376 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



traditional floral patterns are rarely used while such Plains motifs 

 as the arrow and the swastika are combined with simple geometric 

 forms. More nearly related to the old culture are the cornhusk dolls 

 and baskets, but colors in the latter are garish and the shapes adapted 

 to the practical needs of the customers. One basketmaker, comment- 

 ing on the fact that much of the work is neither "true Iroquois" nor 

 of a high quality, put the blame on the necessity of conforming to 

 White standards. "Most people don't appreciate authentic work. 

 They judge by the size, not the quality, and want the most for the 

 least money." The products of the women, along with bows and 

 arrows made by the men, are sold at the New York State Fair held 

 once a year in Syracuse and in roadside stands put up on the reserva- 

 tion to attract the summer visitors. ^^ Almost the only craft which is 

 not produced exclusively for the tom'ist trade is woodcarving. Some 

 of the men carve lacrosse sticks, snow snakes, unornamented wooden 

 paddles for stirring food, and masks, aU of which are still used by the 

 Council House people. However, with the exception of lacrosse 

 sticks, which are sold to university teams as well as to local players, 

 none of these articles is made in any quantity. 



The intermingling of Iroquois and White patterns as it exists at 

 Onondaga today, particularly in the area of religion, seems to suggest 

 that there is no clear-cut line between those Indians who have ac- 

 cepted western culture and those who have resisted some aspects of it. 

 Yet there is a differential reaction to acculturation which is based, 

 although not invariably, on tribal afiiliation and which follows from 

 the relationship between Onondaga descent, politics, religion, and 

 language. Active participation in native politics is directly dependent 

 on tribal affiliation and is restricted to Onondagas because chieftain- 

 ships are hereditary within the tribe. The aboriginal religion is in- 

 directly linked with Onondaga descent in two ways : by the rule that 

 chiefs must belong at least nominally to the Council House, and by 

 the fact that Christians are more apt to marry out of the tribe. The 

 association between linguistic patterns and descent is more tenuous, 

 but it seems reasonable to suppose that regular attendance at the 

 Council House, where the old language is used, would encourage its 

 retention. 



Those who are not Onondagas comprise a large proportion of the 

 population, since they include the members of other Iroquois tribes 

 living on the reservation as well as the descendants of those who have 



«« Any attempt on the part of an outsider to compete with these local establishments is deeply resented, 

 as in the case of a woman who has recently arrived on the reservation, set up a large crafts stand and under- 

 cut the other craftsmen. It is rumored that she buys her wares cheaply in Canada, and she is generally 

 disliked for "muscling in " 



