BDLL. 30] 



ONONDAGA 



131 



with the Algonkin and Hurons. The 

 Onondaga gpokesman used 24 wampnni 

 belts in his address; tlie lirst 8 were pres- 

 ents to the Hurons and the Algonkin, 

 whose leading chiefs were there; each 

 present haci its own particular name. 

 The Onondaga professed to speak for the 

 " four upper Iroquois nations," namelj^ 

 the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, and Onon- 

 daga, thus leaving only the Mohawk, the 

 "lower Iroquois," from this peace con- 

 ference, but the Onondaga speaker prom- 

 ised to persuade the Mohawk to change 

 their minds and to make peace. The 

 Onondaga asked for priests to dwell 

 among them and for French soldiers to 

 aid. them in their war against the Erie. 



In May 1657, 10 years after the dis- 

 persion of the Hurons from their mother- 

 land, the Onondaga sought by the giv- 

 ing of numerous presents and by covert 

 threats of war to persuade the Hurons 

 who had fled to the vicinity of Quebec 

 to remove to their country and to form 

 with them a single people. The INIohawk 

 and the Seneca also were engaged in this 

 business. Finallj', the Hurons were 

 forced to submit to the persistent demands 

 of the Iroquois tribes. 



In 1686 the Onondaga were at war 

 against the Cherermons (Shawnee?). 

 They were divided into two bands, one 

 of 50 and another of 250, 50 of the latter 

 being from other tribes. But in 1688 the 

 Onondaga were much under French 

 influence and were regarded as the chief 

 among the Iroquois tribes. 



In 1682, at Albany, the Onondaga, with 

 the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Cayuga, 

 and the Seneca, entered into a treaty of 

 peace with the commissioners from the 

 colony of Maryland, who contracted not 

 only for the w'hite settlers, but also for 

 the Piscataway Indians. 



With the exception of a part of the 

 Seneca, the Onondaga were the last of 

 the five tribes originallv forming the 

 League of the Iroquois to accept fully the 

 principles of the universal peace pro- 

 posed by Dekanawida and Hiawatha. 



Early in 1647 a band of Onondaga on 

 approaching the Huron country was de- 

 feated by a troop of Huron warriors, the 

 Onondaga chief being killed and a num- 

 ber taken prisoners. Among the latter 

 was Annenraes, a man of character and 

 authority among the Onondaga. In the 

 following spring he learned that some of 

 the Hurons who had been bitterly dis- 

 appointed because his life had been 

 spared intended to kill him. To some 

 of his Huron friends he related what he 

 had heard, and that he intended to 

 escape to his own country. His resolu- 

 tion, with the reason for making it, hav- 

 ing been reported to the leading Huron 

 chiefs of the council, they concluded to 

 aid him in his purpose, trusting that he 



would render them some valuable service 

 in return. Giving him some presents 

 and provisions, they sent him off secretly 

 at night. Crossing L. Ontario, he un- 

 expectedly encountered 300 Onondaga 

 making canoes to cross the lake for the 

 purpose of avenging his death (believing 

 he had been killed by the Hurons), and 

 awaiting the arrival of 800 Seneca and 

 Cayugg, reenforcements. His country- 

 men regarded Annenraes as one risen 

 from the dead. He so conducted him- 

 self that he persuaded the 300 Onondaga 

 to give up all thought of war for that of 

 peace, whereupon the band, without 

 waiting for the expected reenforcements, 

 returned to Onondaga, where a tribal 

 council was held, in which it w'as re- 

 solved to send an embassy with presents 

 to the Hurons for the purpose of com- 

 mencing negotiations for peace. The 

 chief of this embassy was by birth a 

 Huron named Soiones, so naturalized in 

 the country of his adoption that it was 

 said of him that "no Iroquois had done 

 more massacres in these countries, nor 

 blows more wicked than he." He was 

 accompanied by three other Hurons, 

 who had not long been captives at Onon- 

 daga. The embassy arrived at St Ig- 

 nace July 9, 1647, finding the Hurons 

 divided as to the expediency of acquies- 

 cing in the Onondaga proposals, the Bear 

 tril)e of the Hurons justly fearing the du- 

 plicity of the enemy even though bear- 

 ing presents. But the Rock tribe and 

 many villages desired the conclusion of 

 peace in the hope that a number of their 

 kin, then captive at Onondaga, would be 

 returned to them. After many councils 

 and conferences it was found expedient 

 to send an embassy to Onondaga in order 

 the better to fathom this matter. For 

 presents the Hurons took valuable furs, 

 while the Iroquois Onondaga used belts 

 of wampum. The Huron embassy was 

 well receiveil at Onondaga, whereamonth 

 was spent in holding councils. Finally 

 the Onondaga resolved to send back a 

 second embassy, headed by Skanawati 

 ( Scandaouati ) , a federal chieftain, 60 years 

 of age, who was to be accompanied by 

 two other Onondaga and by 15 Huron 

 captives. One of the Huron embassy 

 remained as a hostage. This embassy 

 was 30 days on the way, although it was 

 in fact only 10 days' journey. Jean 

 Baptiste, the returning Huron delegate, 

 brought back 7 wampum belts of the 

 largest kind, each composed of 3,000 or 

 4,000 beads. By these belts the Onon- 

 daga sought to confirm the peace, assur- 

 ing the Hurons that they could hope for 

 the deliverance of at least 100 more of 

 their captive kin. The Onondaga desired 

 this peace not only because the life of 

 Annenraes had been spared, but also 

 because they were jealous lest the Mo- 



