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XXXVI. Cosmogomj of the Iroqimh, or Five Indian Nations 

 of Canada * . 



-L HEfo!!o\vinc: sketch of the theological liotions hcretoibre^ 

 cnteriained by ihc aboriginal people whose descendants still 

 inhabit the western parts of New York and the southern 

 region of Upper Canada, was comiriunicated to Dr. Mit- 

 clnll at Fort Schuyler, in the year 1788, by the late reve- 

 rend .San)pson Occoni, the famous Mohcgan preacher and 

 missionary, dnrino- the negotiation between tiie commis- 

 sioners of New York and the sachems and warriors of the 

 Six Nations, which terminated in the treaty with ihe Onei- 

 das, Oni)nd-igas, Scnecas, and Cayugas of that year. A"lr. 

 Clmton ihen'administered the government of the state, and 

 met tiiC Indians, in person, accompanied by Messrs. Jones, 

 L'Hommedicu, Benson, Varlck, and Gangevoortj as agents 

 on the part of the Commonwealth. 



Their tradition concerning ih.e origin of the world and of 

 man, though wild and eccentric, has still ihe merit of being 

 as credible" as most others extant. An accouiu of it was 

 iransmitled many years ago to Dr. Robertson, the celebrated 

 historian of America, by a ])erson eminently skilled in In- 

 dian researches. i\.nd it would probably have been noticed 

 by him, had he finished the history of the British settle- 

 ments in North America. But that writer having left only 

 two chapters of this work, tlie one on the colonization of 

 Virginia, and the other on thai of New England, no men- 

 tion is made of the character and peculiarities of these peo- 

 ple, apart irom the general survey he had taken of the abo- 

 rigines in his former v<^lumcs. 



Lieui. -governor Coltlen, the profes;i!ed historian of the 

 Iroquois, writes, "that, as to what religious notions the 

 -five nations of Canada have, it is difHcuIt to judge of them ; 

 because the Indians that speak any English, and live near lis, 

 have learned many things of us ; and it is not easy to distin- 

 guish the notions they had originally among themselves, from 

 Iho^e they have learned of tire Christians. It is certain they 

 have no kind of public worship ; and I an) told ihcy have 

 no radical word to express ' God,' but use a compound 

 \vf)rd, signifving //i6' /;;t've;v;er, smtainer, or mas/ er of (he 

 universe T neither could I learn what sentiments they have 

 of a future cxisfejice." This extract is taken from his ^c- 

 irjunt if the Five Indian Natiom which are dc[}cndcnt on 



* IVom Professor Milcliill's Lectures on Natural HIstor/, dc'ivcrcu May 

 17lli, 1800. 



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