144 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



to sing, and his comrades responded. He promenaded in that 

 great place as in a theater. He made a thousand gestures, he 

 looked at the sky, he faced the sun, he rubbed his hands." The 

 presents were made and explained in a soberer tone, and a few 

 concluding words followed. " His manner and words were much 

 praised. He intoned some songs between his presents, he danced 

 for rejoicing; in short he showed himself a very good actor." 



Intoning was often used to show that a message or meaning 

 was quoted. When Cammerhoff and Zeisberger were at the 

 Onondaga council in' 1750, a chief had a message to deliver from 

 the Nanticokes : " To our astonishment an old Oneida began to 

 sing the message which he had for the council in a very high 

 tenor voice. He continued for more than half an hour." The 

 Moravians explained their belt and string to Canassatego, and 

 he spoke for them in the council. ** He at once showed them the 

 Fathom of Wampum and belt, and intoned in the usual Indian 

 fashion the significance of each." 



Besides pantomime and songs there were early customs in 

 speaking which have ceased. When Le Moyne was at Onondaga 

 in 1654, he said : " I was the full space of two hours making all 

 my harangue in the tone of a captain, promenading after their 

 custom, like an actor on a stage." 



Chapter 3 



Clans and their divisions. Totemic bond. Line of descent. Migrations. 

 Date of League. Cartier's visit. Mohawks leave Canada. Traces of 

 them there. Iroquois war. Algonquins at Montreal. First Mohawk 

 towns in New York. Age of Huron nations. 



The three great and probably original clans found in each 

 Iroquois nation are the Bear, Wolf and Turtle, and without these 

 no council was valid. The Mohawks and Oneidas had only 

 these, but the others had supplementary clans, varying in names 

 and number. L. H. Morgan gave five of these to the Senecas : 

 the Beaver, Deer, Snipe, Heron and Hawk. To the Cayugas he 

 assigned the Snipe, Eel, Beaver, Deer and Hawk, but the Onon- 

 dagas say that all Eels belong to them. To the Onondagas he 



