COUNCILS AND CEREMONIES OF ADOPTION OF NEW YORK INDIANS 403 



Interment in New York was usually of a simpler character, but 

 it was understood that there should be some public expression of 

 general sympathy. To family sorrow was added a kind of minor 

 condolence of an official character. The Relation of 1657 describes 

 one of these at Onondaga: 



After the dead man is buried, and his tomb is heaped up with 

 food for the sustenance of his soul, and a kind of sacrifice had been 

 made by burning a certain quantity of corn, the ancients, the friends 

 and relatives of the deceased are invited to a feast, where each 

 brings his presents to console those most afflicted. It is thus that 

 they did in the presence of one of the fathers of our company, who 

 represented at one of the ceremonies the person of Monsieur the 

 Governor. An Ancient of the most considerable, proceeding gravely, 

 cried in a lugubrious tone: Ail Ail Ail Agatondichon: Alas! 

 Alas ! Alas ! my dear relatives, I have neither spirit nor word with 

 which to console you. I can do nothing but mingle my tears with 

 yours, and lament the severity. of the disease which treats us so ill: 

 Ail Ail Ail Agatondichon I I am yet consoled at seeing Onnontio 

 and the rest of the French weep with us; but courage, my rela- 

 tives ! let us not sadden longer a guest so honorable, let us dry the 

 tears of Onnontio by drying our own ; here is a present which will 

 dry the source of them. This present, which he made at the same 

 time, was a beautiful collar of wampum, which was followed by 

 presents and condolences from all the others, the liberality of the 

 women being no less than that of the men on this occasion. The 

 ceremony is ended by a feast, from which they take the best morsels 

 for the sick people of distinction in the town. 



■ While the greater condolence was for the chiefs and interested all 

 the nations, the minor one might be used for any person and was 

 of a more local nature. In the same year the Onondagas expressed 

 their sympathy for the French in turn : 



They have always since rendered the same offices which they use 

 toward their most faithful friends. The chiefs among them having 

 come with mournful cries to console us for the death of two of our 

 Frenchmen, he who brought the presents of condolence, addressing 

 the Father Superior, said to him : The Ancients of our country, 

 being accustomed to dry each others tears, when they are afflicted 

 bv_ any misfortune, we come, Achiendase', to perform for you this 

 duty of friendship. We weep with thee because misfortune can not 

 touch thee without piercing us by the same stroke ; and we are 

 unable, without extreme sorrow, to see thee so ill used in our land, 

 after having left thine own where thou wast perfectly at thy ease 

 . . . This present is to level the earth in which I have put them, 



