia each member 
 of the deputation of chiefs was present- 
 ed with a suit of military clothes by 
 66 
 
General Knox. When Red Jacket's 
 suit was presented him, he sent back 
 word that he could not wear it, as he 
 was not a warrior, but a peace chief. 
 He asked for a citizen's suit, keeping 
 the military until he received the other. 
 When the suit of plain clothes was 
 brought him he refused to give up the 
 military suit, saying that when war 
 came he could wear it with propriety. 
 When he returned from his visit to the 
 capitol he was accustomed to impress 
 the Indians with exaggerated stories of 
 the treatment he had received from the 
 President. Gathering his people he 
 would rehearse the scenes and repeat 
 the compliments he pretended the Pres- 
 ident had paid him. Perhaps the 
 greatest trial to which he was subjected 
 
 (>7 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 was when a brother of Cornplanter, 
 who pretended to be a prophet, tried 
 to convince the nation that Red Jacket 
 was a witch. The chiefs Hfe was in 
 danger, and his trial was held in solemn 
 council. He made his own defense for 
 three hours. His eloquence moved his 
 audience in spite of themselves. Opin- 
 ion was divided and a bare majority 
 were in favor of Red Jacket, so that 
 his life was saved. 
 
 At one time he was called as a wit- 
 ness in a murder trial, and examined 
 with regard to Indian laws and customs. 
 The prosecutor, wishing to exclude his 
 testimony, asked him if he believed in 
 God? More truly than one who could 
 ask such a question, was his indignant 
 answer. In answer to the question as 
 
 68 
 
to his rank, he replied, look at the 
 papers which the white men keep most 
 carefully ; they will tell you who I am, 
 referring to the treaties by which the 
 whites had acquired their lands. He 
 saw that the lawyers and bystanders 
 were ridiculing the Indian superstitions. 
 What, he exclaimed, do you denounce 
 us as fools for believing what you be- 
 lieved two hundred years ago ? Your 
 ministers thundered this doctrine from 
 their pulpits ; your judges pronounced 
 it from the bench ; it was sanctioned by 
 the law ; now would you punish one 
 unfortunate brother for adhering to his 
 father's faith ? 
 
 Red Jacket's course during the war 
 
 of 1 8 12 was an honorable one; he 
 
 sided with the Americans, and fought 
 
 69 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 well. He proposed to General Brown 
 that the Indians be withdrawn from the 
 British and American armies, which 
 was accomplished, he promising to re- 
 turn and assist General Brown if neces- 
 sary. At the close of the war his one 
 idea was to prevent the whites from 
 encroaching with their religion and cus- 
 toms upon his people. He considered 
 the school and the church but the ad- 
 vance agents of the settler with his ax. 
 There were two distinct parties, one 
 pagan, the other Christian. When 
 asked why he hated the missionaries he 
 replied they do us no good ; if they 
 are useful to the whites why do they 
 send them to the Indians ? In reply 
 to a question from a lady as to whether 
 he had any children living, he said : 
 
 70 
 
Red Jacket was once a great man and 
 in favor with the Great Spirit. He 
 was a lofty pine among the smaller 
 trees of the forest, but after years of 
 glory he degraded himself by drinking 
 the firewater of the white man. The 
 Great Spirit has looked upon him in 
 anger and, His lightning has stripped 
 the pine of its branches. Upon his 
 second wife joining the church he 
 abandoned her. Reconciliation was 
 brought about by a little girl ; Red 
 Jacket returned to his home, promising 
 never to interfere with his wife's religion, 
 and he kept his promise. Before he 
 left her his wife was obliged to steal 
 away in order to go to church ; now he 
 would call his daughter early Sunday 
 morning, saying, come it is Sunday ; get 
 
 71 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 up and get the work all done so as to 
 go to church with your mother. 
 
 The words spoken when christening 
 a vessel named after him are interest- 
 ing : " You have a great name given 
 to yoUj" said he, addressing the ship ; 
 " strive to deserve it. Be brave and 
 daring ; go boldly into the great lakes, 
 and fear neither the swift wind nor the 
 strong waves ; be not frightened nor 
 overcome by them, for it is in resisting 
 storms and tempests that I whose name 
 you bear obtained my renown ; let my 
 example inspire you to courage and lead 
 you to glory." Red Jacket with great 
 difficulty acquired table manners. He 
 once told that when he dined with 
 Washington a man ran off with his 
 knife and fork every now and then, and 
 72 
 
I 
 
 returned with others. As a young man 
 he had often hunted in the Genesee 
 Valley; as an old man he visited the val- 
 ley, and on entering the forest resolved 
 to have one more hunt. He had not 
 gone far before he saw an opening. A 
 fence was in the way, and white 
 men were plowing in the distance. 
 The chief sadly turned in another direc- 
 tion ; he had, as he supposed, buried 
 himself deep in the forest, and when he 
 came upon the white man's field the 
 old man sat down and wept. 
 
 After his health declined and he knew 
 that he must die, he visited the cabins 
 of his friends and talked over the affairs 
 of his people. I am about to leave 
 you, he said, and when my voice is no 
 longer heard the craft and power of the 
 
 73 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 white man will prevail. Many winters 
 have I breasted the storm, but I am an 
 aged tree and can stand no longer. My 
 leaves are fallen, my branches are with- 
 ered, and I am shaken with every 
 breeze ; soon my aged trunk will be 
 prostrate, and the foot of the exulting 
 foe of the Indian will be planted upon 
 it in safety ; for I have none who will 
 be able to avenge such an indignity. 
 Think not I mourn for myself I go 
 to join the spirits of my fathers, but my 
 heart fails me when I think of my 
 people, who are soon to be scattered 
 and forgotten. Bury me by the side 
 of my wife, and let my funeral be in 
 accord with the customs of our nation. 
 Let me be dressed and equipped as my 
 fathers were, that their spirits mav re- 
 
 74 
 
WM. C. HOAG. 
 
 £^ 
 
 *^ 
 
 i 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 i 
 
 lipW 
 
 ..^ 
 
 HARRISON HALFTOWN. ALFRED JIMERSON. 
 
 SENECA. 
 
joice at my coming. Almost the last 
 thing the old chief did was to call a 
 council of both parties among his people 
 and recommend that they should quarrel 
 no more, but each believe according to 
 his own way. He was taken suddenly 
 during this council and never recovered, 
 meeting death bravely at the age of 78 
 years. 
 
 Cornplanter (Gy-ant-wa-ka) was one 
 of the wisest of the Senecas. As 
 an adviser no one was more esteemed. 
 He was born at Ca-na-wau-gus ; later in 
 life he lived on the Alleghany river, 
 although closely identified with the 
 Genesee Senecas. He had a strain of 
 white blood which was quite noticeable, 
 he being much lighter in color than the 
 other chiefs. He was among the first 
 
 75 
 
•Iroquois 
 
 to adopt the white man's costume, and 
 in laier years might easily have been 
 taken for a well-to-do farmer. He was 
 easy in manner and correct in morals. 
 He ranked above Red Jacket as a war- 
 rior, and was but little inferior to him 
 as an orator. He took part against the 
 colonists in the war of the Revolution, 
 and after its close down to Wayne's 
 victory in 1794 was quite unsettled. He 
 was older than Red Jacket, and was par- 
 donably jealous of that rising young 
 man. He lived to a very old age, and 
 finally resigned his chieftainship in a 
 very odd way. It was one of the 
 strange customs of the Iroquois to in- 
 terpret dreams. An Indian would go 
 from wigwam to wigwam and ask the 
 inmates to interpret a dream he had 
 
 76 
 
had. If they gave him an interpreta- 
 tion that suited him he would accept it 
 and act accordingly. Cornplanter had 
 a dream that puzzled him. Almost 
 naked, in midwinter, he went from 
 house to house to have his dream in- 
 terpreted ; on the third day he found 
 an Indian who said: " After this you 
 shall be called O-no-no, or cold. You 
 have been a chief long enough for 
 the good of your nation; you have 
 grown too old to be of much further 
 use as a counselor or warrior, and 
 you must appoint a successor if you 
 wish to be in favor with the Great 
 Spirit. You must remove from your 
 house, and light every article made by 
 the white man." Cornplanter accepted 
 this interpretation. All the presents 
 
 11 
 
 I 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 he had received he solemly burned ; his 
 tomahawk was the only thing preserved ; 
 that he sent to the Indian he had 
 chosen as his successor. 
 
 Handsome Lake (Ga-ne-o-di-yo), was 
 a half-brother of Cornplanter, and stood 
 high as a medicine man and spiritual 
 guide. Once when a young Indian 
 girl was sick her friends sent him her 
 clothes. He took them, laid a handful 
 of tobacco on the fur, and as it burned 
 delivered an address to the Great Spirit. 
 After a moment's silence he said, after 
 looking at her clothes : " This afflic- 
 tion is a punishment to her for cruelly 
 drowning a nest of young robins, and 
 a few hours later for repeating the 
 offense. Two young deer must be 
 killed, a yearling buck and a yearling 
 
doe. The whole of both must be 
 cooked, and the entire village invited to 
 the feast, to be followed by a dance." 
 Some days were spent in finding the 
 deer, after which the request was com- 
 plied with and the girl recovered. This 
 wise medicine man was of medium size, 
 goodly presence, and modest and quiet 
 in demeanor. 
 
 Tall Chief was born at an Indian 
 village located across the river from 
 Mt. Morris, on Murray's Hill. The 
 spring where he got his supply of water 
 is still in use, and bears his name. A 
 bed of tansy planted by him still flour- 
 ishes near the site of his lodge. He 
 was said to resemble Henry Clay — 
 straight as an arrow, always cool and 
 self-possessed. Tall Chief's name ap- 
 
 79 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 pears in the big tree treaty, and is 
 otherwise associated with the affairs of 
 his nation. He was once entertained 
 by Washington on the occasion of a 
 visit of a deputation of chiefs to Wash- 
 ington, sent to smoke the pipe of peace 
 with the President. After a ceremo- 
 nious dinner a big pipe was hghted, and 
 after the President smoked he handed 
 the pipe to Tali Chief, who felt highly 
 honored, and always enjoyed referring 
 to this occasion. In 1828 he removed 
 to Tonawanda where he died not long 
 after. 
 
 80 
 
I 
 
 < "5 
 
 5 ! 
 
VI. 
 
 HE Iroquois resided in perma- 
 nent villages. Not digging 
 wells, they located their vil- 
 lages upon lakes or rivers, or near large 
 springs. About the time of the forma- 
 tion of the Confederacy, when they 
 were liable to the encroachments of the 
 hostile tribes, their villages were pro- 
 tected by stockades that were construct- 
 ed by digging trenches several feet deep 
 around several acres of land. Throwing 
 up the ground on the inside, they set a 
 continuous row of posts on their bank 
 of earth, at such an angle that they pro- 
 jected over the trench ; sometimes the 
 row of posts was doubled or tripled. 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 Inside this enclosure they constructed 
 their bark houses or wigwams. Around 
 this on the outside was the village field, 
 consisting of several hundred acres of 
 land, divided into planting lots belong- 
 ing to different families, separated by 
 uncultivated ridges. One of the oldest 
 of these villages was at the head of 
 Canandaigua lake. On the village site 
 of Lima was also one of their oldest 
 towns. 
 
 About the commencement of the 
 17th century, when they became pow- 
 erful enough to protect themselves from 
 the inroads of the surrounding tribes, 
 only the Mohawks and Oneidas con- 
 structed stockades, and those only to 
 protect themselves from the attacks of 
 the French. The modern village was 
 82 
 
a cluster of houses planted at irregular 
 intervals over a large area. Nothing 
 like street arrangements were known ; 
 two houses seldom fronting the same 
 line, being grouped sufficiently near for 
 a neighborhood. 
 
 Their villages at an early date were 
 reckoned by the number of houses. 
 When the village was scattered over a 
 large area the houses were made single 
 and designed for only one family. 
 When compact, as in ancient times, the 
 houses were built long, ranging from 50 
 to 130 feet in length and about 16 feet 
 in width, divided into compartments 
 each 1 2 feet ; and accommodated 
 several families, each department being 
 in fact a separate house, having a fire in 
 the center, accommodating two families, 
 
 83 
 
 ^]Ji=*:--JA. 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 having one upon each side. Thus a 
 house one hundred and twenty feet long 
 would contain ten fires and twenty fam- 
 ilies. It is not improbable that the 
 largest village of the Iroquois numbered 
 3,000 inhabitants. The bark house 
 was a simple structure. When single it 
 was 12x15 feet on the ground, and 
 from 15 to 20 feet high. The frame 
 consisted of upright poles set well in 
 the ground, five or six on the sides and 
 four in the end, including corners. 
 Upon the forks of these poles, about 
 ten feet from the ground, cross 
 poles were laid, to which the rafter poles 
 were tied with bark, the poles being 
 bent from one side to the other, form- 
 ing an arched roof When the frame 
 was completed it was usually covered 
 84 
 
with red elm or white ash bark, laid 
 rough side out. The bark was flattened 
 and dried, then cut in the form of 
 boards. To hold these boards another 
 row of poles was placed on the outside, 
 and by means, of splints and bark rope 
 fastenings the boards were secured hori- 
 zontally between them. It usually re- 
 quired four lengths of boards and four 
 courses from the ground to the rafters 
 to cover a side, as they were lapped at 
 the ends as well as clapboarded, also in 
 the same proportion for the ends. In 
 like manner the roof was covered with 
 bark boards, smaller in size, with the 
 rough side out and the grain running 
 up and down, the boards being stitched 
 through and through with fastenings, 
 and these held between the frames of 
 
 85 
 
>lRoauois 
 
 poles as on the sides. In the center of 
 the roof was an opening for the smoke, 
 the fire being upon the ground in the 
 center of the house, and the smoke as- 
 cending without the guidance of a chim- 
 ney. At the two ends of the house 
 were doors, either of bark hung upon 
 hinges of wood, or of deer or bear 
 skins suspended before the opening. 
 However long the house, or whatever 
 number of fires, these were the only 
 entrances. Over these entrances was 
 cut the totem or tribal device of the 
 head of the family within. Upon the 
 two sides were arranged wide seats, also 
 of bark boards, about two feet from the 
 ground, well supported underneath, 
 cmd reaching the entire length of the 
 house. Upon these they spread their 
 86 
 
mats of skins, also their blankets, 
 using them as seats by day and couches 
 at night. Similar berths upon each 
 side, about five feet above, and secured 
 to the frame of the house, thus furnish- 
 ing accommodation for the family. 
 Upon the cross poles near the roof 
 were hung in bunches, braided together 
 by the husks, the winter supply of 
 corn. 
 
 Charred and dried corn and beans 
 were generally stored in bark barrels 
 and stowed away in corners. Their 
 implements for the chase, domestic 
 utensils, weapons, etc., were stored 
 away or hung up wherever an unoccu- 
 pied spot could be found. A house of 
 this description would accommodate a 
 family of eight with the limited wants 
 
 87 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 of the Indian, and afford necessary 
 shelter for their stores. 
 
 After they had learned the use of the 
 ax they began to substitute houses of 
 hewn logs, but they were constructed 
 after the ancient model. Many of the 
 houses in the Valley of the Genesee 
 were of this description. 
 
 There was another species of house 
 or wigwam, either for temporary use or 
 a small family. It was triangular at the 
 base, the frame consisting of three poles 
 on a side, meeting at the top with 
 space sufficient for a chimney opening, 
 being covered with bark similar to the 
 others. During the hunt, houses of 
 this description were often erected. 
 
 The Iroquois were accustomed to 
 bury their surplus corn and also their 
 
 88 
 
chared green corn in caches, in 
 which the former would be preserved 
 for a year and the latter for a longer 
 period. I have found charred corn 
 and beans in the earthworks near Le- 
 roy and Oakfield. They excavated a 
 pit, made a bark bottom and sides, and 
 having deposited the corn placed a bark 
 roof over it, then covered the whole 
 with earth. Cured venison and other 
 meats were stored in like manner, ex- 
 cept with the addition of deer skin 
 under the bark. 
 
 " Very spacious was the wigwam 
 Made of deerskin dressed and whitened." 
 
 So sings the poet, but compared with 
 our modern homes the wigwam would 
 hardly be considered spacious. Still it 
 was a home, and though relentless on 
 
 89 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 the warpath, we read that the hospital- 
 ity of the Senecas to friends was un- 
 bounded. Their captives were many, 
 and on their reservations may still be 
 found descendents of the Cherokee, 
 Seminole, Illinois and Catawbas cap- 
 tured by them on their raids. Our ad- 
 miration and wonder are attracted to 
 them when it is learned that in all the 
 numerous cases of captivity escape 
 from the captors was never undertaken. 
 If of their own race and color he soon 
 forgot that he was in the wigwam of 
 strangers. Social and political cour- 
 tesies were extended him. Were his 
 family left behind they were brought to 
 him. The interests of the captors and 
 the ones captured were identical. So 
 it was to a great degree with our own 
 90 
 
race, many of whom were made 
 captives, but not degraded, and there 
 being no restraint or coercion the desire 
 for escape entirely disappeared. They 
 invariably preferred remaining rather 
 than return to their own kindred. The 
 freedom of outdoor life, and the in- 
 fluence of kindness tended to produce 
 this state of affairs. 
 
 The Indian mother knew no differ- 
 ence between the natural and adopted 
 child ; no discrimination, or if any, in 
 favor of the ward. The government 
 rested lightly on the people, who were 
 really governed but little. An individ- 
 ual independence that the Senecas 
 knew well how to prize was created, 
 and then, as at the present time, the 
 self-governing people were the happiest. 
 
 91 
 
giRoauois 
 
 But little can be said of their progress 
 in art or science, still their integrity, un- 
 bounded hospitality, unbroken fidelity, 
 inborn sentiments so conspicuous in 
 their character, form ornaments that no 
 art of education can bestow. 
 
 The character of our Indian prede- 
 cessors in the "Realm of the Senecas " 
 will stand the search light of investiga- 
 tion and challenge the admiration of 
 the investigators. It has been proved 
 that the dog was the first wild animal 
 domesticated by man, and Townsend 
 says : " The dog is the greatest con- 
 quest man ever made, as the dog was 
 the first element in human progress. 
 Without the dog man would have been 
 compelled to vegetate eternally in the 
 swaddling clothes of savagery. It 
 92 
 
was the dog that effected the passage 
 of human society from the savage to 
 the patriarchial state, in making possi- 
 ble the guardianship of the flock. It 
 is to the dog that man owed his hours 
 of leisure in which he made observa- 
 tions that led him to advance and rise 
 in the scale of human progress." All 
 honor to the dog if this be true, and 
 every mongrel cur should receive some 
 measure of respect from the race he 
 has so greatly benefitted. And when 
 one thinks of the amount of abuse 
 heaped upon him is it any wonder that 
 in the face of such ingratitude he oc- 
 casionally goes mad ? 
 
 They were all a race of hunters, liv- 
 ing upon the fruits of the chase, and 
 making their clothing and wigwams of 
 
 93 
 
 
 \^ 
 
 ■^t^ 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 the skins of the animals with which the 
 forests abounded. The necessities of 
 hunter life divided great families into 
 tribes and bands. Homes and villages 
 were moved as often as stern necessity 
 compelled them to seek new fields in 
 the pursuit of game. 
 
 Cusick, the celebrated Indian nar- 
 rator, gives some very interesting stories 
 in regard to their allotment of homes 
 to the various tribes. He says the 
 Senecas were directed to settle south of 
 Canandaigua lake, on a spot known as 
 Bare Hill. Some one was sent from 
 the Great Spirit to instruct them in the 
 duties of hfe. He gave them seeds, 
 directed them in their use, and also 
 gave them dogs to aid in taking game. 
 Prosperity was on all hands, but the 
 
 94 
 
emissary of the Great Spirit returned to 
 the heavens. Monsters then appeared, 
 devouring the people and devastating 
 the country. These monsters were no 
 borrowed prodigy, but creations of his 
 untutored mind. The flying head 
 being one of these, said to invade their 
 houses at night, devouring the inmates, 
 compeUing the people to construct 
 houses that it could not enter. Such a 
 being has no prototype. This hob- 
 goblin with features of a man, with 
 mane and two hairy legs, appeared to 
 have dreaded fire, as an illustration 
 shows the monster in the act of being 
 frightened away by a woman who was 
 eating before a fire. 
 
 The Senecas of the Genesee were 
 noted for their good husbandry. Gen- 
 
 95 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 eral Sullivan speaks of finding corn 
 grown by them with ears twenty-two 
 inches long. Squashes, beans, melons 
 and wild fruits were found in great 
 abundance. Tobacco was also success- 
 fully cultivated. Their cultivated fields 
 were confined to a narrow strip of land 
 along the banks of the Genesee river 
 and the small tributary streams. Good 
 and evil spirits played an important 
 part in Iroquoian mythology, and the 
 following myth relating to the vegetable 
 world is described by Ermina Smith. 
 Among the good spirits are the three 
 sisters who still continue to preside 
 over the favorite vegetables, corn, beans 
 and squashes. They are represented 
 to us as loving each other very dearly 
 and dwelling together in peace and 
 96 
 
unity. The vines of the vegetables 
 grow on the same soil and cling lov- 
 ingly around each other. The spirit of 
 corn is supposed to be draped with its 
 long leaves and silken tassels. The 
 sister who guards the bean has a wreath 
 of its velvety pods with garments of 
 its delicate tendrils. While the spirit 
 of squashes is clothed with the brilliant 
 blossoms under her care. On bright 
 nights the sisters can be seen flitting 
 about or heard rustling among the tall 
 corn. To this day yearly festivals are 
 held in their honor, and they are ap- 
 pealed to as our life and supporters. 
 
 Relics of the Indians often tell a 
 story or reveal a page of history as 
 forcibly as any written account. Al- 
 though as silent as the grave in which 
 
 97 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 they were placed, they form a direct 
 connection between the discoverer and 
 the one who made and used them, 
 clothing the unwritten history of the 
 period which they represent with per- 
 petual freshness. However rude and 
 though indicating an uncultured people, 
 they are ever invested with interest. It 
 is greatly to be regretted that so few 
 specimens of the skill and ingenuity of 
 the Iroquois have come down to us. 
 
 A full description of their imple- 
 ments, utensils and fabrics would be 
 impossible to furnish, although many 
 of their inventions are still preserved 
 by Indians living on the various reser- 
 vations. Nearly all that portion of 
 them that seemed to illustrate the con- 
 dition of the hunter life have passed 
 
 98 
 
FRAGMENT OF WICKER POTTERY. 
 
 LofC. 
 
away. The conclusion that man com- 
 menced his career at the bottom of the 
 scale and worked his way from savagery 
 to civilization forces itself on the student 
 as he finds traces of progress as shown 
 in the pieces of pottery found that give 
 unmistakable evidence of having been 
 used by primitive man. From the 
 wicker marked fragments (the first pot- 
 tery having been made with a basket of 
 wicker for a mould) the advance is easily 
 traced by well defined attempts at orna- 
 mentation. Commencing with plain 
 marking, made simply to relieve a plain 
 surface, gradually through a course of 
 lines and markings to systematic deco- 
 ration, showing skill and certainly a 
 knowledge of number and measuremets. 
 Early writers claim that the attempt to 
 
 LofC. 99 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 make the baskets hold liquids by using 
 clay resulted in a new discovery. The 
 heat finally destroyed the basket, leav- 
 ing the clay outside as a separate ves- 
 sel. The material used in all aboriginal 
 pottery is composed of clay, tempered 
 with pounded quartz, shells or fine 
 sand, to prevent shrinkage and resist 
 the action of the fire. Most of it is 
 well burned, but does not show glazing. 
 One fine fragment found is of black 
 incised pottery produced by placing the 
 utensil over a fire made from pitch 
 pine, the oily black smoke coloring and 
 partially glazing. Whenever pottery 
 was buried with the dead, or left be- 
 hind when moving from one location 
 to another, or when driven away by 
 stronger tribes, the vessels were broken 
 
so as to be rendered useless. In shape 
 the vessels were mostly constructed 
 with gourd-like bottoms, having a ridge 
 or groove around the top to allow for 
 suspension. In some cases they have 
 fiat bottoms. The usual size was from 
 one to four quarts. They were orna- 
 mented in the simplest and most uni- 
 form way, with designs in relief, or im- 
 pressions made with the finger nail or 
 the top of the finger, with pieces of 
 wood or string pressed into the fresh 
 clay. On the more recent vessels the 
 markings are in the form of straight or 
 zig-zag lines, dots, parallel lines, squares 
 and triangles. 
 
 After the intercourse between Euro- 
 pean nations commenced, vessels of 
 iron, brass, copper and tin super- 
 
"iRoauois 
 
 seded those of pottery, and its pro- 
 duction was discontinued, but the 
 Indian pipe was still considered superior 
 to that of European manufacture. 
 
 " From the red stone of the quarry 
 With his hands he broke a fragment. 
 Moulded it into a pipe head. 
 Shaped and fashioned it with figures." 
 
 Pipes of various designs are frequent- 
 ly found, some of red clay, mixed with 
 crushed quartz, others clay burned 
 black and having a high polish, others 
 of soapstone. Some have figures of 
 animals, others with representations of 
 the human face. Some of them are 
 finished exquisitely, others cut out of 
 soapstone are the counterpart of those 
 found in the mounds of Ohio and Wis- 
 consin, the bowl and stem cut from a 
 
 lOZ 
 
solid stone occasionally one of red cat- 
 linite, such as those used by the Sioux, 
 but these were probably obtained in 
 trade with the western Indians. One 
 is described by Morgan of black mar- 
 ble, highlv polished, with bowl and 
 stem bored with great precision. Like 
 the pipes of the mound builder period 
 it has the bowl in the middle of the 
 stem. In material and workmanship it 
 is superior to the pipes of Iroquois make. 
 Metallic implements were almost un- 
 known to the Iroquois, as they did not 
 understand the use of metals. Their 
 knives for skinning deer and other 
 game were usually made of flint. The 
 same stone knives or axes were used to 
 make canoes, mortars and other uten- 
 sils. Some times a stone gouge or 
 103 
 
^Roauois. 
 
 chisel was used called Uh-ga-o-gwat-ha. 
 In cutting trees a fire was built at the 
 foot of a tree and the chisel was used 
 to clear away the coal ; by repeating the 
 process trees were felled and cut to 
 pieces. Wooden vessels were hollowed 
 out, and in primitive times wooden 
 bowls or tubs were coated with a thick- 
 ness of clay that rendered their surface 
 impervious to fire. When a regular 
 concavity was desired a stone was 
 ground with a convex edge. Stone 
 mortars were used in which to pound 
 corn, mix mineral paint and pulverize 
 roots and barks for medicine. 
 
 •* From an oak bough made the arrows. 
 Tipped with flint and, winged with feathers. 
 And the cord he made of deer skin. 
 Then he said to Hiawatha 
 Go my son into the forest." 
 
 104 
 
The arrow, spear and lance points 
 were made by flaking the flint into the 
 desired form, They are frequently 
 formed with a twist that would cause 
 them to revolve in their flight. Some 
 times the arrow was feathered to pro- 
 duce the same result. They understood 
 the art of securing the greatest penetra- 
 tion with the least possible force. The 
 places where these points were manu- 
 factured is easily determined by the 
 quantity of chips of flint that have 
 been made by the cleavage. 
 
 The stone tomahawk was a favorite 
 weapon of the Iroquois, it being shaped 
 something like an ax with a groove 
 fashioned around it, by means of which 
 it was fastened to a handle. Small 
 stones with a groove worked out en- 
 
•Iroquois 
 
 tirely around are frequently found that 
 were undoubtedly used as the South 
 American Indian of the present day 
 uses the bolas, viz : By attaching a 
 thong two or three feet in length, then 
 by uniting several of these they were 
 given a rotating motion and thrown into 
 a flock of pigeons or ducks, entangling 
 the birds in such a way as to secure one 
 or more of them. Personal ornaments 
 were also constructed of stone and 
 very ingeniously worked. Before the 
 tomahawks came into use the weapons 
 were the bow, the stone hatchet and 
 war club. The Ga-je-wa was a weapon 
 usually made of ironwood, with a large 
 ball or knot at the end, usually about 
 two feet in length, and the ball or knot 
 five or six inches in diameter. In close 
 1 06 
 
quarters it became a formidable weapon. 
 They wore it in a belt. Sometimes a 
 deer horn club was used called ga- 
 ne-u-ga-o-dus-ha, usually made of hard 
 wood, painted and ornamented with 
 feathers. At the end in the lower edge 
 a sharp pointed deer's horn was inserted ; 
 it was a dangerous weapon and inflicted 
 a deep wound. They wore it in a 
 girdle. After the introduction of metal 
 they used a steel or iron point, resemb- 
 ling a spear-head. This spear may now 
 be found among the Iroquois preserved 
 as a relic. The tomahawk succeeded 
 the war club, as the rifle succeeded the 
 bow. The words tomahawk and In- 
 dian if not synonomous are inseperable. 
 They are usually made of steel, brass 
 or iron. The choice ones are fitted 
 107 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 with a pipe bowl, and have a perforated 
 handle for ornament and use, sometimes 
 being inlaid with silver. It is the em- 
 blem of war ; to bury it meant peace, 
 to dig it up the most deadly warfare. 
 
 In 1684, after the French representa- 
 tive M. de la Barre had made a speech 
 to the assembled sachems, concluding 
 with a menace of burning the castles of 
 the five nations, Garangula arose and 
 with great dignity delivered one of the 
 most characteristic specimens of Indian 
 eloquence that has been preserved. 
 Yonnondio is the name applied to the 
 French governor, and Corlear that ap- 
 plied to the English as a generic term. 
 " Hear, Yonnondio, what I say is the 
 voice of all the Five Nations. Hear 
 what they answer. Open your ears to 
 108 
 
what they speak. The Senecas, Cay- 
 ugas, Onondagas, Oneidas and Mo- 
 hawks say that when they buried the 
 hatchet at Cadarocqui (in the presence 
 of your predecessor), in the middle of 
 the fort, they planted the tree of peace 
 in the same place, to be there preserved ; 
 that in place of a retreat for soldiers 
 that fort might be a rendezvous for 
 merchants; that in place of arms and 
 amunitions of war, beavers and mer- 
 chandise should only enter there. 
 
 Hear, Yonnondio. Take care for 
 the future that so great a number of 
 soldiers as appear there do not choke 
 the tree of peace planted in so small a 
 fort. It will be a great loss if, after it 
 had so easily taken root, you should 
 stop its growth and prevent its covering 
 109 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 your country and arms with its 
 branches. I assure you, in the name of 
 the Five Nations, that our warriors 
 shall dance to the calumet of peace 
 under its leaves, and shall remain quiet 
 on their mats, and shall never dig up 
 the hatchet till their brothers Yonnondio 
 or Corlear shall, either jointly or sep- 
 arately endeavor to attack the country 
 which the Great Spirit has given to our 
 ancestors. This belt preserve my 
 words, and this other the authority 
 which the Five Nations have given 
 me." 
 
 The moccasin was an Indian inven- 
 tion. These were made from the skins 
 of animals, more commonly of deer 
 skin ; often worked with beads and 
 porcupine quills. Much more useful- 
 
comfortable and fitting than the sandals 
 and clumsey footwear of the primitive 
 people of the old world. The moccasin 
 was made of one piece of deerskin, 
 seamed up at the heel and front, leav- 
 ing the bottom seamless. The needles 
 used to perforate the skin were made of 
 stone or bone, taken from the animals ; 
 they were highly polished. They have 
 been found in Genesee and Livingston 
 counties that still retained their polish, 
 after ages of exposure to the frost and 
 sun. The sinews of the deer furnished 
 the thread or cord used. The needles 
 are found in mounds, so we may 
 reasonably suppose that in one respect 
 at least the Iroquois were contempo- 
 raries or the successors of the mound 
 builders, who are considered by some a 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 lost race. The method of tanning the 
 deer skin was ingenious. Tradition 
 tells us that the discovery was acci- 
 dental ; the brain of the deer, mixed 
 with moss, in order to form it into a 
 cake, was thoroughly dried and then 
 preserved for years. When the hide 
 is fresh the hair and flesh are removed 
 by scraping with a wooden or stone 
 scraper, the brain cake dissolved, the 
 skin soaked in it for a few hours ; when 
 it is thoroughly dried it is rubbed until 
 pliable — the thick skin requiring a rep- 
 etition of the process. As the skin is 
 porous and not tough, it is made strong 
 and close by allowing smoke to pass 
 into and through it, until the pores are 
 closed and the skin is thoroughly tough- 
 ened and changed from a white to a 
 
brown, when it is ready for use. The 
 brains of other animals are some- 
 times used, as is the backbone of 
 the eel, which is pounded and boiled. 
 Bear skins were prepared by being 
 scraped and softened ; they were not 
 tanned. The deer skin, while useful, 
 could not fill every want. In its line 
 bark rope was used by the Indians 
 from time immemorial. In its manu- 
 facture the inner bark of the slippery 
 elm, red elm and basswood were used. 
 Having removed the outer bark it was 
 boiled in ashes and water. When taken 
 out it could be separated into strips 
 several feet in length ; it was then laid 
 aside for use, slippery elm making the 
 most pliable rope. It could be braided 
 and was very durable, and could be 
 
 113 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 used for carrying burdens, making belts 
 or for any purpose for which leather or 
 hemp rope is used. The squaws often 
 wove bark belts, decorating them with 
 beads and porcupine quills. 
 
 Utensils of bark were common 
 among the earlier Iroquois. Bark bar- 
 rels were constructed from the bark of 
 the red elm, the grain running around 
 the barrel. Up the sides it was stitched 
 securely ; both bottom and lid were 
 fastened in the same manner. They 
 were used for storing grain and other 
 goods, and when properly cared for 
 would last a hundred years. Trays of 
 this character were in common use as 
 bread trays for the purpose of knead- 
 ing or preparing corn bread. Around 
 the rim splints of hickory were bound, 
 114 
 
to give it strength. Some of them 
 would hold two and one-half bushels. 
 
 Ga-sna-ga-o-wo, or bark canoes, were 
 made by the Iroquois with as great or 
 greater skill than any other people. 
 Birch bark was the best material, but as 
 the canoe birch did not grow in the 
 home territory of the Iroquois, thev 
 generally used the bark of the butternut, 
 hickory or red elm. After taking oiF 
 the bark of the required length and 
 width and removing the rough outside, 
 it was shaped in the canoe form. Thin 
 pieces of white ash or any elastic wood 
 of four inches in width were run around 
 the edge outside and in, and stitched 
 through and through. In stitching 
 they used bark thread. The ribs were 
 of narrow strips of ash placed about a 
 
 115 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 foot apart, and having been turned up 
 at the ends, they were secured under 
 the rim. Both ends of the canoe were 
 fashioned alike; the two side pieces in- 
 clining toward each other until they 
 united. They varied in length from 12 
 feet for two persons to 40 feet for 30 
 persons. 
 
 
 116 
 
i 
 
 VII. 
 
 T is interesting to note the sev- 
 eral dances indulged in by 
 the Iroquois. With them the 
 dance was considered a thanksgiving 
 ceremonial acceptable to the Great 
 Spirit, but believed to have been de- 
 signed by Ha-wen-ne-yu for their pleas- 
 ure and worship. It was considered a 
 suitable means for social intercourse be- 
 tween tribes ; it also served to arouse 
 patriotic sentiments and kept alive the 
 spirit of the nation. The enthusiasm 
 arising from the dance was wonderful — 
 they were a living reflexion of the In- 
 dian mind. The wild music of the 
 rattle accompanying song and rythmic 
 117 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 movements made a realistic picture of 
 Indian life. The Indian youths' first 
 stir of feeling was kindled by the dance, 
 the first impulse of patriotism was in- 
 spired by its influences. The dances 
 were divided into three classes — patri- 
 otic, religious and social. The Iro- 
 quois had thirty-two distinct dances, 
 twenty-six being of their own inven- 
 tion, twenty-one being still in use 
 among the present Iroquois, each hav- 
 ing a separate history, and looked upon 
 with a difi^erent degree of favor. Some 
 were executed in costume by chosen 
 dancers. Some for squaws, others for 
 warriors, but the greater part for both 
 sexes. Many have been handed down 
 from so remote a period that tradition 
 does not record their origin. Many were 
 ii8 
 
common to all the red race. Their in- 
 fluence in arousing the Indian spirit 
 and in excluding all thoughts of a dif- 
 ferent life, and their resultant effects 
 upon the formation of Indian character 
 cannot be too highly estimated. Their 
 hold upon the Iroquois is evinced by the 
 tenacity with which they are, many of 
 them, observed at the present time, the 
 Senecas engaging in them as ardently as 
 did their forefathers two centuries ago. 
 The feather dance and the war dance 
 were the two great performances of the 
 Iroquois ; one had a religious and the 
 other a patriotic character. Morgan's 
 description of them is graphic, and we 
 quote the same : 
 
 "They were performed by a select 
 band of from fifteen to twenty-five, 
 
 119 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 who were distinguished for their pow- 
 ers of endurance, activity and spirit. 
 Besides these there were four other cos- 
 tume dances. Sometimes the people 
 at large were the performers, appearing 
 in their ordinary apparel and participa- 
 ting to the number of two or three 
 hundred at a time. The Iroquois cos- 
 tume might he called an apparel for the 
 dance. This was the occasion on which 
 the warrior was desirous to appear in 
 his best attire. The most gaudy cos- 
 tume was the kilt or Ga-ka-ah, which 
 was secured around the waist by a belt 
 and descended to the knee. In ancient 
 times this was of deer skin. It was 
 fringed and embroidered with porcupine 
 quills. In modern times various fab- 
 rics have been substituted for deer skin. 
 
Upon the headdress much attention 
 was bestowed. The frame consisted of 
 a band of splint adjusted around the 
 head with a cross band arching over 
 the top from side to side. A cap was 
 made to enclose the frame. In later 
 times a silver band was fastened around 
 the splints ; from the top a cluster of 
 white feathers depended ; besides this 
 a single feather of the largest size was 
 set in the corner of the headdress in- 
 clining backward. This feather, which 
 was usually the plume of an eagle is the 
 characteristic of the Iroquois. The 
 leggin, which was feathered at the knee 
 and descended upon the moccasin, was 
 made originally of deer skin, and orna- 
 mented with quill work upon the bot- 
 tom and side, the embroidered edge 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 being in front. In later times red 
 broadcloth embroidered with beads has 
 been substituted. In most cases much 
 ingenuity and taste were displayed in 
 the execution of the work upon this 
 article of apparel. The warrior might 
 well be proud of this part of his cos- 
 tume. The moccasin was also made of 
 deer skin. In the modern moccasin 
 the front part is worked with porcupine 
 quills after the ancient fashion, and the 
 part which falls down upon the sides is 
 embroidered with beads. Not the least 
 important article was the belt, which 
 was prized as highly as any part of the 
 costume. These belts were braided by 
 hand, the beads being interwoven 
 in the process of braiding. They 
 were worn over the left shoulder and 
 
 I 22 
 
around the waist. Arm bands, knee 
 bands and wrist bands were also part of 
 the costume. Sometimes they were 
 made of deer skin or white dog skin, 
 and in later times of red and blue vel- 
 vet embroidered with beads. In addi- 
 tion to knee bands, knee rattlers of deers' 
 hoofs were worn. Personal ornaments 
 of various kinds, with the war club, tom- 
 ahawk and scalping knife completed the 
 attire. No change has been made in 
 the various articles of apparel ; they are 
 now precisely the same as those worn 
 by the Iroquois at the time of their dis- 
 covery, except in the material used. In 
 preparing for the dance it was deemed 
 strictly necessary to have the headdress, 
 belt and kilt, each wearer adding such 
 ornaments, rattlers, etc., as he wished. 
 123 
 
>lRoauois. 
 
 While either one of the two dances, 
 the religious or the patriotic, was suffi- . 
 cient to arouse their enthusiasm, the 
 war dance was the favorite. It was the 
 rallying dance for dangerous expedi- 
 tions that might cost the warrior his 
 life, the dance that was indulged in 
 just before the departure of the band, 
 or upon the return of a victorious 
 party. It was also the dance when 
 sachems were raised to their office or 
 upon the adoption of captives, enter- 
 tainment of guests or initiation of the 
 young. It was of Sioux origin, reach- 
 ing back to a remote antiquity. It was 
 the only dance in which speeches or re- 
 sponses were appropriate, and in this 
 particular it was novel and oftentimes 
 furnished great amusement. The big 
 124 
 
talks relieved the dancers and diverted 
 the people. It was usually of two or 
 three hours' duration and performed in 
 the evening, and only indulged in on 
 important occasions. Fifteen made a 
 full company, but often thirty partici- 
 pated. Preparations were made after 
 dusk. In the evening all gathered in 
 the council house and arranged them- 
 selves in favorable position to observe 
 the dancers. The selection of the per- 
 formers and leaders was usually made 
 by the keeper of the faith, who also se- 
 lected the war songs. In a lodge near 
 the council house the band arrayed 
 themselves in costume and war paint. 
 Occasionally the war-whoop would 
 break the stillness of the night as an in- 
 dication that their preparations were 
 125 
 
iRoauois. o- 
 
 progressing. A keeper of the faith 
 meantime prepared the assembled au- 
 dience for what was coming by explain- 
 ing the nature and objects of the dance. 
 Presently a nearer war-whoop ringing 
 through the air announced that the 
 band was approaching, preceded by 
 their leader, and marching to the beat 
 of the drum. They drew near to the 
 council house ; as they came the crowd 
 made room for them ; the leader en- 
 tered, followed by the feathered band, 
 and at once opened the dance. In an 
 instant they grouped themselves within 
 a circular area. Standing thick together 
 the singers commenced the war song, 
 the drums beat, and the dancers made 
 the hard floor resound with the noise of 
 their feet. After a minute the song 
 126 
 
ceased and with it the dance ; the band 
 walked around a common center to the 
 beat of the drum at half time ; another 
 song soon commenced, the dancers 
 quickened their time. In the middle of 
 the song there was a change in the 
 music, also a slight cessation of the 
 dance, after which it became more ani- 
 mated than before, until the song ended 
 and the band again walked to the beat 
 of the drum. Each time the war song 
 lasted about two minutes, and the inter- 
 val between them was about as long. 
 These songs were usually recited by 
 about four singers, the drums beat twice 
 in each second, the voice of the singer 
 keeping pace, making rapid and strongly 
 accented music." 
 
 Charlevoix furnishes this translation 
 
 127 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 of one of the songs : 
 
 " I am brave and intrepid. 
 I do not fear death or any kind of torture. 
 Those who fear them are cowards. 
 They are less than women. 
 Life is nothing to those who have courage. 
 May my enemies be confounded with despair 
 and rage." 
 
 Doubtless nearly all of their war 
 songs were of this same general char- 
 acter. It is difficult to describe the 
 step except generally. It was chiefly 
 on the heel, with rapid changes of posi- 
 tion. The heel was raised with great 
 quickness, to keep time with the beat 
 of the drum, at the same time shaking 
 the knee rattles. In the war dance the 
 attitudes were those expressing violent 
 passions, and were not graceful. At 
 128 
 
the same instant in a group one might 
 be seen in the attitude of attack, an- 
 other of defense, one in the act of draw- 
 ing a bow, another of striking with a 
 war club, some in the act of throwing 
 the tomahawk, some Hstening, others 
 striking a foe. The violent motions of 
 the body, while they increased the spirit 
 of the dance, led to distortions of the 
 countenance as well as uncouth attitudes. 
 The striking costumes of the dancers, 
 their erect forms at certain stages of 
 the figures, the rattle of the dance to- 
 gether with the excited people made up 
 a scene of no common interest. In 
 this dance the warwhoop and the re- 
 sponse always preceded each song ; it 
 was given by the leader and answered 
 by the band. A description of this ter- 
 129 
 
"iRoauois 
 
 rific outbreak of the human voice is 
 scarcely possible. It was a prolonged 
 sound upon a high note, with a deca- 
 dence near the end, followed by an 
 abrupt and explosive conclusion, in 
 which the voice was again raised to the 
 same pitch. The whole band respond- 
 ed with a scream, upon the same key 
 with which the leader concluded and at 
 the same instant. Any one present 
 was at liberty to make a speech at any 
 stage of the dance. His desire was 
 communicated by a rap. At this sound 
 the dance ceased, or if finished and the 
 band were walking, the drums ceased 
 and all present were quiet. The only 
 condition affixed to the right of making 
 a speech was that of bestowing a pres- 
 ent at its close to the dancers or to the 
 130 
 
one addressed. After the speech was 
 concluded and the present bestowed, 
 the war-whoop and responses were 
 again sounded, the drums beat, th'^ 
 song and dance commenced and were 
 ended as before. Then followed an- 
 other speech, and still another. In this 
 manner the war dance was continued 
 until the spirit of enjoyment began to 
 subside, when the final war-whoop put 
 an end to the dance and the band re- 
 tired. The speeches were often pleas- 
 antries between individuals, or strictures 
 upon each other's foibles or peculiarities, 
 or perchance patriotic exhibitions of 
 feeling, according to the fancy of the 
 speaker. 
 
 131 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 VIII. 
 
 HEIR superstitious belief was a 
 great obstacle to the enlight- 
 enment of the savage. The 
 overthrow of the superstition of the 
 dream was the first work of the Jesuit 
 priest. From the date of their entrance 
 among the Indians commences our ac- 
 tual knowledge of the conditions then 
 existing ; their relation furnish a record 
 of privation and suffering^ for the cause 
 in which they were engaged, that to-day, 
 is the admiration of the student of 
 history. The divinity followed by the 
 Indian prior to the introduction of 
 Christianity was the dream. Many 
 stories told by the early missionaries 
 illustrate the important part played by 
 
 132 
 
it. They thought or talked of nothing 
 else ; their wigwams and forests were 
 full of dreams. They spared no pains 
 or trouble to manifest their devotion to 
 the spirit of the dream. If an Indian 
 dreamed of captivity he called upon his 
 friends to find him and make the situa- 
 tion as real as possible, after which he 
 thinks that a real capture and torture 
 has been thwarted, and the dream is 
 given credit for having saved his life. 
 They have been known to have trav- 
 eled hundreds of miles to procure a 
 certain dog that they had dreamed 
 might be purchased. One can easily 
 imagine the dangers early settlers and 
 traders must have found themselves 
 subjected to among a people who would 
 murder and scalp in cold blood one 
 
 133 
 
>lRoauois 
 
 1 
 
 whom they might dream of as deserv- 
 ing such a fate. The squaws, by the 
 peculiarities of their sex, were the most 
 zealous devotees of the idol ; and while 
 no sacrifice was offered to it they tried 
 to bring to pass the condition of the 
 dream, fully believing that whatever vV/ 
 
 they failed to execute would come back 
 to them in some misfortune. It was 
 somewhat remarkable that most of the 
 Indians took less pains to perform the 
 requirements of the dream when in good 
 health than when ailing ; then a sover- 
 eign cure was effected by the faithful 
 performance of whatever they may 
 have dreamed. 
 
 Medicine men were always called in, 
 and invariably turned the interpretation 
 of the dream to a source of profit, as 
 
 •34 
 
the poor Indian would spare nothing 
 in doing what the medicine man deem- 
 ed necessary for the propitiation of 
 the Great Spirit. In every age and 
 condition of society the best thought 
 of the most gifted intellects have 
 been expended upon religious sub- 
 jects. These conclusions and reflec- 
 tions by an individual growth be- 
 come a fixed belief, and in time a 
 system of worship is founded. Belief 
 and worship become incorporated into 
 the civil and social institutions of man 
 and soon form a part of the living and 
 active mind. Without a knowledge, 
 therefore, of the religious life of a 
 people their political and domestic 
 transactions would be wholly inexpli- 
 cable. The purity of the elements of 
 
 135 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 the religious system of the Iroquois 
 compensates for the blemishes of its 
 spiritual edifice. The Greeks dis- 
 covered traces of divinity in nature's 
 works. In the belief of the Indians 
 and that of the ancients there was a 
 similarity of ideas that was noticeably 
 shown in the legend and fable and still 
 stronger in their notion of the spiritual 
 world, rising in many respects above 
 the highest conception of the ancient 
 philosphy. 
 
 The name Great Spirit was applied by 
 the entire red race to their deity, they 
 not only believed that the Great Spirit 
 existed, but their deductions were drawn 
 from nature. Ancient mythology taught 
 that the gods were born. The red men 
 believed that the Great Spirit was born 
 136 
 
and that He was active in the adminis- 
 tration of the affairs of nature. 
 
 In their religious system they had 
 little to do with the creation of the 
 visible universe. Tradition told them 
 that it grew miraculously, a self-pre- 
 pared abode for the Great Spirit, before 
 the advent of which they had no 
 knowledge. They acknowledged the 
 creation of the animal and vegetable 
 world, and the adaptation of the ele- 
 ments and the whole universe to the 
 use of man. That the Indian arrived 
 at a fixed belief in the existence of one 
 superior being has been a matter of 
 surprise and admiration, says Morgan. 
 In the existence of a Great Spirit, 
 invisible, but ever present, the univer- 
 sal red race believed, and by the uni- 
 
 137 
 
iRoauois. o- 
 
 versality of this belief he was saved 
 from the deepest of all barbarism and 
 idol worship. They regarded the 
 Great Spirit as the god of the Indian 
 alone. They looked up to Him as 
 the author of their being, to Him they 
 gave thanks for the changes of seasons, 
 corn, fruits, game and fish. 
 
 While their religious system taught 
 the existence of the Great Spirit, Ha- 
 ne-go-ate-geh was recognized as an 
 evil spirit, and had a prior existence. 
 The creation of man and all useful ani- 
 mals was credited to the Great Spirit. 
 While to the Evil Spirit was given the 
 creation of all monsters, reptiles and 
 noxious plants. The Great Spirit de- 
 lighted in virtue and in the happiness 
 of his creatures. Ha-ne-go-ate-geh's 
 
 138 
 
deeds were always evil, creating discord 
 and multiplying calamities. The In- 
 dian's trust in the Great Spirit gave him 
 strength to withstand the wiles of the 
 evil one. Henu, to whom was commit- 
 ted the thunderbolt, at once the voice 
 of admonition and the instrument of 
 vengeance, was also intrusted with the 
 formation of the clouds and the gift of 
 rain. By Henu was the earth to be 
 cooled and refreshed. He sustained 
 harvests, ripened and matured the fruits. 
 Evil doers and witches were made the 
 subjects of his wrath, and often threat- 
 ened with a visitation from Him, with 
 power to inflict sudden and fearful pun- 
 ishment. He was regarded as the 
 avenger of evil, was represented as 
 being in the form of a man dressed in 
 
 139 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 the costume of a warrior ; upon his 
 head was worn the magical feather, ren- 
 dering him invulnerable to the attacks 
 of the Evil Spirit. He always carried a 
 basket of flints, fragments of flint rock, 
 which he threw as he rode in the clouds. 
 In the spring time their invocations 
 were to Henu, that he would water, 
 nourish and care for the crops. At 
 harvest time they returned thanks to him 
 for the gift of rain, and asked him to 
 contine to them the watchful care of the 
 thunderer. Henu was given the title 
 of grandfather by the Iroquois, in order 
 to bring him into closer relation with 
 them in all his acts ; they recognized 
 the higher power of the Great Spirit. 
 Another spirital creation of the Iro- 
 quois is recognized in Ga-oh, the spirit 
 140 
 
of the winds. He was also subordi- 
 nate to the Great Spirit. He was rep-, 
 resented in the form and face of an old 
 man in solitary confinement, surround- 
 ed by a tangle of discordant winds and 
 apparently impatient of restraint. His 
 residence, the home of the winds, was 
 in the western quarter of the heavens. 
 His struggles to free himself caused the 
 breeze, varying in force as his struggles 
 increased. The spring wind moves the 
 clouds and shakes the tree tops, but 
 when Ga-oh reaches a state of frenzy he 
 sends forth blasts that strike down the 
 tall strong trees. The Indian sur- 
 rounds himself with many of the inhab- 
 itants of the spiritual world, such as the 
 spirit of medicine, fire water, and dif- 
 erent species of trees, shrubs and plants. 
 141 
 
Many objects of nature were placed 
 under the watchful care of some pro- 
 tecting spirit, some being given bodily 
 form and specific duties, but the most 
 were feebly imagined existence. In 
 their worship these subordinates were 
 known as the invisible aids, and in- 
 cluded the whole spiritual world, from 
 Heme the thunderer down to the spirit 
 of the Strawberry. The Iroquois ap- 
 pear to have had but a faint conception 
 of the omnipresence of the Great Spirit 
 or of any individual power sufficient to 
 administer unassisted the works of cre- 
 ation and the affairs of men. They 
 believed that the Great Spirit had sur- 
 rounded himself with subordinate spirit- 
 ual beings of his own creation, to whom 
 were given the immediate supervision 
 
 142 
 
of the works of nature. He thus ren- 
 dered himself in a limited sense omni- 
 present, ruling and regulating the works 
 of creation with ease. These spirits 
 were never objects of worship; the 
 Iroquois regarded them merely as un- 
 seen assistants and executors of the will 
 of the Great Spirit. 
 
 All the agencies of evil were the 
 creations of Ha-ne-go-ate-geh ; to 
 counteract these the efforts of the Great 
 Spirit and his spiritual host were neces- 
 sarily put forth. The Iroquois believed 
 that tobacco was given them as a means 
 of communication with the spiritual 
 world. By burning it they could send 
 petitions with its incense up to the 
 Great Spirit, and render acknowledg- 
 ment for blessings ; without this offer- 
 
 H3 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 ing the ear of the Great Spirit could not 
 be gained. In like manner they re- 
 turned thanks to the invisible aids for 
 their friendly offices and protecting 
 care. It was customary with them to 
 thus return thanks to the trees, shrubs, 
 plants, rivers, fire, winds, in fact to 
 every thing in nature that ministered to 
 their wants and awakened feelings of 
 gratitude. This was sometimes done 
 without the intervention of tobacco; 
 they addressing the object themselves. 
 The use of tobacco was common to 
 both sexes, while some writers call the 
 Iroquois the tobacco people. But few 
 tribes have been known that were not 
 inveterate users of the weed. 
 
 A belief in witches remains with many 
 of them to this day. It was formerly one 
 144 
 
of the most deep-seated notions in the 
 minds of the Iroquois. Formerly 
 manly lives were sacrificed in accord- 
 ance with a law that a witch must die. 
 Morgan speaks of an instance where a 
 squaw was shot on the Allegany reser- 
 vation, in 1850, and further says that 
 such instances have been common 
 among the Senecas within the last fifty 
 years. But we need to go back but a 
 few years in our own history to find a 
 parallel in the taking of life under the 
 mistaken notion that the supernatural 
 was vested in human beings. There 
 was a current belief among the Iroquois 
 that witches were banded together in a 
 secret organization, having an initiation 
 ceremony, the fee being the life of his 
 nearest and dearest friend, taken with 
 
 145 
 
^Roauois. 
 
 poison on the night of his admission. 
 
 Their readiness to accept the super- 
 stitious beHefs may be ascribed to the 
 legends and fables handed down to the 
 young from year to year. These tales 
 for extravagance of invention surpassed 
 the fireside stories of all others. 
 
 The two following stories were given 
 by Albert Cusick : 
 
 A man whose brother was very sick 
 suspected the witches of causing his 
 illness. He tried to find out who they 
 were and where they met, so he went 
 to an old woman, and told her he 
 wanted to be a witch. She said : "If 
 you are very much in earnest you may 
 be, but when you begin you must go 
 to your sister and point at her. Then 
 she will be taken sick, and after a time 
 146 
 
will die." So he went and told his 
 sister and they arranged a plan. She 
 was to pretend to be ill after he came 
 home, and let this be known. When 
 night came he started for the place of 
 meeting with the old woman, but as he 
 went he now and then broke off a leaf 
 or a bit of underbrush. All at once 
 the old woman sprang into a tree and 
 clung to it ; and as she turned around 
 she was a great panther, with sharp 
 teeth, glaring eyes and long claws. As 
 she spit and snarled at him he was ter- 
 ribly frightened, but pretended not to 
 be afraid. So she came down as an old 
 woman again, and said? "Didn't I 
 frighten you ?" " Oh, no," he answered, 
 " I was not a bit afraid ; I would like 
 to be like that myself" So they went 
 
'iRoauois 
 
 on, and as they went he broke the bush 
 here and there. After a time they came 
 to an open place in the woods where 
 were gathered many old men and 
 women, and some young women, too. 
 He was surprised at those he found 
 there. There was a little kettle over a 
 fire in the midst of the place. It was 
 very small indeed, not larger than a tea- 
 cup. Over it hung a bunch of snakes, 
 from which blood dripped into the 
 kettle, and of this all drank a little 
 from time to time. He pretended to 
 drink, and after that looked carefully 
 about to see who were there. They 
 did many things, and took many shapes, 
 and frequently asked what he would 
 like to be. He said "A screech owl." 
 So they gave him an owl's head, which 
 148 
 
was to put on later. They told him 
 when he had this on he would be able 
 to fly like a bird. He imitated the 
 owl's cries and movements, and they 
 said he would be a boss witch. When 
 he put on the head he seemed to loose 
 control of himself, and it took him 
 over the trees to his brother's house. 
 At the same time the meeting broke up 
 and the witches went ofl^ in various 
 shapes, as foxes, wolves, panthers, 
 hawks and owls. When he came to 
 his brother's all in the house were scared 
 at the noise of an owl on the roof, for 
 he made sounds just like one. Then 
 he took off the head and went into the 
 house. He pointed at a dog instead of 
 his sister, and the dog sickened and 
 died. His sister pretended to be sick, 
 
 
 149 
 
^Roauois. 
 
 as they had agreed, and the witches 
 came to see her. They mourned for 
 her, just as though they had not intend- 
 ed her death, and talked about her ill- 
 ness everywhere. The next day the 
 young man got the warriors together, 
 and told what he had seen. They con- 
 sulted and armed themselves, agreeing 
 to follow him that night. The band 
 went through the bushes and trees, 
 finding the way by the leaves and twigs 
 he had broken. They knew the spot, 
 which was on their reservation, and 
 when they reached it the witches' meet- 
 ing had begun. They had officers and 
 speakers, and one of them was making 
 a fine speech. He said if they killed 
 any person they would go to Heaven, 
 and the Great Spirit would reward the 
 150 
 
witches well. They might save their 
 victims from much evil by killing them, 
 for they might become bad or unfor- 
 tunate. If they died now they would 
 go to the Great Spirit. While he was 
 speaking the young man gave a sign, 
 and the warriors rushed in and killed 
 all the witches. 
 
 The other story is as follows : 
 An old woman lived with her grand- 
 son, but went away from home every 
 night. There was a loft in her house, 
 where she went every evening, but she 
 would not let the boy go. He asked 
 many times where she went, but she 
 would not tell. When he seemed 
 asleep she was off at once, and if he 
 woke up when she returned he heard a 
 curious sound on the roof before she 
 
 151 
 
•iRoauois 
 
 came in. Once while she was away 
 during the day he thought he would 
 find out what he could ; so he climbed 
 into the loft. There was a hole in the 
 roof, and in one corner of the loft there 
 was a round chest of bark. In the bot- 
 tom of this he found an owl's head. 
 " Ah, this is very fine," said he. So 
 he put the owl's head on his head. At 
 once he lost control of himself, and the 
 head flew off with him. He did not 
 know what would happen, but seemed 
 and acted like an owl. Away he went 
 through the air to a house, where a 
 sick woman lay, and flew all around it. 
 A very crazy acting owl was he, as any 
 owl might have been in the sun. He 
 tried to stop himself but could not. He 
 caught hold of sunflowers, but they came 
 152 
 
up by the roots. He caught hold of 
 bushes, and they did the same. At last 
 he flew into the house and fell among 
 the ashes, where the frightened people 
 caught him. They found nothing but 
 a small boy and an owl's head. He 
 told his story, and thus a witch was 
 found out. 
 
 It was reserved for the Iroquois to 
 rest themselves upon a durable founda- 
 tion by the estabhshment of a league. 
 This alliance between their nations they 
 connected by the imperishable bands of 
 tribal relationship that would in time 
 have absorbed or exterminated the 
 whole Indian family east of the Missis- 
 sippi. " Their council fires, so far as 
 they are emblematic of civil jurisdiction, 
 may have long since been extinguished. 
 
 153 
 
 {} 
 
glRoauois__ 
 
 « 
 
 Their empire has terminated, and the 
 shades of evening are now gathering 
 thickly over the scattered and feeble 
 remnants of the once powerful league. 
 Race has yielded to race, the inevitable 
 result of the contact of the civilized 
 with the hunter life. Who shall relate 
 with what pangs of regret they yielded 
 up from river to river, from lake to 
 lake, this broad, fair domain of their 
 fathers. The Iroquois will soon be 
 lost as a people in that night of impen- 
 etrable darkness in which so many In- 
 dian races have been enshrouded. 
 Already their country has been appro- 
 priated, their forests cleared and their 
 trails obliterated. The residue of the 
 powerful and gifted race who still linger 
 around their native seats, are destined to 
 
 154 
 
fade away until they become eradicated 
 as an American stock. 
 
 We shall ere long look backward to 
 the Iroquois as a race blotted from ex- 
 istence; but to remember them as a 
 people whose Sachems had no cities, 
 whose religion had no temples, and 
 whose government had no record." 
 
 155 
 
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