[HALE] AN IROQUOIS CONDOLING COUNCIL 35 
two young men came forward with a rope, which they drew across the 
room near the ceiling, where they made it fast. Over this rope was hung 
a patchwork quilt, in such a manner as to shut off from the chiefs of the 
senior nations the sight of their sympathizing guests of the junior nations. 
This curtain, which was doubtless in former days a screen of skins or of 
bark matting, was, I was told, a sign of mourning. The blind chief, 
Kanyadariyo, was then led from the seat which he held with the senior 
party, and conducted to a place behind the curtain, among the chiefs of 
the younger nations. He was supposed, I think, to become one of them 
for the nonce,—perhaps because no member of their party was as well 
qualified to repeat the chant of the “ Laws of the League” which was to 
follow. From the corner behind the curtain was now heard the Condoling 
Song, sung this time very sweetly. the musical voice of the blind Kanya- 
dariyo leading the chant. When it was finished he was led forward by 
another chief, who conducted him up and down the hall, while he sang 
in high, clear tones the invocation to their forefathers, and chanted the 
ancient laws which these had made, “to strengthen the house” Now 
and then he would pause, while the chiefs behind the curtain sang in 
chorus the last line of the Condoling Song. “ Ronkehsotah, kajathondek !” 
(+O Grandsires, hear us!") “ Haih-haih! haih-haih! Kajathondek ! 
kajathondek !” (“ Hail! hail! Hear us! hear us!”) they repeated, till 
their voices died away in a sharp condoling wail, and the singer recom- 
menced his chant. 
I thus learned, as already stated, that the whole Book of Rites is 
sung, or rather intoned, after their fashion. It is, in fact, an ancient his- 
torical chant; and this accounts for the great accuracy with which it has 
been transmitted from one generation to another. They have continued 
to sing the words even after the meaning of some of them has become 
uncertain. If the contents of the book had been printed as they are 
repeated in the Council, the sentences should have been divided into brief 
lines, like blank verse. The genuine poetical character of the composition 
is now disguised by its prosaic form and rendering, precisely as is the case 
with the psalms and the prophetic books of the Old Testament in the 
ordinary version. 
When Kanyadariyo had ceased, he returned to his seat in his proper 
corner among the elder nations. The curtain was now removed, and the 
two parties, the hosts and the condoling guests, were again brought into 
the view of one another. Then a Cayuga chief, Montour (whose native 
name I did not learn)—in whose fine, intelligent face the traits of his 
French descent were apparent,—arose to express the condolence of the 
younger nations. My friend, the church interpreter, was not familiar 
with the Cayuga dialect, and was, as he told me, perplexed by the fact 
that in the present recitation (as I could myself perceive) there was a 
continual repetition of certain particles or interjections, which woule 


