340 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Mr Morgan's statement may be quoted in full: 



The primitive wampum of the Iroquois consisted of strings of 

 a small fresh-water spiral shell, called in the Seneca dialect, Ote-ko-a^ 

 the name of which has been bestowed upon the modern wampum. 

 When Daganoweda, the founder of the league, had perfected its 

 organic provisions^ he produced several strings of this ancient wam- 

 pum of his own arranging, and taught them its use in recording 

 the provisions of the compact, by which the several nations were 

 united into one people. At a subsequent day the wampum in 

 present use was introduced by the Dutch, who in the manufactured 

 shell bead offered an acceptable substitute for the less convenient 

 spiral shell. — Morgan, p. 71 



It will be seen that these stories do not mention belts, and that 

 Mr Morgan thought no existing belts antedated the Dutch settle- 

 ment and trade. Dr Daniel G. Brinton was of the same opinion. 



Another Hiawatha story was very briefly told by Mr Hale, but 

 was given to the writer in full by the Rev. Albert Cusick, an Onon- 

 daga of great intelligence, and his own and Mr Hale's interpreter. 

 When the wise and good chief determined to try to stop the con- 

 stant Indian wars^ he went first to the Mohawks. Not far from 

 one of their villages he built a fire, and this was soon reported to 

 the chief. He sent young men to see whether this betokened 

 friend or foe. They crept quietly near and saw through the bushes 

 an old man sitting by the fire, intent on stringing short eagle quills. 

 He did not look up, and they returned and reported what they had 

 seen. The chief sent them back to call the old man to a council. 

 They approached him openly, but, when they gave their message,^ 

 he neither looked up nor answered, and continued stringing the 

 quills as before, They repeated the chief's words again and again,, 

 and, when they spoke the third time, he raised his head, holding 

 up a string of quills and said, " When your chief would have me 

 come to a council, he must send me a string like this." The quills 

 Avere of the black eagle, a mythic bird that soars very high and 

 is rarely seen. This wampum bird Hiawatha could call down at 

 will. Such quills the Mohawk chief could not get, but he thought 

 others might do. With those of the partridge he made a string and 

 sent it to the old man. One story says he used colored wood. 

 When Hiawatha came to the council, he first of all told them how 



