WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES : 443 
in 1768 for observing one of their ancient customs. He had given 
them a string of wampum in a pouch. 
One Iroquois custom was mentioned at a council in Montreal in 
1756. “ The Cayuga orator terminated the session by calling, in a 
loud voice, each nation according to its rank, and, when he named 
it, the chief thereof uttered the cry of thanks, which was repeated 
in cadence by all the Indians.” This appears elsewhere, but not the 
rest. In regard to the belts presented by the Five Nations, “‘ each 
of them furnished in turn and contributed equally to that expense, 
and as the Indians are very particular in exhibiting the share they 
possess in these presents, at the end of each speech, the orator is 
careful, when handling the belt, to cry out the name of the canton, 
or nation, which has furnished it.” —O’Callaghan. Colomal hist. 10:563 
Father Milet notes this feature in his interesting account of mak- 
ing ready for a council, which is contained in the second chapter 
of the Relation for 1673-74. He wrote from Oneida (N. Y.) and said: 
In order to maintain peace among themselves and make amends 
for faults committed by individuals, the Iroquois nations have insti- 
tuted certain embassies which they reciprocally send one to another. 
In these they exhibit their finest porcelain collars, with the utmost 
magnificence in their power; and their captains endeavor to display 
their eloquence, both in relating their fables, their genealogies and 
their stories; and in suitably exhorting the ancients and warriors, 
according to the exigencies of present affairs. In each family there 
are a certain number of men and women of note, who represent, as 
it were, the nobles of the land. ‘These are called Agoiandéres, and 
they provide the porcelain and the collars. When it is intended to 
send an embassy to other nations, the families first meet, each in 
private, and collect all the porcelain that they have to give; then 
each family displays to the others what the richest among them 
have supplied. Then the oldest or most eloquent of the family 
makes an harangue—either standing erect, or oftener walking 
about. At times he speaks in a lugubrious tone, drawling out his 
words; at others in a sharp tone, fitted to move them; sometimes in 
a joyful voice, intermingled with songs, which the other ancients 
repeat in harmony. At the conclusion he shows all these collars 
as so many deceased persons, formerly of note, who come back to 
life to urge all those who are present to preserve the country for 
which they formerly gave their life and shed their blood. All is 
ended by a feast, and by the offering of many presents, which they 
make one to another. The ancients of the other families thank 
him who has spoken, and on the following day they do the same 
