230 ETJHNOLOGY. 



of talented and ambitious men, for reasons of policy ; and the safeguards against 

 usurpation were too deeply integrated in their institutions to be overcome or 

 superceded. How this was accomplished was, for a long period, difficult to be 

 understood ; but the intricacy is removed by the single fact, before stated, that 

 the title was hereditary in the tribe, but elective as between certain of the male 

 relatives of the deceased sachem. It will uot be necessary to explain minutely 

 how the choice was made, further than to say, that, if the title belonged to the 

 Wolf tribe, the new sachem must be " raised up," to use their own expression, 

 from the same tribe. As the son of the sachem was of another tribe, he was out 

 of the line of succession ; but his brothers were of the Wolf tribe, and so were 

 his sister's sons ; hence we find that the succession fell upon a brother of the de- 

 ceased ruler, or upon a nephew. Between a brother of the deceased and the son 

 of a sister there was no law estabhshing a preference; neither as between several 

 brothers on one side, or several sons of a sister on the other, was there any law of 

 primogeniture. They were all equally eligible, and the law of election came in 

 to decide between them. The choice was made by the wise men and matrons of 

 the tribe; and among the latter the mother of the deceased ruler exercised a de- 

 cisive influence. 



Upon the decease of a sachem, and the choice of a successor, a council of all 

 the Sachems of the League was convened to " raise up " the new ruler, and invest 

 him with his title. To this council belonged the exclusive power of investing with 

 the office ; and no one could become a sachem in fact, until this ceremony of 

 investiture was performed. These councils lasted several days, and were attended 

 with many forms and ceremonies. They are still held in Western New York as 

 often as each alternate year. 



" These sachems were the rulers of the people, partly by elective, and partly by 

 hereditary right ; but their duties and authority were confined exclusively to the 

 affairs of peace. When assembled together, they formed the general council of 

 the league, and possessed, in themselves, the executive, legislative, and judicial 

 powers of the Commonwealth. In the same manner the several sachems of each 

 nation composed the national council, which exercised a separate government over 

 all the affairs of their respective nations, such as did not relate to the general 

 welfare. 



" Many years after the formation of the league, a new office was created — the 

 office or title of chief. It was of lower rank than that of sachem, and was not 

 hereditary. It was in the strict sense elective, and the reward of merit, and 

 ceased with the life of the individual. To this class the most distinguished of the 

 war captains and orators of the Iroquois belonged ; among them, Ta-yen-da-nae- 

 ga, or Joseph Brant, and Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, or Red Jacket. At the present time 

 the Seneca nation, in Western New York, have eight sachems, as of old, who 

 hold their titles by the original tenure, and about seventy chiefs, who hold by 

 election. 



" It is an interesting fact, that the sachems of the Iroquois at the present day, 

 although the league is dismembered, and the nations are scattered, still bear the 

 same individual names which were borne by their predecessors at the establish- 

 ment of the league. Thus Ho-no-we-na-to, which means " Keeper of the Warn- 



