COUNCILS AND CEREMONIES OF ADOPTION OF NEW YORK INDIANS 397 



At an ordinary council in 1755, the chief Oneida sachem presented 

 a boy before the other nations present, raising him up as a sachem 

 in place of Connochquisie, who was dead, giving him the same name. 

 He did the same in an address to Johnson, with a string of wam- 

 pum. Later in this council the Oneidas and Tuscaroras presented 

 two young men to be made sachems, and " desired that they might 

 be accepted as such, and that the Col. would distinguish. them with 

 the usual clothing as such." There seems to have been no elabo- 

 rate ceremonial at the time, but this might have followed among 

 themselves. There were some significant utterances at this council, 

 pointing to a natural variation in ceremonies. The speaker said to 

 Johnson : 



If we are deficient in any manner of form, or should forget to 

 answer in a particular manner any part of your speech, we hope 

 you will excuse us. We only depend upon our memories, and can 

 not have recourse, as you may, to any written records . . . We are 

 much obliged to you for renewing our ancient forms. You have 

 records of these things, and we thank you for putting us in mind of 

 them. 



About this time notice was taken of the division into elder and 

 younger brothers in mourning ceremonies, but this presence did 

 not seem essential in the raising of chiefs. In February 1756, the 

 Oneidas said that at Canajoharie they had " lost two great men in 

 whose stead or room we have been appointing others. Our 

 brethern of the other nations have passed by and neglected this, 

 which we think wrong." In that year Johnson himself raised a 

 sachem for the Canajoharie Mohawks, saying: 



As a proof of -my regard for your choice I now, in the presence 

 of your whole castle, invest him with all the powers of a sachem, 

 and put on him those necessary marks of distinction which I wish 

 him long life to wear. 



A few years later the mourning for dead chiefs and the raising of 

 the new are more directly connected. The pleasure which the Iro- 

 quois had in the share the French took in raising their chiefs led 

 Johnson to take part also, and he seems to have aided in adding to 

 the earlier ceremonies and making them more effective. The fore- 

 going notes will be found in New York Colonial Documents. 



