THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS IO9 



on until the whole circle of the confederacy shall become aware of 

 the death of the lord. And if a lord among the two (now four) 

 brothers (the Oneida and Cayuga) dies, then the chief warrior or 

 any warrior deputed will carry and convey the string of black 

 wampum to Dekarihoken or Skanyadahriyoh or Thadodahho, or 

 their brother colleagues, and the chief warrior or any warrior so 

 deputed will, while on his way, repeat the mourning cry three times 



at regular intervals as follows : ' Kwa ah ; Kwa ah ; 



Kwa ah; '^ and if a chief warrior on either side of the council 



dies (or now if a chief of Tuscarora, Delaware, Nanticoke or 

 Tuteli member^ of the council dies), then the mourning messenger 

 will, while on his way to announce the death of either of these, 



repeat the mourning cry twice only as follows : ' Kwa ah ; 



Kwa ah.' In case of the sudden death of a lord, then his 



colleagues will remove his crown of deer's horns and will put it to 

 one side where the chief matron of the family or clan to which he 

 belonged will find- and take it up again. 



" If from whatever cause the crown of deer's horns are not 

 removed from the head of the lord at the time of his death, then 

 his colleagues will remove the same at the time of his burial and 

 will place it beside the grave where the chief matron will find and 

 pick it up again." 



Then the lords said : " If a lord dies we will do this : we will 

 put up a pole horizontally, and we will hang a pouch upon it, 

 and we will put into the pouch a short string of wampum, and the 

 side of the council fire which has sustained the loss by death shall 

 do it and the side which has not sustained the loss will depute one 

 of their lords to take the pouch off the pole, then he shall follow 

 the path and go to the opposite side of the council fire where the 

 loss has been sustained, and when he arrives at the house where 

 the lord died he will stand at one end of the hearth and he will 

 speak consoling words to the bereaved, and he will cheer them up, 

 and this will be our mode of condolence, and these shall consist of 

 eleven passages to be expressed in this condolence (Ka-ne-kon- 

 kets-kwa-se-rah)^ and eleven wampum strings shall be used in 

 this ceremony. 



1 Kwa a". 



2 Captive or adopted tribes having a seat and a voice in their own national 

 affairs but no voice in the confederate council. 



3 Ganigohagetc'gwe"', Their spirits are lifted up. 



