380 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



has a place elsewhere, almost in his words, but does not appear in 

 the condoling songs as he seems to imply. He says : 



Among the injunctions ieft by Da-ga-no-we-dah, the founder of 

 the League, there was one designed to impress upon their minds 

 the necessity of union and harmony. It was clothed in a figurative 

 dress, as is the custom of the red man when he would produce a 

 vivid impression. He enjoined them to plant a tree with four roots, 

 branching severally to the north, south, east and west. Beneath its 

 shade the sachems of the League must sit down together in per- 

 petual unity, if they would preserve its stability, or secure the 

 advantages it was calculated to bestow. Morgan, p. 120 



In this way, in the testimony on the wampum belts, one story 

 " represents an everlasting tree — always keep growing, reaching 

 to heaven, that all nations may see it ; and under it they set a 

 general fire to burn forever — the council place of the Five Nations 

 — and that the council fire is to be kept at the Onondagas. The 

 Onondagas are the expounders of the law." More quaintly still did 

 the old wampum keeper tell the story : " There is a tree set in the 

 ground, and it touches the heavens. Under that tree sits this 

 wampum. It sits on a log. Coals of fire are unquenchable, and 

 the Six Nations are at this council fire held by this tribe." 



In the Iroquois Book of Rites, Mr Hale gives the supposed 

 meaning of the names of the towns mentioned under the several 

 clans. In the Wolf clan Kar-he-tyon-ni, the broad woods; Ogh- 

 ska-wa-se-ron-hon, grown up to bushes again; Gea-ti-yo, beautiful 

 plain; O-nen-yo-te, protruding stone; Deh-se-ro-kenh, between two 

 lines; Degh-ho-di-jen-ha-ra-kwen, two families in a long house; 

 Ogh-re-kyon-ny he thought doubtful, and Te-yo-we-yen-don is 

 drooping wings. 



In the two Turtle clans Ka-negh-sa-da-keh is on the hillside, and 

 On-kwe-i-yede, a person standing there. The others are classed as 

 doubtful. 



In the Bear clan De-ya-o-kenh is the forks; Jo-non-de-seh, it is a 

 high hill; Ots-kwi-ra-ke-ron, dry branches fallen to the ground; 

 and Ogh-na-we-ron, the springs. 



The following he understood to be recent villages : Kar-ha-wen- 

 ra-dongh, taken over the zvoods; Ka-ra-ken, white; De-yo-he-ro, 

 the place of flags or rushes; De-yo-swe-ken, outlet of the river; 

 Ox-den-keh, to the old place. These also belonged to the Bear clan, 



