48 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Fifj. 4 Ceremoni.'il 

 gus Seneca 



zvoHd tree, the scroll or Jwlix, tlie 

 sun, the circle, the horn and the ser- 

 pent symbols were predominant. In 

 connection with this research has been 

 the study of pictographs and decora- 

 tive motifs. 



At the commencement of our plans 

 for the Governor IMyron H. Clark 

 Hall of Iroquois Ethnology, when the 

 costuming of some forty casts of 

 Indians became a problem for con- 

 sideration, it was found that no de- 

 scription of the Iroquois costume 

 through the various periods existed. 

 It became necessary to make a special 

 study of the subject not only from 

 books but from the Indians them- 

 selves. By good fortune many valu- 

 able notes were obtained and we 

 may now represent with a degree of 

 accuracy the various costumes of the 

 Iroquois. Some of the existing pic- 

 tures of Iroquois costumes are errone- 

 ous, the peace garments and war 

 costume being represented together. 



The dressing of the hair, the face 

 painting and tattooing are other im- 

 portant details that have been studied 

 with enlightening results. 



Manuscripts and codes. Among 

 much interesting matter one import- 

 ant manuscript has come into the 

 possession of the division. This is 

 the Dekanawideh code of the Iroquois 

 by Seth Newhouse, a Canadian Mo- 

 hawk. Mr Newhouse has for twenty 

 years been compiling the manuscript, 

 which treats of the Hiawatha legend 

 and the Iroquois constitution. Horatio 

 Hale, in his 'M'.ook of Rites," 

 mentions the constitution but it is bc- 



paddle. Cattarau- y^^^^^^^ ^j^^^ j^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ heretofore 



