3^0 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



June 1795. At this time took place the curious ceremony which 

 made the Delawares men and warriors, and of which Zeisberger 

 gave this account: 



They had, among other ceremonies, shorn an Indian's head, 

 -leaving only a little hair at the top, adorned him with white 

 feathers, as the warriors are accustomed to do, and painted him. 

 They left him no clothing except a breech-clout, and put a war- 

 beetle into his hands, and then presented him to the Delawares 

 with these words : " Cousin, beforetimes we put on thee only a 

 woman's garment; hung on thy side a calabash, with oil to 

 anoint thy head, put into thy hand a grubbing axe and a pestle, 

 to plant corn and to grind it, together with other house-gear, 

 and told thee to support thyself by agriculture, together with thy 

 children, and to trouble thyself about nothing else. Now we cut 

 in two the band wherewith thy garment is bound, throw it among 

 these thick dark bushes, whence no man must bring it again, or 

 he must die. Thou art no longer in thy proper form, but thy 

 form is like this Indian's, whom we now present to thee, that 

 thou mayest see who thou now art, and instead of a grubbing axe 

 and corn-pestle we put into thy hand a war-beetle, and feathers 

 upon thy head. Thou goest about now like a man." Thus they 

 made the Delaware nation not only into men, but Into warriors. 



A party of Mohawks went through the Moravian towns Aug. 

 28, 1796, and Zeisberger said: "They are earnestly working to 

 kindle war again, saying quite openly that there should be a new 

 war with the States, and they seek to arouse the Canada Indians." 



The mission of Ganeodiyo, or Handsome Lake, the prophet of 

 the new religion, has been placed both in 1790 and in 1800, with 

 probabilities in favor of the later date. It seems to have been 

 unknown when the Iroquois chiefs visited President Washington 

 in 1792, and part of the revelation assumes that he was dead. 

 Handsome Lake's name first appears on a treaty in 1794, but 

 without special notice, and it may be assumed that he was then 

 in no way distinguished from other chiefs. The revelation is 

 said to have been made in the interest of his half-brother. Corn- 

 planter, but there is no proof of this. It taught rewards anc 

 punishments based on sound morality, and strongly opposec 

 drunkenness and the sale of lands. It was largely accepted b) 

 four of the Six Nations of New York and effected a considerabl< 

 reformation. The prophet died at Onondaga in 181 5 and wa 



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