154 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Here it appears that two of the Huron nations came into their 

 land rather early in the 15th century, according to themselves, 

 but probably later; that they received another nation about 1590, 

 or after the Mohawk exodus; and that the fourth nation joined 

 them about 1610. 



Chapter 4 



Origin of league. Probable date. Allotment of sachems. Hiawatha. 

 Names of sachems and their meaning. Other chiefs. Name and terri- 

 tory of each nation. Council names. Brotherhoods. Name of league. 

 Iroquois and Algonquin name. Place of formative council. Influence 

 of women. 



Of the formation of the Iroquois league Pyrlaeus received an 

 account in 1743, which differs only in brevity from all later ones. 

 It was proposed by Thannaw^age, an aged Mohawk, and Togana- 

 wita appeared for the Mohawks, Otatschechta for the Oneidas, 

 Tatoyarho for the Onondagas, Togarhayon for the Cayugas, and 

 Ganiatario and Satagarnyes for the Senecas. These names are 

 in the Mohawk dialect and were to be preserved by successive 

 chiefs. This has been done with the exception of the first, who 

 has no nominal successor. He considered himself the founder 

 of the league, and no one could follow him in this. In the con- 

 doling song his naine appears with the five other founders, but 

 is not in the list of the 50 principal chiefs. 



Mr Hale said, adhering to an early date, " If the League was 

 formed, as seems probable, about the year 1450, the speeches and 

 hymn, in their present form, may reasonably be referred to the 

 early part of the next century." The song treats all the 50 orig- 

 inal chiefs as dead, and laments the good old times. 



There is no real discrepancy in referring the suggestion of the 

 league to a Mohawk chief. Hi-a-wat-ha was an Onondaga, 

 afterward adopted by the Mohawks, and his name, variously 

 translated, is second in the list of their 9 principal chiefs, entitled 

 to sit in the Grand Council. The Oneidas had 9 of these, the 

 Onondagas 14, the Cayugas 10, and the Senecas 8, or 50 in all. 

 When one of these dies, another is raised in his place and takes 

 his name. The Senecas may always have formed two bands, 

 accounting for two leading chiefs. In the Grand Council they 



