86 HOUSES AND HOUSE-LIFE OF THE AMERICAN ABORIGINES. 
was made an occasion for the confederated tribes to unite under the auspices 
of a general council in the observance of common religious rites; but as 
the Mourning Council was attended with many of the same ceremonies it 
came in time to answer for both. It is now the only council they hold, as 
the civil powers of the confederacy terminated with the supremacy over 
them of the state. ‘ 
When the sachems met in council at the time and place appointed, and 
the usual reception ceremony had been performed, they arranged them- 
selves in two divisions and seated themselves upon opposite sides of the 
council-fire. Upon one side were the Mohawk, Onondaga, and Seneca 
sachems. ‘The tribes they represented were, when in council, brother tribes 
to each other and father tribes to the other two. In like manner their 
sachems were brothers to each other and fathers to those opposite. They 
constituted a phratry of tribes and of sachems, by an extension of the principle 
which united gentes in a phratry. On the opposite side of the fire were the 
Oneida and Cayuga and at a later day the Tuscarora sachems. The tribes they 
represented were brother tribes to each other and son tribes to the opposite 
three. Their sachems also were brothers to each other, and sons of those in 
the opposite division. They formed a second tribal phratry. As the Oneidas 
were a subdivision of the Mohawks, and the Cayugas a subdivision of the 
Onondagas or Senecas, they were in reality junior tribes; whence their 
relation of seniors and juniors, and the application of the phratric principle. 
When the tribes are named in council the Mohawks, by precedence, are 
mentioned first. Their tribal epithet was ‘“‘The Shield” (Da-gd-e-o'jda). 
The Onondagas came next, under the epithet of ‘‘Name-Bearer” (Ho-de-san- 
no'-ge-td), because they had been appointed to select and name the fifty 
original sachems. Next in the order of precedence were the Senecas, under 
the epithet of ‘‘Door-Keeper” (Ho-nan-ne-ho'-ont) They were made per- 
petual keepers of the western door of the Long House. The Oneidas, 
under the epithet of “Great Tree” (Ne-ar'-de-on-dar'-go-war), and the 
Cayugas, under that of ‘‘Great Pipe” (So-nus'-ho-gwar-to-war), were named 
fourth and fifth. The Tuscaroras, who came late into the confederacy, 
were named last, and had no distinguishing epithet. Forms, such as these, 
were more important in ancient society than we would be apt to suppose. 
KY 
