2 THE MOHAWK LANGUAGE, 



red man was created upon this continent ; and, were I to weigh the 

 evidence given by these traditions, and that derived from the various 

 theories of scientific writers upon the subject, I should be inclined, 

 after making all allowances for the legendary character of Indian 

 history, to decide in favour of the evidence of tradition, for I am 

 disposed to attach but little weight to theories formed upon supposed 

 similarity in manners and customs, or accidental resemblance, in 

 words, of the language. I do think, however, that there is every 

 reason to hope that we shall find, if not a solution of our difficulty, 

 at least great assistance, from the Science of Langniage. 



I know that the traditions of the Mohawks assvime a rational and 

 reliable character, with the formation of the Confederacy of the Five 

 Nations by the Mohawk Chief De-ka-na-wi-dah, yet the Tuscaroras 

 are completely lost sight of in all the earlier traditions of the Five 

 Nations, and are represented to have first met the Mohawks when 

 they joined the Confederacy at a comparatively recent date. An 

 examination, however, of the two languages, leaves no room to doubt 

 that at some remote period these two nations were one. 



Here, therefore, we have a case where we are enabled by a know- 

 ledge of, and an examination into, the languages, to pronounce judg- 

 ment with absolute certainty upon a point which goes farther back 

 than tradition. I should be plaxjing a low estimate to say that the 

 Confederacy is 500 years old. Philology, therefore, immediately 

 solves a question for its which is from 600 to 1,000 years old. Leav- 

 ing, however, the question of our origin for disciission till we are in 

 a position to bring the Science of Language to bear upon it, we will 

 proceed to give a hasty view of the Confederacy of which we have 

 already made mention. 



I have said that it was first conceived by De-ka-na-wi-dah, at 

 a time when the nations which subsequently formed the League 

 were living in separate and independent communities, continually 

 engaged in hostilities with each other. The Chief, no sooner tho- 

 roughly satisfied that a Confederation of the neighbouring tribes 

 would result in mutual benefit and prosperity, made proposals to 

 the Oneida for an alliance, to which the latter fortunately acceded 

 without hesitation. 



They next proceeded to the Onondaga, who at that time was the 

 most powerful of the neighbouring Chiefs. Having received the 

 proposition of the Mohawk and Oneida to form an alliance in which 



