HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK IROQUOIS I43 



French and English made them able diplomats, and they used 

 their power well. 



Their eloquence has been celebrated and has not lost its power 

 yet. Competent persons have testified that it lost rather than 

 gained by interpretation. Colden says, in his History of the 

 Five Nations: 



The speakers whom I have heard had all a great fluency of 

 words and much more grace in their manner than any man could 

 expect among a people entirely ignorant of the liberal arts and 

 sciences. . . I have heard an old Indian sachem speak with 

 much vivacity and elocution, so that the speaker pleased and 

 moved his audience with the manner of delivering his discourse, 

 which, however, as it afterwards came from the interpreter, dis- 

 appointed us in our expectations. After the speaker had em- 

 ployed a considerable time in haranguing with much elocution, 

 the interpreter often explained the whole by one single sentence. 

 I believe the speaker, in that time, embellished and advanced his 

 figures, that they might have their full force on their imagination, 

 while the interpreter contented himself with the sense, in as few 

 words as it could be expressed. 



Of this Mr Parish, the interpreter, once said it was altogether 

 impossible for him to impart to the translations anything like the 

 force and beauty of the origiucds. He also stated that on great 

 occasions, the Indian orators, Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother 

 in particular, not only studied their speeches, and conned them 

 well, but would send to him for rehearsals, in order that they 

 might be assured that he understood them fully, and could trans- 

 late them with accuracy. 



Examples will appear incidentally, but a quotation may be 

 added from a French writer, who heard Dekanissora in 1694: 



These are the words of Teganissorens, which he enunciated 

 with as perfect a grace as is vouchsafed to an unpolished and 

 uncivilized people. He went through his speech with freedom 

 and collectedness, and concluded with a certain modesty and so 

 great a show of respect and submission to the Count as to be 

 remarked. 



Originally Iroquois speeches combined plain speech, intoning 

 and pantomime. An account of Kiotsaeton's address and pres- 

 ents appears in the Relation of 1645. ''After a few words he began 



