138 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



advised peace. They mixed poison with the food which they 

 served the delegation and a number died. Cornplanter also was 

 made severely ill. Then Cornplanter became very angry and calling 

 a council said, ' You have acted with treachery. Now I cease to 

 plead. I now command that you let the white people live in peace. 

 Do not kill another one. If you do I will bring the whole Five 

 Nations against you and with a great army of white men will kill 

 every one of you. The Senecas are the greatest nation of all na- 

 tions and whatever they plan they do. We are always successful 

 and always victorious in sport, debate or battle. So beware.' Now 

 the western Indians councilled among themselves and said, ' We 

 must hastily agree for if the Senecas come against us we surely will 

 be defeated.' " 



ORIGIN OF THE NAME CORNPLANTER 



" Gaiant'wake', the great chief, once went to Philadelphia. 



"'How do your people procure food?' asked a white man, a 

 Quaker. 



" * We are hunters,' answered the chief. 



'''Have you not observed our great fields of corn and grain?' 

 asked the white man, ' and did you know that we never have famines 

 as you do? Why do your people not cultivate gardens of size and 

 till large fields of grain ? ' 



" ' My people used to do so,' said the chief, ' and not many years 

 ago when they dwelt in the valley of the Genesee. Now I think 

 that I will encourage this practice again.' 



" This conversation so impressed the chief that when he returned 

 he spoke of the matter before the councils and exhorted people in 

 private to plant more and hunt less. Because of this he received 

 the name of The Planter, but the whites called him Cornplanter." 



