144 



ORATORY ORDEALS 



[is. A. E. 



Aug. 30, 1645 (N. Y. Doc. Col. Hist., 

 XIII, 18, 1881 ) . On July 19, 1649, a num- 

 ber of leading Indians, including Ora- 

 tamin, made further proposals for a last- 

 ing peace. At the close of the confer- 

 ence, held at Ft Amsterdam, a special 

 gift of tobacco and a gun was made to 

 Oratamin, while "a small present worth 

 20 guilders was then given to the com- 

 mon savages" (ibid., 25). He also took 

 part in the treaty of Mar. 6, 1660, in be- 

 half of his own tribe and of the chief of 

 the Highlands,- N. Y., and was present 

 May 18, 1660, when peace was concluded 

 with the Wappinger. A few weeks later 

 he interceded for the Esopus Indians, 

 and had the satisfaction of being present 

 at the conclusion of peace with them 

 ( Nelson, Inds. N. J. , 106, 1894 ) . In 1662 

 Oratamin complained to the Dutch au- 

 thorities of the illicit sale of brandy to 

 his jjeople, and on Mar. 30 of that year 

 was authorized to seize the liquor brought 

 into his country for sale, as well as those 

 bringing it. On June 27, 1663, Oratamin 

 was again called into consultation by the 

 whites in an effort to Hmit the Esopus 

 war. Two weeks later chiefs of several 

 tribes N. of the Hackensack appeared 

 and ratified all that had been said and 

 done by the aged chief, primarily through 

 whose efforts the Esopus war was T)rought 

 to a close and peace declared May 16, 

 1664, Oratamin and three other chiefs 

 becoming security therefor. He was 

 asked by Gov. Carteret, in 1666, to at- 

 tend a conference regarding the purchase 

 of the site of Newark, N. J. , but was then 

 so old and feeble that he could not un- 

 dertake the journey from Hackensack to 

 that place. He probably died in 1667. 

 His name is also written Oratam, Ora- 

 tamy, Oratan, Oraton (Nelson, Names of 

 Inds. N. J., 44, 1904). (c t.) 



Oratory. In Indian tribal life the ora- 

 tor heldadistinguished place. To beable 

 to state clearly and to urge eloquently 

 one's views on a question before a council 

 of the tribe raised a man to power and in- 

 fluence among his fellows. The govern- 

 ment of a tribe was generally vested in a 

 council composed of the chiefs of the 

 different bands or clans, or of the elders 

 of the tribe, and, as unanimous con- 

 sent to any proposition was usually re- 

 quired before it could be accepted, much 

 argumentation was characteristic of their 

 deliberations. In the higher circle of 

 chiefs, as well as in the societies of war- 

 riors or leading men, the orator had his 

 function. To speak well, to plead well, 

 to tell a story effectively was accounted 

 a desirable gift for a man. Many occa- 

 sions arose when facility in address was 

 required, as in formal tribal negotiations 

 or visits, in certain parts of religious cere- 

 monies, or in purely social intercourse. 



Some of the Eastern tribes had an official 

 orator for state occasions, which office 

 was hereditary in certain Western tribes. 

 The native languages lent themselves to 

 oratory. A picture full of detail and 

 movement could be given in compara- 

 tively few words, while the symbolism 

 inherent in the Indian's outlook upon 

 nature gave poetry to his speech. His 

 vivid conceptions seemed often to thrill 

 his frame, governing his attitude, the 

 folds of his robe, his glance, and his ges- 

 tures. The Inclian's oratory early im- 

 pressed the white race, and scattered 

 through the historical records of our 

 country are bits of powerful native utter- 

 ance. We have the speeches of Corn- 

 planter, Red Jacket, Big Elk, Logan, and 

 a host of others, all of which have the 

 ring of true eloquence. This gift still 

 lingers, but now, as in the past, it is 

 most often heard in protest against un- 

 fair dealing. Standing before a commis- 

 sion the members of wliich had been 

 using many arguments in favor of their 

 project, the Wichita chief who had lis- 

 tened in silence stooped, and gathering a 

 handful of the dry soil of his reservation, 

 straightened himself and said, as he 

 threw the myriad particles into the air, 

 "There are as many ways to cheat the 

 Indian!" Consult Mooney in 14th and 

 17th Rep. B. A. E. (a. c. f.) 



Orcan, A village mentioned by Joutel 

 in 1687 as situated n. or n. w. of the Mal- 

 igne (Colorado) r., Texas, the name 

 seemingly having been given him by Eba- 

 hamo Indians, who were probably of 

 Karankawa affiliation. In some editions 

 of Joutel's relation the name is combined 

 with Piou, or Peinhoum. The two names 

 may have ])elonged to one village or to 

 two closely related villages, (a. c. f. ) 



Orcamipias. — Barcia, Ensayo, 271, 1723. Orcam- 

 pion. — Joutel (1687) in French, Hist. Coll. La., i, 

 138, 1846. Orcampiou. — Shea, note in Charlevoix, 

 New France, iv, 78, 1870. Orcan.— Joutel (1687) in 

 French, Hist. Coll. La., I, 152, 1846. 



Orchard Party. A part of the Oneida 

 as recognized by the treaty of Albany, 

 Feb. 2, 1827.— Indian Problem, 301, Al- 

 bany, 1889. 



Ordeals. An ordeal is strictly a form 

 of trial to determine guilt or innocence, 

 but the term has come to be applied in a 

 secondary sense to any severe trial or test 

 of courage, endurance, and fortitude. In 

 accordance with these two usages of the 

 term, ordeals among the North American 

 tribes may be divided into (1) those 

 used to establish guilt and to settle dif- 

 ferences, and (2) those undergone for 

 the sake of some material or supernat- 

 ural advantage. 



The ordeals corresponding closest to 

 the tests to which the name was origi- 

 nally applied were those undertaken to 

 determine witches or wizards. If it was 



