406 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



to him, and his wife will he a mother, and his sons and daughters 

 his brothers and sisters. The head sachem then arose and took me 

 by the hand, and called me his son, and led me to his family. I 

 thanked him, and said I wished the Great Spirit might make me a 

 blessing to his family. I then shook hands with his wife and chil- 

 dren, and with all who were convened on the occasion. Lothrop, 

 p. 167 



Gen. Ely S. Parker, the Seneca chief, gave an account of the 

 adoption of Lewis H. Morgan and two others in 1846 at Tona- 

 wanda. They applied for adoption October 28, and their request 

 was approved next day, provided they gave a good feast. October 

 31 the ceremony took place, the candidates being seated on a bench 

 at one end of the room. Chief Sty or Ho-cis-ta-hout, Bill in. his 

 Mouth, opened the council, and Jesse Spring or Ha-sque-ta-he, 

 Ax in Hand, stated its object. Then he said : 



They, no doubt, knew the fact that when any one chose to become 

 a member of our nation, on their making an application to some of 

 our leading and wise men, and providing a feast to bring the people 

 together, we were not very scrupulous in adopting. This adoption 

 has been referred to the chiefs, and they assented to the adoption. 

 It now becomes the duty of the tribes to which they respectively 

 belong to come forward and present their proper names. The 

 people will know into which tribe they are adopted by observing 

 who leads them around the room. The managers request the war- 

 riors to keep perfect order, and to aid in making the entertainments 

 interesting. The first dance in order will be the War Dance, and 

 the second the Grand Religious Dance, as the proper accompani- 

 ments of the occasion . . .- Mr L. H. Morgan was then called upon 

 to rise and stand by the side of Jesse Spring, who, laying his hand 

 upon his shoulder, with sparkling eye and loud voice, exclaimed 

 that this our first brother would hereafter be known by the name 

 of Ta-ya-dao-wuk-kah. Mr C. T. Porter was then called upon to 

 pass a similar ordeal, and he unflinchingly received the name of 

 Da-ya-a-weh. Mr Thomas Darling was next summoned, and upon 

 him was conferred the euphonious sobriquet of Gi-we-go. 



Hon. George S. Conover and two others were adopted by the 

 Senecas in 1885, after a good dinner and smoke. Moses Lav or 

 Da-ya-to-koh, the head chief present, aided by 16 sachems, con- 

 ducted the ceremonies in an orchard, where the council was ar- 

 ranged on logs on three sides of a long rectangle, one end being 

 open. The order was announced and the chiefs and sachems were 



