n ere di th e ar a en d the ear E t d accor ng to Act of P li m t of Cana a, in y of Our L o rd On e Thousan d Ei ht re an d e -e e g Hund d Nin ty s v n , by THE HU R C H OF NGL AND P U B L ISHING OMP ANY L IM ITED C E C , , in

the Office the er r ure at Ottawa. of Minist of Ag icult . IN prepari n g thi s little wo rk I have had assistance fro m a number of fri e nds to whom m k are due but I w e e y than s , ish sp cially to

D e S e e de n e e C . E . . m r f r to apt Ca ron , up rint n t

o f the G an d e e e e M r. m e B ain r Riv r R s rv ; J a s , L ibrarian Toro n to P ublic L ib rary ; C hief Josiah

i ak k M r m ee Ken H ll S o ar es an d . , y , Willia R p , we n des h o n e e e k ed m e , Int rpr t r, as an ac nowl g nt of the courte sy which I have re c eived fro m them an d th e trouble which they have tak en to aid m e

n cu in fo m i pro r g in r ati o n .

M HAD E . C WICK .

N TI N P RONU C IA O OF NA MES .

THE w r s a e e r e e n o r follo ing ule , lthough n ith compl t

re e will b e r r s uffi c ie n t as e th e p cis , o dina ily a guid to pronunciation of names in th e Hu ron-I ro quois languages

I . V we are r e as o r r as a a . o ls p onounc d , nea ly , in It li n

2 . D an d T an d G an d K are e r a e a e . , , int ch ng bl

. N w e we we s as 3 , h n not follo d by a vo l , is na al , in

‘ Fre nch ; thus Kan o n s ion n i is p ronounc e d as if w ritte n

an o iaun e e e r a N h a e ar s K ngs gn . T min l s a p culi na al s w e w r e r re re e a e a e ound hich som it s p s nt , but in d qu t ly , ’ as e h an d e r s a e a e th e , oth s , al o in d qu t ly , by diphthong ea re e r th e firs t a e th e r e m e rl , nd ing n m on oll of chi fs , p p y

wr e Te hkarih ok e n as Te hk arih o e a . itt n , g

. e S w e H r e as 4 Wh n is follo d by , it is not p onounc d in E the H e re a d r w w nglish , m ly indic ting a slight a l , hich is

e e re re e e c th e H firs t as som tim s p s nt d by pla ing , in

O h swe k e n .

i r r T r e a T n e . 5 . h is p onounc d s I ish b ogu

Th e r a o r all d s w e e p onunci tion In ian name , h n us d

e ra a e ar rar . e e th e g og phic lly, is quit bit y Som tim s Indian for m is re ta in e d as nearly as th e whit e tongu e c an r e nde r

it . e e th e s a e as th e w Som tim s pelling is nglicis d , to nship T e n din a a w r e re e th e aw Tha e n of y g , hich p s nts Moh k y dan e g e a an d in othe r cas e s it is th e p ronunciation which

e e c s as th e w . Th e b com s angli i ed , to nship of Onondaga diffic ulty of laying down any guid e fo r such names m ay b e unde rstood by c ompa r ing th e nam e of th e village of Na nti e w r e a s wr e w cok , hich is p onounc d in English just itt n , ith a the w E e w th e a tw o th t of to nship of tobicok , of hich l st 1 0

let e rs are r e d w M r e r Mi i t nea ly mut , an ith imico . p op ly m c e w e re the e a e e r are r e e re . ok , h same t rmin l l tt s d opp d nti ly Many names of pla c e s appear in histo ry with nume rous

ar a re re e th e a e ff e re rs s v i tions , p s nting tt mpts of di nt pe on r d f rm O n e w th e to educ e Indian s oun s to wr itt e n o . to n in State of N e w Yo rk is s aid to b e m e ntion e d with ove r a e e ighty variations in form of th e o riginal Indian n m .

The o rdinary names of th e Nations of th e I roquois e a e are c s d r e e fo r L gu in angli i e fo m , xc pting Onondaga ,

w e re e a e d th e hich th is no English quiv l nt , an name is

w s r e th e s d e i r al ay p onounc d by Indian , an thos famil a ” w e as O n o n d au a . ith th m , g g T H E

‘ [people of the ILongbouse.

U NL IKE most Indian Nations , whose history is generally little more than vague tradition , interesting to few but ethnologists and other scientists , the People of the Longhouse , I ro

uois fo m erl q , or Six Nations ( y Five Nations) , as they are variously termed , possess a reliable history of respectable antiquity and of great

ts. fo rtu interest , the of which have n ately been partly by the traditions and historical wampum belts of the Nations , and partly by writers , especially the Hon . Cad

“ wallader Colde nf David Cusickj a Tuscarora H I ndian , and Lewis . Morgan; a Seneca by adoption , who have also recorded much of their customs and many things of interest . Such things have been in recent times gradually passing out of memory , known only to the

t r the F e at 1 0 1 . His o y of iv N ions . London , 75 , 755 f the a 1 83 1 828 1 8 8 re r e the ro s Histo of Six N tions , 5 , , 4 ; p int d in I quoi

T ai VV . M . ea a 1 8 2 r l , by B uch mp , 9

2 ea e the Hoden saunee o r r c e ter N .Y. 1 8 x . L gu of , I oquois, Ro h s , , 5 [ 2

older members of the tribes , who have been discouraged from handing them down to their descendants as they themselves received them from their forefathers . I mpressed with the de sirability of not only aiding in the preservation of the antiquities , historical and social , of these people, but also of bringing them within easy access of those to whom they may be of interest —for the two most valuable of the works refer red to are out of print, and scarcely obtainable the writer has taken it upon himself to put forth this little work , which neither pretends to be exhaustive nor attempts to deal with the wider subjects of I ndian origin , life , and customs gen e rall y , as upon those subjects there is much in print , but only with matters immediately con cerning the I roquois , especially such as are little known and seem to him to be worth making better known . From this preliminary explanation it will appear that no especial claim to originality is made by the writer, for much of this work is founded upon the authorities

’ mentioned , supplemented by Horatio Hale s

Iroquois Book of Rites , though largely aided by such personal enquiry and observation as the writer has had opportunity of making . t 3

ACC Ol DIN G ‘ to tradition , the b isr0112. . t S I! Nations originally were one * people , occupying the neighbourhood of Mon

treal , and subject to the domination of the A - dirondacks , a powerful and war like Algon N quin ation , with whom , however , in course of

time disputes arose , resulting in a revolt of the

Iro uoi who q § _ p were then driven from their ‘

o m i ratin southward h mes , and , g g and westward , dm éifi n m bands which prospered greatly and

became the Five Nationsby whom the famous

League was formed , and who , having learned

the art of war from their conquerors , and hav

ing, by their confederacy, combined and con

solidated their resources , became the dominant

power from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and from the Southern States to the interior of

Ontario . The confederacy was formed about

the year 1 4591 (Temp . Henry chic fly

- A oun watha through the statesman like skill of y ,

ea a is o r 0 a the I s a e r the es t B uch mp inion th t roq uoi c m f om W , in a a ra 0 the r —r e e an d a th ene t l mig tion Hu on I oquois p opl , th t only e gl bawks e n et rate d real the e r r Nation s re a o ? to Mont , oth fou m ining in the coun tn es w ere e we re w e the ea e was e a e th e h th y h n L gu st blish d , Tuscaroras going southwe st to th e Miss is s ippi an d then east to the al r Wh e a e rwar a e r th e I s l ity f om ich th y, long ft ds , c m no th to roquoi egunt ry .

D d si a e a e r r w e e at r ! avi Cu ck st t s a d t long p io , hil his comm nt o ,

ea a a er. The a e th e e is we er re a B uch mp , puts it l t d t in t xt , ho v , li bly ’ established (see Hale s I roquois B ook of Rites ) . 14

* so or Hiawatha . Frorn this time their history,

briefl far as recorded , may be summarized , or y

outlined , as follows

1 603 : The Dutch arrived and founded a

Colony at New Amsterdam , now New York , and , extending their possessions up the Hudson R iver, came in contact with the Five Nations , ” i W th whom they formed a covenant chain , or compact to maintain friendly relations .

1 609 : The Five Nations being at war with their old enemies . the Adirondacks , and others , the latter were joined by a party of French under Champlain . The Five Nations had no F knowledge of the rench previous to this time , nor any quarrel with them . This also was their

first firearm s experience of , by the use of which

first they were at surprised and easily defeated .

Thus , too, was founded the hostility which long prevailed between the Five Nations and the F rench .

1 6 : A ttiwon 43 The Neutral Nation , or daron ks , who occupied what was subsequently known as the Niagara District of Upper

This name has bee n used by Lon gfe llow an d impt o9°rly aPPlied to a th mythical hero of e Ojebwas . I S

C ations anada, were eaten up by the Five N , that is , conquered and destroyed by them as a separate nation , being reduced to a few scattered t people, of whom some, no doub , found a home among other nations , while the remainder were absorbed by their conquerors by the process of adoption , which was a frequent method of treat ing captives in war, such persons becoming in all respects one with the tribe into which they were adopted .

1 656 : The Five N ation s similarly conquered

was and destroyed the Eries , whose country situated on the south side of the lake which now bears their name .

1 664 : The English superseded the Dutch

“ ” and assumed their covenant chain , which may be said to have continued ever since, unbroken . 1 665 The French under Courcelles invaded

’ F ation s f the ive N Territory, inef ectually and

DeTrac again under y , when they destroyed a

Mohawk village, with a force of French and 600 I ndians .

1670 : The Five Nations , by successful war

O ebwas against the Hurons and Algonquins ( j , 1 6

l Ottawas , and others) , became dominant in al

Upper Canada between Lake H uron , south of

Georgian Bay , and the Ottawa . About this time also they broke up the New England nations and reduced them to a condition of

dependence, exacting from them a yearly

u . trib te , paid in wampum and furs

1 680 : About this date the Senecas invaded A t ff and defeated the I llinois . di erent dates , which can not be stated with any degree of accuracy, the Five Nations overcame and reduced to dependence in varying degrees the

: following nations Cherokees . Catawbas , Mia

* Shawn eesr k an ticokes mis , l Susquehannoc s ,1 N , n Unamis , Delawares , § and Minsi reachi g their highest degree of power about the end of the

seventeenth century . Some of these conquests ,

however, occurred at a later date, in the earlier

e half of the eighteenth c ntury.

1 68 : F 4 The rench again , strong, under

a e ls Twi htwies or Twi htua s . C ll d a o g , g y

a e s Chao un on s S haouno n s an d a anas . f C ll d al o , , S t

a le s a e or Can asto as . I C l d al o And st s, g e t he elaware were ere D . th e to r said tha t e had Wh n ” s conqu d vic s t h y a e e w e , an e re w e use ti 1 1 m d th m om n xp ssion hich continu d in un l 7 , w e the e aware e a e era i h n D l s join d conf d cy of Ind ans in a war again st &e er a w a r e ea was infl i t ed Am ic ns . in hich c ushing d f t c on an army under e era S t . air w ere the e aware a G n l Cl , h upon D l s , h ving fought bravely in t a a e . were r a e are th S h t b ttl fo m lly d cl d by e ix Nations to be n o lon ger w e Men . om n , but m 17

De the La Barre, invaded the territory of

Onondagas , with little success .

1 68 : De No nville 7 , with French and

600 Indians , invaded the territory of the

fi l s corn e d . Senecas , destroying villages and

1 688 : The Five Nations retaliated upon the

French , invading Canada at Chambly and at

Frontenac (Kingston) , with all the terrors of

I ndian warfare .

1 68 : A 9 gain , strong, they ravaged the neighbourhood of Montreal up to the very

fortification s 200 , retiring with prisoners , the French losses amounting to a total of

and though Frontenac , in the same year, sent a

600 force of against them , destroying three

00 villages and taking 3 prisoners , the Five Nations remained virtually conquerors of all

Canada west of Montreal to Lake H uron .

1 6 6 : ronten ac 9 F in person , with French

’ 1 00 and Indians , overran the Onondagas and

’ On edias Territories , destroying villages and

crops . A detachment under V audreuil also

invaded the Oneidas . Peace was then made ,

which continued until the conquest of Canada ,

sixty years later . 1 8

1 7 1 0 : A n important deputation of Sachems visited England for the purpose of presenting to Queen Anne in person the views of the Five

Nations , on questions regarding the interna tion al relations between the English and

French colonies , and other important matters * of public policy .

1 : 1 7 5 The Tuscaroras , driven from North

Carolina , sought the protection of the Five

as Nations , being of a common origin , and were admitted into the confederacy, which then ” became the Six Nations .

1 749 : Abbe Picquet established a small settlement of Christianized I roquois at Oswe

at chie g (Ogdensburg) , which rapidly increased ,

* These chie fs were t reatedfwith much consideration an d atte ntion while A e rar re e re e e r w re e r e in London . cont mpo y f nc to th i visit, hich f s to th m " a s a K a e e Te e Yee e e Ho Ga r w a n d Indi n ings , n m s th m thus , N n P o ,

S a G o Yea l s. ra t he a a E K an d n P h Ion , of M qu s ; low Oh aom , Oh N Ye ath gil r w the e r a e an d the Gan ah h- re e e , , jo " Ion o P o of Riv S ch m ho

a e . t he fi rs t a e m a be re z e th e e e a e S ch m In n m y cogni d S n c Chi f, h Te o n in ho ka rawe n h th e w , e e a t e r a e , are re foll"o ing sp ci lly thi d n m mo

. ra ol r w m a e rha s re re e a r a di cult P h , P o , y p p s nt misp onunci tion a re e the w r ra e fo r ca n be ar an o r mis pp h nsion of o d v , it no p t of y I roquois name be cause it was at th at time unpronouncea ble by I roquois s the difficult ro n oun ciat io n the e e r b o r m a be e r lip y of p of l tt s p . y und stood from t he C i rcumstance note d in the same account of this visit of the e e a a e a e e e r e r w e al e c i s b i cc mp i d by C l l P Sc uyl , m y c l d h f n o " n o on t h ho th

e e r cu de r th e e er 1 e s r e a e . n y , al Ga ajo h Q u "d l tt b ing o unp onounc bl re a a ar e an d the e wh o wa s a a e s ho . is C n joh i , Chi f of th t pl c is aid to

a e ee t he ra a e r a a e ra Tha e n dan e e a . h v b n g ndf th of C pt in Jos ph B nt, y g It was at is ime a Q u ee e ave a b ible an d c mmu i ve ssels fo r th t th t ' n Ann g o n on a r the aw r an d wh w the e a r chu ch in Moh k s count y , ich , ith b ll of th t chu ch , they saved from the destruction of the i r posse ssio n s in th e Ame rica n re ar war an d r w e to a a a w ere e are volution y , b ought ith th m C n d , h th y i l re er e at th e aw r ear ra r the e re st l s v d old Moh k Chu ch n B ntfo d , ction of whic was o n e e r fi rs t a w e e a e e r n ew e ofth i cts h n st blish d in th i s ttle ment . n I I 9

U ntil in 1 754 they numbered some Th is settlement was subsequently removed to C augh * n awa a S t . g and Regis , where this branch of the Iroquois still continues . This division of the people about 1 790 to 1 800 called them ” selved the Seven Nations of Canada .

1 authori 7 53, is the date assigned by some ties as that at which a considerable number of

Nanticokes were taken into the confederacy . These are at the present day represented in the

Tutaloes who council by two chiefs . Some , had fled from their enemies and sought refuge

e with the Six Nations , were also receiv d , and

were long represented in the council , but they

are now nearly extinct, being reduced to one

u individ al , John Key, now about eighty years

of age .

1 775 The American revolutionary war broke

ation s out . The Six N were active participants

Kahn awa a R i e r was th e a e w the S t g , ap d Riv , n m by hich Lawre nce was known to the I roquois . If the name was applie d to it e e ra r e re e a e the w r a a a g n lly t—h oughout its l ngth , its s mbl nc to o d C n d is s uggest we a rese mbla nce which will be a p reciable by those who are familiar with Fre nch an d have some knowle ge of the fo rm an d muta tions ' a s an d ta e r a e a e ar difi e r t of Indi n word , is in ct much clos th n oft n pp s in e n e e r the s d a a e fo r e a e o n e a e r nd ings of ame In i n n m x mpl , inst nc out of

a e e a S o n o n to wa O n on de wa . a a r e r a the m ny, S n c , , No s tisf cto y d iv tion of a e a a a has as e t ee e an d er e e w has n m C n d y b n giv n . th is non hich - a e f re i as rre h th e r r Ka a a obt in d ull cogn tion co ct, t ough Hu on I oquois n t . r e are aw Kan asta th e ra e a e oup of hous s , (comp Moh k , f m of hous ,

an o n sa a e is o l e . , hous ) , c mmon y giv n 20

chiefl in the contest , being y , perhaps , through the in fl uen ce of Sir William Johnson , seconded by Brant and other chiefs , for the most part staunch and active adherents to the loyalist

cause, though a few were doubtful and held

aloof. 1 779 I n the course of the war many of the villages and possessions of the Six N atio n s were laid waste by an American army under General

- Sullivan . They had made great advance in

civilization , and many of their dwellings were

- good two storey houses , with orchards and

fie lds cultivated , all of which were destroyed it is stated that in one orchard alone fruit trees were cut down by General Sullivan ’ s

troops .

1 783 : The American States became in de pe nd

ent , whereupon the United Empire Loyalist

migration to Canada took place , in which a

ation s large number of the Six N , led by Brant ,

took part, a band of Mohawks forming a settle

u ment upon the Bay of Q inte , but the greater number of the whole people going to the Grand

River , where the Government granted them an

extensive tract of land . A smaller settlement

22

ff This o er being accepted , the Six Nations granted to them a tract of acres in

Tuscarora , in the Grand River Reserve , to which another tract of acres was added

1 86 . in 5 The Longhouse, however , was not

extended to include them , that is , they were

not taken into the confederacy , and they man A t age their own affairs separately . the time of the settlement of Upper Canada the Mississau gas occupied a large stretch of territory between

Lake Huron and the Bay of Quinte , and from them , as possessors , the Government obtained it the cession of . This territory had been con quered by the Six Nations at a date long

su previous , as already mentioned , but not b sequently retained in actual occupation .

Of i meserves anb those of the S x Na tions who did not come to Mumbers . Canada after the American

, 1 8 1 o 2 0 locality where there were in 5 ab ut 5 , 1 0 besides about 5 with the Senecas , who num

e Of 1 26 b red the Oneidas , were at their

H A P SH OWI N G O R IGI N A L G R AN T O N THE D R I E R GRAN V .

’ r r f T p es e n t R e s e z w IS th e pa r t s /m a fi d .

TO VV N S H IP S‘

6 . D r e s N . 1 1 . T a r ra . 1 6 . C a n bo ro u h umf i usc o g .

D m r s S . 1 2 . . 1 . 7 . u f i e On e id a 7 . Dunn 8 r n t r E . 1 . S . 1 8 . . . B a fo d 3 e n e ca Moulton

. ra r \V . 1 . a a N . 1 . r r e 9 B ntfo d 4 C yug 9 She b ook .

1 0 . n a a 1 . a a S . Ono d g . 5 C yug 23

1 8 1 . old home in 5 The Cayugas were scattered , and fin ally a remnant were deported to the

I ndian territory on the Mississippi , but about

1 2 5 remained with the Senecas . A settlement

00 1 8 1 of Tuscaroras , who were about 3 in 5 , still continues near the Niagara River . There were thus in 1 8 5 1 over of the Six Nations re maining in the State of New York , and a band

00 . of about 7 near Green Bay , in Wisconsin The reserves now occupied by the Six

Nations , or I roquois , in Canada are the Grand

River , originally six miles width on each side of the Grand River, or Ouse , from its mouth on k * La e Erie to its source , of which the greater

* A e e a re th e a a e the r w the lic ns of occup tion , citing tt chm nt to C o n of aw a an d e r e e s s s was ss 2 th e r Moh k Indi ns th i cons qu nt lo e , i ued 5 Octob , 1 8 e e ra Haldim an d t he aw a an d e r 7 4 , by G n l , to Moh k N tion such oth of the Six Na tion Indians a s should wish to se ttle in tha t quar te r fo r a “ ra six s ee r ea s th e er e o r ra t ck of mile d p f om ch ide of Riv Ous , G nd e r e i at L a e r e an d e e a r r i the Riv , b ginn ng k E i xt nding in th t p opo t on to

ea t h e r e r . Th e ra e r was e s a e t he O s a h d of iv G nd Riv th n al o c ll d wego , name which see ms to su rvive in Oh s we ke n . To provide fo r this gift to th e a th e r w had re ee a e 2 2 n d Ma 1 8 ur Indi ns C o n p viously . by d d d t d y , 7 4 , p a e r t he a e War e an d r a e the ch s d f om S ch ms , Chi fs P incip l Wom n of Mis s isag as Indian N ation a lar ge district of which t h e no r the rn bound ar ran r t he re e a f s r a s a e L a e a r y f om c k th t all f om mall l k into k Ont io , h a Wa h uata n d e e r w t e e g q , a we r e kno n by n m of " th nc no th st until it st ik s th e e r L aTra n che . The s a e r B a an d L a Riv mall l k is Bu lington y ,

ra e th e e r T a e . was s s a e w T nch is Riv h m s It uppo ed th t this lin , hich is n o w th e ar e e wee t he e e w r an d a bound y lin b t n counti s of W nt o th H lton , ° an d th e r the W . w f l e a e r is o igin of N 45 , hich is so ami iar to conv y nc s an d a r e r e e an d Wellin to n r un far r l nd su v yo s in thos counti s Z g , would no th the e a th e ra e r a r e t he ra e r of h d of G nd Riv , but it in f ct c oss s G nd Riv a e Fe r an d a fift ee n r we m s e w just bov gus bout o t nty ile b lo its h e ad . It was re a ra w re ar th e e r L aTran che r w still mo st y ith g d to Riv , f om hich it Th r r is fa r distant . e ive s uppos ed to have bee n L aTran che is (n o w) the e a a ra th e ra er w the e r e at Con stog , b nch of G nd Riv , hich lin st ik s

r r . be e e e e e e ra a e rr r led a e r A thu As might xp ct d , th s g og phic l o s in ft ear diffi culti e s and er a for a er the r wn had y s to misund st nding , ft C o sub 24

* part has been surrendered or alienated , leaving now, inclusive of acres occupied by the

Mississaugas , acres ; Bay of Quinte ,

acres ; Thames , in Ontario , acres

C au hn awa Watha , in Muskoka , acres g

a g , in the Province of Quebec , acres ;

S t . R egis , also in Quebec , acres ; and

“ ’ ” Michel s Reserve, near Edmonton , in Alberta ,

40 square miles . From the Annual Report on I ndian affairs of

1 8 6 J une, 9 , it appears that shortly prior to that date, the numbers resident in these reserves were as follows : in the Grand River

Reserve ; (Mohawks) on the Bay of

e e r a e a r t r the e e e the s qu ntly pu ch s d dist ic no th of lin m ntion d , Six Na tions claimed the par t of it which the ir original lice nse of occupa tion

e a r e r . The we er was a e includ d cco ding to its t ms claim , ho v , not dmitt d , as it was de cide d that the lice nse was only inte nde d to include what was w the s wne the r w at a e a the ithin limit of land o d by C o n its d t , th t is , to e a e e r e an d fo r w a r a ra e e r a e had lin bov d sc ib d , hich fo m l g nt by L tt s P t nt Th s e already bee n made . e ra the r awkward de scription of six mile d ep from e ach s ide of the r iver was changed to six miles from e ach s ide of a r i f th r e r lin e d rawn f om po nt to point ollowing th e ge ne ral cou rse of e iv . The district thus defin e d m ay be plainly se e n on the M ap of Ontario h foll owing the e ast an d we st boundary line s of the to wn shi s thro ug w th e ra er r r e r a e r Fo r r e hich G nd Riv uns f om F gus to L k E i e . t is p inc l a w a ed a a re a a e s s 1 th dom in , hich cont in bout c s , P t nt i ued on 4 ar 1 the e r th a , 793 , , a rio rs , e an d e e e J nu y " to Chi fs Wom n P opl of Six Nations . The B ay of Q uinte R e ser ve was de scribe d as twelve miles frontage on the B a e wee the w r w an d e ar y b t n to nships of Thu lo Richmond , b ing p t of r the Mis i a pu rchase f om s sag as in 1 784 . This is the township of Tye n din aga . * The moneys obtained fo r lan ds surre ndered o r s old are retained by the er e r fo r th e a wh o re e e an a a Gov nm nt in t ust Six N tions , c iv nnu l e a 00 w a e r r fo r the e e di incom of bout $4 5 , hich ft p oviding n c ssary e x p e n ure i s a w i i a the di al s t , g ve bout hich is d v ded mong in vidu , old an d young alike . 25

Quinte 799 (Oneidas) in the Thames Reserve

R 2 St . 1 at Caughnawaga ; at egis 4 , f known as the Oka Band , an o fshoot from the

82 Caughnawagas , on the Watha Reserve and

’ on Michel s Reserve making, without including a few who are in reserves of other tribes , a total in Canada of officially enumerated ; but this is known to be about 300 or 400 less than

o fficial the actual number , as the enumeration does not include every individual . There is an annual increase . Their numbers in former times varied con siderably ; in 1 677 they were estimated at and about the end of that century they

i n are sa d to have take a census themselves , shewing Sir William Johnson estimated

1 6 1 8 1 them in 7 3 at Morgan , in 5 , states their numbers as probably in Canada and the United States , but he understates the

1 8 8 Canadians . In 5 , the nu mbers on the Grand

River Reserve are officially stated at

Sir William Johnson , if correctly quoted , which is doubtful , calculated the military

: 1 60 strength as follows Mohawks , which can

2 0 1 0 hardly be correct, Oneidas 5 , Tuscaroras 4 , 26

1 0 200 Onondagas 5 , Cayugas , Senecas

1 A n total 950. estimate of the numbers who served in the American revolutionary war was

00 1 0 200 Mohawks 3 , Oneidas 5 , Tuscaroras

00 2 0 00 Onondagas 3 , Cayugas 3 , Senecas 4 ,

1 80 total 5 . I t is impossible to reconcile

these two statements .

‘ cbc The territory imm edia_

“ " I O“ QDORSC tely , or actually, occupied by the Five Nations in t erritory.

former times , e x t e n d e d

1/ from near Lake Champlain westwards to south

of the easterly part of Lake Erie . This country constituted the theoretical Kanon * s ion n i (in the Seneca language H o tin on so n n e

“ ” Hoden osaun ee or ), or Long house , in which

‘/ the several nations were regarded as dwelling .

The typical abode of the I roquois was a house ,

or lodge , of frame, walled and covered with

bark , built in sections , each of which was the

separate dwelling of a family , with a long

central passage in common . A house so built

was readily enlarged to admit new families , by

O r A an uschio ni ac rd e e ra . g , co ing to Ston , (Lif of B nt)

28

The Tuscaroras and adopted people were said to be frame poles added to the frame work of the Longhouse .

R otinon sion n i mames of ( be , T h e ” m g People of the Longhouse , afi on .

Kan on sion n i a derivative of , is the name by which the Six Nations called themselves as a confederated or u nited people .

They also anciently called themselves O n gue

“ ” “ Ho n we , Men surpassing all others , or real ” men . I roquois is the name by which they have been generally known , and which is now used as a term to include the whole of what formerly constituted the confederated Six

Nations , while the latter term (Six Nations) is usually restricted to those of them who reside in Ontario , and even here is further con fin ed in common parlance to those residing in the Grand River Reserve. The name

I roquois is ancient , and its meaning has

been lost and is consequently disputed . A

“ ” “ French writer gives it as hiro, I have spoken , an expression used by the I ndians at l the termination of a speech in counci , and 29

ko ue , an exclamation of joy or sorrow, a derivation too fanciful to deserve much atten

Mr tion . . Brant Sero asserts that the name

” * has its derivation from the root iro , a tree,

“ and means tree pickers , which is not inap

ro riate p p , for it is suggestive of the cutting of bark for the construction of the typical

Iroquois lodges , and perhaps also of cutting

“ ” trees to build the castles , as several writers - fi term them , or log built forti cations , which they were accustomed to erect for the defence of their villagesrl' Hale derives the name from an ” Ie rokwa obsolete word , to smoke , meaning the people who smoke . Another people of the same stock , long extinct, were certainly known

Tion on as the Smokers , or Tobacco Nation ( tates) , so that the name is not improbable .

Besides it is quite appropriate to the people whose visible bond of union was their council , where the pipe had an important part, as in all

Indian councils . Thus , if this derivation be

r a true one , there is a seconda y meaning which

er s s i ro ls s in the a e iro a M r. B rant S o ay th s ot a o appear n m Ad nd ck , w h x s as ree eater hich e e plain t s , 1 Tree s fo r this purpose were fe lle d and divide d into suitable le ngths ur i by b n ng . 36

may be expressed as the people who meet in

council . The Iroquois were called by the

Min oes Delawares , g , or Mengwe , the people at ” the springs , referring to their possession of the head waters of rivers which fl owe d through the

’ Delawares country .

Ka an eren hko wa The confederacy was called y , ” which means , great peace .

S o n o n towa The name Seneca , properly ,

On on tewa Non dewa , , or in unabridged form

S o n o n t owan e Tson o n to uan , in French , is under

“ ” stood to mean great hill , having reference

to a local feature of their territory . I n coun

R o n an in hohon ti cil the Senecas are called ,

ale Hon ee n hon etoh R on in hoh n i or , (singular , o t ,

H on in hohon ta ) , i. e . or possessing a door, , - door keepers . The name in the singular in

this and each other nation , is sometimes applied to their chief whose name comes

first on the roll .

Ka ukwa Ka ukwe n Go o ouin Cayuga , y , y , or y g ” (French) , is perhaps swamp , or marshy land ,

u In tho gh this is uncertain . council they are

The aria the v tion in forms of the se name s repre se nts the m as in n aw , a d a er the s w ar all Moh k in noth of language , hich e dial ects of th e Mohawk . 3!

c S otin o n awen ton a S otin on n awen ta alled , or , ” great pipe people, a pipe being their symbol ;

on on n awe n o S t n a. singular,

Onondaga, means at the hill , a name having reference to locality . The French form

n n of the name is O n o tagué . Their council

“ ” S en hn okete name is , bearing the names , or

“ S a o saan a e chthe g g , bearing the names on

’ Sakosen n a their shoulders ; in the singular, ” ke ht e i , name carr er .

“ On e ote Oneida, or y , means the projecting ” si n i stone , or rock , also a name of local g

io n k ficat . Nihatiro n ta o wa The council name is ,

2 Nihatien takon a or , great tree people singu k Niharon ta owa. lar,

M owawo Mohawk , or (anciently) g, is said to be a term of reproach or derision or perhaps

“ dread , meaning eaters of men , bestowed h upon them by t eir enemies , who recognized in the formidable Mohawks those who would

u I sooner or later eat them p , an ndian metaphor for complete conquest or destruction .

But another derivation is given , Makwa , or

bear, an Algonquin word , and a name by which they were known to the Algonquin 32

* ation s N . The name by which they called them

selves , and which is in fact their proper name ,

C an e n eh Kan un eh is Kanienga , y g , or y g , which ”

fl in t . is local , meaning dwellers at the The

A n iers French called them g , a corruption of

Yan en e . g g , the Huron equivalent of Kanienga The colonists of Pennsylvania spelled the name

Gan in oes Can in kers in various forms , as y g , y ,

Tehadirihoken etc . Their council name is , the

plural form of the first name on the roll of

chiefs .

!the The Confederacy or League of the I roquois was in the first place l eague defe n an alliance , offensive and sive , of the Five Nations ; and in the second

place , an international tribal , or clan relation ship , the latter being in theory, and ultimately in fact, a blood relationship between members of the different Nations ; the two unions consti tuting a basket-work -like combi n ation by which

five the peoples , though continuing to inhabit separate districts , became so welded together as

ss ib a a e th e er a i be re ia e It is po le th t this n m , if d iv t on l bl , may re e r e a re e e a at a e w p s v minisc nc of n ion l tot m , of hich no othe r reco rd o r ra ex s . The t dition ist great pipe of th e Cayugas seems of a similar na r tu e. 33;

to constitute an inseparable whole . The gov ern ment of the Confederacy, as such , rested

, b in the Great Council whose mem ers were, and still are , hereditary representative Chiefs , fift . Of originally y in number these , thirty nine still continue , eleven having dropped in consequence of failure of the families to which they belonged . Another , Deyon n ehohkaweh r , similarly dropped , but was e vived by the Council . Upon the entrance of the Tuscaroras into the Confederacy the original number was increased by thirteen

Chiefs of that Nation , of whom , however, only four are represented in Canada, the others having disappeared in the migration consequent upon the American revolutionary war . There are also two Chiefs representing the Nanti cokes , of whom a remnant were admitted into the Confederacy, though only as a Band , and not as a Nation ; and the Delawares , of whom a band also joined the Six Nations subsequent to their settlement in Canada , are represented by one Chief. The Chiefs of such bands are not accounted as of the full fift t standing of the original y , and al hough the 34

Tuscaroras were admitted as a Nation their Chiefs have never been accorded full equality

fift five , with the y . There are classes of chiefs

’ namely, Head Chiefs , and Warrior, Pinetree

. War , and Honorary, Chiefs

The hereditary Chiefs are 1beab t efs

usually called Head Chiefs , but are k nown to the I ndians themselves as

“ R o an er Nobles , or Lord Chiefs ( y ) . The original names are maintained and pass to the successors as hereditary titles do among other people , so that the Head Chiefs of the present day bear the same names as their ancestors of

1 4 59. The succession is by descent, traced in

the female line, and is not simply hereditary , but is partly elective also there is no person in

whom the right of succession vests as of course, but the oldest near female relative of the deceased Chief (with her colleagues , as men tion ed below) , nominates a successor from among those eligible , usually selecting her own son or grandson , unless she assents to the advancement of the Second Chief, when there is one . The person thus selected is then raised

36

i r compr se two , or ten , or twenty , or mo e

persons , according as it is understood . From

careful enquiry , and comparing at least three independent accounts , obtained from the

I ndians themselves , the writer derives the following : The right of nomination vests in the oldest near female relative of the deceased

Chief, that is , the oldest of a class composed

of his maternal grandmother and grand aunts ,

if living, but if none of those are living , then the oldest of a class composed of his mother and her

’ sisters (daughters of the mother s mother) , or if

none of these, then of his sisters , daughters of

his mother, and if these also are wanting , then

’ n eices dau h of his , daughters of his mother s g

ters and if all these fail , then the right passes

’ to collateral relatives of his mother s totem , and

if there are none of these , no nomination can

be made, and the Chiefship becomes extinct . The nominator consults with the two next

senior women , ascertained by the same order

classification and , of the family, and the nomin u / ’ ation is thus made . I t doesiseem very clear

what occurs if the three do not agree . A case

T o wawaken has occurred , that of y g , late Moses 37

1 8 6 Hill , who died in August , 9 , where the nominator, being a Christian , desires to select a Christian , while the two colleagues , being pagans , are equally decided in favour of one of

their belief, and as neither will give way , there

n om in ation a1thou h has been , as yet, no , g it is more than a year since the vacancy occurred . From this it would seem either that there must be agreement of all three, or at least that the nominator must secure one of the others to concur in her selection but the writer has been informed by a Chief who is well versed in such matters , that the nominator has the right to insist upon her selection , although the others do not agree , but does not consider it politic to

so do . The son of a Chief cannot succeed his

’ father, because he is of his mother s totem , f necessarily dif erent from that of his father, and is therefore not of the family to which the

Chiefship appertains . I f a Chiefship fails in consequence of the family to which it belongs becoming extinct, either in the person of a nominator , or of a

ualified q nominee, the Great Council has power 38 to transfer the Chiefship to another family

be , (preferably one which is , or is considered to akin to the extinct family) , in which a Chief is then nominated by the senior woman and her

t , associa es , and assumes the title in the usual

manner, whereupon the succession goes in that

family . This explains the change which has occurred in a few of the totems of the Chiefs . It is said that the power has been rarely exercised

Of the few instances which are known , some have occurred in consequence of the partial breaking up of some of the Nations after the

! American revolutionary war . A notable ex

A totarho ample of this is , which Chiefship is held in Canada by a family one of whom was so

u A t otarho 1 8 raised p . The of 7 3 remained in the State of New York , but as the family after wards became extinct there in the true line o f succession , the right of the present holder of the title cannot be disputed . Another important Chiefship which has undergone a similar change

De on n ehohkaweh in the line of succession is y , but in this case there is no apparent change o f

. S o on wese totem y , also extinct, has lately been revived . The Chiefship Kan on gwey on doh is 39

held by a Regent of the proper totem , the family of rightful succession not being in Canada ; they are believed to have gone with the band which went to Green Bay in

Wisconsin .

The Head Chiefs , were formerly (as of course

e x ce they are now) civil Chiefs only, with the p

Tehkarihoken S kan awadeh tion of and , who were permanent or hereditary War Chiefs , as well as having civil authority equally with their colleagues ; Skan awadeh especially had impor

. tant powers and responsibilities . Morgan (a Seneca by adoption) says there were two hereditary War Chiefs of the Senecas , Tawan

Thaowan aths nears , or y , (Wolf clan) , and

S on osowa (Turtle clan) , but these are not on the roll of Chiefs . Hale suggests that, as the Senecas were responsible for the defence of the western border of the confederacy , they may have named these from among the War

rior Chiefs , to perform the duties of wardens of the marches . The women of a Chief’ s family are known by

an er the I ndians as Noble women (Oy ) . 40

f W arrior The Head Chie s , or certain of

them , are each attended by a t efs . - f sub Chie , properly called War

rior Chief, but now usually known as the

officer Second Chief, who is an executive , but also may appear in Council as the Deputy of o th the Head Chief, in case f the absence of e

He latter. has no voice in Council except when

so acting as Deputy, but in modern times he frequently sits in Council and takes part in

deliberations , if permitted to do so by the

Head Chief. The Second Chief is chosen in the same manner as a successor to the Head

for Chiefship , from persons eligible that posi tion , and thus any such Chief who displays proper ability is likely to be advanced to the

Head Chiefship on a vacancy occurring . The

official Second Chief has no name or title , and there is no espe cial ceremony o f in stallation He on his appointment . holds his otfice during good behaviour , and may be removed (for cause) in the same manner as he is nominated . The Second Chiefs have gradually assumed greater powers and more

certain position than they formerly had . 4 1

There are no Second Chiefs among the

s s Tu caroras , Nanticoke , or Delawares , and according to strict rule there should be none

among the Senecas , except in the case of

De o n n ehohkaweh - y , the hereditary Door keeper ,

but this rule is not strictly observed , and an

exception is sometimes made . The Delaware term Sachem— now almost an English word— which is frequently employed by

writers to designate a Chief, and is used by Mor

gan to designate the Head Chiefs , is also used

ation s by the Six N of the Grand River Reserve ,

but, at the present day at least , is applied by them to the Second or other minor Chiefs only .

When a Head Chief is under R egents . in age , or for any other reason capable of acting , he is sometimes represented by a Locum tenens , or Regent , as he is called , who should be a member of the same family as

office the Chief, and , in theory, holds during the pleasure of the nominator , and her colleagues , but once appointed , he is rarely, if ever ,

removed , except when displaced by the Head

Chief becoming able to take his place . 42

c o p inetree Another lass of Chiefs wh have a place in Council are the Chi f . e s ” Wakan hdodeh e , or Pinetree

Chiefs , the name signifying a pinetree has ” sprung up they are also called “ self-made

Chiefs . These are men whose abilities or acquirements are such as to bring them into prominence, and to render them useful members

of the Council , by whom they are therefore

admitted and constituted as Chiefs , and become

members of the Council , with the same status

as the Head Chiefs, but for life only . I n the

roll of Chiefs the Pine t rees are put in places vacant in consequence of extinction of heredi

tary Chiefships , but they do not otherwise

represent such extinct Chiefships . Capt .

Tha en dan e ea Joseph Brant , y g , was a Pinetree

H Tehkari Chief. e married the daughter of

boken , and the right of nomination to that

Chiefship having fallen to her , she named her

. Ah ouwai s son , Capt John Brant, y g , and since then the Chiefship has always been held by

a descendant of Capt . Joseph Brant, and must

so continue .

44

1 8 1 2 but few . Those of whose names are recorded were the following :

Te on in hokarawen Captain John Norton , y , was commissioned as Captain of the I ndians ; he commanded the I ndians at Queenston ,

as his where he w wounded , and as name does

not occur again , it is probable that this was his

last battle . I t has been asserted that he was

really a white man , but his name , that of a

hereditary chief, is proof to the contrary .

A h o uwai s Tehkariho Captain John Brant y g ,

who was ken , conspicuous for his boldness and

activity at Queenston , although a mere boy ,

e He b ing only seventeen years of age . was according to one writer, closely attended in that

battle by a chief named Jacobs , supposed by some to have been a man of years and e x peri t ence, charged with the du y of restraining the ardour of the young Chieftain , but it is more

’ probable that he was Tehkarihoke n s second or w arrior chief. Captain John Brant was present in every important engagement in the district south of Burlington . W Captain , afterwards Colonel , illiam Johnson

Kerr, Mohawk , commanded the . I ndians at 45

B W eaver dams and elsewhere . alter Kerr and

Robert Kerr , the two brothers of Captain Kerr ,

1 8 1 2 officers also served in , but apparently as in the army and not as war chiefs they were both wounded and taken prisoners , but managed to escape . Walter Kerr died of his wounds .

S aka e n waraton John Smoke Johnson , y g , was

1 8 1 2 also a War Chief in , and was highly com plime n ted by the Officer Commanding for his skill and gallantry .

was H Another Chief Clench , whose son , enry

Kan o we a Clench , g y , was father of Capt . Joseph

Clench named below .

To come to the present day, although war chiefs as such are no more , there are men who

may fairly be accounted as such , although not having acquired their position in the olden

b ut o fficers manner , as of militia by regular f commission . O these there are Captain Joseph

Clench , and Lieut . John William Martin Elliott ,

De on heh weh th Haldim an d Chief y g , both of 37

R ifl es . It may not be improper to include in the same list two honorary chiefs , Lieut .

Kahn e do on ah Col . Robert Lottridge Nelles , g ,

th H alidim an d Rifles commanding 37 , and 46

M R o ehhon ajor William George Mutton , y , sometime attached to the same Regiment .

monet ary) Besides the Head Chiefs , and - their sub Chiefs , there is a class Gbiefs .

of Chiefs who should not , per haps , be overlooked . The custom of adoption

has always been prevalent among the I ndians ,

and not only members of other Indian Nations , but also white men and women are sometimes

adopted . This may be done by any Indian , and the person adopted acquires a certain

status , in theory at least , which , if he does not take up his residence and become one of the family into which he is adopted (which would secure him full recognition as a mem

ber of the Nation) , is commonly expressed

“ ” by the term giving an I ndian name , and

means little if anything more than that . The

Chiefs in Council , however, may adopt persons who thereby acquire a status of importance in

the whole community . This they usually do in

the case of persons , such as members of the R F - oyal amily, Governors General , or others of

prominence, who visit them , this being the ‘ 47

f highest honour it is in their power to con er . The distinction is also sometimes accorded to any person , whom for any special reason they desire to honour , especially is he is the holder of military rank . Such persons are Honorary

Chiefs , and are theoretically entitled to a place in Council , but never take any actual part. The ceremony of adoption of such persons may be described in a general way as consisting of

u the introd ction to the Chiefs , each of whom shakes hands with the new member, who is then escorted up and down before the Chiefs and Warriors , while a suitable part of the E ancient ritual is chanted . When the arl of A berdeen was adopted he was thus escorted up

and down between the lines , turned inwards , of the guard of honour— all Iroquois warriors furnished on the occasion by 37th Haldim an d

R ifl es . The adoption of an Honorary Chief must have the unanimous consent of the Chiefs

present in Council .

I t is said that an Honorary Chief, on

being adopted , was expected to give a whole

x o for a feast to the Chiefs and people . I f 48

this ever was a recognized custom , it is not

* so now . A gift , not necessarily costly , to

the Council House is much appreciated . Personal gifts to Chiefs who take part in the

ceremony, while courtesy forbids their being

refused if offered , are considered derogatory to the dignity of the Chiefs . L adies are adopted with a somewhat similar ceremony, and the presentation of some symbolical article of use or ornament . The wife of an Honorary Chief is usually adopted if presented to the Council by him . She should be of a totem or clan different from that of her husband . Similar adoptions are sometimes made by the Chiefs of one Nation only , and persons so adopted become Honorary Chiefs in such w Nation , being tribal only and ithout any status in the confederacy unless presented

to the Great Council and accepted by them , when they become Honorary Chiefs of the

Six Nations .

The d ie s e i e l s an o x o r e a ea the e Hea Ch f om t m s ki l , giv f st to Chi fs

e r own a e i s e . of th i n tion , on b ing ra ed up by th m 49

o f the fi be Council. The proceedings ” Great Council , of which the Council which now meets regularly on the

Grand River Reserve is the successor , were anciently extremely formal , always commencing with an expression of gratitude to the Great Spirit for bringing all safely on their journeys to the place of meeting ; and this form is still observed , although the modern traveller is not beset with the dangers and diffic ulties i nci dent to a long journey through the forests b - of y gone days . The roll of Chiefs was gone through in a kind of lengthy chant , and the historical wampum belts were produced and their records recited , thus keeping the history of the Confederacy taught with care to each succeeding generation . Such preliminaries occupied many hours , so that in old times a meeting of Council was an affair of days , but modern ideas and the necessities of modern life have caused such forms to be greatly abridged , and to be in fact observed in outline only . I nstead of the lengthy recital of the Chiefs the roll is called in a simple and prosaic

manner, and the conning of the wampum belts 50 is represented by the reading of the minutes o f * the last meeting .

The Nations were , and still are , arranged in Council in due order , the Mohawks and

Senecas on one side , and the Cayugas and

Oneidas , with , in later times , the Tuscaroras and

the Nanticokes , on the opposite , these being ” called the Four Brethren ‘ l‘ with the latter is also placed the one Delaware . Between the

two other , and forming the third side of a square, were the Onondagas . This arrangement is now m odified by the presence at Council meetings of the Superintendent , whom the ” “ V I ndians term the isiting Superintendent ,

who representing the Government, and presides ,

supported by the Clerks and I nterpreters , occupying the fourth side of the square , and

n having the Mohawks and Se ecas on his left ,

S ee appe ndix illustratin g th e manne r of procee ding in Council in

r e r e an d the e ss s . fo m tim s , styl of addre e

!The Mohawks we re accounte d as Fa the rs to th e O neidas ; the O s a s r er the aw an d U e t he O s nondaga B oth s to Moh ks , ncl s to neida , an d als o Fa the rs to t he Cayugas the S e ne cas as B rothers to the

O s an d U e the s . The M h s we re the nondaga , ncl s to Cayuga o awk

e r re re an d the e e a the Y er . e a n ew e has Eld B th n , S n c s oung Wh n chi f e e s u he r e e own a and a l e b n rai ed p , is int oduc d by thos of his N tion , inst l d o n e the e r he o n e the a e r at io n s h e a e by of oth s if is of of F th N , is inst ll d a un io r as a ar fil ial re e a r h e a e a by J , m k of sp ct if Junio , is inst ll d by

e r as a r er act are a a an d e . S nio , op of p nt l symp th condol nce The s e relatio n shi s v e r efere nce to the o rder m w ich e ach N a tion e ntered th e Conf eracy .

52

k o f Spea er of the Council , by whom the decision the Council is then declared or communicated to

If the the Superintendent . , however, two sides disagree , the question is discussed by the Onon

w fin al dagas , hose decision is , and is reported by their Speaker to the Speaker of the Council , who then declares the decision of the Council . No vote is taken in any manner usual else where, but the Chiefs of each nation are divided into little groups , the members of which confer

together, and then with other groups , until either a general concurrence of Opinion is attained , or it is ascertained that there is a majority, whose decision the Speaker declares as the act of the whole, but either he or some

n one speaking for the minority , may i form the other side that the decision is not concurred in by all . No Council meeting may be held during a period of ten days after the death of a Chief and if a Chief dies while the Council is in session , there must be an immediate adjourn ment .

Each nation has its private Council house , or

the Longhouse , where Chiefs of that nation may 53

e meet as occasion r quires , to discuss matters

which which concern them only, and in the

whole body, or Great Council , is not interested .

Such Council meetings are non -o fficial and do

not communicate with the Government .

Grand Councils , as they are called , are held at irregular and infrequent intervals . To such

Councils Chiefs are summoned , representing not only the separate sections or bands of the Iro

uois q , but also other I ndian nations who may be interested in any matter to be proposed for

discussion . A special place of meeting is ap

pointed for each occasion . f The af airs of the Six Nations , since their settlement in Canada , have been administered

by the following Superintendents or Officers :

o . Sir John Johns n ; Col John Butler , who died

M c K 1 6 . ee 1 79 ; Col Alexander , who died 799 6 . 1 82 . Capt William Claus , who died Col James

1 828 . Givens , until ; Capt John Brant , Ahyou

wai s wh o 1 8 2 g , died in 3 Major James Winnett ,

1 8 1 862 until 4 5 David Thorburn , until ;

- G 1 8 1 t . Lieu Col Jasper Tough ilkison , until 9 and since that date , Capt . Edwin Duncan

Cameron . 54

The laws of the Six Nations were l aws. anci ently S imple . Murder was pun ished according to the Lex talionis ; that

is , a near relative of the victim was expected to avenge his death by slaying his murderer . This custom prevailed generally among the

I ndians , and was a fruitful source of inter national warfare . I ts application also helps to explain many things which have been much misunderstood . For example , when prisoners were taken in war it was usual to put as many to death as would equal the losses sustained by the victors . Among the I roquois when one of them was killed , whether purposely or by accident , by another of their own

people , (which very seldom happened) , the

Chiefs of the locality , or friends of both parties , would promptly meet , and if possible , anticipate the setting out of the avenger, in order to discuss the circumstances with a view to a settlement which would prevent the Operation of the Lex talionis and the possible arising of a

offi c s feud between families . I f their e were successful , the slayer tendered to the relatives of the victim a certain quantity of white 55

f wampum as a peace of ering, confessing the crime and petitioning for forgiveness . I f this

was accepted , the crime was condoned , and the

. u accused was free According to one a thority , one hundred yards of wampum was paid for the slaying of a man ; another writer says six strings , perhaps meaning six belts , which might be large enough to contain about one hundred yards . Double the quantity was paid for slay ing a woman .

in I mmorality, before the days of white

fl uen ce , was punishable with great severity, and was of rare occurrence .

Theft was scarcely known , for in his natural state the I ndian was scrupulously honest,

- was truthful , and law abiding , and kept so by the prevalence of what might be called public

opinion , which , where all lived so much as one

family , was a most potent factor in restraining any tendency to crime .

Their fidelity was not in social relations

merely , but extended also to international

affairs . Morgan says , To the faith of treaties ” fid lit the I roquois adhered with unwavering e y . The continuance of the League itself for four 56

and a half centuries , and the never broken

“ ” covenant chain , entered into with the Dutch and renewed with the English , and which stood the very severe strain put upon it by the

American revolutionary war , may be referred

. to as evidence of this fact, if any were needed — Upon the white men not all of them , but

o ffic ial unfortunately, too many of them , both

‘ -ofiic ial chiefl and non persons , but y the low

who traders , have , all over the continent , been

* - the curse of the I ndians , rests the responsi b li i ty of teaching the I ndians to be untruthful , immoral and of uncertain honesty ; yet even now the d weller in the Reserve does not

lock his doors , and when he goes out and no one remains within , he simply places the broom standing against the wall beside the front door, ” - as the well known signal for not at home . Nor are the acquired vices of untruthfulness and immorality by any means general among

o f the Six Nations , as there are many them

It m a perhaps be truthfully asserted th at no pe ople have e ve r be en so sham efulf e a a as t he I s an d w r - y sinn d g inst ndian , not only in ong doing to s w r e indi idual , e l the r e e w i e e er r v but o s st'il in p sist nc of h t s in v y fo m of a the I s e e r an d w r has e e e an d evil , so th t ndian s ns of ight ong b n blunt d re an d ea s ss e er a has ee re an d re obscu d , ch ucce ive g n tion b n mo mo a e an d a s e e e ar in w i e r ccustom d to , t ught to but littl h m , things h ch th i a e r w a e re ar e w the re a r nc sto s ould h v g d d ith g te st ave sion . 57

who are keenly sensitive, and earnestly desirous

“ ” of upholding the honour of the Nation , and will do so by all means in their power if judiciously encouraged and aided by those whites who are officially or otherwise in fluen tial among them . Although continuing to carry on their ancient form of government , the nations are now subject to the general laws of Canada , as applied to them by the I ndian A c t . They have, however, in the Grand River Reserve a B - code of y laws enacted by the Great Council , in accordance with which the Reserv e is

governed . Their lands , which are common prop

”6 ert y , have been assigned to individuals , who hold their allotments in fee simple , subject to cer tain restrictions on the power ofalienation , which can only be made to an Indian of the Reserve . No transfer by deed is of any effect unless allowed and co n firm e d by the Chiefs in Council . Morgan says that in former times the wife ’ s right of property was separate and in depen d ent of any right of her husband ; she did not

* was s t e r a e e as re ar ate This al o h i custom in nci nt tim s , g ds cultiv d

s fo r a ss e r a e re . land , but no doubt le c t in t nu 58

inherit from him , but might be his donee ; neither did his children inherit from him , but

’ from their mother only, the father s heirs being

’ his collateral relatives . The children also belonged to the mother , being of her nation

and totem , and went with her in the event of divorce or separation .

Marriage customs were simple , M arriage. and marriage was not necessarily m a union for life , but ight be dissolved by either party . Ignorance of this ancient law on the part of whites who have been connected

officiall e with the I ndians y , or as missionari s , has undoubtedly been the cause of a great deal

difficult of y , misunderstanding , and mischief ;

while on the other hand , unscrupulous whites ,

knowing this to be the law, have formed marriages according to I ndian custom , which they have freely dissolved when it suited them

so to do , with a result as disastrous to the

I ndians as the introduction among them , by

- the same class of people , of rum and small pox . It is but just to the Pagans , of whom there

800 are some still remaining on the reserve , and

60

adopted , they became full members of the clan or family by whom they were adopted , and entitled to all rights and subject to all responsi bilities as fully as if they had been born members of the nation , excepting only the right to return to their own people and the necessary restraint upon their liberty to leave the village or encampment . A prisoner about to be put to death might be claimed by anyone taking a fancy to him and desiring to have him

for either as a slave or adoption , the latter usually with the intention of his being in place of some member of the family wh o had died or

was been killed , in which case the adopted one certain of being treated with the utmost favour and kindness . The fate of prisoners was b usually decided y the women .

lthough the I roquois in the days of their greatness had ac quired a settled abode and b subsisted to some extent y , agriculture , and sought to establish and maintain peace, war may be said to have been at all times prior to their settlem ent in Canada their normal con 6 1 dition I f the Confederacy were not engaged in wa

ar- hostility or nw like enterprise; A n y perso n desiring to lead a war party , after consulting a few, invited all the young men of his town to a ’ fl feast of dog s esh , when each one who partook of it was thereupon deemed enrolled for the expedition . A war party , when formed and

about to proceed , put on all their best clothes ,

file and then set out, marching in I ndian , in * silence . They proceeded thus to a distance

of three or four miles and halted , when the women having followed with the men ’ s old

o n do f fin fin er clothes , they put these , g all the y , A t with which the women returned . the place of this halt they cut a blaze on a large tree and recorded on it in picture -writing with red paint the particulars of the expedition , number of men , etc . , canoes pointed in the direction of the

fo x enemy, and some animal , as a deer or , an emblem of the nation against which the ” expedition was designed , painted at the head

* Such a par ty pass ing a B ritish fo rt was accorded th e honou r of the arr r e r e e s th e r a ar g ison being tu n d out to p s nt arm , d ums play ing m ch , which the Indians e ach o n e by o n e as h e pas s ed acknowled ged by firin g his muske t into t he ground be fore the o ffi ce r commanding . 62

n o f the canoes . O their return they stopped at the same blazed tree , and sent forward messen

gers to their village to notify their return , and

to prepare for their proper reception . Then they recorded the result of the expedition on

the blazed tree , the number of enemies killed ,

denoted by scalps painted black , the number of

- - fi ure prisoners , denoted by a pot hook like g , representing the withes with which a prisoner

a was bound , and other p rticulars , and canoes

pointed homewards .

The dress and arms of the I ro 2118118 . qu0 1s were no doubt m anc i ent ti mes similar to those of the I ndians of the prairies

m odified of the present century , becoming as new weapons and clothing were acquired

or copied from the whites . They did not

anciently possess horses , as theirs was a

woodland country, and consequently probably

did not use the spear, their weapons being

bows and arrows , clubs , tomahawks , and

knives , and , at a later date , muskets instead of

bows and arrows . When they used the latter

they used shields also, and probably of typical

D AND M SHIEL AR S . 63

a Indi n pattern , namely, circular, about two and a half feet in diameter those of the I ndians of the prairies were made of the hide taken from f the neck of a bu falo , dressed with glue ; those of the I roquois of small sticks interwoven with hemp and silk grass ; either being an effective defence against arrows . The prairie shield was adorned with feather fringes and lambrequins of feathers or fur, frequently tricked with a - conventional orn ment or picture writing , and sometimes emblazoned with the totem of the owner ; and no doubt the I roquois shield was similarly furnished and ornamented . The in t roductio n of firearm s soon rendered the shield useless , and superseded the bow and

. 1 arrows , which last, however, g continued in use and fowling

Tube Iroquois was of three and a or four feet in length , and a very powerful weapon . Catlin says that those

- used by the I ndians of the plains , which were of about the same length , were capable of sending an arrow entirely through the body of ff a bu alo . The bows which he describes were 64

strengthened by having buffalo ’ s sinews glued

upon them . Arrowheads were as shewn in

the accompanying cut . The feathers were set u on spirally . Bertram describes the I roq ois

a , we pons of war in his time about or prior to ,

1 0 7 5 , as consisting of musket , tomahawk , and

knife ; and these , he says , they always carried , the tomahawk being carried in the belt behind

The club was made of ironwood , with a large

ball at the head or of deer horn or hardwood , elaborately carved and ornamented with

feathers , etc and having inserted in its edge

or a sharp deer horn about four inches long , , in

later times , a metal blade, somewhat resembling

u a spear head . The cl b is still in use for

ceremonial purposes . The tomahawk may

possibly be a development of the club , being originally a stone weapon with a wooden — handle , almost identical in fact with the so -called club of the I ndians of the North

west of the present day . Its most ancient form was a stone head with grooved sides by

which it was attached to the handle . The North -West club has the handle inserted in a k soc et , or in a hole bored through the stone .

66

s f o trich eathers were introduced by traders , and being admirably consistent with I ndian fancy were freely used by the eastern I ndian nations . The cluster seems to have been generally placed above the right temple . There are ,

however, a good many portraits of I roquois from which it would seem that there was a

i great var ety of styles , both of construction

of cap and of feather ornamentation . Catlin has one with a plume of pink and white ostrich feathers hanging in a large cluster on

one side . A portrait of John Brant shows a double cluster parting over the middle of the forehead and curving outwards and downwards on each side— seemingly either ostrich feathers

or cocks feathers (the portrait is indistinct) , and

coloured dark red . Another portrait of John

Brant shews a splendid headdress , composed of a chaplet or panache of large stiff ostrich

feathers set erect . Catlin has a Seneca with a — blue turban , having a very gay cluster red , — blue, and yellow over the right side . Either

with or without the cluster, feathers may be

worn as a double panache , or in a Chaplet ,

the latter being a mode usual among I ndians , 67 an d o f l r may be of any bird and any co ou , but perhaps bronze turkey feathers by pre erence ; and such panache or Chaplet may be b accompanied y , or so made as to terminate

in . , a lambrequin of the same feathers The

fillet or outside band of the cap is ornamented fi with beads . A silver llet is sometimes used . A chief now living on the Reserve wears a cap furnished with a silver fille t from which rise two crane’ s wings set back to back and turning backwards covering the cap but displaying the Iroquois single feather slanting downwards at

the back . This single feather, which Morgan , who describes it as slanting back but up wards , says is typical or distinctive of the

Iroquois , and for which an eagle feather is preferred , should be set in a little silver tube on the top of the arched s plint, and loosely ,

i so that it may revolve freely . Anc ently chiefs wore horns in the headdress as the in si n ia a office g of their r nk or , and he wears the ” * fi tive ura f. horns , is a g expression for a chie

I n war the Iroquois shaved the head ,

* e a ef e was s aid a r were re Wh" n chi di d it th t his ho ns sting on his ra e i hi s s e ss was i s ss an d wear e . g v , unt l ucc or ra ed up to a ume th m 68

i i excepting the scalp lock , which was nvar ably

preserved intact , so that the scalp might be — if readily taken by an enemy he dared , and could . The scalp was a piece about three inches or so in diameter comprising the central spot where the hair naturally parts . I n times of peace the hair was often permitted to grow long, reaching the shoulders and some wear it so at the present time .

The Iroquois have beards naturally , though of scanty growth formerly they did not allow

o f them to grow , but many them do so now .

Tunic or coat , of leather, which anciently

t wo consisted of skins , one in front and one behind , joined at the sides , and put on over the head it is now made si milar to that of the

whites , but , unless of quite recent manufacture , fastened with thongs or ribbons instead of buttons . Either kind is elaborately ornamented

with bead embroidery, or porcupine quills ,

leather fringes , yokes or panels of bright cloth ,

“ and the like . A very up to date coat in possession of the writer (made in Manitoba) ,

A n is embroidered with silk . old time style

r of ornamentation was a fringe of e mines . A HEA D E A N D WA R R I CHI F O R CH I E F .

r a r m e t c . s h e w n [ n th is i t u r e a r e r m a rt i l Th e d es s , s . , p c f o c es in ’ T1 H a h i a i i a th e pos s es sion of th e a uth or . 26 e d C ef s co t s of t l e n c ie n t 7 ‘ zzl fe r n t wo s lam s 0 1 11 6 11 a f th e s ides . [ t is t r im m ed w zzlz r in es o fi , 1 f g f ’ ' f r m e s us e n de d r o m th e S P P U GS a n d r om okes r o n t a n d ba ck ( m s , p f f y , f , of s ca r l e t c l oth .

69 tunic or smock of white linen or cotton is now

i — somet mes worn , simply a shirt worn on the

outside instead of in its customary place . Sash or shoulder belt : Morgan describes one resembling a military sash , made of woven

- * bead work and of loose texture. The C augh n awagas wear this sash wound around the waist , the ends hanging down , which is in fact one of the articles of the well -known Canadian dress affected by snowshoe clubs . A broad f - shoulder belt of sti f bead work , ending in a side i ’ pouch , is worn this is usually called a ch ef s ” sash , and is an article of dress appropriate only for important occasions .

Waist belt : a stout leather waist belt is an indispensable article , as several parts of the it dress are fastened by , and it carries the small

fitted . arms . It is with a sheath for the knife

Both belt and sheath , if intended to be worn so

- as to be visible, are adorned with bead work .

: Kilt formerly of deerskin , now of any

w o r material , bordered and fringed ith beads ( , if t of deerskin , with leather fringes) . Its leng h

* an a er al e e as a a o r a th e Without y m t i b ing us d b cking found tion , oeads be ing str ung le ngthways in the u s ual manner and al s o acros s o r i nte r laced . 70 seems rather shorter than that of the Highland

* d . kilt . It is now sel om worn

Breech cloth : of deerskin or cloth , a quarter of a yard wide and two yards long . I t was drawn up through the belt , leaving embroidered ends hanging down before and behind from over the belt .

a belt (under the coat) ; they are made with a

single seam , such seam being worn in the front

by the I roquois , with a band of beadwork all down both sides of the seam , and a similar but much wider band around the bottom , which should reach well down over the moccasin . The thongs by which they are suspended from the belt may be long , with their ends hanging down

below the kilt , terminating in bead embroidery or fringes , or hung with rattles or little bells .

It is a little cu rious to note th e points o f rese mblance be twee n the e re Indian dress an d that of th e Highlande rs of S cotland . F athe d he ad ss r a o r an d the e the a a re dre , sho t co t tunic, kilt laid l ggings of Indi n s an e lo at e d r the i hlan d an o r e imply g fo m of g mo footl ss stocking , an d th e moccasin rese mble s the anci ent Hig land brog ; inste ad of s s th e I s e e w re a fur e the mocca in ndian som tim s o boot made of , not unlik ancie nt Highland fur boot o r buskin th e firebag an d th e spo rran are almost ide ntical to which m ay be added the simil arity in fo rm of wa ist an d e r e th e r e an d the a a e s should b lts , ound shi ld , ccomp nim nt of arm without which ne ithe r dress is comple te . Al so as th e Highlander e i a c r an d a r a e d s the a . d l ghts in g y olou s m ny o n m nts , so oe Indi n

72

heads being generally of stone . The ceremonial ” pipe of peace had a long stem , and was ela borately decorated with beads and hair or

feathers , with a panache of eagle feathers sus i pended from t .

The women , according to Morgan , had no

- proper head dress , but sometimes wore a fur * A n cap . account of a grand game of lacrosse

N 1 played at iagara in 797 , mentions a young maiden placing the ball for commencement of the game, and describes her as elegantly

“ dressed , and wearing a red tiara (turban , no

’ ” doubt) , plumed with eagle s feathers . Miss E mily Pauline J oh n son j' wears the Iroquois single eagle feather. The women wore skirt and overdress answering to the kilt and tunic of the men , and leggings and moccasins with

‘ decorations and orn am en ts in a style sim ilar to that of the men , but less gay, and the plaid or ” blanket . The skirt and overdress were in b recent times superseded y , or rather comprised

' e e Th w M ntion d in Stone s Life of B rant . e game as be twee n the aw an d e e a re ea s w the s Moh ks S n c s , six hund d on ch ide, of hom player at a e were ea s . a e fo r ree s an d was wo n tim sixty on ch ide It l st d th day ,

the e e a w e w s r e tc . a te by S n c s , hos innings , in arm , wampum , fu s , , moun d to a value of about 1 The e e a er the a e e De o n heh weh e r e po t ss , d ught of l t Chi f ( y g ) G o g

H . M . Tekahion wak e . Johnson , ' A E H E R CHI F S DA U G T .

73

in . , a single garment The material of their dress was anciently of leather, but in later times of cloth for the plaid and skirt (usually dark b lue) , and leggings (red or blue), and lighter material of gay colours for the overdress .

Armlets are worn above the elbow ; they are

o r of silver , or of cloth or velvet beaded , of woven bead -work ; wrist bands and knee

- bands , also of bead work , or of red or blue velvet beaded , are worn .

Medals are worn by those who have them , hung from a necklace, or fastened on the coat . Formerly a crescent shaped silver ornament was frequently thus worn . A usual ornament in old times was a neck

’ lace of wamp um , or of bears claws , or of the teeth of any animal . Such ornaments are now worn rarely, if at all , by the I roquois .

Tassels or tufts and fringes of hair (preferably human hair, spoil of the enemy) , were formerly much used for the adornment of clothing , as well as weapons .

Fe athers were also worn in a similar manner . Birds ’ wings and feather fans seem to have 74 been used for some ceremonial purposes in the

r eighteenth centu y . Embroidery and fringes above mentioned as

be o of bead work , may also , and d ubtless usually . were in former times , of porcupine ' " quills dyed in Bright colours .

Wampum consisted of beads w ampum.

made l in various shapes and Lof

a i o f t i various substances , nc ently li tle pa nted

‘ * o f bon e o r . . sticks , but commonly ; shell A string of wampum in the p ossesswn of the i th wr ter , which originally came from e Six

’ a of o N tions country in the State New Y rk , is

flat o made of circular discs of bone , ab ut one fourth of an inch in diameter,‘ strung together through a hole in the centre of the disc ; they d b a d A are coloure l ck on the e ge . nother string is of white pipe-shaped shells an inch or more

a d . in length , unmanuf cture , strung lengthways ' s wh e Another is of hell , it and p urple, carefully

1 worked:into . cylindrical beads of from a quarter

in ch f t o an a n of an inch and a qu rter in le gth , e ' e also strung l ngthways . There are similar b ads worked from bone . Some beads of the same

76

“ i t was given to his family in their turn) This

custom is not now observed . A tribute of belts was annually rendered to the Iroquois by the nations whom they held in

subjection . Wampum , in fact , supplied the

place of money as a circulating medium . Nothing of importance was done without

co n firm ed wampum , nor was anything not by the delivery of belts or stri n gs regarded as

s binding , or deserving of attention ! Wampum belts being used as tokens of good

faith in matters of importance , were preserved as the record of such matters , and were thus the

chief means used for preserving history . The greater part of the historical wampum belts and other wampum owned by the Six Nations seems to have been destroyed in

’ c Sullivan s invasion of their ountry . The most of what was left disappeared mysteriously a few years ago , immediately after the death

T The utmost re spe ct used to be paid to the me mory of the dead . h e e ra m e n an d w e o r e ra we re fun ls of both om n of distinction , of nobl nk , a te e the ea f i s an d a the e e an d we re t nd d by h ds of am lie m ny of p opl , con e A t the e e e e e r duct d with much sole mnity . comm nc m nt of v y council m ee ting the re used to be a ce re mony of condole nce fo r those who h ad e o r e e s h e i th e a e e ar di d b n lain since t last mee t ng . In pp ndix is giv n p t e of a sp ech de live re d upon such an occas ion in 1 76 1 . t S ee appe ndix fo r an illustration o f the us e of wampum in transact i on ' i of mportant afi airs . 77

of an aged Chief who was the official keeper i t . of They have now but four belts left ,

Ohswe ken which are kept at , in the charge

K ' of Chief Jacob Salem Johnson , an on kwe n

yah , who is postmaster and has a fire

h 1s proof safe in place of business . These

belts are all of white bone wampum , with

bars of purple shell , the pieces being about

a fifth of an inch long and beautifully fin ishe d they are woven or strung both lengthways

and across , and not worked on any backing

or foundation .

Perhaps the last occasion of the official use of wamp um was during the visit to Canada of

1 86 A n the Prince of Wales in 0 . address from the Six Nations to the Prince was prepared , and it was ordered by the Council that its presentation should be accompanied by a white wampum . There is , however, no cert inty that this direction was carried out , as the mis carriage of some of the arrangements made for the Prince ’ s tour prevented the direct presenta tion of the address by the Chiefs , who had appointed a large and imposing deputation for

n that purpose . O one historic occasion since 78 then wampum was used ; the unveiling of the Brant Memorial at Brantford was made an

a occasion of great import nce , and was attended by three Blackfoot (two Bloods and one Piegan)

and four Cree Chiefs from the Northwest , whom the Chiefs of the Six Nation s received in due

orm , presenting them with white wampum . A t a quite recent date, within the present

year, a little string of wampum was presented

N Kariwe n hawe to Miss Catharine ina Merritt ,

on her adoption into the Six Nations .

Gustoms in It will naturally be supposed

that the I ndian dress , fully Dress complete and in its utmost d gran eur, would be more especially worn by the

chiefs this , however, was not usually the case

for the chiefs , although they might possess handsome and valuable articles of dress and

adornment , usually went about meanly clad , it being assumed that a chief poorly dressed was a generous person who had bestowed his posses sions of fin ery upon others so freely as to leave

himself only the worthless remnants . Bertram mentions having seen chiefs of the Six Nations 79 in shabby clothing collecting the annual tribute among the subjugated nations , and issuing their orders with lordly hauteur and display of arbitrary authority s urprisingly inconsistent with their appearance so far as the matter of dress was concerned .

The Chiefs are a little jealous of their peroga tive in the matter of old clothes , and expect Honorary Chiefs and adopted white women to appear well dressed . I t is said that the wife of a well known dignitary of the church forfeited in great measure the respect of the Chiefs by appearing in Council wearing very shabby

loves a g , breach of etiquette which the I ndians were quick to notice .

The dress , as described in the previous pages was not fully worn on every occasion , but varied from completeness to extreme simplicity accord ing to circumstances . I n athletic exercises and games the belt , breech cloth and moccasins usually composed the whole dress of those en

was gaged . The whole costume especially worn as complete as each one ’ s possessions or ability enabled in the ceremonial dances , which have always been so marked a feature of Indian life . 80

D Among the Iroquois these ances .

dances , according to Morgan , w - who gives a list of them , ere thirty two in number eleven for men only , seven for women w only, and fourteen for both together ; of hich

the principal were the war dance , in which men

only engaged , and the feather dance , which was

was participated in by both sexes , and of a religious character, or an act of worship to the

Great Spirit . I n the war dance was given the terrible war cry, which Morgan describes in musical score thus

Time is marked for the dances with a small drum , or with a rattle made of the dried shell and skin of a turtle with grains of corn (maize) inside .

t he The typical dwelling of the I ro

uo is 1 0096 q was a house or hut with - upright sides , semi circular arched

n roof, and square e ds , the roof and sides

82

Food m ay al most be said to have been common property , for those who had it divided freely with those who had none . The I roquois used a vegetable diet to a much greater extent than other Indians , cultivating ” maize (“ I ndian corn ) and beans for that purpose . As the people advanced in civilization their primitive long houses became gradually super e ded s by separate dwellings , more in accordance w the ith manner of their white neighbours , con tin uin g, however , to be grouped together in towns or villages as a necessary measure for their safety from attacks of enemies . When the Americans ravaged and laid waste the Six

’ Nations country , and burnt their towns , they found them to contain many well built wooden houses , some of two storeys . When a house or long house of the earlier sort was occupied by one family it was some times ensigned with the family totem in the gable . This is in accordance with a general

I ndian custom ; the prairie dwellers of recent date were accustomed to paint the family totem ki on the outside of the buffalo s n lodge. 83

littt le (Hans I n an earlier part of this anb volume reference is made to the

‘ Ctotems. division of the Six Nations into

clans , each of which has its heraldic totem , and is known by the name of the animal which the totem represents . The

clans have been generally described as eight , and in theory each nation contains members of

each of the eight clans , and no doubt actually did so originally , but in the course of time changes have naturally occurred , and some clans have become extinct in some one or more of the nations . The eight clans are A A nowara (pronounced nowara in Mohawk , A a now ra in Seneca) , Turtle , called also Keni ahten Ohkwah o Tahion n i n , or (Ono ) , Wolf

Okwari A kskerewake Oske n o n t on , or , Bear ; ,

Ohskan idoh Tsian ito or , Deer , Beaver ;

Karhako n ha Thekaho n , Hawk ; , Crane ; and i Tawistaw s . , Snipe Hale , however , names two more , who also appear in the roll of Chiefs ,

O on ten a A hton n os namely , g , or , Ball ; and

hro n hko D aon . y , Eel A kind of cadency sometimes appears in

- totem heraldry , a clan sub dividing and the 84

totem undergoing some change ; thus , the Turtle clan is addressed in the ancient ritual in a dual form , and does in fact contain two divisions , the Great Turtle and the Lesser

Turtle . The Ball clan is claimed by some of

- that clan to be a further sub division , and the

be . totem to , in fact , the small Turtle The Eel clan may have had its origin in some similar

manner , or possibly in the adoption of a clan from a conquered nation . There were Snake clans among some of the neighbouring or eaten up people , and the Eel may perhaps preserve one of them . Similarly the Snipe clan ” - has a cadet sub division , Prairie Snipe , and “ ” - the Hawk has a Hen Hawk sub division . Some writers assert that the I roquois clans were — W originally only three Turtle , olf, and Bear but this may be because these three clans were the best known , the others being less important .

Among the Mohawks the Turtle clan was esteemed the most noble , the Bear next , and W then the olf. The order seems to have been f dif erent with the other nations . Hale says that a pine/ tree was the emblem of the Confederacy . 85

The totem of the Delaware Chief, Cold

Ashes , is very peculiar, and curiously enough , while it is almost impossible to represent it in

totem blazonry, it is comparatively easy to do f Sa. o so in European heraldry, (as , , semee

or ashes proper ; , Arg . , semee of ashes , or

cinders extinguished , proper) .

Each village seems to have had its totem , as d such , unconnecte with the clan totems . Sixteen silk banners displaying the eight

totems , prepared under the direction of the

writer , are hung in the Council House . These

: are heraldically described thus for war , eight

sa u banners , Per pale . and g . ; and for peace ,

O r u. eight banners , , a pale g (couleur de rose) ; charged respectively with the several totems of

n each clan . O the war banners the totems are

displayed in attitudes denoting vigorous action ,

as rampant , volant , etc . , while those on the t peace banner are passan , close , and the like , there being no special rule regarding attitudes

in totem heraldry. 86

The roll of Chiefs of the m0“ Of Chiefs . Great Council o f the Kay an eren hkowa N , or League of the Six ations , is as follows

flbobawhs .

GR O U P 1 .

1 . TE HKAR IHO KE N . E s L w s 1 8 8 . lia e i , 7

r e ra L w s Tu tl . Ab m e i ,

e e 1 8 6 . S cond Chi f, 7

Dehkariho en e e wr e Called al s o g som tim s itt n ,

r er as Tekariho ea an d Taica riho o . fo m ly, g , g " ea e e e . e M ning , Doubl sp ch This Chi f is com m o n ly s uppos ed to have p recedence of rank ove r the e r a e r a isi . b a , b a ng oth s ut this is mist k p o bly r .

r a e e firs t the r . He ho w f om his n m b ing on oll is , e er e e s i re e e re all e r v , ntitl d to pec al sp ct b fo oth s e e A He s a War e as we as xc pt to tarho . wa Chi f ll O an r e was y e . In 1 757 the holder of this chi fship w th a e N s a e kno n by e Dutch n m of iku H nc , '

A n lzce N h s . 1 the e e g ic ola John In 775 , th n Chi f “ ” S i s a es . a . ra gn Joh nn C pt John B nt , Ahyou wae s a e e r at ar e ra g , nomin t d by his moth , C h in B nt,

w e a . e ra Tha en dan e ea was if of C pt Jos ph B nt , y g , Tehkarihoke n r a ate r r 1 8 1 2 1 8 2 f om d p io to until 3 , w e h e e the s ss s were Wi h n di d ; ucce or lliam John ,

s the a of M rs . a ar e ra al o on nomin tion C th in B nt , ra er ea 1 8 e r his g ndmoth , until his d th in 57 ; H n y B rant was R ege nt du ring the minority of Chie f who was an a w e a e se h J ohn , inf nt h n ppoint d ; J o p L s the a ra e r ewi , on nomin tion of his g ndmoth , ar are P s 1 866 w e he e M g t owle , until , h n di d Wi h e Kerr Tha en dan eh eh lliam Jo n Simco , y g , arr e r-at-L aw a e a a ar B ist , nomin t d by his unt, C th in e he e 1 8 D id L is r e r John di d in 75 av ew , b oth the a e e e L s ate of bov Chi f Jos ph ewi , nomin d by ara r e w s a e r ea S h Lott idg , by hom al o , ft his d th , an er r er the re e e Eli s L is oth b oth , p s nt Chi f a ew ,

was nominated . 87

a 1 8 0 . David Thom s , 7

r e . s c a e r S r . Tu tl I aa Doxt t , ,

e e 1 880 . S cond Chi f,

a s Ta o un watha o r awa a Called l o v , Hi th ; in

e e a Ha o wen tha. The a e He h S n c , y n m is w o " s s o r s the e and he eek . make , wampum b lt, is re e a e ee the e put d to h v b n inv nto r of wampum . The fir st ofthis n ame was th e chief p ro m ote r of the r a t he e e ra t e er w a fo m tion of conf d cy, og th ith e e a e Dekanawidah who distinguish d Chi f n m d , had s no ucces s or .

S ADE KAR IWADE H e e r P w s s 1 8 . P t o le , 77.

r e . a e r Tu tl Daniel Doxt t ,

e e 1 8 . S cond Chi f, 77

“ O r S hatekariwate . Two a e e o r , equal st t m nts ; , ' two concu rre nt accounts of o ne thing from difl eren t

persons .

GR OU P II .

W SA HR E H ANEH . s O I s aac Davi .

e e at re e . Wolf. No S cond Chi f p s nt

O r S hare nho wan e O da S howe n ho na . , ; in non ga , r He is t he loftiest t ee .

DEYO NHEHGWE H ar E . . John William M tin lliott

s C . e e . Wolf. Jame Elliott , S cond Chi f

O r De o n n heh o n h o r e n h e h k w e n . , y g , T y o ” e r e e r ar Double life . G o g H n y M tin Johnson was r r was Chief in 1 885 ; Ge orge W . Elliott p io to

the p re sent .

R E NR H WAH s c a e r r . 1 88 . 6 . O E GO . I aa Doxt t , J , 7

e e at re e . Wolf. No S cond Chi f p s nt

’ difl e r . Owehe o n a . ea ; Onon , g M ning doubtful " " e e a e as h h e ra e , ntly xpl in d Hig ill , Wid b nch s a ar e fl o we r nd L g , 88

III .

1 88 . DE HH E HNAGAR E NE H . b ar 7 . Joa M tin , 7

ar e r e e e B e . G o g W hn s Hill ,

e 1 888. S e cond Chi f,

k ih n e . 0 r Dehen n akarine . . , Tehen na a , Onon

Going with two ho rns .

AWEHSE R ONDAH . ra e r 1 8 . 8 . RAS T John F s , 77

ar e a e r e r e B e . Al x nd G o g Smith ,

e e 1 8 . S cond Chi f, 74

O r A h s tawe n se ro n tha. . Hastawen , g Onon ,

i the ra e . s en wa . Hold ng ttl s

S OSS KOHAR OWANE H . a 1 88 . 9. William St ts , 7

B ar e . William Smith ,

e e 1 86 1 . S cond Chi f,

O r S hos oharowan e. . S ho s ohae hn a . , g Onon , g

He is a great wo oddritt.

®meiose.

G R OU P I .

DATS C HEDEH . re e 1 886 . 1 0 . O William G n ,

e e at re e . Wolf. No S cond Chi f p s nt

O r Odatsehte . . atshehte . ear a , Onon , T B ing

quiver .

1 1 . KANONGWEYON DO H . c b S Ja o alem Johnson ,

Re e 1 8 . Wolf. g nt , 93

r K n h n r K n O , o gwe y o don ; o , a ogweya o r ,

Kah n onk wenyah (One ida) . S e ttin g up ears of "

r a row. e i w was co n in This Chi fsh p , hich held * e r e e a e e by H n y Cl nch , b c m xtinct in Canada , but the d a s H h Council rais e up uccessor . e as no

The Ame rican re volutionary war occas ioned a partial breaki up of s the a an d a se e err th e re ar s uc ome of n tions , con qu nt int uption of g cessi on of Chie fs .

go

®nonbagas.

G R OU P 1 .

DATHODAH ONH G bs 1 8 0 . . Nic holas i on , 7

e e r e e . D . Philip Hill , S cond Chi f

“ Or Thatotarho o r Ato tarho . a e . , , , Ent ng l d This chie f is regarded as e ntitled to a p recede n cy

re e we r e r all e r . of sp ct, but not of po , ov oth s Cu s ick asserts that the A to tarhoes were originally th fi r t the a e was an Kings . It s eem s tha t e s of n m e the r a the e erac an d oppon nt of fo m tion of conf d y, was only pe rsuade d to come into it by be ing acco rded especial p romine nce an d exceptional o wer w we er s r e be re p , hich , ho v , oon p ov d to mo

i a real an d e ea e a e t er . nom nal th n , in tim c s d ltog h “ The Chie fin Canada has be e n rais ed up by the

l th e r e s s si e e n . Counci , t u ucce on b ing xti ct Hale s name him as of the B ear clan .

O H NNE H S AH HEN . e e r Ke 1 8 8 . P t John y , 7

e a e r B v .

. . H a n h O r E n n e s e r a r e n h e s e e n . , O no n , ea er ai s id be The e so l M ning unc t n , but a to b st i

e 1 s . uppermost . This Chi f in 875 wa Philip J ones

DE H HATKA TO NS . i a rr El j h Ha is .

e a e r B v .

O r D e h a t k a s . . Tehatkah to n s . , h th o Onon , - " He two e i. e . la . re ie is sight d , , vigi nt P vious Ch f,

William Buck .

WA K HO NYADAG E . David John .

Snipe .

O r On ata iwak o r S kan ada i wak . , y j ; , y j Onon " O ata iwak . e r r y j Bitt th oat .

E xtinct . 91

2 . DE HHA HYATGWAE H . s 1 8 8 . 4 Johnson William , 4

Tu rtle .

De h O r adkwara en . . Tehatkwa n . , y Onon , ye " ean w e r a R ed i s. M ing unkno n , but p h ps w ng

GR OU P IL

HONONWE YE H DE . 1 88 . David Sky, 5

Wolf.

O r R o n on hwire hto nh . . Hon o n wiehti. , g g Onon , k e was He is sun out of sight . This Chi f ere i ar ee e r the an d as h d t y k p of wampum , such

was l Hotch ustan on a. re e ca led P vious Chl f,

George Buck .

GR OU P IH .

KOHWANEHS E H DO NH . s . 26 . John Jamie on

r D e e .

r n n . . K O r Kawen en se o to awene n sen ton . , Onon , “ ” ea e r a H er e e e o r M ning, p h ps , voic susp nd d ,

a e re . re e e e r Ke r . sc tt d P vious Chi f, P t y , J

HAHE HONK. 1 8 . 27. William Echo , 75

e r D e .

“ O r Ha hriro n . . Hahiho n . S i d o r , g Onon , p lle , ” a e re Sc tt d,

H OYONH NYANE H . e r e r r . 1 88 . 28 . Jos ph Po t , J , 7

Hawk .

O r R o n e n n enn ih . . Ho n e n n e n n i. . y y Onon , y y h M e aning unknown . T e tote m is the S mall He n

m e E . hawk . Hale n ame s h i of th el cl an

2 S O H DE H GWAS ENH . e a a 1 8 . 9. L vi Jon th n , 75

E e l .

O r S ho dakwarasho nh . . S ho te washen . , Onon , g

He is brui sed . 92

AK KE HHE H . i i e e r B 30 . S O W ll am P t uck

re re 1 88 . Tu rtle . ( ti d) , 7

k n hn e . O r, S hako e g

Extinct in Canada .

le Tu rt .

. S herhahwi . The as hie was Onon , l t C f John

B uck who e 1 8 . , di d 93

GR OU P V .

G bs raw r . S KA NAWAD EH . i on C fo d

r Tu tl e .

O r S kan awati o r S ca ndawati. hi hiet , ; , T s C was als o a War Chief th e only o ne bes ides T t Te kariho ke n . he me aning of he name is doubt

u . t f l Cu s ick s ays Over he wate r .

WA KA NE H DO DE H e a e r 1 86 . , Al x nd Hill , 5

r o Pin e tre e .

WA KANE HDODE H s c 1 86 . , I aa Hill , 5 r e r o Pin t e e .

(18 91193 8 .

GR OU P 1 .

DEH KAE HYO NH . ra ar e 1 86 . Ab m Ch l s , 3

ear s e e r B . Jame W bst Sky ,

e e 1 888 . S cond Chi f,

O r T e k a h e n o n k . Hakaen o n k o r , y , Onon , y , , ”

e . Akahe n y o n h . H look s both ways Cu s ick puts e th e a a this chi f in Onond g list. Hale names him

as of th e Deer clan .

KA IN DA E H H N R d ON W O . e r 1 8 J ob t Davi , 97.

B . ra id all F nklin Dav , e S cond Chie f.

O r in n tawera n . . o o in o nta we n . , J Onon , J yo i i k l Com ng on ts nees . Ha e names him as of

94

ra r ie the r is P i ie Snipe . Hale puts this Ch f in thi d

r an d s as the W f . g oup , name him of ol clan

m a A tan ta lzelz . Extinct .

e Snip .

. Hato n tah eha. e r was e Onon , John H n y S cond e a e re was ea e r Chi f, lthough th no H d Chi f, f om 1 886 until his de ath .

2 . DE S KA H E H ar e e r . 4 . B e nj amin C p nt

e ar d e e ra e e . B . Davi G n l, S cond Chi f

“ O r Teskah e . . He skahe . e , Onon , R sting on "

it . s e as the e Hale name this chi f of Snip clan .

The re e was a e C . ll e a p vious Chi f S mu l Hi , B nj min Carpe nte r was Second Chief from 1 848 until h e be ca me Head Chief.

S enecas .

GR OU P 1 .

S KA NYADA HE HYO H . e a e r G bs 1 8 2 . John Al x nd i on , 7

r e . e r e Ke Tu tl G o g y ,

e e 1 88 . S cond Chi f, 7

O r S kan adari o . . K a n a t a i o . , y y O n o n , y y - e a . Th e e B utiful lake tot m is Mud Tur tle .

l s as . e G bs who Ha e name him Wolt Chi f i on , is

e te as an ra r . quit blind , is no d o to

SADE H KAONHYEAS M ae e 1 88 . . ich l Smok , 4

e e e at re e Snip . No S cond Chi f p s nt .

O r S hadekaro n es o r S adekow es . , y ; y Onon

S h n S s a e . atekae y es . kie of equ l l ngth

GR OU P S 11 . AND

S at en awat . y Extinct .

Snipe .

ere s f Th is ome confusion here in all lists . These amilies were much r e the r b ok n up in Ame ican revolutio nary war . 95

S fiaé en jowan e. Extinct . k Haw .

. S hak e n o na . Onon , j

KA N KYE e e a 1 8 6 . O H . 47 . David Hill S n c , 3

r e e e 1 86 . Tu tl . John Hill , S cond Chi f, 5

“ " K n kaehe . r a O r Kan okarih . O n o n . a o e e e . , , Th t n d

'

s/za en en . N z m . Extinct

B e ar o r Snipe .

. O n isha e n e n ha . Onon , y

A A N E H D D E H V a e e r . W K O . David n v y

e o r Pine tre .

GR OU P IV .

KAN NKE E DAWE . a 1 8 0 . O Johnson S ndy, 9

e Snip .

O r Kan o n hkeridaw h . . Kan onk eitawi. , g y Onon , " s as Entangle d hai r given . Hale name him of

e ar r a s s e . B clan in Canada , but Mo g n ay Snip

Y NE HO H KAW E H . e r e G b s 1 88 . DE ON G o g i on , 7

Wolf.

n h e h o r Te on in hokarawe n h . O r , Do e o g aw ; , y

Te o n in h okawe n h . e r . Onon . , y Op n doo This Chiet was ancie ntly the he re ditary doorkee pe r an d as a r a e r e he such , cco ding to nci nt ul , should e r have a S econd Chi f mo e particula rly than others . The chie fship in the di re ct s ucces s ion be cam e e x “ at ea a n d the e se tinct, in Canada l st , Chi fs rai d a s s s s fo r a up ucce or , but made no provi ion

Second Chief.

E uscaroras .

W s 1 8 . S AG AR ITH R A . Solomon Na h , 73

Tu rtl e .

r re e e . N ekawm aka. Not e p s nt d in Canada r e Tu tl . 96

A E N s s e e a e . TYOGWAW K . Mo e Hill (d c s d)

Tu rtl e .

N aé ay m den /z

De/zgw adefifia Not re p re s e nte d in Canada

c an a on N eb lz m g . e r B a .

E H A i i s . NAYO H KAW H . Will am W lliam Wolf.

’ é a re e e . N ay om /za m . Not re p s nt d in Canada Wolf.

KAR IHDAWAGE N . e re e 1 886 . Jos ph G n , e Snip .

' Kar zny en ty a.

B e ave r . e e are None of th s in Canada .

N efin oé awelz.

e r B e av .

N ebka/zelzwatlzea.

e a e r B v .

manttcohes.

SA KO KA R YES . s i h 1 8 . Jo a Hill , 73

Wolf.

RA R IHW R i 1 ETYE HA . ar 8 . ich d H ll , 73 Wolf.

Delaware .

WITHKU MOO R HOO L el e M re 1 88 . , N l s ontu , 7 Cold Ashe s . Mean s New cause

98

lbonorarg No roll is kept of Chiefs of

this class . The following are t efs . those whose names the writer h as been able to obtain

I D U K O F O N N an d H R H . NC A . . PR E RTHUR , E C AUGHT

N KA RA KO NDYE . STRATHEAR , (Flying Sun)

E L O F AB D EO R O U NYATH E r THE AR ERDEEN , (B ight - Sky) ; Gove r nor Ge n e ral of Canada ; Tu r tle ;

e e a V e th e e e r e an d was a e S n c . isit d R s v dopt d

1 s t e r 1 8 6 . Octob , 9

AL L N C G H B ran tfo rd KA R IW1Ho e e E LE ORN , of , (som tim s KA R IH WAN E a A e at a c alled O ) ; B e r . dopt d Grand Council h e ld on th e B rantfo r d Re s e rve

1 8 6 an d w as a r e a s c a ur in 5 , cco d d pe ial st tus , p sua nt to which b e occup ie d a s e at in Council on

e e ra c c s s a n d e e s v l o a ion , is still ntitl d to do so if

h e r e r . Th e a e Kariwih o r e r thinks p op n m , p op ly “ ” Kariw i o s e w o r a a r y . mean good n s , s tisf cto y ” b s ss e e r e e e a rre t ran s la u ine , ith of th s b ing co ct * “ " Karih w a tion ; o n e means gre at good n e ws . e r wa Mr . Cl gho n s chi e f p romot e r an d pre sid e nt of th e ass o c iation fo r m e d fo r th e e re ction at B rant

r th e ra e r a an e r a w fo d of B nt M mo i l , und t king hich

was s c c s s a Th e u e fully ccomplish e d . m e mo ri al cost a littl e ove r provide d fo r by public

an d r a e r w a a p iv t subsc iptions , ith gift of bout

w r e a un s fr o m th e e r a o th of m t l (old g ), Imp i l

e r e . Th e r w as e r Wo o d Gov nm nt sculpto P cy , of

K a word re e e s i n i i a i v ficat o n , e a e w , e e g , r is ' . of comp h nsi m ning n s sp ch fi 1r a e r a a busm e s s e t . Wi c o oo d e a a a r . m tt , , , y is g , b utiful , s tisf cto y fr Both words eq u ently occur in t he composition of Indian names of places r o pe rsons . 99

a w th e London , Engl nd , hom Indians c alled R arihwagas das (a thing that las ts ; allus ive to r M r e r his wo k) . . Cl gho n al s o at his o w n cost e xte nsive ly re pai re d an d d e co rate d th e inte r io r of

th e aw r e a r ra old Moh k Chu ch n B ntfor d .

M O Y R DAKAR IH HO NTYE AJ R HA TER EED , (Flying Me s e e r - s e nge r) . D puty Sup inte nd e nt Ge ne ral of In r dian Affai s .

O I L L I BA K KA R IHONTYE H R BERT W AM R ER , ; B ear ; a e e r O ffic e s l t Insp cto of Post .

AB S L O M DI G MA a e th e a e ar e A N N , l t of Indi n D p tm nt .

R M S R EV . O O DE YON R ONHYATE H BERT JA E R BERTS , ; B e ar ; late Mis s ionary of th e N e w Engla nd

Company .

NC N I IGA SAKO YANE H HAWE e e r m m DU A M LL N , D ; e

b r th e N e w a a e of Engl nd Comp ny .

CAM DE HO R IHWATI—IE H R EV . O R BERT ERON , ; Wolf

r Mis s iona y .

IN NC N CAM DE HAS WA ’ I‘ A TH E P . E DW CA T DU A ERON , ,

o r DE HAS WATDATWA ear S u e rin , B , Cayuga ; p the ra r R te nde nt of B ntfo d e se r ve .

I L L I IL N ME R R IT’I‘ R O R N U N G P . O O O O CA T W AM HAM T ,

WANE r e a e a e r r e . (Man of g t f th s) ; Tu tl , Cayuga

ra . a e rr G ndson of Hon William H milton M itt ,

R o ron o un owan e an rar e . g , Hono y Chi f (Cayuga) e rr e e th e e Capt . M itt cont st d constitu ncy of Haldim an d in th e firs t e le ction afte r th e e le cto ral

ra e h ad e e e rre th e s f nchis b n conf d up on Indian ,

an d s c c s s e r ar th e , though un u e ful in oth p ts of

e a e a a r a e . constitu ncy, obt in d m jo ity of Indi n vot s 1 00

DW D IO N CHA WI C K S HAG OTYO H MAJ O R E AR MAR D , “ r G WIS A KS ; Tu rtle ; Moh awk . Autho of A Ge n e alogy of th e B rant Family (pr ivate ly

r e an d w r . r a w p int d), of this o k Majo Ch d ick in

e r r re e e th e c onjunction w ith Capt . M itt p s nt d to Council th e sixt e e n bann e rs of th e c lan tot e ms Th e a e s O n e re fe rr e d to in page 85 . n m mean "

wh o s k s a a e r th e e e i. e . n ee g th ing of p opl , , i to ' b s an d h as re e r e e r w c k s and , f nc to Majo Chad i advo c a c y of th e fo r mation of a Six N ations

r e a e gim nt of militi .

Honorary Chiefs who are tribal only and

- have not as yet been accepted by the Council , and others to whom names have been given by the I ndians

L P I M P HO N O N M . D . . WA TER HUM HR ES M TAGUE , , . .

fo r Haldim an d .

IL L I WI RAHR IWANONNE H W AM LSON , ; Wolf.

I -C O L N Y DAV I R A H NE R E HAW E L EUT . . ROBERT HE R S , ;

a e a th Haldim an d Rifl l t comm nding 37 e s .

- I L . R ID . C O N KA HN E DO L EUT OBERT LOTTR GE ELLES ,

O N A th e in e s allus iv e e e r G AH ( mong p , to his b ing v y

a th H aldim an d R ifl e s e a t ll), 37 Wolf On id .

M O I L L I G O R G O N R O H E HH ON r AJ R W AM E E MUTT , (En e ’ e 2 n d e e O wn R ifl e s e g tic man) ; Q u n s , som tim e a a e th H aldim an d R ifl e s tt ch d to 37 ; Mohawk .

C H L S N D H Y TAYE N DANE H G E H M P . AR E BER HAR E D , , . fo r ra r e South B nt ; Tu tl .

V I S C KYE H O NHAN R H M O ON . D . e LE E ORD , , , R sid e nt

P s c ra r e e r e e ar hy i ian , B ntfo d R s v ; B .

H . R . F A K M D R N , . .

1 0 2

* Women (white) who are Odiy an e r

. I C IL L CAM KONWAH EN DE KS MRS MARGARET PR S A ERON ,

a e a e r e ar e r a . ( L d ) ; B , Cayuga ; moth of C pt w a e r Ed in Duncan C m on .

KA HW E NHAW A . C L L CAM E I MRS ARA A BERTA RON ,

e e e r e a e r a a w e a . (M ss ng ) ; B v , Onond g ; if of C pt w a a e r Ed in Dunc n C m on .

C WAN NNE H N e w Y r . V Y E A R IH O MRS ON ERSE , , of o k

Snip e .

M Y I L Y H KA R IHW ENTHAW I . R O S MRS AR EM E OLDEN , ;

e a e r a a e e r e w r His B v , Onond g ; m mb of W nt o th t o ri al c Soci e ty .

M NHA E r M R S . I CHA WIC K KA TIGH O W o AR A MARTHA D , J , KA I ONHAW E th e e arr e r e e r J J ( Bouqu t c i ) ; D , Mo

aw e a r E w d ar a w h k wif of M jo d a r M ion Ch d ick .

I I WA n e wh . TT KANO R ONH K O o MRS MAGG E MERR , (

s e ar w e a . love ) ; B , Cayuga ; if of C pt William a H milton M e rritt .

I IN IN I KA R IWE NHAW E M SS CATHAR E N A MERR TT , ,

r a a e r . a e rr g ndd ught of Hon William H milton M itt ,

R o ron o un o wan e h as e e a e t n e e g , b n dopt d by Chi fs

th e s re e e . of Onondaga , but not p s nt d in Council

There are a number of ladies who have been , given I ndian names , as a compliment or cour

tesy , by some of the Chiefs or Principal Women ,

The write r was informe d by o n e Indian th at white wome n we re not r z e as O di an e r r a se e ce a m isa re hen ecogni d y , but p ob bly in con qu n of pp s i th e r r th e e r as has the er a ee a e on of pu po t of nqui y, it on oth h nd b n st t d to him ve ry positive ly by a Chie f who 1 5 w e ll ver sed 1n the an t1 quitie s of l s e e a th e w e an a e rar e i re ar e as p opl , th t if of dopt d Hono y Chi f s g d d gvaner . O a e r the e e e a e R o an er al Odi an er l y ; plu y , ‘ n is f minin quiv nt of r R y an e r. 1 03

diffic ult a list of whom it would be , if possible , to procure . It may not , however, be out of place to mention one very well known on the

Brantford Reserve, and to whom the writer is indebted for useful suggestions in connection A with the present work , Mrs . nne Racey A Rolph , neice of the late Rev . dam Elliot ,

Rector of Tuscarora , and Missionary to the Six t Nations for over for y years , who was named

Kariwi oh G1ad . y ( tidings) , when a child Her

sister also . Mrs . Kate Forbes Kerby , was given

n ame of Kajijon hawe (Bouquet carri er) . I 04

It is commonly supposed that P ersonal am the I ndians when conferring a flq es 0

name , compose one at the time with reference to some simultaneous occurrence , or to some special characteristic of the person

m . na ed This they do sometimes , and with singular aptness , but they have a stock of names just as whites have , which they give when there w is nothing to suggest any special one . I t ill be observed that three of the ladies just n amed

the Kariwen hawe have same name of , though in ff each case with a di erent spelling , representing dialectic variations it will be noticed that one of these omits the letter R which has become obsolete in the Onondaga dialect . There are

Ka i on hawe two also named jj , a name which was also borne by the late Mrs . Catharine Osborne , daughter of Col . William Johnson Kerr and

granddaughter of Capt . Joseph Brant ,

Thayen dan ege a. The name of Thay e n dan ege a was borne not only by the famous Brant but also by a * Mississauga , John Jones , upon whom it is said to have been conferred by him ; and also by

* - A me mber of a rath e r we ll known family : son of Augustus one s w e r e r who arr e Tuhbe nahn e e ua a te r ah ( hit ), su v yo , m i d g y , d ugh of ban osa a e th e M i ss is s . y , Chi f of auga

1 06

Several families on the Brantford Reserve have surnames of Dutch origin , such as Claus ,

Staats , Powless , originally Paulus , in which latter form the name is sometimes written in the registers of the old Mohawk Church , and

e uiva others . Brant, is also said to be Dutch , q lent to the English Barnet , or Bernard . These names , no doubt , indicate descent from ancestors who lived near the Dutch settlements in the

State of New York . Among surnames in use on the Reserve there is a remarkable preponderance of the name

offic ial Hill , which appears in the list to the

1 number of 3 3, while the Martins , the next

1 2 numerous , only muster 3 , closely followed by 1 22 Greens . The name Johnson has 1 04

u 82 G 2 representatives , Cla s , Staats 59, arlow 5 , after which come the Smiths , with , for them , the

in si n ifican t 0 quite g number of 4 . I I n rendering ndian names into English , any name which has been frequently mentioned is apt to appear in a great variety of forms . I n a prefatory note mention is made of a town in the State of New York , the I ndian name of which occurs written in eighty different forms . 1 07

Another instance m ay be referred to— the

“ name S akaye n gwarato n (translated V anishing ” ” Smoke , or Disappearing Mist , but perhaps properly meaning the haze of Indian summer) , which having been borne by at least three noted Chiefs at different times in the last and * present century , is mentioned by various

r1ters w and in historical papers , with twenty four variations of spelling . Dividing the word

first into three parts , the occurs in fourteen variations , the second twelve, and the third

fourteen , making the name , composed of its

ut parts as actually written , capable of being p in different forms ; furthermore, if the letters representing the pronunciation were sub

ec ted j to the changes of which they are capable , in ac co rdan cc with usual treatment of I ndian

n names , the umber of ways in which this one name may be written is simply incredible .

* The a e e was e h e h w e e l st of th s Chi f Jo n Smok Jo nson , hos s cond nam e was intended as an English equivale nt of h 1s Indian name . He was a er the a e ie e r e e r ar an d ra a e r f th of l t Ch f G o g H n y M tin Johnson , g ndf th of the po e tess Miss E mily Pauline Johnson . A former Chie f who bo re t he n ame le d the Indian s at the action at th e e r a re ar w e e r w a ing in Am ic n volution y war , h n Butl , ith body n a er an d In d1a n s e ea e an er a ar r e . of ng s , d f t d Am ic n milit y fo c 1 08

” A n CDC account of the Six mew E nglanb Nations would scarcely be considered complete with (Iompanp . out reference being made to the Company for P rop agac ion of the

Go sp ell in New England and the parts adja cent, in America , commonly called the New

first England Company , which was established

1 6 by Act of Parliament in 49, and was further

R 1 I I . constituted by oyal Charter, 4th Charles ,

1 1 822 66 1 . This Company in transferred its operations to Canada , where its chief work has

been carried on at the Brantford Reserve ,

- es pecially the well known Mohawk Institute , near Brantford , and in the immediate neigh bo urhood of the Old Mohawk Church , built in

1 82 o n 7 ; and it has also carried two Churches , at Tuscarora and Kan y uugeh . Besides the

Institute, the Company has established several schools on the Reserve , which are now managed

by a Board representing the Company , the

Council , and other interests , and in which the

teachers are Indians , trained in the I nstitute . The first Missionary of the Company on the

I I O

8 1 8 8 1 1 1 8 8 . Chance , 7 to 7 ; Rev Isaac Barr, 7 to

1 88 1 R 1 8 8 1 e v . Charles Denton Martin , to

1 88 1 88 3 ; Rev. David Johnstone Caswell , 3 to

1 8 1 . 9 and from the last date, Rev J ames

Leonard Strong , the present I ncumbent .

The Rev . Abram Nelles was succeeded at the

Mohawk I nstitute in 1 872 by the Rev . Robert

Ashton , the present Principal , under whose very able management it has become a model

institution .

Besides their work at the Brantford Reserve , the New England Company have missions at

Che m o n Rice Lake and at g Lake , near Peter R borough , Garden iver, near Sault Ste. Marie , and on Kuper I sland in British Columbia . enbi E pp g.

’ x tr rom S tone s L i e o B ran t illustr t E acts f f f , a ing p rocedur e

n cil in or mer timer and Me ma in Cou f , n n er of addresses also til e use o wam um f p .

a ( S ee A n t e pp . 49, 75 nd

A DE P UTATIO N from th e Six Nations an d th e Se ve n

a th e w s a re r e N tions of Canada ( Caughna aga ), h ving tu n d from a G re at Council me e ting of many nations h e ld at th e

a was e e ear e r re r Miami , Council conv n d to h th i po t

e e fo r e r o wn e e fo r th e in fo r int nd d not only th i p opl , but

a th e r and A e r a e r e e m tion of B itish m ic n Sup int nd nts ,

Th e -fir a Colon e l Butle r an d Ge ne ral Chapin . Council e w s

e th e 8 e r Th e r e re kindl d on th of Octob p oc du , it

w be e e was ara e r a n d r . Th e e ill s n , ch ct istic st iking b lts ,

re an d e e e th e e e ra a re re pictu s mbl ms us d by s v l n tions , p

e e th e ra at th e R s we re s nt d in G nd Council Miami apid , fo rwa rd e d to t h e Six Nations by th e hands of th e i r

e e an d a e r th e h ad e e r e ar e e d d puti s , ft Council b n gul ly op n the s e we re pr oduc e d an d th e sp e e che s w ith which the i r

e e r h ad e e a a e w e re re e a e th e d liv y b n ccomp ni d, p t d , in

r a re r w e a e a a fo m of po t , ith incid nt l xpl n tions .

All e r e a th e r e e we re things b ing dy , p oc dings com m e n c e d e ar- a e th e s wh by Cl Sky , Chi f of Onondaga , o spoke as follows 1 1 2

BRO THERS We thank th e G re at Spi r it fo r o ur

a e e a h e h as re e r e u r all h ppy m ting, th t p s v d s th ough

ffi e a e r an d s c k s s an d e us an di culti s , d ng s i ne , giv n

r e e e e r at oppo tunity of m ting tog th this pla c e .

Th e c e re mony of condol e nc e fo r th e lo s s of fr i e nds

e th e a C o un c il h av in e e r e ar e r r e an d sinc l st , g b n gul ly p fo m d

re r a e all th e r e re e an d s th e cip oc t d by t ib s p s nt , al o by

e r e e th e b s s s th e was re e Sup int nd nts , u ine of Council sum d

’ a e w as The Far e r r e r wh o e e r e by Chi f kno n m s B oth , d liv d

th e e e th e Shan aw e s e w r s an d Twith ua s sp ch of , Dela a e y , as follow s B RO TH ER S Colone l Butle r an d G e n e ral Chapin w e

* wi s h you to att e nd th e Shawan e se an d othe r nations of

We a th e a fo r e r a e . Indian s . th nk Six N tions th i tt ntion

We w e re glad to s e e th e m at t h e Gre at Council-fire which " e e at th e R h e h as b e e n kindl d s ome tim ap ids of t Miami .

BRO THERS : Y o u are a cquainte d with th e fr ie ndship

e e e we e an d o ur a e r an d the that onc subsist d b t n you f th s , re ason that th e pre se nt fire is kindl e d is to re n e w tha t

fri e ndship . BROTHERS : We me ntion e d this to you last fall at a

Council at th e G lai z e an d w e n o w re pea t it to put you in mind of that fr i e ndsh ip which onc e subsiste d b e twe e n you

an d o ur w is e fo re fath e rs .

' elt o wfizte wam um was lzere r esen ted m ade in a [ A b f p p ,

’ ' ular orm r e resen tin tkezr lace o meel zn as in tlze cir c f , p g p f g ,

nd crossed b our str i es o Mark wam um r e resen tin cen tre, a y f p f p p g

n ederates E ast West N or t/z and S outh all Meir Co f , , , !

The w r a t e e e a e ar r o d t nd is no doubt us d b c us of its simil ity in fo m ,

the aw Yat to n dek ear . in place of Moh k , H

1 1 4

e e e e re at th e e P ART of a Spe e ch of condol nc , d liv d op n

a 1 6 1 e e a e r e ing of Council in 7 , by S n c G o g

BRO THERS We s uppo s e that in th e lat e t r ouble s you

r e e e e r s c k ss o r m ay hav e lost many of you p opl , ith by i ne

a e e r r e re re war sinc e we w e r e l st tog th by this st ing, th fo ,

h e e a r r r e e e ar r r a we W 1p e away t t s f om you y s , cl you th o ts ,

h e r r b s w e e th e was h away t blood f om you odie , s p council

a e r a n d r w th e r rs a m a ch mb , th o di t out of doo , th t you y

re e e r A s e e an d s peak to us cl e arly at th e p s nt conf e nc e . [

BRO THERS : We are so rry from th e bottom of our

ar fo r th e e a r m e n w e an d re an d h e ts d th of you , om n child n ,

e we e all e r e e e r r e by this b lt coll ct th i bon s tog th , bu y th m

o n e ra e an d e r e u . A black belt ez /zt rows in g v , cov th m p [ lg str eaked 201711 1 012

BRO THERS : We a re at gre at los s an d sit in da rk nes s as we ll as you by th e d e ath of Conrad We is e r (an

e r re e r as e e a we a we e r int p t ), sinc his d th c nnot so ll und

e r B e e e r w stand e ach oth . y this b lt w cov his body ith

' ’

ar A wlzzte belt o seven rows wztfi ur black str eaks. b k . [ f f o ! BRO THERS By th e last b e lt I m e ntion e d to you that

w e s at rk s s . N o w e re e th e both in da ne , by this b lt I mov c s r e re th e s un a we m a s e e r e a n d s e t loud f om b fo , th t y it is , an d that you r h e ar ts m ay b e e as e d from so rrow on

' a w a e e e r e Deliver ed a wlzzte ccount of h t I m ntion d b fo . [ belt of fi ve rows wit!; tam e black bars ! We pray th e G re a t

a e who c an e e o ur e ar a we m a God bov , nlight n h ts , th t y " e e an d e a e e a liv in lov p c until d th . 1 1 5

S P C H a . ra th e 2 th e r ar 1 EE of C pt B nt , on 4 of F b u y , 80 1 , at r e r e r e e a Fo t G o g (Niaga a) , of condol nc to C pt .

s e e r e e th William Clau , D puty Sup int nd nt, on e de ath of

Mrs . s e r Clau , his moth

BRO THER : We are h e re n o w m e t in th e p re s e nc e

th e r a e w e e e of Spi it bov , ith int nt to k p up th e anci e nt

We e e . e re re e custom of condol m nt th fo , condol with you fo r r a e s s our we e e e r w n you l t lo of ll b lov d sist , hom ow

a e r you h v inte re d .

BROTHER : We hope that this m ay not damp you r

e ar as a e r e us wh o are r h t so much to m k you fo g t , you

r e r — r e e o ur w s an d r b oth s not only ou s lv s but ive child e n .

O We s a n ow a o ur a e s s BR THER y again , th t by l t lo

ur fire e w a e it s eems o is som h t xtinguish e d . But we h av e n ow a fe w ra re a an d a e e e found b nds m ining, h v coll ct d th e m toge the r an d have rais ed a straight s mok e to th e c louds .

“ B TH : We e re re w r wam RO ER , th fo , ith this st ing of

um w e w th e e ar r r e e an d w p , ip a ay t s f om you y s , ould

all rr w r r ear tak e away so o f om you h t . B ROTHER : We say again with this str ing of wam

um as e e b e all rk ss we w th e s p , you s m to in da ne , ith ame

r e e t h e sk s a e us a m a a ear st ing nlight n ie bov , so th t it y pp to us all as it fo rm e rly us e d to do .

O : We s a w t r wam BR THER y again , i h this st ing of

um as we a e n ow a e o ur e e e e p , h v m d sp ch of condol m nt ,

e r s r e e as r e r e we hop to ai e you upon you f t , you fo m ly us d

r e o ur a e s s s s a e e e to b e ; fo sinc l t lo , it eem you h v b n

A th e a a . c on fin e d as o n e abs e nt . ( lluding to f ct of C pt

Claus having b e e n so much affe cte d by th e de ath of his

t er as a e re a e re re e . mo h , to h v m in d in ti m nt) 1 1 6

BROTHER : We h 0 p e you will not fo rge t o ur c alam — iti e s hoping that this shock m ay not put us out of you r — me mo ry e nti re ly an d als o that you m ay continu e to h e lp us as r e r e , you fo m ly us d to do .

B TH : a r w n o w e RO ER This l st st ing hich I giv you , is give n by th e whol e Six N ations so as to st re ngthe n you r — mind an d body that you m ay not be too much cast down

th e c c s o ur a by o a ion of l te loss .

This sp e e ch was followe d by an add re ss from th e w e e e re a a k fo r e . om n , d liv d by S ch e m s pea ing th m

‘ emarhs on the 110111 11 baract r IR 3 Q e .

[ A P aper r ead by Me Writer at a M eeting qf t/ze Canadian

’ n stitute and rin ted in 112 s r I , p i wo k in accordance wztlz

su estion s o sev eral riends gg f f . !

TH E I ndian as a subject of which so many

have written , has been in this respect at a great

disadvantage, and has been treated with much

firstl injustice, because , y , his history has , for

the most part , been written by his enemies ;

secondly , most writers have formed their impressions from tribes which have become deteriorated by contact with unscrupulous whites , diminished by intemperance and the diseases which have ever marked the advance

of civilization , impoverished by the destruction

of their accustomed means of subsistence, and disheartened and dispirited by the change in their circumstances and lastly, because it has been a common practice to gauge the I ndian 1 20

by European standards . This last , however , may be regarded as an unintentional but very marked tribute to the innate merits of the

Indian , for other uncivilized people have been described either without reference to other con ditio n s than those in which the writers have

fin d happened to them , or by comparison with people of similar circumstances .

V Catlin , who spent several years isiting the various Indian nations as existing about sixty years ago , and principally those who had come but little into contact with the whites , sums up his opinion of the character of the I ndian by pronouncing him to be in his native state an

honest, hospitable , faithful , brave, warlike , cruel , — revengeful , relentless , yet honourable, contem plativ e and religious being . I will take this opinion as the basis of my remarks, and con sider each of those characteristics in order .

Until taught by the whites to h onest.

steal and to lie, honesty and truth fulness were the most marked traits of the

I ndian character . Honest to the most scrupulous degree in their intercourse with the

1 22 never being anything in an Indian Lodge worth taking . But this is quite a mistake . The

Indians frequently had , and many of those in the Northwest still possess , many things of con siderable value , as anyone who has a knowledge of what are called Indian curios can testify . Among the Indians in their natural state a liar was regarded with contempt , and practically

. ostracised , if indeed he was permitted to live There is at least one well -known instance of an I ndian b rought from the far west by the American Government to see the wonders of

civilization , and , on returning to his tribe and describing what he saw— wigwam large enough to hold a thousand people , and canoes manned

on — by a hundred warriors , and so being dis believed and put to death as un fit to live . I have been informed that the I ndians of settled tribes , or some of them , at least , have a doubtful reputation for veracity , a manifest result of the

’ white man s teaching . Yet they have an innate respect for truthfulness . Those who have to deal officially with the I ndians well know how careful they must be in all they say . I f a statement of fact is made in good faith but 1 2 3

which turns out to be a mistake , or if a promise

is made which fails to be performed , the person who thus spoke too c on fiden tly will fin d it diffic ult to preserve the respect of the I ndians .

A n I nd i an was always ready h ospitable . to divide his last ration with another, or to admit a traveller to the shelter of his tent , and this I believe to be still character istic of both the civilized and the uncivilized .

Among some tribes , at least , if not universally , it was formerly the custom for a pot containing

fire food to be always in position over the , and all persons of whatsoever degree , and whether

friends or enemies , were at liberty to come in h unbidden and help themselves . The ospitality which the Indian felt it to be his duty to give , he naturally assumed to be his right to receive , a circumstance which has frequently caused

an d annoyance , sometimes even terror, to new settlers ignorant of native customs and unable to understand the I ndian habit of entering their houses at all hours and expecting to have it food given to them , or taking , perhaps , with out asking leave . 1 24

When an I ndian entered into f aithful . an engagement his faithful per

form a n ce of it could always be anticipated . I t was a common practice with traders to furnish goods to I ndians on long credit , relying for their only security on the certainty of the stipulated

skins being brought in in due time . The faith fulness of the Indians to treaty obligations is almost proverbial . A most notable instance of

fide lit such y is the Iroquois Confederacy , formed

five by treaty among nations , previously hostile , fift nearly four hundred and y years ago , which has never been broken . I know of some white people who might learn a wholesome lesson from these untutored sons of the forest in making and observing treaties . Hale refers to

an instance of a Chief of the Onondagas , sent on

an embassy to the Hurons , com mitting suicide from m ortificatio n and a sense of lost honour when difficulties arose i n consequence of which his engagements were repudiated by the I roquois .

s , 55 1 11 196 The bravery of the I ndian it i

perhaps , unnecessary to remark

upon , for it has been the theme of a thousand

fiction writers , in history and , poetry and prose .

1 26

brought against them , consisted in torturing in various ways . For my present purpose it will be sufficie n t to leave unnoticed the reasons in which such practices , doubtless , had their origin , and consider them only as facts to be admitted without attempting either explanation or apology . But while I ndians , knowing no better , have been torturing their victims , what have the white men been doing ? How many supposed witches have been drowned or burned to death in England 9 How many people have been burned to death for holding opinions in

' religious matters difieren t from those of their executioners ? How many years is it since the

torturing of criminals , or supposed criminals , in

was prisons , the subject of enquiry by a Parlia mentary committee ? How many years is it since the statutes of England ceased to enact that persons convicted of high treason should be punished by being hanged , drawn and

— a refin e m en t quartered of cruelty which , considering the class of persons affected by it , almost surpasses anything which the I ndians have devised . A few examples of dealings of white men with the Indians may be not out 1 27

of place on this point . Parkman tells of

Frontenac burning an Indian prisoner alive . H e also speaks of an o ffi ce r in charge of a post attempting to introduce smallpox among the I ndians as an easy means of effecting their

an conquest . Another writer gives account of a white trapper , who happened to miss some of his traps , taking an oath that he would kill the

firs t Indian he should meet , innocent or guilty, (there being no suggestion of I ndians being responsible for the disappearance of the traps) later in the day he saw two I ndians seated on a

fishin river bank g, when he deliberately shot fl one of them and ung his body into the river .

The party to which this man belonged , on another occasion , when about to cross a river , saw a party of I ndians on the opposite side , when they promptly shot down twenty-five o f them without any reason whatever , except that they imagined that they might be hostile . The account of this affair states that the I ndians

fle d when thus attacked , and rather seems to imply that they were unarmed . I n a recent E nglish publication I noticed an account given upon the authority of a Captain Bourke, of the 1 28

United States army, describing how an A merican military force surprised and destroyed a village of the Cheyennes in

He Wyoming Territory . says The onslaught

was irresistible , the destruction complete, and the disc om fited savages were forced to fl ee from their beds half naked . The cold was so intense that on the following night eleven papooses

’ froze to death in their mother s arms . Here we seem to have the true Massacre of

Wyoming , rather than that of the poet

Campbell , which was mostly , if not wholly ,

fiction . Although the history of I ndian wars , and incidents of border warfare in time of

peace , have been written by the Whites , and we

have no narrative from an I ndian point of view , there is abundant record of facts which plainly

n shew that, o the whole, there has been but little to choose between cruelties committed on both sides . The acts of the Whites bear a

s striking likene s to those of the I ndians , but f with this dif erence, that the I ndian acted from natural , untutored instinct , while the Whites knew better how man should deal with his fellowman . Prisoners taken by the Indians

1 30

I n this respect , also , the R evengetul . India“ has “ 0 record which R elentless may not be paralleled by white

men ; as , for example, the vendetta which

prevailed so long in Italian social life, and has

scarcely yet ceased to exist . When we consider the circumstances in which the I ndians

have been placed from age to age , we can hardly be surpri sed that men of spirit and

courage have struck back vigorously when first

l c ase wan ton 1 assai ed , as has been so often the , y and without reason or j ust cause . The first acquaintance of the I roquois with the French was an unexpected and unprovoked attack w made upon them by the French , ith whom

they had no quarrel . This was under Cham

1 6 plain in person in 09. Even white people would have sought opportunity of revenge for such an at tack ; but when the Indians did so

they were promptly branded by the French as

bloodthirsty savages , and subsequent historians

have followed the example thus set . I ndian

s s s an d e the aw r the arr the communion ve el h ll of Moh k chu ch , c ying of a e r a e re rea r a w e r e e ra e r a a e ea l tt lon , in t t th ough ild n ss , b ing th not bl f t . And whe n the y se ttle d in Canada almost the i r first ac t was to build

a r w e e we re a e . chu ch , in hich th s things pl c d 1 3 1

b u revenge was , in fact, nothing t the applica tion , according to their uneducated ideas and

opportunities , of the Roman lex talionis . It was simply in flictin g the only punishment in their power for wrong done to them . Catlin mentions his being advised in one of his journeys to be cautious when in the neighbour hood of a certain band of I ndians who were pronounced dangerous . When he passed near their village he found them celebrating the

o f taking of the scalps two white men . O n enquiry it appeared that these men had been slain in reprisal for the treatment accorded to two of the tribe , who had been captured by white me n and burned to death because the Whites had lost some horses and assumed that they had been taken by Indians . One can hardly refuse to admit the justice of such

revenge , if it had not fallen upon innocent persons but , as to that , it must be remembered that Indians regarded all white men as a class , or as one people , and imagined that an injury

was to one of them felt by all , just as an injury to one of themselves was felt by the whole band . 1 32

Of the qualities of honesty h onourable. and faithfulness I have already

spoken , and will , under this head , merely observe that whatever cruelty or evil has been , either truly or falsely, attributed to the Indians ,

am they have never, so far as I aware, been accused of illtreatment of women captives .

The I ndian is usually ¢ontemplatwe' described as morose and taciturn . But these qualities are not natural they are rather acquired— and who would not be morose and taciturn in the face of the evils which the white man has brought upon the I ndian ? The friendliness and hospitality with which the first discoverers were received in different places on this continent was repaid with murder and l aggression , and the reprisals which natural y ensued were made an excuse for a policy L of extermination . ands have been taken from their original possessors by violence

n and fraud , and whole ations have been exterminated , while others , who were not such

easy victims , have been driven from their lands

1 34

Let me quote a witness on meltgtous. writin r this point , g of a nation

H e far west and in a primitive condition .

“ says : Simply to call these pe0 p1e religious would convey but a faint idea of the deep line of piety and devotion which pervades the whole of their conduct Their honesty is immaculate and their purity of purpose , and their observance of the rites of their religion , are most uniform and remarkable . They are certainly more like a n ation of saints than a

’ am horde of savages . I quite aware that this

statement will be received with incredulity , but

fin I write it down as I d it .

Where the unscrupulous trader , or other white

in fl uen ce tempter , does not exercise a baneful , the work of the Missionary among the I ndians presents no such difficulties as in other mission

fields ary . Although some Indians had but a vague idea of one Great Spirit ruling the uni verse, it seems to be a correct general statement

God that the I ndian believes in the true , and worships no other . The legends , of which some nations have preserved very many by oral tradition , are not of an idolatrous character , nor are their mythical heroes divinities , as they have

been represented to be by some writers , but are rather akin to such heroes of our own folk -lore

as Jack the Giant Killer, and many others . I

do not refer to such legends as show un m is takeable reminiscences of the fall of man

and the deluge , though in these there is more of the fairy tale than there is of the exhibition

of the Divine power .

The I ndians have been sometimes accused ,

or I should rather say suspected , of something akin to idolatry because of the veneration which they seem to bear towards their totems and

medicines , or mysteries ; but the regard for

' these thin gs is but little different from the superstition which nails a horseshoe over the

’ door, banishes a peacock s feather , or forbids

the sitting of thirteen at a dinner table . The

I ndian peoples the air, the water, the rocks and

the forests with imaginary spirits , but he is

not alone in that respect ; for example, I have

myself, in Ireland , seen people of ordinary intel ligen ce become uneasy in the neighbourhood of

firm l a fairy ring , and have known people who y believed in the existence of individual ghosts . 1 36

V isitors to the Great Council of the Six

N ations are received with a little address which consists partly of an expression of thanks to the Great Spirit for having enabled them to escape the dangers of travel and to accomplish

on e who their journey in safety . To any has

made the journey in a Pullman car , with a pleasant drive over a good road from the

‘ nearest railway station , this is apt to seem making very much of very little ; but it will not appear so when it is explained that the formula is the survival of a custom regularly observed for centuries , and had reference to times when a lengthy journey through a wilder

ness and , perhaps , within dangerous proximity

formid to an enemy, was even to an I ndian a * able affair . I n any case , however, I think the custom may be aptly quoted as evidence on the point under discussion .

e re ha k the rea r w has e e a rea This xp ssion of t n s to G t Spi it, hich b n l dy

e the e a e . 8 as t he b an d er e not d in t xt , nt p 4 , invaria le custom , still obs v d , was a an act w r an d e re w e re e e th e w r , is f ct , of o ship ; h , if no h ls in o ld , we fin d Ch ristians an d pagan s mee ting year by ye ar upon common r an d a um ted act w r a r r a g ound joining in of o ship , cco ding to itu l com e r r the r r a a e w pos d long p io to int oduction of Ch isti nity mong th m , ith a m a b out the le ast se nse of incongr uity o r improp rie ty . This f ct y e worthy of t he atte ntion of those who make a study of Indian re ligions and mythologies .

1 38

entered into with little ceremony , and it was not necessarily a union for life , but might be dissolved at will . The result was that many things were done which the untutored and unchristianed I ndian did not know to be im proper . But what of the Whites who did know better ? S o far from trying to teach the

I ndians better things , Whites have taken advantage of the existence of such loose marriage customs to impose U pon the I ndians the curse of immorality and it is not only such

people as low class traders and coureurs de bois , but too often men of good , and sometimes even high , social position upon whom rests this terrible responsibility . Even among I ndians such as

the Six Nations , well advanced in civilization , the teaching of the Missionaries with regard to marriage has been constantly thwarted by evil Whites , so that unions and separations

- occur which the I ndian , thus evilly mis taught , does not seem to realize to be immoral , for to him they do not seem to be very different from the customs of his ancestors . 1 39

A natural courtesy is a marked Gourtesn. characterl stic of the In d1an s in

their native state , and one which they frequently retain even when their circumstances have caused other good qualities to partly

or wholly disappear . Catlin constantly speaks of individual I ndians whom he has met as ” gentlemen , without putting any forced mean

ing into the expression , but using it as

ordinarily descriptive . When among tribes who had been exposed to the baneful in fluen ce s too often attendant upon semi -civilization he used the term with much less frequency , without any apparent intention of drawing a

ho w distinction . No matter great a stranger to the manners and customs of civilized r fin e m en t be e the I ndian may , he never loses his self-possession or exhibits a feeling of awkwardness and inferiority in the presence of others of more cultivated manners , as an ordinary white person is apt to do when in unaccustomed company . While readily acknowledging the superiority of the Whites in education and acquired intelligence and the like , he has no feeling of social inferiority . 1 40

He draws no social distinction between himself and his chiefs , or between himself and the

A n Whites of any class . I ndian visiting a white man ’ s house will come to the front door, and will , unless especially taught to

do otherwise , enter without knocking , such being the custom of I ndian etiquette an d hospitality .

I ndian idleness appears to 5 10tbfulness . me to be an acquired habit resulting from the despondency caused by decline from pristine independence and pros

e rit p y , and from the dependence upon others which inevitably accompanies the stage of tran sition from wild to settled life . I n his natural state the I ndian was of energetic habit, ever

alert , ready to spring in a moment into activity, spending his time in war or the chase , and in manly pastimes , or in an endless variety o f ” chic fl r o dances , y of a ceremonial cha acter . S far from being indolent he was rather a restless being, ever engaged in some occupation or other requiring skill and endurance .

1 4 1

Etatus Of We are accustomed to the common picture of the haughty m omen’

brave , stalking along in front , while his wife meekly follows bearing the

us be family burden , which among it would

’ the man s part to carry ; but there is much in heredity, and we must recollect that this custom has had its origin in the necessities of olden time when the brave necessarily led W the way, unencumbered ith anything but

first his arms , prepared to be the to meet with dan ger which might at any moment appear . When a camp moved it was the part of the women to do all the manual labour involved , for the same reason ; it was their part to organize and constitute the train ,

' while it was the part of the men to act as its armed escort . The fate of a band in motion being suddenly attacked , while those who should be its escort and defenders were engaged otherwise , may be easily imagined . I n the case of scattered families in wooded countries where subsistence depended upon

forest hunting , the actual existence of the

' family depended upon the safety of life an d 1 42

limb of the men , and for this reason it was important that he should be free from other

duties . The custom was , in fact , a division

of labour between the men and women , each taking that part best suited to his or her

capabilities , and most for the general advantage

of the whole people . I f the drudgery fell to the

lot of the women , it by no means followed that they occupied such a place of inferiority

to the man as , to our ideas , that would seem to

i mply . Even to the present day , among the Six

ation s N , at least , if not others , the selection of the successor to a hereditary chiefship rests with

the senior woman of the family of the deceased

chief, who names either one of her own sons or

grandsons , or one of those of her sister , as

the successor . The descent of nobility (for there is in theory among the Six Nations what may be called a noble class as distinguished

is from others) , traced in the female line , so that it is a descendant of the chief’ s mother or sister who succeeds him on his death and

"6 never his own so n

The wome n of som e tribes h ad a ve ry fair sha re of olitical po we r . The r a e a s a n d e a e th e C ie fs arr r pu ch s of Indi n land conv y nc by , W io s - a n d P rin ci al e e e e a e . 2 o n e Wom n , m ntion d in foot not nt p 3 , is but a e f a inst nc 0 m ny such docume nts .

I 44

con fin ed means himself to mere utility , but has ornamented his manufactures with a consider

able degree of artistic skill .

management I n estimating and judging suffi of the the I ndian character,

cient attention has not , I 3110181115 .

think , been given to the great difference in the experience of our government and that of the United States .

The latter has , either by its own acts or by those of its agents grossly maltreated the

Indians by fraud , dishonesty and violence to the extent of barbarity, a thousand times , and

* in every form displayed , and they have reaped their reward in a constant state of more or

l n less hostility, resulting appalling loss of life and a vast expenditure of money ; one

I ndian war alone , that of the Seminoles of

F officiall lorida , was y reported , after having

continued for four years , and not then con

cluded , to have cost and the lives of

o thers '' to people , soldiers and . l

' a e a e afi airs ee n o w be a due A ch ng d st t of s ms to coming bout , no

the in fl ue n ce B s h Wh 1 le . doubt, to of i op pp - e re re wa r th e o s se s s io n the wr e r a 1 A n int sting lic of this is in of it , a r e o f w e ea w r whicE e e O s th e pair of ml ts ov n b d o k , b long d to ceola , arr r t he e e who w as a re the e r a Great W io of S minol s , c ptu d by Am ic ns an d die d a prisone r in 1 838 . I 4S

The Government of Canada, on the other hand , has accorded to the I ndians a treatment

generally just and humane , and consequently has retained their respect and an immunity

from Indian wars , of which none has ever

occurred , unless we except the Northwest

1 88 Rebellion of 5, when the insurgents succeeded in persuading a few bands to join

in their outbreak . The Canadian Government can certainly count upon the steady loyalty

of the more civilized of the I ndians , and a

continuan ce of their policy will , no doubt , secure the remainder as loyal subjects and citizens as they become more and more accustomed to the inevitable change from unsettled life to civilization . We owe some thing to the I ndians in this respect for they rendered most important service in the war

1 1 2 of 8 . Catlin says that when travelling among some tribes near British territory in the

west, he was taken to be a Canadian , and found his reception as such to be better than it would have been otherwise . A little incident which he mentions is worth repeating : A n old Chief showed him a George I I I . medal 1 46 which he always carried on his breast under his clothes , and which was brightly polished , and desired him when he returned to British territory to tell his “ Great Father that he

On kept his face bright . being told that the

was great father whose medal he wore dead , and that the Great Chief of the British was now a young woman , he retired to contemplate so e x t rao rdm ary a state of affairs and to f discuss it with his riends , but after a little

" returned to Catlin and desired him to tell his Great Mother that he “ kept his Great

’ Father s face bright . A more recent affair may be referred to as showing how the I ndian character is affected by the different methods of treatment . The Sioux Chief Sitting Bull was a very thorn in the side of the American h Government, but when he brought his and into Canada he was a man of peace, and not only observed the laws himself but took care that his people should do so too . I t is impossible not to regret that he should have

re - been induced to cross the border , where he soon met the fate which he himself foretold when he bluntly told the Americans who first

1 48

I ndian will respect the law which respects him ,

and is honestly administered .

While the policy of our Government has ever been wise and commendable and has been generally honestly carried out by the executive

officers agents and , I cannot but think that in one respect a grave mistake has been commonly made by those charged with duties bringing them into im mediate contact with the

— offic ials I ndians both and others , and perhaps — especially Missionaries , whose methods are

apt to be unduly patronizing . The I ndian

is , in many respects , childlike, knowing that the white man ’ s knowledge is superior to

h e his , and , therefore , when his tutelage begins enters into a relation as regards the Whites

similar to that of pupil and teacher . This con

diffic ult dition is one of much y , requiring man age m e n t with tact and skill such as few people

are able to exercise . I f the I ndian were treated as a friend and equal rather than as a pupil or

dependent, I believe his advancement would be

more certain and speedy . I ndividual cases of

I ndians revolting , and perhaps with little or no

apparent reason , from the guidance or control 1 49

of agents or Missionaries will , no doubt , occur

in the experiences of such peop le, without their perceiving that a certain amount of fault may lie with themselves I do not wish to be u n derstood as unduly criticising either agent or

am n Missionary , for in Canada I co vinced that our I ndian agents , as a class , are men competent and well worthy of the great trust and resp o n sibilit y imposed upon them , as I certainly know some of them to be ; and for the Missionaries

I have the highest respect , believing that

upon the faithful performance of their duties ,

u more than anything else, depends the f ture welfare of the I ndian as a civilized citizen .

But even Missionaries are human , and some times make mistakes, and they have many

difficulties serious to contend with , for not only have they to overcome such as necessarily arise from the character of the I ndians and the customs and circumstances of their former life , but they have also to fight the devil incarnate in the persons of evil and unscrupulous Whites , who for their own gain or gratific at ion do not hesitate to bring moral and physical ruin upon the Indian . 1 50

I t is to me a matter of much regret that in the process of bringing the I ndian into civiliza f tion , there has been an ef ort to make him forget his past history and customs . Much of the history of many I ndian nations is by no

n of means a thi g to be wiped out memory , and though some of their customs must necessarily be disused as being inconsistent t with both Christianity and civiliza ion , the romantic and picturesque which ever attended the life of the Red men and surrounded them with a charm which has produced abundant

fic tion material for writers of and poetry, is surely worthy of preservation , and , in my judgment , should be no more a hindrance to their advancement than somewhat similar conditions have been in the case of the H igh

am landers of Scotland . I convinced that an Indian who holds the memory of his forefathers in respect and looks back with honest pride upon the antiquities of his nation ,

so and is permitted to do , will make a better citizen than one who is taught , as is evidently too often the case , to consider all such things as contemptible and to be put aside and buried in

1 52

may to the voice of the latter is my object in preparing this paper , for from a perusal of many works referring directly or indirectly to the I ndians , and from what I have been able to learn by personal observation and enquiry , I am convinced that he is naturally a splendid specimen of humanity , and that if civilization had been brought to h im in an honest and honourable manner , his history would have been f far dif erent from what it has been , and his position now among nations far different from what it is . I do not claim that the I ndian

he has no faults ; in his natural state , f undoubtedly , had aults ; it would have been extraordinary if it had been otherwise ; but the most of the defects which now appear in his character are acquired .

Since writing the above I have obtained a copy of the blue book , recently issued , contain ing the annual report of Indian affairs . From a careful perusal of a considerable part of this bulky volume and a more cursory examination

hn d of the remainder, I my impressions of the I ndian s more fully con firm ed than I would I S3 have expected from official reports dealing with

I ndians in various stages of settled life . The progress towards civilization -o f those bands which have only of recent years been collected in Reserves , is most remarkable . Upon page after page the I ndians are pronounced law abiding, honest , religious (though more or less the latter according to their opportunities) , and generally moral , in which respect several reports draw a comparison between the I ndians and the Whites , in some instances claiming a superiority for the Red men . There are, as might be expected , exceptions here and there , but where this is the case the cause nearly always appears , either by plain statement or indirectly— the proximity of the unscrupulou s class of Whites .

1 56

e ar R e v . I B foot , . e a e r a at B v d ms , Action B e lt Blanke t ra a B nt , C pt . John Jose ph M e mo rial B re e chcloth

re r e r B th n , Fou

e r Butl , Col . John

a e r Mrs . C . A . C m on ,

a . E D . C pt .

M r M . s . P .

R e v . R .

a i Canada , Inv s on of Name Se ttle m e nt in C an as togas

C an in k e rs a e y , N m C an e n e h a e y g , N m Castl e s

w R e v s D. Ca ell , . J . Catawbas Caughnawaga B and R e se rve s e Cayuga , Chi fs of Name s

a w E . M Ch d ick ,

M . M . M rs .

a a Ch mbly , Att ck on ’ Champlain s Atta ck

a e R e v . Ch nc , J . C haouan o n s

ara e r Th e a Ch ct , Indi n Che roke e s D e ath Customs D r es s of H e a d H e re ditary Hono rary In s ignia of Nomination of Pin e t re e R s o f A e r ai ing up , ft Extinction Re ge nt R oll of S e cond W a r

Wa rr io r

r aw Chu ch , Old Moh k Kan y un g e h Tuscaro ra Clan s m s a . W . Clau , C pt

e r A . Cl gho n ,

e a . an d e Cl nch , C p t Chi fs Coat e e e re Condol nc , C mony of Confe de ra cy a e Conn ught , Duk of

e r e M rs . Conv s , Costum e Council G rand Mod e of proc e e ding T riba l

’ Cou rc e lle s Invas ion Cou rt e sy e a a Cov n nt Ch in , Dutch Englis h 1 58

C ru e lty

Danc e s Dat ota rh o e , Chi f - s e . . R H . Davi , Li ut Col . e a e e D b t in Council , Mod of ’ De la B arr e s Invas ion D e laware Re s e rve D e laware s Chi e fs of ’ D e n on v ille s Inva s ion e e L ws D sc nt , a of ’ D e Tracy s Invas ion D e o n n eh o hkawe h e y , Chi f A Dingman , . Divo r c e Doo rk e e p e rs D r e s s Customs in e e e Dutch , S ttl m nt of Dw e lling

a E ting , Customs in

Eat e r s of M e n . Edmonton Re s e rve R e v . A . Elliot , e W M Eliott , Li ut . J . . . Emb roid e ry

a V e Engl nd , isit of Chi fs to E s e e e ngli h , S ttl m nt of E r ie s

Fath e r Nations Fe ath e rs Wo rn Fid e lity Fi re Bag

1 60

H on in h oh o n ta a e , N m Hono rary Chi e fs Horns of a Chi e f a Hospit lity ,

R e v . W Hough , . e r s Hous , I oquoi Hu rons

Illinois Immo rality Incom e fr om Inve st e d Funds Inh e r itanc e r s a e I o quoi , N m

c bs e Ja o , Chi f

e c b S . Johnson , Chi f Ja o S ir John Chi e f John Smoke Miss Paulin e S ir William

Kah n awaga

a e a a e K ni ng , N m

Kan o we a e g y , Chi f Kan o w e o n doh e g y , Chi f

Kan o n s io n n i

Kan un e h r y g , Chu ch Nam e Kayan e re n hk o wa

Ka uk wa -e n a e y , , N m Mr K F e r s . . K by , e rr R e r K , ob t Walte r

a W. . C pt . (Col . ) J Ke y , John Kilt 1 6 1

L c r ss a a o e , G me of L and t e nu re L aws of Six Nations Le agu e Le ggings Lodge Longhouse Lo r d Chi e fs

c Sir A Ma donald , J . . M K c e e . A e . , Col l x Makwa M anage me nt of Indian s M a nslaughte r Manufactu re rs M arrage

R v ar e . C . D M tin , . Medals

e we a e M ng , N m

e r r s s C . N . M itt , Mi M M rs . . H W. . Capt . Miami s ' Miche l s Re s e rve D Milligan , . Min oe s a e g , N m Mins i Miss is saugas ss ss a Mi i ipi , Six N tions on Mo c cas ins Mohawk Institut e

wk s e Moha , Chi fs of Names of

a e . W H . Mont gu , Hon . rea a Mont l , Att ck on O riginal home at 1 62

Mo rality Mo wawo a e g , N m Mu r de r

sk k r s Mu o a , I oquoi in a r Mutton , M jo

Name s of N atio n s P e rsonal P ronunciation of Nan tic ok e s Chi e fs of a Re a N tions , l tionship of N e cklac e e e A r e a N ll s , chd con - L t. Col . N e utral Nation N e w England Comp any N ations N e w Y r a o k , Six N tions in a ro n tak owa a e Nih (ti) , N m Nih at ie n tak o n a a e , N m Noble wom e n Nomination of Chi e fs No n de wa a e , N m

r e r a e No thumb l nd , Duk s of

r a . No ton , C pt Numb e rs of t h e Pe ople

di an e r 1 2 O y 00 , 1 0

e r e e e Ogd nsbu g , S ttl m nt Oje bwas 2 1 O ka Band 25

aw r 8 1 08 1 0 Old Moh k Chu ch 9 1 , 3

d s 2 1 2 Onei a , 5 Chie fs of 88 Name s of 3 1

P A GE . Sa ch e ms

S a os aan a e c ht e a e g g , N m t R S . egi s Re s e rv e S ak ay e n gwarat o n

S ak o s e n n ak e h te a e , N m Sas h Satanas S c alp S e cond Chi e fs e r L S co d , . S e minol e War e e a e S n c s , Chi fs of Name s of

e e o f S cond Chi fs . War Chi e f of S e n h n ok e t e a , N m e S e ve n Nations of Canada S hao un o n s Shawne e s - e e . Simco , Li ut Gov . Sitting B ull Six Nations Fo r m e d Skan awade h e , Chi f

S o n o n to wa -n e a e , , N m

S o ti n o n aw e n -t a - a a e ( ) , ton , N m

S o n o s owa e . , Chi f Sp e ake rs in Council

r R e v . . L . St ong , J ’ S ullivan s Invas ion Supe rint e nd e nts Sup e r stitions Su rnam e s Susqu e hannocks

Tato tarh o e , Chi f Tawan ears e , Chi f 1 65

Ta ounwath a e y , Chi f Te h adirih ok e n a e , N m Te h ka rih o k e n e , Chi f Tha m e s Re s e rve Thao wan ath s e y , Chi f Th e ft

r r Tho bu n , David Tionontate s Tobacco Nation Tote ms

Ts o n o n to uan s a e . , N m Tuscaro ra Chu r ch

T s c r r s e u a o a , Chi fs of Re c e p tion of

Tutalo e s

Twigh twie s T o wawak e n e y g , Chi f

U namis U nit e d Empi re L oyali sts

U e r e pp Canada , Conqu st of S e ttl e m e nt in

’ V audre uil s Invas ion V illages

Wak an e hdo de h Chi e fs s r e Wale , P inc of Wampum Histo r ic al B e lts War Chi e fs u C ry Customs Danc e Warrior Chie fs Gre at 1 66

Watha R e s e rve We a pons W s . Wil on ,

e a r Winn tt , M jo s c s a Wi on in , Six N tions in e rar Wom n , Adoption of (hono y) D re s s of Right of Prop e rty Status of Wyoming

Y an e n e a e g g , N m